Comicpalooza 2015!

I'm back from Comicpalooza in Houston! I had such a good time, and need to thank Jesse Jackson, Bill Williams and Alex Johnson (who makes it all possible) for being such a big part of that. I think Houston may have the second most "regulars" for me, eclipsed just a bit by Baltimore, and that makes the show special. It's hospitality, Texas-style, and it's awesome. I even got to go to a bourbon tasting at the Yellow Rose Distillery.

I participated in the art auction again, this year drawing a Wonder Woman piece, and that was fun as always. I also did two panels: one on working for yourself vs. collaborating, which was lightly attended but very interesting, and one of lettering which was surprisingly well-attended. And Jesse commissioned a few sketches from me to get signed by some of his favorite actors. It's really cool when Summer Glau or Donal Logue sends back a compliment on your work.

And, I got my picture with both the car from Supernatural and the Mach Five from Speed Racer. 

If they'll have me again, I'll definitely be back. And in the meantime, I'll be at AwesomeCon DC this weekend, because I live my life like the Brothers Winchester, always on the road, selling projects and killing deadlines.

My Free Comic Book Day 2015 at Hazel's Heroes Comics

This past weekend I was a guest at Hazel's Heroes Comics in North Canton, Ohio. Their Free Comic Book Day festivities ran from 9:00-600 and it was a full day of fun! There was a line out front before the store even opened, and a steady stream of customers flowed in the entire day. I spent the day selling books and doing commissions. I even got to add to the ceiling tile art gallery with a Wonder Woman piece (because female heroes were dreadfully underrepresented… so I fixed it).

I had a great time and encourage you all to visit their shop!

I'm looking forward to next year's FCBD, too. Who knows where I'll be next time?

I'm in Aw Yeah Comics #11

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cellphoneguy.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ] A couple years ago, I was asked to be part of the Aw Yeah Comics Kickstarter. Well, the issue is finally out, and you can read my four page Cell Phone Guy story in issue #11!

As soon as I get my copies, I'll have it for sale at conventions. It's also available on from the Aw Yeah guys and on Comixology.

How to Order Long Distance

My new romantic comedy comic Long Distance will be in stores soon, and it's in Previews now. Pre-ordering is essential for the success of books like these, and while I'm sure you can navigate the Diamond system just fine, I'm trying to make it a little easier for everyone. There are two covers for the book, so two order codes. The one by me is APR150443 and the one by Lora Innes is APR150444.

But I'm not going to stop there. I've made a handy printable graphic for you to give your comic shop owner, so that they can place the order for you.

And because I'm still not done, I've even made an iPhone sized one that you can just show to your retailer to order it and save a tree!

I'm excited about this new series and I hope you are, too. The first issue comes out in June, but please pre-order it now.

Coming soon, my new project: Long Distance!

A week or so ago, there was the Convention Kickoff online convention, and it’s been announced that I have a new project coming out: Long Distance! [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ld_cvr01_final_100dpi.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ] Those of you who have followed me for a while might remember the scriptbook Long Distance that I did years ago. It collected the spec script that I submitted to that Bravo TV show, Situation Comedy, which was kind of a Project Greenlight for sitcoms. It never made the cut, but the idea never went away.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ld032_flat.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

Rocket ahead ten years and here I am turning it into a comic. A lot has changed in that time, especially with how people communicate. Texting and Twitter and those things create a kind of constant telepresence and I thought that was some ground ripe for exploring. Fortunately, IDW thought so, too.

So, coming out in June will be Long Distance #1. It’s a four issue miniseries, each issue being DOUBLE-SIZED (because I’m crazy). I’m doing some hopefully interesting things with color and lettering to visually show location and distance. None of those things involve transparent word balloons, so you can all rest easy there.

Best of all, issue #1 has a variant cover by my friend Lora Innes that will not cause any controversy in the comics industry. Except the controversy of why it’s so good.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ld031_flat.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

I’ll write more about it when it becomes close, but for now, let’s remember the important thing. The Previews order code is APR150443 and the subscription cover is APR150444. Get one, get both! I’m working on some new art that you can print out and take to your shop, too. I’ll update as soon as I have something.

Wizard Cleveland Wrap Up

Wow, I had such a good time at Wizard Cleveland this past weekend. Seeing the crowds, looking at the sales and the energy, you could tell that Cleveland has been hungry for this kind of show. It was really interesting to do this local a show. There are other Ohio shows, but this one is in my backyard. I ran into all sorts of people I knew, from old jobs, relatives, people from high school and even from grade school. It's nice to see those people and know that they're doing well. It's like Facebook, but in 3-D.

