Comic-Con, San Diego, and ME!

Hey, Comic-Con in San Diego is next Wednesday! And I'll be there at my usual haunt, Booth 2000 in the Independent Press Pavillion. I'll be set up alongside Ben Thompson of the awesomely-awesome Badass book series (which has even featured a piece or two by me). Together we're the LOVE and HATE tattooed on the knuckles of the hand of the convention. Or something like that.

I'm not doing any panels this year as far as I know, so if you want to hear me blather about Love and Capes, you'll have to come see me. You'll have to come down here, Khan!

Sorry, I thought I was William Shatner for a minute. That happens sometimes.

In addition to talking and chatting and posing for pictures, here's some stuff worth stopping by for:

Thursday, from about 9:30am-12:00pm the lovely and talented Amy Ratcliffe will be cosplaying as a female Crusader. This was inspired by a cover for Love and Capes: What To Expect #5… oh, wait, you haven't seen that yet, have you?

I'll be signing at the IDW booth, Thursday from 3:00pm-4:00pm.

I will have all-new copies of all three Love and Capes collections, including the so-hard-to-find third trade. There are some fixes that have been made in these new printings, including fixing the two pages that were flopped out of order in the second one.

I will also have the first new issue of Love and Capes: What to Expect in glorious con-exclusive form! This cover features Mark and Abby figuring out baby names. You'll notice Abby's notepad has a blank area where I can write your name (or other name of choice) onto the cover. Since I drew it and lettered it, Abby and I do have the same handwriting.

And, thanks to Geekdom War over at booth B-04, I will have some brand-new Love and Capes t-shirts, including this Chibi style shirt that I'm thrilled to see actually produced! Be sure to stop by their booth and see their selection of Love and Capes and other shirts.

I'll be debuting my Rhinos Bowling art book that was started by Kickstarter. If you're already a backer and are attending already, contact me and I'll have it at the booth ready for you. It's available in softcover ($25) and hardcover ($50) and in limited numbers here at the show.

I'll also have some of of my San Diego Con Prints, showing Crusader and Darkblade enjoying some fine ribs at the Kansas City Barbecue.

As usual, I'll also be taking commissions, and feel free to e-mail me and be sure to get on the list! I'll be selling a lot of the pre-drawn con pieces that have been on my site this last month or two, too. And I'll be signing and posing for pictures and all that fun stuff as well.

Comic-Con is a huge show and a massive part of my career. I've often described it as not so much a sprint as a Battaan Death March. And while there's a lot of hurdles to the show, travel and shipping and printing and setup and forms and taxes and booth space, here's the thing: If the worst part of my professional year is the part where I have to spend a week in San Diego and talk and promote the work I'm proudest of and the thing I know without a doubt that I was put on this Earth to do, it's not so bad.

I mean, some people have to wear ties to work.

Avengers Auction Piece for Heroescon

I finished my auction piece for HeroesCon! Avengers were on my mind because, you know, there was a movie and stuff, so I thought they might make a good subject. I decided to marry that with my Child of the Eighties heritage and do the movie lineup as they looked back then. I was really tempted to give Thor a beard, because I do like that look, but it would have placed it outside the era I was going for.

The original is brush and pen on bristol, 11x17, and there will be a full color digital print along with it that will be donated to the auction. I also took the original pencils, moved some figures around and made a 9x12 version that I will have for sale at my table.

I'm still aiming at getting another couple of commissions done before Heroes. I'm thinking of doing The Marvel Family, because I'm such a fan of them. Maybe one more super couple.

And, if you want to get on my commission list, be sure to e-mail me and make sure you have a spot!

Commission: Stopping a War With Love

Here's todays available-for-purchase piece: Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. I think this couple would be really interesting to write, and it's one of the things that's been lost in the repeated reboots of the Amazon Princess.

I also like the dynamic that Wonder Woman is taller than the Colonel. Obviously, since I try to make sure Amazonia is taller than Darkblade in Love and Capes.

Click for the biggity-big.

