Art by Olivier Coipel.
By Todd Matthy
Ralph Macchio is not the “Karate Kid.” He is a Senior Editor at Marvel Comics who oversaw Frank Miller’s run on “Daredevil” and Walter Simonson’s run on “Thor.” In addition to these acclaimed runs, Ralph edited the wildly successful “Ultimate” line, which re-launched Marvel’s greatest heroes for modern times, and Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” comics. Today, Ralph has returned to an old friend, who happens to be Marvel’s next movie star, Thor. Ralph is editing the upcoming “Mighty Thor” book and “Journey into Mystery.” With the impending release of the movie, I talked with Ralph about Thor, why he’s important, why you should see the movie, why you should be reading Thor, and what it’s like to return to Thor after such a lengthy absence. (more…)
Todd Matthy.com 
He Killed Optimus Prime: An Interview with Ron Friedman, writer of Transformers: The Movie
Posted: December 31, 2013 in Animation, Anime, Cartoons, Comics, Commentary, Interviews, Marvel Comics, Movies, Science Fiction, Transformers, TVTags: cobra commander, destro, Fantastic Four, Game of Thrones, gi joe, iron man, Marvel Action Hour, Megatron, Optimus Prime, Orson Welles, Ron Friedman, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Stan Lee, Starscream, The Death of Optimus Prime, Transformers, Transformers: The Movie, Ultra Magnus
By Todd Matthy
In the summer of 1986, children were traumatized when Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to stop his archrival, Megatron. But it wasn’t Megatron who pulled the trigger, it was a writer named Ron Friedman.
Ron Friedman wrote Transformers: The Movie. He wrote the five-part miniseries that launched GI Joe. He is close friends with Stan Lee and helped Stan develop The Marvel Action Hour, featuring Iron Man and Fantastic Four. He has written episodes of All in the Family, Happy Days, and Fantasy Island. In addition to his writing credentials, Ron is an architect and a teacher at Chapman University.
In 2014, Ron plans to chronicle his experiences as a writer in the memoir, I Killed Optimus Prime. The book promises a fascinating look behind the scenes of the shows that defined our childhood.
I had the privilege of speaking with Ron about his career, his friendship with Stan Lee, what he thought when he first saw the Transformers, how Orson Welles became Unicron, and why he didn’t want to kill Optimus Prime.
So, to kick off the 30th Anniversary of the Transformers, Ron Friedman, the man who killed Optimus Prime.
WARNING: Some language.
(more…)