Jen Contino at The Pulse interviewed me about Love and Capes #7 and Free Comic Book Day. Check it out!

My good friend, the very observant Jesse Jackson, has noted that the Love and Capes: Do You Want To Know a Secret trade is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Thanks for pointing it out. The link is on the sidebars of the blog and the Love and Capes page, but here it is for those of you on the RSS feed.

Here’s my last holdover from the New York Comic-Con. A lovely lady asked me to draw Mera. She liked the Mera image that I had on display, but wanted something "more regal." I messed around with it a little at the show, but it was a color commission so I knew I needed to do it at home anyway, so I didn’t get too far.

It’s a good thing I waited, too. Originally, I was drawing Aquaman’s queen walking, trying to get that royal vibe, and then it hit me: Put her on the throne. And then another thought: Make the throne a sea shell. I think this one works really well.

So I was sitting there, innocently minding my own business at my table at the New York Comic-Con when someone comes up and says "Can you draw The Mighty Orbots?"

When I was a kid I loved The Mighty Orbots. It was the first Japanese animated cartoon that I can remember on Saturday mornings. And it was the first (again, that I recall) written for America. Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers were in syndication, but they were translated from the original country. Orbots featured writers like Michael Reaves, who worked with the studio on the show, and Marc Scott Zicree, both of whom would later work on Batman: The Animated Series. The resulting blend was a cartoon that mixed Japanese animation style with American writing sensibilites. It gave it a very different and very cool energy.

Having said that, I couldn’t draw the Orbots cold. The series has never been released on DVD, and man, that’s a crime. Of course some people have released bootlegs of the series. I wouldn’t know anything about that. But, I was able to draw the requested characters (Bo and Boo, the sister robots) once I got home. Make of that what you will.

One of the things I love about doing con sketches is the great selection of characters other people come up with. As much as I loved Orbots, I never would have thought to draw them. I’m glad my purchaser suggested it, though.

Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall has made the official announcement on his blog. I am humbled by the nice things he said, and as most of you know, that takes a LOT.

Here’s the official press release…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The romance continues for Love and Capes
Creator Thom Zahler’s super-romantic comic book gets its first trade paperback release from IDW Publishing

San Diego, CA (April 24, 2008)—In many superhero titles, the action comes first and the relationship between the hero and their significant other can be pushed to the sidelines. But not so in creator Thom Zahler’s Love and Capes, a heroically romantic situation comedy in comic book form. The six-part series, in which Zahler handled story and art to critical acclaim and fan adoration, will be collected for the first time in a trade paperback to be released by IDW Publishing this November.

The series has been praised by Harlan Ellison and reviewer Tony Isabella, as well as Salon.com, which awarded an A- grade to the title, calling it “a surprisingly charming tale about a hardworking superhero and his girlfriend. Thomas F. Zahler’s boldly cartoony artwork recalls The Incredibles, and so does his wry, smart dialogue.”

The trade paperback, 152-page collection of the first six issues, will be adorned by a new cover from Zahler. And the story continues on, too. Fans who are curious about the title can read an all-new adventure in the Love and Capes Free Comic Book Day edition that Zahler is releasing on May 3, 2008.

In Love and Capes, Abby and Mark are a typical couple. At least, that’s what Abby thinks. Unknown to her, her boyfriend is not just an accountant, but also the super-powered crime-fighter, the Crusader. See Mark tell Abby he’s The Crusader. Find out how Abby deals with some of his super-ex-girlfriends. And learn the difference between a weakness and an allergy. Experience their first Christmas and beyond!

“When a writer of Harlan Ellison’s pedigree calls and gushes about a comic book, like he did with Love and Capes,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, “I tend to listen. I really love the sweetness and humor of Thom’s comic—maybe only Tom Beland is writing comics that have as much heart as this book—and was all too happy to put out the first LNC collection under the IDW banner.”

“ I’m thrilled to be working with IDW and doing this collection,” said Thom Zahler. “It’ll be great for the current fans, who have often requested this, and will hopefully expose the series to a whole new audience.”

Love and Capes, a $19.99, 152-page trade paperback (ISBN: 978-1-60010-275-2) will be released in November 2008. For more information on the comic can be found at www.loveandcapes.com.

About IDW:
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, Calif. As a leader in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry including: television’s #1 prime time series CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Paramount’s Star Trek; Fox’s Angel; Hasbro’s The Transformers, and the BBC’s Doctor Who. IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. In April 2008, IDW released Michael Recycle, the first title from its new children’s book imprint, Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found at http://www.idwpublishing.com.

About Thom Zahler
Thom Zahler is a writer and cartoonist living in northeast Ohio. He has won several awards for his work, including a 2006 Cleveland Press Club award for his work for Scene Magazine. He is a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and has worked for the Cleveland Indians, the Colorado Rockies, Marvel Comics and Warner International Publishing. His work has been seen across the country on the national 2004 Prilosec advertising campaign. Recently, he co-authored a Star Trek: The Next Generation short story (with Bob Ingersoll) published in Pocket Books’ Star Trek: The Sky’s the Limit collection. More information about him can be found at http://www.thomz.com

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It’s seventy degrees here in Cleveland, and you know what that means… Convertible Day!…and a slightly more relaxed dress code here at Thom Zahler World Headquarters.

I rolled in back to said World Headquarters around 2:00 am this morning after a pleasant and uneventful drive back from New York. Well, there was a moment of crisis when I managed to spill half of a venti mocha on Bob and the floor of my Dad’s Subaru. Bob is unhurt, and now my Dad’s car smells like these retired Yankee Candle scents. I think of that as an added value.

