This Sunday is the Lake Effect Comic Book Convention at Great Lakes Mall, sponsored by Comics and Friends. You may remember Comics and Friends sponsoring my 24-Hour Comic Book Day adventure. I'll be up there along with Marc Sumerak, Bob Ingersoll, Chris Yambar and several other talented people. The show runs from 11-6, and I'm even on a panel.
And, for my full (and newly updated) con schedule, click here.
I was asked to draw the Love and Capes trinity, Crusader, Darkblade and Amazonia. I thought of a bunch of typical superhero poses, but given that Love and Capes isn't really a typical superhero book, I rejected those and decided to do something a little closer to the tone of the book. So, here, our three heroes are drinking coffee.
There's something about this pose that reminds me of those Clark Bar contest ads from the 80s where you could be drawn in an issue of a comic book.
I've drawn Mark and Abby together a lot over the last five years, both through the book itself and commission requests. It's always a challenge to find something different. It's also a challenge to find a way to 
make them work together. The cartoony nature of the characters and the body types and proportions don't always mesh well together. You have to work to make sure they belong in the same universe. I think I've mentioned it before, but any scene where Mark and Abby are drinking is work to make both their hands hold the same size glass.
When asked to draw this, I took advantage of having studio time and pads of tracing paper and worked with the pose. I was able to do one of those hugging-from-behind poses. I further cheated just a little by making the two of them flying so their feet didn't have to be on the same plane.
I really like this image, and I think you'll be seeing it again somewhere…
There's a commissioner (is that the right term?) of mine who loves Lois and Clark the way I do. 
I've done a Superman and Lois/Crusader and Abby piece for him before. Here, he wanted Lois in her Ultra Woman identity from the ABC TV series, and Abby as Titania from Love and Capes #10. It's always fun to draw Superman, especially to make sure he looks different than Crusader given their commonality.
Of course, you'll can't see Mark and Abby in the preview. You'll have to click and embiggen.
Commissions are starting to pick up. Or maybe I just let them pile up while I was churning on the last issue of the current Love and Capes miniseries. Either way, there's a lot of drawing going on.
First up is a Zatanna piece for a customer in Charlotte who wanted to see Zee magically choosing between her classic and Eighties outfit. The second Eighties outfit, of course. He'll be picking it up at HeroesCon. So I think this is a fine time to mention that if you know I'm coming to a show (my full schedule is here) and want to get on the sketchlist early, I'll be glad to do that. Since I color digitally, it means that you'll be able to get the digital print at the same time, too. Just shoot me an e-mail at tz (at) thomz.com and we'll get you set up.
My good friends John Gallagher, Jamar Nicholas and Rich Faber have started a Kickstarter project to publish some of the great kid-friendly books that they've done. One of the book is Buzzboy which I have to point out I worked on as a colorist. They're good books and worth a look.
I could write clever words about it, but why don't I just steal John's?
You have a chance to help publish an exciting new Graphic Novel Collection !!! Via Kickstarter.Com-- The Comic Book Diner Project is a 3 book boxed set of graphic novels by Harvey Award nominees John Gallagher and Rich Faber, as well as Glyph and Yalsa nominee Jamar Nicholas. Featuring Buzzboy, Roboy Red, and Leon: Protector of the Playground, each book is 96 pages, full color, and part of a boxed set which will premiere Summer 2011. Anyone ordering books through the funding program at Kickstarter will get signed books, sketches, and possibly original art-- some backers can even get DRAWN INTO A STORY!
Please check out the video and project overview at Kickstarter.com.
I haven't been around here much, I know. My March was pretty blown apart, and that left me with April to finish up 19 pages of the last issue of the Love and Capes: Ever After miniseries. For those of you that follow my schedule, I usually do about ten pages a month. Fourteen if I'm productive. I do pencil, ink, color and letter the whole darn thing while maintaining a freelance career.
But I barrelled through and did nineteen pages in twenty-two days. That's almost a page a day. Heck, two of those days had double-page days, and I'm kind of proud of that. Plus, I think it's a pretty special issue, too.
That said, I won't be posting any art from it. There are several surprises in it and I'd like to keep them surprising. That is assuming the New York Post doesn't find out and spoil anything. I'll do my part by not issuing a press release to them.
But, I think you're going to like it.
So, I should be back here a little more now. And, if you're in Boston next week, come see me at the Boston Comicon, April 30-May 1.
This very Wednesday you can walk into your local comic shop and get a copy of Love and Capes: Ever After #3. Below is my cover for the book. There's also a Darwyn Cooke alternate cover that's just amazing. This issue features Abby going to her high school reunion, and a big focus on Charlotte, Darkblade and Amazonia.
And the variant…
I've been traveling like crazy this past month, having gone to Seattle, Chicago and Orlando, so this blog has taken a bit of a hit. But things should get a little more active as I'm actually in town for the entire month of April. Well, minus the last day, but more about that soon.
Anyway, I wanted to remind you all that Love and Capes: Ever After #5 is available for preorder in Previews right now. It's the last issue of this miniseries, and someone's not making it out.
It's Previews Order Code APR11 0372. Order big, or I might kill someone else off.
This weekend I'll be at C2E2 in Chicago. I'll be in Small Press, booth SP-06, with copies of all the issues of Love and Capes to date, as well as both trades. And I'll be taking commissions all show long. So come on by and see me.