Ron Frenz has created some of the most iconic comic book artwork to ever grace the page, including the first appearance of Spider-Man's black costume in Amazing Spider-Man #252, the marriage of Superman and Lois Lane, and the introduction of May "Spider-Girl" Parker in What If? #105.
Now, he's lending his talents to Heroes Union #1 alongside Roger Stern and Sal Buscema. Released by Binge Books on August 4, the team was created by veteran TV writer Darin Henry (Futurama) and is tailored for audiences used to "bingeing" their favourite content (find out more here).
Ron recently spoke to us over email, and there was no way we were going to pass up the chance to quiz him about one of his most iconic creations alongside writer Tom DeFalco: Spider-Girl. The story of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's daughter ran for over 130 issues, with Frenz lending his talents to all of them. With that in mind, is he surprised she's yet to make her live-action debut?
"Spider-Girl's success and continued impact on her fans has been and is incredibly humbling to me," he admitted. "I believe she could continue to have that effect in other media but that's WAY over my pay grade."
That's fair enough, but a couple of Ron's other co-creations, Silver Sable and The New Warriors, have come close to appearing on screen. Unfortunately, the series revolving around that young team of heroes didn't move forward at Marvel Television, while Sony Pictures pulled the plug on Silver & Black. It's a real shame, but is Ron still optimistic for their future outside of comic books?
"Translations of characters you care about is always a two-edged sword," the prolific comic boom artist explained. "It could be wonderfully rewarding or terribly heart-breaking. I try not to look for trouble..."
Here's hoping they all get the chance to shine and do Ron's work justice.
The Heroes Union #1 reunites Stern and Frenz, the creative team behind the iconic Amazing Spider-Man story, "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" and will be the first comic in over a decade to feature the official Comics Code Authority Seal. Each copy will also be uniquely numbered for collectors, with some of the numbered variants potentially opening the door to future, yet to be revealed, perks.