Did you say you were a fast cook, that's it?

One page to go! Here's a scene from the end of the book. You'll notice I've blurred out some of the dialogue. Not that the ending is necessarily a surprise, but I'd rather not spoil the "how" of the "what" as it were. A guy's got to have some secrets, right?

If all plays out the way I expect it to, the final page will be done this weekend. It's not a full page splash, unlike some past issues, so there'll definitely be a fair amount of drawing. Really, it will depend on if I go to work out tomorrow morning, paying work, and stuff like that.

All things considered, I'm really surprised at how fast this issue is going.

You are dealing with the oddity of time travel with the greatest of ease

So close I can almost smell it.

I've changed the coloring on the Maui scenes at the advice of some learned friends and professionals to give it a very exotic look. All things considered, I think it's working pretty well. I hope that it prints as well.

It's getting harder and harder to focus on other things as I'm winding down. I've got other artistic responsibilities, but man, would it be good to be done with it this weekend.

Okay, I don't have much else to say about these pages, since it's the big finale and I'm trying to play it closer to the vest.

Today we sail into history.

Or should that be "shail"?

Here's the blackjack page, page 21. I think I've now designed all the backgrounds that I need for the rest of the book, so the last three pages should go pretty quickly compared to some of the others. At least, I hope so. Today's a Pub Quiz night though, so I know there won't be one tonight.

I can't say too much about these last pages, as it involves Mark finally asking Abby to marry him, and I'd like to keep those specifics a little cloudy.

This issue is going faster than I expected, too. I can't quite explain why, but I'm not arguing either.

Cleveland's DaVinci

Viktor Schreckengost, one of the coolest artists on the planet, died Saturday at the age of 101.

He's one of those guys that you know even if you don't, especially if you live in Cleveland. There's so much stuff he designed, from toys to chairs to pottery, that you've probably seen it. He designed some famous murals at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

I became a fan of his when he was a guest on WMJI's Lanigan and Malone morning show. He was 95, and he still sounded as sharp as ever. Much like Carl Barks suggested in Uncle Scrooge, I think doing what you love helps keep you young and active. Carl Barks died at 99 himself.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna take this luggage with us!

Here's the last Crusader/Darkblade scene for the issue. These have been one of the tentpoles of the series, and are among my favorites to write. I just like the dynamic between Crusader and Darkblade, which is inspired by the old 70's Superman/Batman best friends relationship. I always thought putting the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight at odds was in mistake when they did it in the 80's. It looks like I wasn't the only one, either, as the friendship has come back over the last few years.

My friend Dee has pointed out that Mark drinks coffee with one of those thermal sleeve things on it (not visible in this panel). Being invulnerable, he wouldn't need one of those cardboard rings. I probably draw it that way because it's the way I drink mine, and even when the coffee gets cool enough, I still need the sleeve. There's a tactile feel to it that I've become used to. And from a visual storytelling point of view, it makes the coffee look more like coffee without saying "This is a cup of coffee."

As far as why Mark does it, I really don't know. Maybe he likes the sleeve like I do. Maybe Darkblade bought the coffee, or he bought it as Mark and tries to look like everyone else. I think I'll leave that as one of the mysteries of the series.
 

They said Stage Two was going to be underground.

Mark's Season of Pain is almost over. Here's the last frustrating aborted attempt before he actually manages to ask Abby to marry him. Now, will she say yes? Will she say no? Will the Cloverfield monster show up and kill them both?You never know with me.

I also wanted to call back to Blurstreak, who I introduced in the first few pages of this issue. I was toying with the idea of giving him an arc where he starts to change from the super speed dater to someone in a relationship, but I wasn't sure I wanted to take him there. So instead, he gets to do impulsive jokes, if you know what I mean.

For those of you paying attention, you'll see that the stock photo earth is now gone, replaced by a cartoon. If you're really paying attention, you'll notice that I drew it for part of a Fort Worth Weekly illo a few months back. Nothing's wasted here at Thom Zahler Art Studios.

I also refer to a charity race between Blurstreak and the Crusader. I always liked the old Silver Age stories where Superman would race the Flash. (Here's a bit of comic book wisdom: Who was faster, Superman or the Flash? Since most races ended in a tie, it was assumed that the Flash had to pace himself, and as such, could win in a sprint. Over a long haul, Superman would win since he didn't get tired.) The races gave me the idea for the page capping joke at the end.

Cheer Up, You Melancholy Dane!

One of my favorite TV shows of the last few years is a Canadian show called "Slings and Arrows." The show ran three seasons and featured the trials and tribulations of a Canadian Theatre Company. It starred Paul Gross, of Due South fame and was funny, touching, heartfelt... and just a great show.

I've written about it before. I've even referenced it in Love and Capes once or twice. Now, Amazon is offering for pre-order Slings and Arrows: The Complete Collection. It's a steal at $41.99, kind of a three-for-two deal. I can't recommend it enough. I'll probably be buying it as gifts for people over the next year. I'd buy it again myself, but I've already got the individual sets. Heck, if the all-new extras are worth it, maybe I will get one for myself.

Seriously, you can't go wrong with this one.

Guess What's Back

I am trés impressed with the people at Chair MD, who fixed my much-beloved Herman Miller chair insanely quickly. According to FedEx tracking, it arrived yesterday and it's back here today. So I am again sitting in the command chair of the Starship Art Studio, and my back appreciates it muchly.

You are a barbarian!

I'm definitely on a roll now. Well, either that or doing a sequence that took place entirely in mid-air makes the backgrounds easy. Either way, here's page eighteen. I'm officially 75% done now. Not counting the alternate cover I have to do yet, of course.

As I mentioned in my last post, here's where my Iron Man analog, Steel Worker, makes his appearance. Essentially it's the joke that I did on the cover with a little more texture. For a concept I came up with in three hours or so, it's actually pretty slick, I think.

I gave Steel Worker a jet pack that, although we never see it do so, folds in to the backpack part of the armor. Just warning you in case we ever see him again.

Yeah, it may be cheap to do the Iron Man joke, but it helps tie the book into the movie and, more importantly, Free Comic Book Day. Cross-promotion and synergy, baby, that's what it's all about.

She seems to have such nicely rounded diphthongs!

Seven pages to go. I love doing Love and Capes, but there's also a part of me that loves getting it done. Seven left is a good number.

On this page, I pull a page out of my Sorkin Handbook and do a walk-and-talk with Abby and Charlotte. I've had a bunch of bookstore scenes right in a row, and I needed something to keep it visually interesting. Deco City looks at it's most Chicagoish, as they walk over the Michigan Avenue bridge. (Well, in Deco City it's probably the Jefferson Bridge, since all its streets are named after presidents.) It's a lot like those drop-in scenes they do on ER.

With this, Charlotte's arc in this issue is pretty well over. In the next page, Mark gets in costume and we actually have some superhero stuff happening, including an appearance by my Iron Man-type character.

Hey, the book's coming out for Free Comic Book Day. I'd be a fool not to tie it into the Iron Man movie.