Secret Societies
I've made reference a few times to "The Secret Society of Super Reviewers", a gaggle of friends who set each page of Love and Capes as I finish it. 
Recently, I did a page of Love and Capes (page two, for those of you keeping score at home) where I was told I needed to fix something. It's a complicated scene, with five characters in it. That's a lot of juggling. So, to keep things fresh, I put Abby and Mark in a colored silhouette. They're not important to the panel, so I figured it would work.
It didn't, and boy did I hear about it.
So I went back in and fixed it. You can see the difference in the Before and After to the left. I drew a new Mark and Abby and placed them in, further following the suggestions and desaturating and darkening the characters so they recede into the background. I hate it when I have to do something twice, but the SSSR were right, and the panel is better for it.
It's a Rave!
Well, it doesn't say "daughter" but his daughter's name, but you get the idea.
Still care about your hair and the car you drive
Here's page three, in which I make the second
Enough of that, though. Here's some funny stuff: You can see part of the Deco City Airport through the windows in the corridor here. The basic layout of the airport is based on the Fisher-Price Airport I had when I was a kid. There's a center round cylinder, and the gates spread out from there. No helicopter pad, though.
Three down, twenty-one to go.
It's Been One Week...
..since Free Comic Book Day. I mentioned that Love and Capes #7 got a ton of good reviews. I'm posting links and excerpts of them here, along with links to their websites, presented in no particular order. Really, I'm amazed and heartened by all this online acclaim. Stuff like this makes it easier to begin the long process of doing the next book.
"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."
"Love and Capes #7 • A neat little romantic comedy in superhero drag: The Crusader wants to find exactly the right moment to propose to his girlfriend, but family issues, holidays and occasional spates of crime fighting are getting in the way. It’s an airy, self-contained coda to the recent miniseries, and artist Thomas F. Zahler makes visual ideas from contemporary animation work on the page. A-"
"…there's one I really like, Love and Capes, which is a sort of romantic comedy superhero sitcom about a superhero and his normal girlfriend. The cartoon style is similar to newspaper cartoons, and it's sweet and funny."
Shanna's Adventures in Publishing (and life)
"I found this an amusing comic, which makes creative use of its pastiches of Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne (here an African-American billionaire who in his heroic alter-ego is the best friend of the Superman-type hero), Ma and Pa Kent, etc."
"… an extremely important issue of the series, in which The Crusdader struggles with proposing to his girlfriend Abby. It is a pretty touching issue, and extremely well done. Clearly it is a critical moment in the overall series, so much of one that I am honestly surprised they are giving it away for free. High marks all around - this one was definitely good enough to pay for." (Four and a half smacks)
"Maerkle Press is publishing a neat little romance book called "Love and Capes," which is essentially a light-hearted romance between a Superman-pastiche named Crusader and a bookstore proprietor named Abigail. It sounds cheesy and passe, I know, but I read the free issue and I've got to say, it warmed the cockles of my heart. "
"Love and Capes issues always make me go “eeeeeee” with happiness after reading them. They’re terrific with their blend of romance, superheroes, and comedy."
Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading
"Thomas Zahler bills his series as "The Heroically Super Situation Comedy" and indeed, the focus of this book is more on gentle, tongue-in-cheek parody and screwball comedy than the never-ending battle of the costumed set…Zahler injects a defining sense of humanity to his characters that helps them rise above the too-obvious parallels. Mark and Abby come across as a realistic and likeable couple (one member of whom just happens to be able to fly and crush coal into diamond). Abby’s sister Charlotte provides humorous outsider commentary on the superhero world while struggling with real world issues of her own. The shadowy Darkblade is a more down-to-earth and supportive best friend than Bruce Wayne’s alter ego ever was. This earnest approach combined with Zahler’s humorous dialogue and appealing cartoonist style makes Love and Capes an engaging read."
