Comic-Con 2009: Day Negative One

Oddly, today was not negative at all. It was actually exceedingly pleasant. But tomorrow is Preview Night, and that’s Day Zero in my mind, so, in order the first day has to be Negative One, positivity aside.

I managed to pack yesterday with little rush or fuss. As a result, I managed to not forget anything. Well, I take that back. I didn’t remember to bring a baggie of laundry detergent, but I’m going to bet that I can pick some up somewhere in LA for a relatively reasonable price. And even so, it’s so minor compared to other things I’ve needed FedExed from the Buckeye State that I’m considering it a win.

I woke up at the unThomly hour of 5:30 without any real effort. I even slipped to Starbucks to partake of Free Pastry Day. I had the banana chocolate chip cake, and it was quite tasty. And it had the icing of freeness on it, which is always good.

My flight out was great. Not too many screaming kids, an aisle seat. Things were going so swimmingly that I started exaggerating on my Twitter feed just to make it interesting. So, if you were wondering why I said I was sitting next to a New York cop who was going to Nakatomi Plaza to see his estranged wife, now you know.

Bob picked me up at the airport, we grabbed a bite at In-n-Out (Damn you, Eugene, for addicting me to their delicious burgers and fries!) and headed south. No traffic to speak of, no hassles, just pulled into the hotel without issue.

Man, this is a boring report, isn’t it?

Fine, we went to visit with Chris Ryall over at IDW. He’s got some cool things to reveal at the show. I can’t tell you what, but if you, like me, thought Cop Rock was cancelled too early, well… I’ve said too much already.

Have I mentioned that IDW publishes the Love and Capes collection? And that it is gorgeous and you all need one? I think I don’t say either thing enough.

Bob and I then set up my booth at the show. No issues getting badges, did the whole set-up in one trip, and things even seemed to be going well for my booth mate, Paul of Toon Tumblers.

Did I mention that Paul does the awesome Toon Tumblers glasses? With new characters, like Iron Fist, Spider-Woman, Silver Surfer, Doctor Doom, the JLA, JSA and Green Lantern coming out? I really should mention that more.

Bob and I headed to Mission Beach for a late dinner and sunset. We did our Con Shopping, buying water and pretzels. And we even kind of stopped at Ghirardelli’s for a little ice cream repast. And now I’m back here.

I suppose it’s a variation of the old “it’s quiet… too quiet” thing. But it does seem like this has been the smoothest start to a show yet. Let’s hope it continues.

Love and Capes Cover Update

If you signed up to be on the cover of Love and Capes #12, you should have received an e-mail from me with details on how to see a proof. If you haven't, please let me know.

We're Going to the Chapel… soon

It's been a long haul with over 100 guests attending (and, by extension, 100 caricatures to do) but I finished the cover for Love and Capes #12. There will be two versions, the "Love" verson (featuring Mark and all other superheroes in civilian garb) and the "Capes" edition (featuring Mark as the Crusader, and superheroes in the congregation). They'll be a 50/50 split, but if you're an attendee, don't worry. You'll get the one with you on it. And I'll be e-mailing you soon about it.

The full cover images will be released sometime during Comic-Con next week. Hey, everybody else is making announcements, why can't I? But for now, enjoy the little thumbnails I've shown above.

All in all, the wedding cover promotion worked better than I could have hoped, and I think it's a really strong image. Thanks to everyone who participated!

The Huntress is a Lonely Hunter

This choice of Huntress was a suggestion from my friend Dee when I was looking to fill out this volume of Powerful Women. It should have occured to me before, though. I bought her first appearance in DC Super Stars Secret Origins or whatever it was called. It was also one of the first times I remember seeing a "behind the scenes" about the creation of a character, complete with sketches and roughs for the cover. That always stuck with me, and I'm sure was one more brick on the road to doing what I do for a living now.

Comic-Con Time Again

It's almost time for Comic-Con. Less than two weeks, according to the clock on this site. Probably a good time to mention where I'll be and what I'll be doing.

I'll be at Comic-Con in San Diego, at the same booth location I was last year, the easy-to-remember Booth #2000. I'll be splitting the space with Toon Tumblers (which may have some new glasses, maybe even a con exclusive) so look for the shint glass, and I'll be there.

I'll have copies of the new issue of Love and Capes. LNC #11 is the last one before the wedding issue, and features the Quest for the Dress. I'l also have the whole back catalog, IDW's excellent trade paperback collection of #1-6, t-shirts (including a design not yet seen in San Diego) and my third Powerful Women sketchbook. And, as always, I'll be signing and doing sketches.

I may even do the Free Books for Ladies promotion that I did at Charlotte. See if the sign is up at the booth, and if it is, ask!

So be sure to come on by!

I'll also be at the Screaming Tiki SuperCon in Cleveland this weekend. It'll be a little practice run at San Diego.

The Real G-Force, Not That Thing With the Gerbils

When I was a kid, Battle of the Planets was everyone's plate of awesome. Before I knew about Japanese animation, I still knew there was something different about that cartoon. And I even noticed that the 7-Zark-7 scenes seemed incongruous to the rest of the cartoon.

We used to play G-Force on the playground, too. My friend and I took turns switching between being Jason and Mark, and we'd spin around a basketball pole doing their whirlwind attack.

So anyway, here's Princess from Battle of the Planets.

Now You Don't See Her

A while ago I did an Estella Warren caricature that I thought came out really well. I hinted at her shape with color, rather than drawing with complete lines It was a nice effect, and I used it for this image of the Invisible Woman. I wanted to get the impression of invisibility while still, you know, actually drawing something you could see.

I also put her in the John Byrne reverse uniforms that I thought always looked pretty neat. The colors did well with the invisibility effect.

The Wedding Issue

I've finally started on the Love and Capes wedding cover. Well, covers, since there will be two of them. There will be just over 100 people, with almost 200 photos to pour over and check out. Here's a collage of the photos I've received, and no, you can't click and embiggen this time. I don't want to post them too big since I didn't ask any of the participants if I could do this. Still, it gives you an idea of the volume involved.

And thanks to Shape Collage, the software that really quickly popped this image together. It's a free download, and works on Mac and PCs.

Happy Independence Day

Here's one of the most patriotic readings of the Constitution ever. Enjoy!

Riders on the Storm

Next up in the Powerful Women #3 parade is Storm. I wanted to experiment with with lighting and weather effects. I drew her in her classic 80's costume, too. I never liked the punk look with the mohawk, and I haven't read much of them since then.