Conventions Mean Commissions

HeroesCon is in just two weeks (Holy Moley! Who let that happen?) I'm trying out some new things for the season, and definitely trying to do more original art. So I'm starting with doing more commission style couples sketches, even some in color now that I have my new Copic set. These will be available for sale at Heroes and Comic-Con and more. I'll also be taking original requests as usual, too.

If you've got something in mind already and want to get on the commission list early, you can send me an e-mail at tz (squiggly at sign) thomz.com, too.

Comics, Palooza-style and Texas-fried!

This past weekend, I went to Houston for Comicpalooza! (I think the exclamation mark is required.)It was my first time at the show, and my first trip back to Texas in a couple of years.

First, I was shocked to learn that the Houston Astros would be moving to the American League. What's up with that?

But, oh yeah, comics!

The show went pretty well. Right now, I'm hurting when it comes to conventions. Not so much because of my insane travel schedule, although that does factor in sometimes, but because I'm nearlyout of stock on everything. As I type this I have one, count 'em, one, copy of the second Love and Capes collection left. None of the first, none of the third. Success is awesome, except for the part where I don't have stuff to sell.

Of course everything is being reprinted right now and I'll have them for Comic-Con. Why, they're in Previews right now, along with the first new issue of 2012! Order codes for the collections are JUN12 0385, JUN12 0386 and JUN12 0387 respectively. And the new issue is JUN12 0384. End of commercial, back to talking about what I sell.

With less hard stock, I'm trying to do more commissions and sketches at my table. The show didn't disappoint, and I got a bunch of really interesting requests. The 1940's Martian Manhunter… yeah, I never heard of him either… Squirrel Girl, Marilyn Monroe, superheroes as Tiny Toons, Scud the Disposable Assassin, and Power Girl. All fun choices.

I also did a panel at the show, Gender Representation in Comics. Characters, obviously. I was on the panel with artist Michelle Dilecki and Rod Thornton. It was one of the best panels I've ever been on. I get a lot of "breaking in" panels and a fair number of "digital comics" panels, but this was a pretty sharp topic, and there was a lot to talk about.

Plus, as most people who know me are aware, there's a little bit of frustrated stand up comic in me. I kind of love talking in front of a microphone.And judging by audience reaction, apparently I can be funny from time to time.

Big thanks to Kevin Travers for creating it and for asking me to be on it.

It also brought people over to my booth, more people ever from any single panel I've done. So it definitely touched a chord. Hopefully I'll get to do more of those.

The show also had a live event charity auction which asked me to participate. Because of some booth conversations, I was inspired to draw a pic of The Marvel Family, or the Shazam Family or whatever DC is calling them now. I miss this iteration of these characters, and I wish there was a place for them to exist.

The final piece went for $75, which isn't bad. The auction raised over $4000 for the Ronald McDonald House. As noted philosopher B.A. Barracus once said "You gotta do it for the kids."

I was lucky enough to be sitting next to David Marquez, currently of Ultimate Spider-Man, and the lovely Tara, who were excellent booth neighbors for the entire show. It's great meeting new people at these shows, even better when they're actually nice people you want to see again. And, being freelance and working alone in a studio,I miss that art shop talk that I get when I'm sitting next to a good an interesting artist like David.

And two big shout outs. First, the always-delightful Jesse Jackson. We've been friends for over ten years (odd, since we're obviously only in our early twenties) and I've been lucky enough to see him three times in the last year. It's always fun to hang out with him, and he's a great confidant, assistant, aide-de-camp and trusted friend.

The other is Alex Johnson, who arranged to bring me down to Houston for the show. Alex and his wife were on the Love and Capes wedding cover, and has been a fan ever since. Now he's a friend, too, and the trip wouldn't have been possible without him. Thank you so much, Alex.

I had a great time, and I hope I getthe chance to come back.

For those of you playing "Where in the World is Thom Zahler?", I'll briefly be in Denver for a wedding next week, and then I'll be at HeroesCon in Charlotte at the end of June. Hope to see you there!

