RICHARD: Well let's talk about your support... Jimmy. you're pals with Dan Buckley. A visitor to the Dude Ranch, you guys seem to go way back. Jimmy. you're pals with Dan DiDio. Co-writer on Superboy, you guys seem to go way back. One is Marvel's President of Publishing. Another is DC Vice President and seemingly in charge of a new wave of creativity at DC. How does it feel to be the man in the middle? The new Nexus of comic book realities? Do you ever find yourself in a conflict of loyalty? And how do the two men measure up to one another?

JIMMY: Well, I think these guys both have a lot in common. First off they have me as a good solid friend. Just because they happen to be in positions of power in an industry I work in, doesn't mean they get treated any different from before they held these jobs. They are my friends first, and then company heads. Really, I am happy for them both, but at the same time couldn't care less. Our relationships haven't changed a bit.. well, a tiny bit, but not in the way you would think. Now I have to work a little harder so it doesn't look like I am calling in a favor with them, but that's with any job really where your buddy gets to play boss all of a sudden.

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I really do not think of myself as the man in the middle. I am doing the same job I always have been doing. I am as good in business as I am with creative aspects of the job, and I enjoy both, but I know when to mind my own business and let things pass me by. Dan DiDio is a very close friend. He and I wrote together and worked on animation projects together as well way before the EIC job ever came up. To tell the truth, I was in shock that he even got offered the position, but at the same time the shock came from the fact that I thought no one would ever be that smart to think of him. He got hired while we were writing Superboy together, which made it even weirder. Dan is smart and great with people, and given some time, he did exactly what I thought he would do.shake the company up in a positive way and show everyone that he knows his sh*t. You meet Dan, even for 10 minutes, and you know you are dealing with someone who has seen it all and knows how to deal with it on every level.

Dan Buckley is a great guy and a good friend that I met when I started at Marvel Knights. Dan was the "go to" guy for us there whenever we needed ideas about how to not only launch the line, but also how to keep Marvel Knights on the top with the fans and retailers. I was in Dan's office at least once a day, getting lessons on the economics of the business, and he really has a great way of cutting through the crap and getting the job done. He is honest as hell and calls them like he sees them, and that's what I like best about him. There is never a dull moment with Dan Buckley. Even when he left Marvel, we stayed friends and he has always been part of our twisted circle of freaks.

The great thing about both these guys is that they both are really great people to hang out with and both have great senses of humor. I think that's a quality that I admire in people the most. I try to stay out of their business, but will always have an opinion and will be there if they need help. Really, all either one of them has to do is just ask and I will back them up 100%, but I try not to get involved with anything that might be a conflict to them both. It's not my place and to tell the truth, they are both good communicators, so I don't worry so much about that stuff. Unlike some, I like to look at the comic book companies as one big company. I think it's a healthier attitude to have rather than playing each company against each other.

These are the good guys' folks. Honest hardworking people that care. I'm just proud to know them.

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