Eric Lindberg, Broken Frontier
"Think to yourself: What would Superman be like if it were a romantic sitcom à la Mad About You or Friends? Well Love and Capes is the answer with an often hilarious look at a superhero trying to please his bookstore owning girlfriend while saving the world and ducking his ex, an Amazonian princess. Sound familiar? Honestly, this has some sharp writing and really great, light-hearted art work."
Adam A. Donaldson, Lucid Forge
"As I understand it, one of the missions of Free Comic Book Day is to introduce people to comics they haven’t tried previously in the hopes of convincing them to purchase said comics in the future. Mission accomplished, Free Comic Book Day…Just about each page is a romantic-comedy beat with its own punch line, moving the story forward but standing on its own. (It’s kind of like For Better or Worse without the icky gender and relationship dynamics.) The characters are sturdy and likeable enough to keep the rhythms from becoming repetitive…It’s a charming, easygoing book about sympathetic people in weird circumstances. It uses those circumstances for comedy and contrast, but it doesn’t let them overwhelm the core charms of the story."
I could hide out under there/I just made you say underwear
Fair warning, though, I'm trying to get 90 days ahead on the book, so you'll see stuff now, but it won't come out until October. Sorry for the extended delay, but I really did need the break. Trust me on that.
As usual, I'll post a panel, or in this case, part of a panel since it's a full-page splash every time I get one done. And you can follow me on Twitter, too. If you'd been on and watching today, your hometown could have appeared on the departure board in the Deco City Airport.
Writer's block is over. Time to get back to work.
Oh, and last time I posted panels with movie quotes. This time, I'll be doing song lyrics. I just get bored typing "Page Six" and so on, so it's something to keep me interested. Hope you are, too.
Twitter: Because All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
In an effort to be pro-active, edgy, web 2.0 and hep, I've gotten myself on Twitter. My screenname is loveandcapes.
I'll be Twittering my creative process, such as it is, on Love and Capes #8. I'll be starting the first page this afternoon. I meant to start this morning, but setting up Twitter took some time. But, if you notice, there's a cool purple box in the sidebar on my blog page, you'll notice the updates. Soon I'll add it to my Love and Capes website, too.
So, if you have a Twitter account, please add me to your peoples-you-follow thingee.
Recap Later, Rest Now
Reviews are starting to come in over the transom. I’ll post them where and when I can, and try to make a master list in a week or so. The book is getting good reviews nearly everywhere, which means more than I can say. I think issue #7 is a good issue, but it’s one of those ones where I felt tone-deaf. Sometimes that happens to me as a writer where I can’t tell if I’m doing good or bad. So I barrel on, trusting my instincts, and hoping that things come together. It seems like they have, and I’m thrilled about that.
I’ll also address some questions and theories about FCBD. For example, in the review from Craig Reade from Comixtreme.com, he mentions that he’s surprised that I had such a pivotal part of the Love and Capes storyline as a giveaway issue. There are reasons for that, but I'm still fairly fried from a fantastic and packed weekend, so I'll wait until I'm a little more coherent.
CAPE Crusade
Yesterday was CAPE here in Dallas, sponsored by Zeus Comics. The event’s pretty unique: an outdoor Free Comic Book Day event with more than eighty talented creators as well as me, too.
And, while it was a big event with big names, there weren’t huge crowds or lines. Mark Waid, Robert Kirkman, and Gail Simone all had some pretty thick crowds, but it wasn’t so bad that you couldn’t drift over and talk to them. I know Mark the best, and at most shows we walk by each other’s tables, exchange a few witty bon mots, and then go back to our busy day. Here, I got to talk with him a little more, about things Super Friends and toys and comics. I got to meet Gail Simone for the first time, something really not possible for me at most shows because of her well-deserved crowds.And I gave her some copies of the book, of course. I did miss Robert Kirkman, who my cousin Jamie turned me on to with his Christmas gift of the Invincible hardcover . I would have liked to have told him how much I like his book.
