Letting Them Talk with Will Harris - Ep. 07 - Mike Carlin (Marvel Comics / DC Comics)

This week, I'm letting Mike Carlin talk. 

You may recognize Mike's name if you’re a comic book fan, since not only has he written and edited for both Marvel and DC Comics, but he’s even been a comic book character on occasion, famously hiring one particular superhero as an artist with Marvel Comics…while in his secret identity, of course.

The funny thing about this interview, however, is that it didn’t come about because of comics. It came about because Mike and I are Facebook friends, and it caught my eye when he offered up an R.I.P. post for Gilson Lavis, the drummer for Squeeze, and said that he’d seen Gilson live more than any other drummer. I immediately thought, “Okay, here’s a conversation I want to have: Mike Carlin on Squeeze.”

And we did indeed talk about Squeeze. We also talked about some of his other favorite music, and we talked a whole lot about his favorite comedy, including how he was such an SNL nerd that he spend a good chunk of the show’s first five seasons standing in the stand-by line in order to attend tapings of the show. As a result, he saw a few of the most iconic musical performances in the history of the show…but I’ll let him tell you about those.

But, of course, we also talked about comics, and how Mike’s sense of humor influenced his writing. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that over the course of his career he’s managed to write for the humor magazine trifecta: Crazy, Cracked, and Mad Magazine. He’s also worked with some of the most legendary artists of all time – perhaps you’re familiar with a gentleman by the name of Steve Ditko? – and he was even part of a cable access sketch comedy show with a couple of other guys from Marvel Comics, including the late, great Mark Gruenwald. Oh, and if you remember the Superboy TV series that was in syndication in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s… Well, I think Mike would be surprised, but even if you didn’t, he’s got some great stories about working on that, too.

Okay, that’s enough of an intro. It’s time to let Mike talk.