Free Comic Book Day Wrap-Up

This past weekend I had the privilege and true delight to be a guest at Joe Murray’s Captain Blue Hen’s Free Comic B
ook Day event. Joe’s a great guy, and a big fan of Love and Capes. When he offered to have me out for the day, there was no way I could (or would) say “no.”

It was a top-notch operation, including making sure that I got to see The Avengers before the big day. That was particularly nice, since FCBD is a minefield of spoilers the day after a Marvel movie.

I set up at one of the booths at Joe’s place and did free sketches for kids all day.Later in the day, when the line for the free books got to be about an hour and a half, he asked if I could go out and do quick sketches for the troopers in line. Armed with a drawing board, a Sharpie, and my assistant Maddy,I went out and drew. And drew. And drew.

If I’m counting my stack of backing boards, which I was using to draw on, I did about 80 quick sketches in a little over an hour. I’m a little impressed with that.

Also, here’s a heads-up from your friend Thom. If someone is drawing you stuff with just a bullet-tip Sharpie and he’s trying to go fast, don’t ask for Darth Vader. The Dark Lord of the Sith wears nothing but black, and that’s hard to do with a fine point.

Related, don’t ask for Black Panther either! Yeah, that happened.

Joe got in on the action, too. He has a rack of baseballs with sketches on them, and I broke out the Copics to draw the two Love and Capes couples.

Best of all, I got to to spend time with Joe, his crew, and some fellow pros like Dan Parent, Rich Faber and Jamar Nicholas. A bunch of us went out to a victory dinner, kindly hosted by Joe, as well.

It sounded like Joe had a banner day. I had a phenomenal time myself. I’ve announced elsewhere that I’d like to do a different state every year for FCBD (yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, Alaska) but I am sorely tempted to return to the nation’s first state next year. We’ll see what happens.

Hope you had a great Free Comic Book Day!

Next Up: C2E2 in Chicago!

Another weekend, another convention. This weekend I'll be at C2E2 in Chicago. Wait! A new show? A new town? Does that mean a new convention print? Why, yes it does!

You may remember this art from last year when I did it for a charity event. I drew it with having it for C2E2 in mind. So now will be your chance to get it.

I'll be set up in Artist Alley, table B-20 with Paul Storrie. I'll be the taller one. I'll have copies of the second Love and Capes trade and the individual issues, too. If you want any t-shirts or pins, be sure to order them on the Love and Capes store so I bring them.

See you there!

I'm Going to Marcon!

I'm going to be at Marcon in Columbus… Holy Shnikeys, I'll be there tomorrow! I'll also be there Saturday as well, so here's my schedule:

Friday • 4:00 p.m.
Autograph Session
Regency Ballroom Foyer

Friday • 8:30 p.m.
Inspiring Artists
Delaware D

Saturday • 1:00 p.m.
Love and Capes spotlight
Franklin A-D

Saturday • 5:30 p.m.
How to Sell Yourself as an Artist
Madison

I'll have copies of Love and Capes: Going to the Chapel, the Columbus print that I did, and the Star Trek: Sky's the Limit book that I worked on with Bob Ingersoll from a couple years back at my autograph session.

I'm Coming to Seattle for Emerald City Comicon

I'll be in Seattle this weekend for the awesome Emerald City Comicon. I'll be at booth B-04 in Artist Alley, set up with my friend Ben Thompson of Badass of the Week fame. He and I will also be hosting a panel, So Much Cooler Online, Sunday at 11:00am, dealing with maintaining a digital profile, promoting yourself online, and not tweeting stupid tweets. More panelists to be announced. And, as I've been doing for a while now, a new con means a new con print. Here's my Seattle image, available at the show and through pre-order.

In Which I Reveals the WonderCon Exclusive Print

WonderCon means another one of my local Con Prints. This one was a little tough, since Anaheim is mostly known for Disneyland and that puts me in the same bind as my Orlando print. Plus, WonderCon is traditionally a San Francisco show. So, in this case, I figured it would be okay to go ahead and do the original location rather than the new one. Plus, I was just in San Francisco a month or so ago and I really wanted to draw it. Click for a bigger version.