So, let’s get in the Wayback Machine and set the controls for Day Three of the New York Comic-Con.

Like before, I ran into a bunch of friends and acquaintences. They include but are not limited to Amy Wolfram, Jann Jones, David Gallaher, Richard Howell, Ronn Sutton, Alberto Ruiz , Steve Silver, Mike Manley, Jamar Nicholas, and new Mid-Ohio-Con owner James Henry. I’m sure there were more, but my con-addled brain can’t remember them all. Sorry to all I’ve forgotten.

I met a bunch of fans, and did a couple more commissions. One was a Buffy drawing that came out pretty well with Buffy dusting a vamp. It was a complicated layout for a con sketch and came out well. Since I don’t have a scan of it, let’s all agree that it was fantastic.

I also did a Batman piece for the lovely and talented Alexandra Beguez, who’s a fine illustrator in her own right. She was gracious enough to scan it for me. So, click and embiggen if that’s the way you roll.

As always, the work and networking thing was in full force. Bob and I may do another Star Trek pitch that we discussed on the ride home, and there’s another thing that I may propose myself. I met some other new potential clients, and sold more than a few books and sketchbooks.

On Saturday, I did get to try out the complimentary Oxygen Bar, set up in the Pro Lounge (which was next to Small Press and Artists Alley, so big props to the show layer-outer guy for making that convenient). I pass them often in Vegas and always make fun of them. I’d wanted to try one, but the whole concept of paying for O2 seemed silly when there are perfectly good blackjack tables to put money onto. But free… now I can get behind that.

The tangerine oxygen didn’t have much of a scent, but the peppermint did. I didn’t try the mango chutney or the banana raspberry dacquri. (Okay, I made those last two up completely.) And by the way, I’m not smiling because for some reason the Javits center gives me chapped lips. A smile would have resulted in a little blood and pain.

I didn’t feel particular energized or clear-headed from the oxygen hit, although I did figure out how to fix Aquaman and Hawkman! (Actually, I told a Comics Professional about the way I’d fix Hawkman continuity, and he said it was good. I won’t embarass the guy publicly for such a pronouncement, but I’m a fan and it was nice to hear. Now, if only I could make it happen.)

I really like the New York Comic-Con, complimentary tables notwithstanding. It is, as Bob Ingersoll pointed out, an honest to God comic book show, rather than San Diego’s media extravaganza or WizardChicago’s "Wrestling counts, right?" melange. And there are just too many great artists, great people, and great contacts to be had to miss it again. In fact, I’ve already reserved my booth for next year.

Hope to see you there!

I do a couple covers a month for HGR Industrial Surplus. Each cover features photos of their employees in various cartoon situations. This month, their buyers get to pop into an Iron Man cover, to tie in with the new movie. (What? An Iron Man movie? Why haven’t I seen this anywhere?)

This one was a lot of fun to do, especially getting to add a couple of the villains. I took some liberties with Iron Monger and War Machine, both of whom wear mostly black armor and wouldn’t be as bright or colorful as is proper for this cover. It was cool getting to put in a MODOK and Cleveland’s own Blacklash in the art.

I’m hoping to do a Batman one when Dark Knight comes out later this summer.

I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise, but the Mystery Game Board piece was done for Scene Magazine, in the issue that comes out today.

They’re running a feature on Cleveland’s screwed up politics, and wanted a CandyLand type game board with several Cleveland incidents on it. So, everything from the sink hole to the Ameritrust Building, to the County Commissioners, to National City Bank’s troubles are illustrated.

Scene Magazine supplied me with a PDF of the finished version, which you can see by clickin’ and embiggenin’.

I’m thrilled with the way this one came out. I think it’s a great piece.

I’ve been hinting at this for a while, but I can finally announce it now… the Love and Capes trade paperback.

Maerkle Press will be partnering with IDW, publishers of such fine stuff as Star Trek and Angel and Transformers, who will be publishing this collection of the first six issues of Love and Capes. The complete stories will be released, as well as a reprint of the "How a Page is Created" special from #4, and a six-page behind the scenes sketchbook section. And there will be a brand-new introduction from Mark Waid, who’s written some little things like Kingdom Come, Brave and the Bold and The Flash.

This has been a long time in coming, I know. I have to especially call-out Harlan Ellison (yes, that Harlan Ellison) who got this ball rolling. Chris Ryall, editor at IDW will be releasing an official press release soon, but I thought I’d mention it here, too.

Love and Capes: Do You Want To Know a Secret? will be coming out in November, just in time for Christmas. It’s 168 pages, ISBN 978-1-60010-275-2. And, it will be solicited in both hardcover and softcover, so for those of you libraries that want to order a hardcover, you can (and please do). I’ll link to the official press release as soon as I get it.

Maerkle Press will continue publishing the "floppy" issues of Love and Capes. Issue #7 will be the Free Comic Book Day issue, and I’m still lining up when issue #8 will come out. With issue #8, I’ll be back on a regular publishing schedule for the second "season". I just had to make sure there was a FCBD issue, because it’s such a great promotion, especially since I can now announce the trade. Yay!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m taking place in a charity auction for the Candlelighters. There’s a pretty slick flyer that’s been designed by Jesse, who’s also part of the event which I’m showing here. Follow this link to the full story, and see how to download your own flyers.