The day was a little chilly to start. And windy. Chilly and windy. Jesse and Christine were real troopers with the weather. It wasn’t, but it certainly started out... unpleasant. Cold doesn’t bother me too much, although the wind certainly caused issues for my light and frothy books.
The event does seem to be a little bifurcated. Zeus has a shop nearby, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of cross-traffic. That could be just anecdotal, and that there was a good amount of crossover. CAPE certainly wasn’t hurting for people either way. I moved some books, a commission, even a t-shirt, which seem to be the hardest product to sell (and the one that takes up the most space in my suitcase, despite my cool space saver bags).
I also got to talk with Scott Hinze from Fanboy Radio, and more importantly now from Heroes for Heroes, an organization supplying our troops overseas with comics, MP3s, iPods, iTunes gift cards and the like. I’ll be donating a chunk of books to them for sure.
I’m very glad I came to CAPE. And I’d certainly do it again. Having said that, Free Comic Book Day 2009 is a year away, and there are still forty-eight states that I haven’t visited for the big FCBD event yet.
Second Review!
So, the second review is in, this time from Douglas Wolk at Salon.com. And it's another good one. An A-minus in fact. Cooler still is that they've got an image on their home page, with a montage of some of the Free Comic Book Day books. There's Superman, and Spider-Man, and Hellboy, and…Mark and Abby? Man, that's sweet.
Here's Doug's review, but check out the full review on Salon's site, too.
Love and Capes #7 • A neat little romantic comedy in superhero drag: The Crusader wants to find exactly the right moment to propose to his girlfriend, but family issues, holidays and occasional spates of crime fighting are getting in the way. It's an airy, self-contained coda to the recent miniseries, and artist Thomas F. Zahler makes visual ideas from contemporary animation work on the page. A-
How Eugene Son Ruined the Iron Man Movie For Me
Eugene Son is a friend of mine. He's kindly put me up in his house when I had some meetings with some Hollywood-types. He's a talented writer. And yet, he ruined Iron Man for me.
It's really ironic, too, since he's actually written the Iron Man, cartoon.
First, let's cover the important stuff. I'm out here in Dallas, as opposed to with the Usual Suspects in Ohio, and I saw Iron Man with Christine and Jesse. The movie's great, really. Performances are superb (it's nice to see adults playing the characters), effects are great, and it's another one of those "wow, the movie's really good when they actually follow the original story" movies. So go see it, after you pick up your free copy of Love and Capes #7.
And things really are bigger here in Texas. Here are three shots of my Stilt-Man like legs from while I was sitting in my seat at the theatre. Taken way before the movie, don't worry. You know what that is? It's called leg room: something I'll apparently have to pay extra for on airlines and can't buy at Playhouse Square. It's a joy to not sit for two hours with my knees pressed against the seat in front of me.
But back to Iron Man. And, here's something rare, it's a non-spoiler alert. You know how picky I am about spoilers, and I'm pretty sure I can reveal this one part of a scene and not ruin the movie. But, if you're still paranoid, I understand. Bookmark me and check this when you've seen it.
So here's the thing: Tony Stark, who in this movie lives in LA, which works really well, really wants a cheeseburger. I understand this desire. I, too, have really wanted a cheeseburger. So, a scene laer, we see him with a sack from, wait for it, Burger King.
Okay, I'm not going to bash the King's product, as I've been known to enjoy it from time to time. It's a fine fast food burger. But, if you're a Los Angeleno, or even an occasional one like me, there's only one place to go: In and Out Burger. Why do I know this? Because Eugene Son took me there for my first taste of the fast food burgery and fry perfection that is In and Out burger.
No way in the 'verse that he goes to BK. Ain't happenin'. And that's how Eugene ruined Iron Man.
That said, see it, it's great. It's the first comic book movie that I've seen where I really wouldn't change a thing. And the writer side of me always wants to tweak things. So check it out. And, like everyone else has said: stay through the credits, True Believer!