I've actually gotten quite a few emails from people about this column-- a lot, really. I'm kinda shocked. You people seem to be liking this thing (at least until this column). One thing most people are saying in the letters, (and I'm hearing this from friends in the industry as well) is "how the hell do you find the time?" I'm doing a ton of work right now-- and they're wondering how the heck I find time to do this column every week.

Well, I'll tell you how I'm able to keep this thing going from week to week.

Columns like this.

For the most part, I'll chat like a teenage girl for hours on end about the industry, breaking in, my co-workers, or just about anything-- with a slant toward talking you into buying my books (of course). From time to time, though-- if I get busy, this column will more or less be an art preview, this is one of those. So today I'll be sharing with you some exclusive jpegs from an upcoming issue of "Marvel Team-Up." Issue 12, to be specific (along with the covers to 11, 12 and 13, which together form a kick ass image by Scott Kolins). The main thing I wanted to do with this column is share the wealth of eye candy I get every week from my artists. So far I've rambled on about myself and praised Cory Walker. Now I figure it's time for me to give you the goods.

I hope Marvel won't mind.

"Marvel Team-Up" started almost a year ago with Scott Kolins on art. (See, I always have to look up his name when I type it because I did four issues of "Captain America" with Scot "one T" Eaton right before working with Scott-- so I'm always forgetting which one is missing a "t"-- or has an extra "t" depending on how you look at it.) "Team-Up" ran for 10 issues with Scott and I (with one fill-in drawn by Jeff Johnson). Then Scott left to go do another one of Oeming's damn Thor books. I mean- -how many Thor related books can one guy do? You think he'd get sick of the guy!***

***We now interrupt your regularly scheduled program with another segment of "Robert explains the joke." This line of text is funny because Robert is currently doing a "What If" related Thor book with Mr. Oeming. So, for him to be complaining about the number of Thor books Oeming has done is completely out of line. This project was more or less announced when Newsarama ran the TPB listings from Amazon.com, so Robert's hoping Marvel isn't going to burn him alive for mentioning it here. He's not helping his case by showing all this preview art-- that's for sure. We now return you to your regularly scheduled column. Thanks for your patience.***

It was a good run, Scott Kolins and I. Scott added more to the book than a mere "artist" credit will ever tell. I was insanely delighted every time I'd get a new page from him-- but Scott's not who we're here to talk about, he left the damn book. Starting with issue 11 there's a new sheriff in town, Paco Medina, aided masterfully by inker Juan Vlasco, (whom I suppose would be his deputy). And they're kicking ass and taking names. I think they've given the book a breath of new life that'll take it all the way through it's now-approved-through-issue-24 run.

"Marvel Team-Up" is a book about fun. If you like to read comics with a smile on your face, hopefully you'll get that from "Marvel Team-Up." It's not meant to be a comedy book, but there's plenty of that stuff. Also, it's not what you'd expect from a team-up book. There's much more to it than hero A meeting hero B and fighting villain C-- mainly, they have coffee in-between the fights. You could do worse than giving it a shot.

But what are you reading this for? There's art to look at.

And when you get done looking at that art-- if you've got nothing else to do, go out and BUY MY BOOKS.