First Review!

My pal Tony Isabella has reviewed Love and Capes #7 on his Tony's Tips. Obviously, Tony's a good friend of mine, but if you know my friends, you know that nothing stops them from telling me when I'm out of line. That said, here's his review of the latest LNC. And be sure to check out his site. Bookmark it. Visit it daily.

If your friendly neighborhood comics shop limits you to just but one free comic on Free Comic Book Day, that free comic should be my pal Thom Zahler's Love and Capes #7 [Maerkle Press]. This issue of "the heroically super situation comedy" marks a major development in the lives of book-store owner Abby and her boyfriend Mark, who is also the Crusader, the most powerful super-hero on the planet. In 24 filled pages, we get holiday fun with the families, heartwarming moments, incredible gifts, dialogue so clever that I literally laughed out loud on at least three occasions while reading the issue, some of the most likeable characters in comics, and some of the most inviting art as well. Issue after issue, this is one of the best comics published today.

Pin and Win!

I've been working with Pop Culture Trading Pins for a few months now. I've designed some Archie pins and designs, and we're even doing some Love and Capes pins. The initial set will be Crusader and Abby, Darkblade, and Amazonia. Here, you can see everyone's favorite Nuclear Man with the prototype for the Darkblade pin. As soon as they're available for sale, I'll let you know.

Until then, check out the Pop Culture Trading Pins site here.

Look Who's On teh Internets

My "Del's Folks" interview is up on YouTube. This is my favorite interview that I've done, and it's a pretty good piece all around. I don't know if I'm going to be as huge as the DC vs. Marvel spots, the finest live action superhero show ever, or even this ever popular one but you never know.

More Thom Zahlery Stuff on the Internet

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

Second Chance (before the first, technically)

Come Free Comic Book Day, you'll get a lot of free books. You'll probably pick up Love and Capes #7. But then you may experience feelings of guilt: This book is so good, I should have paid for it. Thom Zahler needs my money. Or maybe you'll have missed the book entirely. I'm sure there'll be a run on it. Heck, it may only last ten, maybe fifteen minutes at some shops.

Well don't worry! The special "Mighty" version of Love and Capes #7 is now in Diamond's Previews. Use Previews Orderification Code: MAY08 4036!

The books are identical, aside from the alternate cover that replaces Steel Worker with Major Might on the cover. So you've got no excuse for missing it!

Sunday in the Park

Yesterday I did five hours (or as I call it, The Nickle) of caricatures at a COSE event in Little Italy here in Cleveland. It was one of those near-perfect events. I never had a line, per se, but I did have a steady stream of subjects. At most, there were two or three kids lined-up behind me.

COSE does some great work, and depending on how some things shake down, I may wind up joining. And Little Italy is one of my favorite parts of Cleveland, and for a while had my favorite restaurant in town (which, sadly, has since closed to be replaced by fine place... it's just not the same, though).

I even ran into some people I haven't seen in years there. It's amazing how that happens.

I've said before that it's important to recognize when things go right and yesterday went really right.

Well, except for the light sunburn I got being outside and drawing for five hours. But I can deal with that.

Queen and Country

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.

Go! Mighty Orbots!

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.

It's Starting To Spread

Blog@Newsarama.com has a post from JK Parkin about the release of the Love and Capes trade. The good news is starting to spread.

IDW and Love and Capes... Like Chocolate and Peanut Butter

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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