Don Simpson - Megaton Man / Bizarre Heroes Hostess ad parody

I always enjoyed Don Simpson's work back in the 80s/90s, beginning with the random issues of Megaton Man that found their way to the local comic shops, followed by his contributions to the early Image boom. Interestingly enough, around the same time that I dropped out of comics for a while as a fan, he had similarly dropped out of comics as a professional, taking a long detour into academia after the collapse of the market.

He's recently been dipping his toes back into the world of comics, navigating all the changes that have occurred during the last three decades, and I had the pleasure of meeting him for the first time at Heroes Con this year. On the drive home that evening it struck me that he would be an excellent candidate for my Hostess parody ad project, being an artist with both a great sense of humor and renowned lettering skills.

I reached out to him shortly after the show, pitching the idea. I was originally just hoping for something with Megaton Man and maybe Phantom Jungle Girl, but to my surprise he decided to make it a full Bizarre Heroes cast piece, including Yarn Man, X-Ray Boy, Ms. Megaton Man, and Kozmik Kat, complete with a Scooby Doo style unmasking at the end.

Don was a complete professional to work with throughout the entire process, along with being friendly and engaging. Plus, he had one of the quickest turnarounds I've ever experienced with a commission project, which is even more impressive considering that this was a full panel page and not just a pin-up type piece.