Bob Rozakis is a thirty-year veteran of the comic book industry, having spent the first twenty-five at DC Comics.
As a writer, Bob is perhaps best known as the co-creator of 'Mazing Man, but his credits include more than four hundred stories featuring Superman, Batman and virtually every other DC character. In addition to a few stories for Archie Comics, he has done a number of "custom comics" projects for the U.S. Postal Service, Six Flags, Con Edison, OnStar, and the San Francisco Giants. Outside the comic book business, he has written storybooks for educational publishing projects and co-authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Office Politics with his wife, Dr. Laurie Rozakis.
Bob was DC's Answer Man for several years, using his vast knowledge of the company's history and characters to respond to all sorts of readers' questions. Adapting to the technology, Bob utilized his credentials as a master of comic book history by hosting a weekly trivia chatroom on America Online for more than six years. His daily Anything Goes Trivia Quiz appears online at World Famous Comics and his weekly It's BobRo... The Answer Man! column can be found here at Silver Bullet Comics.
During his seventeen years as head of DC's Production Department, Bob guided his staff into previously unexplored areas of computerized color separations and typesetting, electronic page preparation, and computer-to-plate printing. These efforts earned DC Comics over one hundred awards for printing excellence and resulted in Bob twice being profiled and cover - featured in PUBLISHING & PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE.
In the "real world" Bob is an accountant for Preload, Inc., a firm that designs and builds concrete water tanks and reservoirs around the U.S. He teaches creative writing courses for the Johns Hopkins University / Center for Talented Youth summer program for gifted students and has taught similar courses for the Farmingdale (NY) Youth Council and Sylvan Learning Centers. He plays softball and volleyball, works out at the gym four times a week, donates blood and/or platelets as often as they'll let him, and even sleeps occasionally.
“With ‘Mazing Man… we’d work out a plot and get three-quarters of the way through and sometimes say, ‘No, this wouldn’t happen. They wouldn’t DO this.’” – Bob Rozakis, 1986
Writers, editors and artists plot stories all the time. Good thing, too, because if they didn’t, there wouldn’t be too many comic books to read. When it was time to plot an issue of ‘MAZING MAN, editor Alan Gold, artist Stephen DeStefano, and I would head to a local Bojangles fried chicken place and work out stories while munching on wings and thighs, biscuits and fries.
Sometimes we’d have an idea from the start. Other times we’d be looking for a jumping off point. In one particular case, Stephen had come into the city on the subway and had seen a magician moving from car to car doing tricks. He suggested that this might be something we could use in a ‘Maze story.
We worked out a basic plot and I went home to write it up. What follows is what I delivered to Alan a few days later. Though broken down into individual panels, Stephen was free to expand or contract the number he needed to move the action along. [Stephen and I worked in a variety of ways when it came to doing ‘Mazing Man stories. Sometimes I’d give him a very tight plot – like this one – and even plug in sample dialogue. Other times he’d go home with the idea and break down the story. In rare cases, “Brenda’s Story” in MM #6 the one example I recall, I’d give him a complete script.]
“IT’S MAGIC” – 7pp – PLOT
PAGE ONE
LOGO and title in the top panel. It’s sunset or a little later. Shot of the skyline perhaps?
KP is coming into the apartment. She’s dressed like she was out on a date. She looks upset, angry, disappointed. The date was a bust. Maze and Denton are sitting in the living room watching TV.
Denton glances up as her. He’s being unsympathetic, remaking that this is a new record because she’s home from her date at 8:15 on a Saturday night.
KP tells them how bad the date was, what a scuzzbucket the guy was. She remarks that there just doesn’t seem to be any magic in her life any more.
Maze perks up. The word “magic” has given him an idea.
KP is trying to get her shoes off, but Maze won’t let her, dragging her by the arm and telling her he’s got the solution to her problem. Denton is watching, not understanding what he’s talking about. KP is looking to Denton for help.
Denton follows along as Maze literally drags KP out the door.
PAGE TWO
Now we’re on the subway platform. Another train is pulling into the station. Denton is remarking that this is the fifth train they’ve watched come in. He wants to know what exactly they are waiting for. Maze is telling him to be patient. KP is smoking a cigarette, having given up trying to figure out what it is that Maze is up to.
As the train goes past them, Maze spots something inside and announces that this is the train for them.
Maze drags KP and Denton onto the train. They’re looking around at the car, which has the usual collection of off-hours subway commuters, daters, deadbeats, etc. Denton wants to know what makes this train different from all the rest.
Maze points to our magician, who is just getting ready to put on his act for a new audience.
KP looks at Denton and remarks that Maze takes everything too literally.
PAGE THREE
The magician spots Maze waving and recognizes him.
Maze introduces KP and Denton. Magician pulls a bouquet of flowers from his sleeve and tells KP he’s charmed to meet her. KP is softening; she’s thinking that the guy is kind of cute.
Meantime, Maze spots some kids at the other end of the car. They’re holding wide-tip magic markers inside their jackets, conspiring with one another. Maze realizes that this is a case for him -- these kids are going to graffiti the car.
Maze follows after the kids as they head into the next car. Denton, figuring that Maze will end up getting clobbered, follows him.
PAGE FOUR
In the next car, we see the kids taking the caps off the magic markers as Maze charges into the car, yelling at them to stop. Denton is behind him, telling him that perhaps he should leave these kids to the transit police.
The kids take off into the next car ahead as Denton is treated to a monologue from Maze about keeping the subways clean. It’s everybody’s job.
They continue the chase through the train.
Meantime, the magician has focused his entire act around KP and she’s charmed by him. The rest of the people in the car are watching. They thinks she’s part of the show too.
[To be concluded…next week!] BOBRO’S TRIVIA QUIZ 1. He had a wheel that spun JLAers; who was he? 2. Enemy rockets blasted "Rhodey" out of the sky; who saved him? 3. Reset the grandfather clock to 8:25 and you can enter whose secret lair? 4. Eventually, what former Quality title was published by DC and became LOVE STORIES? 5. She was the killer of Katma Tui; name her. 6. Japanese agent The Head was foiled by the Vigilante and whom? 7. On his horse, Winged Victory, who rode to…well, victory? 8. Heredity played a part in Jack Russell's "problem"; what did he become? 9. Number 7 of what group turned out to be a Manhunter? 10. Named Maleca'andra by its inhabitants, what do we call it? 11. You might best remember the attractive blonde among the three sisters who hosted what DC title?
BOBRO'S FUN FACTS TO KNOW & TELL: 1. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. 2. Corrugated cardboard was invented by Albert L. Jones of New York City in 1871. On a Canadian $2 bill, the flag flying over the Parliament Building is an American flag. As you read this, I’m in the third week of my six-week teaching stint in Maryland. The columns appearing during this time have been prepared in advance, so I won’t be answering any new Answer Man questions in the immediate future. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t send them… using the handy box in the column on the left. TRIVIA ANSWERS: A salute to the films of Jack Nicholson is this week’s theme… 1. Amos Fortune ["The Fortune"] 2. Iron Man ["Ironweed"] 3. Batman's ["Batman"] 4. HEART THROBS 5. Star Sapphire ["The Evening Star"] 6. Stuff, the Chinatown Kid ["Chinatown"] 7. Shining Knight ["The Shining"] 8. Werewolf By Night ["Wolf"] 9. Rocket Reds ["Reds"] 10. Mars ["Mars Attacks"] 11. THE WITCHING HOUR ["Witches of Eastwick"]
