Welcome back for another “Richie Rich Micro-Interview”! This week we are setting down with long time comic fan and writer Buddy Scalera. Buddy and I are old friends from our days of working together at Wizard Entertainment; over the years Buddy has worked on high profile comic characters like Deadpool, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four for Marvel Comics. It’s a pleasure to have such a talented friend working with us on the revival of an iconic character like Richie Rich. So let’s jump into this micro-interview and chat with Buddy about his thoughts and story for Richie and the gang’s new adventures.

Brent E. Erwin: So Buddy, How does it feel to be involved in the task of updating a comic book icon like Richie Rich?

Buddy Scalera: It’s pretty strange. When you grow up reading something like this you never really imagine that one day you’ll be contributing to the stories. As a mainstream comic book writer, I’ve been able to touch Marvel characters like Deadpool, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, even if it’s just in really short backup stories. But those comics were being published consistently, so there was always that chance in my head that it was possible. Richie Rich has been dormant for so long that I never really thought that someone would finally be able to bring it back, much less modernize it so well for a contemporary audience.

Brent E. Erwin: Did you read Richie Rich comics growing us as a kid?

Buddy Scalera: Oh yeah. This was one of my all time favorites. I still have my Richie Rich comics. Somehow, even when I became “too cool for comics” and I got rid of most of my collection, my Richie Rich books survived.

Brent E. Erwin: What was your favorite original Richie Rich title?

Buddy Scalera: They were all pretty much one big Richie title to me. As I kid, I don’t think I really understood that it was a series of titles. The Richie universe has a lot of titles, but they all had this high fantasy, “anything is possible,” type of theme. Richie Rich #64 was always an all-time favorite because Richie had to go to the moon to save the day. A major galactic event that requires a little kid and his girlfriend to hop in a rocket and go to the moon. I mean, how awesome is that?

Brent E. Erwin: What made you want to be a writer on the new Richie Rich series?

Buddy Scalera: Well, three reasons. The first is purely out of nostalgia. It’s a chance to come up with something that’s creative within the boundaries of “if money were no object, what could you do?” That’s a lot of freedom for a writer. The second is that the characters have been modernized in a way that respects the charm of the originals, but makes them relevant to today’s audience. And third, I have written a lot of comics in my career, but nothing that’s accessible to my own kids. Now that my kids are comic-reading age, I want to share something with them. I’ll be sharing the whole process with them, so they get exposure to how comics are created. But I want them to read Richie Rich because it will really help them stretch their imagination.

Brent E. Erwin: Which member of the “Rich Rescue” gang is your favorite?

Buddy Scalera: > Well assuming that Richie is part of the gang, then it has to be Richie. Even as a kid, I think that Richie was a great role model. No matter how much wealth his family has, he’s recognizes that it’s just “stuff.” We all fantasize about Richie’s family wealth, but he’s a really grounded character. He cares about people and not about money, so more money and good fortune always finds him. He’s great at sharing, which is something that we learn as kids.

Brent E. Erwin: When looking through Richie’s “Rouges Gallery” which of his villains is your favorite?

Buddy Scalera: When I was a kid, I read so many Richie Rich comics that I never really realized there were recurring characters other than the main group. Most of the villains were these bad guys who wore bowler hats and waved guns around. (Yes, Richie was constantly being kidnapped by men with real guns!) When I went back to reread my originals, I loved this little side character who was actually Gloria’s villain, and she was named “Mayda Munny.” She was to Gloria what Reggie was to Richie.

Brent E. Erwin: If you could have any one of “Professor KeenBean’s” gadgets which one would it be?

Buddy Scalera: In an old issue of Super-Richie (#15), Professor KeenBean was able to use his inventions to do cruel, but not really harmful things to a couple of bad guys. It was fun to read because he just irritated and taunted the criminals until Rippy and Crashman could arrive to save the day. But my daughter literally laughed out loud when KeenBean caused the criminal to grow long, blonde hair out of his ears. I want that gadget because it is funny to my 6-year old. And isn’t that the best reason?

Brent E. Erwin: > Can you tell us what issue your story will appear in and give us a hint about it?

Buddy Scalera: My story appears in the second issue. In this soon-to-be-award-winning issue, Richie travels back in time to recover an important artifact for a museum. When they get there, they are confronted by mask-wearing natives and dinosaurs, which sort of makes it the ultimate in kid adventures. Collectors may want to pick up this issue because we offer the first hint of a larger, more important future villain. You don’t know it at Issue #2, but this character becomes significant in the Rich-verse. You may want to buy a few extra copies to put your kids through college.

Brent E. Erwin: Are you having fun working on the new series?

Buddy Scalera: Yeah, for me, the fun came when I realized I was actually doing it. It was actually something that was going to get printed, so I could share with my kids. Their local grammar school wants to put together a week-long reading event around comic books, and we’re hoping that we can showcase some of our Richie Rich work for the kids.

Brent E. Erwin: What other projects are you working on right now Buddy?

Buddy Scalera: In March my book about comics will hit comic stores, Barnes & Nobles, and Borders. It’s not a comic book story, but it is the story of how comics are made as told by top comic book creators. This non-fiction, educational book is called “Creating Comics from Start to Finish: Top Pros Teach You Everything You Need to Know.” Anyone who has ever dreamt about working on comics should check it out because it gives you the complete lifecycle of a comic, detailing every step along the way. It’s also got a good sense of humor about it, since I am clearly hysterical.