The FCBD Love Continues
Karaoke Fanboy at A Comic a Day has reviewed the FCBD issue of Love and Capes…
Love and Capes caters to both the diehard superhero fan and the woman in his life looking for a way into that rather exclusive world -- and most importantly, it's entertaining.…I feel Zahler's strength is in his storytelling and dialogue, his illustrations are equally capable. Betraying shades of Bill Finger and Bruce Timm, his art is cartoony without being cartoonish, since so much of the story concentrates on legitimate adult concerns.
Wow, Bruce Timm and Bill Finger. That's pretty impressive. Check out the full review here.
Capsule Reviews
It's been a week, so I thought I'll pull together some of the reviews of the Free Comic Book Day issue of Love and Capes. Please click on the review to read them in full.
Johanna at Comics Worth Reading…
Abby takes on Mark’s Crusader powers for a short time, just to better understand that part of his life. It’s very clever reasoning to set up a classic comic girlfriend plot, and as usual, Thom Zahler handles it with a great deal of humor, depth, and emotion.
And my favorite part…
If I could find people to make up a group with me, I’d love to go to a convention as Charlotte, Abby’s snarky sister.
Although this is just as sharp and funny as any issue of this remarkable series, there’s some true drama here that pulls you in and makes you feel for Abby in a way that’s somehow perfectly relatable, even for those of us who haven’t gotten around to being superheroes yet.
This is another one of those books that I utterly look forward to every Free Comic Book Day, as writer/artist Thom Zahler has an uncanny knack for coming up with stories that make you laugh and contain gallon upon gallon of heart…its the overall heartfelt message that he delivers and the way that he does it that makes Love and Capes such a riotous good time.
…plenty of relationship stuff and examination of the genre tropes (without trying to deconstruct those tropes or make them seem laughable)…Strongly recommended, even if you have to pay regular price for it.
It’s a well done, pleasant slice of life/superhero book…They used to make a lot more of these at the beginning of the decade, didn’t they? Nice to see someone still at it and making an organic story out of it instead of a thinly veiled attempt at appealing to the superhero and indie crowds.
Nicely stylized art and cute super-hero/relationship comedy. The actual story here is one we’ve seen numerous times in various super-hero melodramas, but Thomas Zahler gives it a unique spin this time around that’s appealing. Get it.
The Love and Capes book was pretty impressive. A great looking book from cover to cover.
All You Need is Ted
I did a commission of the Blue Beetle (the real one) for my friend Nick in Texas. He's got the original, but there's no reason you can't share in the eye candy, digital style. I borrowed heavily from the excellent Brave and the Bold cartoon style, as excellently voiced by Wil Wheaton.
I Love You, Why Don't You Love Me?
During my recent trip to New Orleans, I happened upon the Star Trek Slot Machine at the Harrah's casino. It was all kinds of cool, aside from the part where it took my money. If I was really channelling my inner Kirk, I could have found a way to talk it into paying out. "Fact… you are a machine… that's meant to pay out… yet you are not paying out. Why? You've failed your primary directive. You're also meant to entertain… but with no payout… I'm not entertained. Failure number two!"
And For My Next Trick…
…Love and Capes #10, retail style, is up on the Love and Capes store. So now it's easier to buy even more!
A Smackeral of My Free Comic Book Day
Still on the road, so here's a quick smattering of my Free Comic Book Day experience...
The big one. Diamond glitched on us and didn’t run the planned solicitation for Love and Capes #11 in the May Previews catalog. Obviously, this is a huge deal, especially since I time the post-FCBD issue to time 
with Free Comic Book Day specifically so that people can read it and say “This is awesome. Can I have some more?”
I’ve talked with my rep and Diamond and, while they obviously can’t make it right, they are stepping up to the plate and making it less wrong. More on this as things shake out, but the important thing is that it will be in the August Previews Catalog.
Sell outs. I’ve received a few reports that Love and Capes was one of the first books gone, including my local comic shop running out just a couple of hours after store open. While I’m disappointed for those fans who wanted it, I’m happy to know it 
resonates so well. Of course, if the shops want to order a few more for next year, I won’t complain about that either.
Fan appreciation. Man, I love how people love the book. I’ve received more than a few e-mails and tweets, as well some great blog posts. I even got an e-mail from Israel, where Free Comic Book Day is on Friday and not Saturday because of the Sabbath. That was a treat and a half. And I’ve received some new RSVPs to the weddin
g cover, too.
