Rog-2000
Encyclopedia
Rog-2000 is a fictional robot
that was the first professional creation of comic book
artist
-writer
John Byrne. Rog-2000 serves as the mascot of Byrne Robotics.
and Bob Layton
's fanzine CPL (Contemporary Pictorial Literature). Layton gave the character a name (riffing on the amount of "Rogers" — specifically Roger Stern and Roger Slifer
— who contributed to CPL) and he and Stern began using him as a magazine mascot, with Byrne supplying additional art. A Rog-2000 story, "The Coming of the Gang", appeared in CPL #11 (1974), written by Stern with art by Byrne and Layton, and featuring caricatures of "the CPL Gang
," including Byrne and fellow CPL contributor Duffy Vohland.
On the strength of that fan piece, Charlton Comics
writer Nicola Cuti contacted Byrne about drawing the character for professional comic books — making Rog-2000 perhaps the only fanzine mascot to make that jump. (During this same period, the CPL Gang
was producing the officially sanctioned fanzine Charlton Bullseye
.) Written by Cuti, "Rog-2000" became one of several alternating backup features in the Charlton Comics superhero
series E-Man
, starting with the eight-page "That Was No Lady" in issue #6 (Jan. 1975). This marked the color-comics debut of future industry star Byrne, who'd previously drawn a two-page story for Skywald Publications
' black-and-white horror-comics magazine Nightmare #20 (Aug. 1974). The character also appeared the same month in the small-press hobbyist magazine The Comic Reader #44 (Jan. 1975).
As Byrne recalled the character's origin in a 2000 interview,
Three additional, seven-page "Rog-2000" stories — "Withering Heights", "The Wish", and "Rog. vs. The Sog", all by Cuti & Byrne — appeared in E-Man #7, 9-10 (March, July-Sept. 1975), respectively. All the Charlton stories were reprinted in Pacific Comics
' ROG 2000 #1 (June 1982), as well as in A-Plus Comics' Hot 'N Cold Heroes #1 (1990) and Herbie #4-4 (1991).
In a 2000 interview, Byrne recalled that:
Stern was reunited with Rog-2000 when Charlton accepted two of his scripts for the feature, but the company then canceled E-Man the following workday.
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
that was the first professional creation of comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
-writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
John Byrne. Rog-2000 serves as the mascot of Byrne Robotics.
Publication history
The character began life during Byrne's fan-artist days in the 1970s, as a spot illustration for Roger SternRoger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
and Bob Layton
Bob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
's fanzine CPL (Contemporary Pictorial Literature). Layton gave the character a name (riffing on the amount of "Rogers" — specifically Roger Stern and Roger Slifer
Roger Slifer
Roger Slifer is a writer of comic books, animation, and video games, well-known for a run on Omega Men in the 1980s.-Biography:Slifer started out in comics as an editor at Marvel Comics where he also wrote a number of comic books....
— who contributed to CPL) and he and Stern began using him as a magazine mascot, with Byrne supplying additional art. A Rog-2000 story, "The Coming of the Gang", appeared in CPL #11 (1974), written by Stern with art by Byrne and Layton, and featuring caricatures of "the CPL Gang
CPL Gang
The CPL Gang was a group of comic book enthusiasts who published a number of fanzines in the mid-1970s, including Contemporary Pictorial Literature and Charlton Bullseye...
," including Byrne and fellow CPL contributor Duffy Vohland.
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...
writer Nicola Cuti contacted Byrne about drawing the character for professional comic books — making Rog-2000 perhaps the only fanzine mascot to make that jump. (During this same period, the CPL Gang
CPL Gang
The CPL Gang was a group of comic book enthusiasts who published a number of fanzines in the mid-1970s, including Contemporary Pictorial Literature and Charlton Bullseye...
was producing the officially sanctioned fanzine Charlton Bullseye
Charlton Bullseye (fanzine)
Charton Bullseye was a fanzine published from 1975-76 by the CPL Gang highlighting Charlton Comics. It was a large format publication, with color covers on card stock and black & white interiors...
.) Written by Cuti, "Rog-2000" became one of several alternating backup features in the Charlton Comics superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
series E-Man
E-Man
E-Man is a fictional comic book superhero created by writer Nicola Cuti and artist Joe Staton for Charlton Comics in 1973. Though the character's original series was short-lived, the lightly humorous hero has become a cult-classic sporadically revived by various independent comics...
, starting with the eight-page "That Was No Lady" in issue #6 (Jan. 1975). This marked the color-comics debut of future industry star Byrne, who'd previously drawn a two-page story for Skywald Publications
Skywald Publications
Skywald Publications is a 1970s publisher of black-and-white comics magazines, primarily the horror anthologies Nightmare, Psycho, and Scream. It also published a small line of comic books and other magazines....
' black-and-white horror-comics magazine Nightmare #20 (Aug. 1974). The character also appeared the same month in the small-press hobbyist magazine The Comic Reader #44 (Jan. 1975).
As Byrne recalled the character's origin in a 2000 interview,
Three additional, seven-page "Rog-2000" stories — "Withering Heights", "The Wish", and "Rog. vs. The Sog", all by Cuti & Byrne — appeared in E-Man #7, 9-10 (March, July-Sept. 1975), respectively. All the Charlton stories were reprinted in Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...
' ROG 2000 #1 (June 1982), as well as in A-Plus Comics' Hot 'N Cold Heroes #1 (1990) and Herbie #4-4 (1991).
In a 2000 interview, Byrne recalled that:
Stern was reunited with Rog-2000 when Charlton accepted two of his scripts for the feature, but the company then canceled E-Man the following workday.
External links
- Rog 2000 at An International Catalogue of Superheroes. WebCitation archive.
- Archive of Alec Tronn's E-Man Fan Page. Some graphics missing; scroll down and links still work. Original page.
- Byrne Robotics (John Byrne official site). WebCitation archive.