Travel time. Randy Lander had a great event and treated all of us as well as can be. He said that he had his best Free Comic Book Day ever, so I can only imagine it was because he had Alan J. Porter and Paul Benjamin.
And speaking of which. It was great getting to hang with Alan and Paul and Paul Maybury. I talked some good shop, and left a little more inspired and a little wiser. Aw, who am I kidding? We just talked about Wolverine.
And a big "thank you" to Bill Williams, who not only was his normal personable self, but let me crash at the Billcave for the trip. Thanks, Bill!
Missed the FCBD Issue of Love and Capes? I Got Your Back!
Hope you had a good Free Comic Book Day weekend!
If you missed the Free Comic Book Day issue of Love and Capes, don't panic! These things happen. Maybe they ran out, or your car broke down on the way to your comic shop, or you were up so late talking about the new Wolverine movie you overslept. That's okay, I don't judge.
In past years, the retail version was offered a month or so afterwards. This year, you can order the retail version, well, right now! It's not available through Diamond, but it is available here and through Haven Distributors.
The book is identical to the FCBD version, aside from a slightly recolored cover. And it's not free. But everything else is the same.
I'm still traveling, so right now, so this blog post is the only place to order the book. Next week, it'll be on the main store page, too.
I Really AM Only Human
There was a mistake on today's issue of Love and Capes. I've mentioned The Secret Society of Super Reviewers numerous times, and want to make clear that it was not their fault. It was mine. Below is the proper version of page 13, and if you click it, it'll be big enough to read.
What happened, should you be so interested, is that when I drew this page, I decided that I didn't like the third panel and redrew it. Then, months later, when I was working on production work for #10, tweaking the colors and the separations to make sure it printed well (which it did, thankfully) I linked panel three to the old panel three, and not the new panel three.
So, the comic as printed had the new dialogue and the old art. I'm so sorry about that. I hope it didn't detract from the issue.
Snikt!
I've safely made it to Austin and engaged in some pre-Free Comic Book Day frolicking. Randy Lander picked me up at the airport and then we met Bill Williams for a great lunch at Chuy's and some great conversation. Bill and I spent the afternoon jabbering about comics.
Then we met up at the Alamo Drafthouse to see Wolverine.
First, a word about the Drafthouse. It is awesome to the awesomest power. A place where you can sit in great comfort, get a beer, food, whatever, and watch a movie.
And it's just cool.
Instead of showing The Twenty, the show some odd YouTube clips and TV show snippets and stuff like that. Seeing Bill Bixby turn into the Incredible Hulk and beat up a gorilla… well, guy in a gorilla suit… well, that's just great.
They also run a lot of fun specials. While I was there, I saw promotions for special screenings of Airplane (with subtitles for the best lines), Caddyshack, and a Pirate special on a lake where you had to dress as a pirate to get in. Man, I wish there was a place like this in Ohio. I think I'd live there.
Then we saw X-Men Origins Wolverine.
I have to say, I had pretty low expectations for the film. After X3: X-Men United the X-franchise was kind of tainted. So, while my bar may have been low, I have to say, I thought it was solid.
Wolverine's comic book origin is only surpassed in complexity by the U.S. tax code, and been patched together by as many people with as many ideas. The movie does a good job of sorting things out, streamlining it. And it's remarkably faithful to the X-films.
For instance, you know how you see Cyclops in the trailers and wonder "Why didn't Scott recognize Wolverine in the first film?" Covered.
The bad? The last twenty minutes. There's a fair amount of silly to it. Just scenes that could have stood a rewrite or two. What happens is fine, it's just how it happens.
So, here's my one spoiler warning. It'll make sense when you see it. Magic memory erasing adamantium bullets? Especially when you've got a character with hypnotic powers who's caused Wolverine nothing but pain and could, as she's dying, tell him to forget and bring you to his messed up self at the start of the first film, and a lot cleaner than the MMEABs.
There's a few other things, too. Honestly, they're minor. Things could have been refined. But I have to say, it was way more entertaining than I thought. And, as Bill said afterwards, Hugh Jackman is just so committed to the role. He's so good at it. I hope it does well enough that they try again. And since Jackman is now a producer (and such a darn cool guy) maybe it will.
Okay, tomorrow, as I'm sure I mentioned, is Free Comic Book Day. I needs me some sleep so I can go sketch and be Castle-esquely charming for a day. Later.