I did two panels at the show. The first was Danny Fingeroth's writing panel, where Tom DeFalco, Jai Nitz, Marc Sumerak and I all discussed our process. That was a lot of fun. And the second was saturday's Breaking in and Staying In with Marc Sumerak and myself. We got a lot of good questions there. I think we dispensed some good information there.

I sold a ton of Pony books, moved some prints and sketch cards, sold Love and Capes, and did more than a few sketches. I was drawing almost all day on Saturday! That's crazy in the best way.

Cleveland has a bad reputation for coming out to support shows. So I want to say how much I appreciate people coming out through the snow and cold and poorly plowed roads to make it to the show. (And great move on Wizard's part to extend Saturday-only admissions to Sunday as well for those who didn't brave the snow.) Wizard has already announced they're coming back next year, so you have made it a success.

And I also want to thank Cleveland for not shooting itself in the foot. I was worried about $20 special event parking rates, or extra police ticketing activity, or any of the other things that can be done to strangle an event. None of that happened. There was even a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Mayor. And it was nice to see so many restaurants open even on Sunday night, so there were places to enjoy in the city after the show.

It was nice to see the show take advantage of what our area has to offer, as well. NASA Glenn had a presentation or two, both the Cleveland and Cuyahoga Libraries were out in force, as well as lots of local radio and TV. Wizard did a great job advertising the show. (And thankfully, with genre shows being so big these days, it's easy to know what to advertise on, isn't it?)

Special thanks to people who made this show so great for me: Marc Sumerak, Jai Nitz, Sean Gunn, Tony Isabella, Bob Ingersoll and Danny Fingeroth.

It was a great time and a successful show. I hope to see you there next year!

Morning Warm-Up: Aquaman

Everyone's talking about the release of the first image of Jason Momoa as Aquaman. He looks impressive and I've liked Momoa from his days on Stargate Atlantis. I had to look at the photo a couple of times to make sure it wasn't black and white, so apparently they're going with the super-muted color scheme that's permeated so much of the DC movie stuff. I liked it okay in Man of Steel, and it certainly works for Batman, but I miss color in my superhero characters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly does that better, though the DC characters don't seem to need to constantly apologize for wearing costumes, so they've at least got that going for them.

All of which is by way of saying "Hey, I drew Aquaman today!" Hope you dig it!

Amazing Arizona Wrap Up

I'm back from Phoenix! I had such a good time at the Amazing Arizona Comic Con. Jimmy runs such a good show. His staff is professional and attentive, and they really take care of their guests. It's my first time doing one of their shows, but I hope it won't be the last.

I met so many My Little Pony fans there, and thats one of the best parts of doing these shows. Drawing and talking to kids about something they like so much is just such a treat. On Sunday we did the "My Little Pony Power Hour" where I did more Pony sketches than I would have thought possible. And then I left that to go to the My Little Pony metope, where I took questions and talked about my work and the Ponyverse. I'd only intended to do that for half an hour, but I went almost twice that because it was so much fun.

I also got to hang out and chat with some comics creators, including Mat Nastos of Phineas and Ferb and also a fellow Kubie, which I did not know. We talked teachers and the school and careers and I wish I had been able to spend more time with him. I also got to talk with Herb Trimpe and his wife. Such a nice guy, and such a fun conversation. It's so weird to me when people I grew up reading are now people who treat me as a peer.

And big thanks to Robert Deans for making sure some cookies from Flying Pork Productions made it to me, too. I can't tell you how much I needed those!

Below are some photos from the fun that was the show. It was a great start to my 2015 convention season. And take notice, All The Other Shows, the bar has been raised.

My Brave and the Bold Spec Script

It's Valentine's Day, which is usually when I promote the heck out of Love and Capes. (Have you heard of it? Check it out here if you haven't.) But today I want to share something different. It's one of the animation spec scripts I did that helped lead to my upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man episode. I wrote a spec for Brave and the Bold, featuring Batman and Wonder Woman. The show's off the air, sadly, so I figure I might as well share it here.

And this story has Batman being called upon to fill in for Cupid, the God of love. Perfect for Valentine,s Day, right?

My friend Dwayne McDuffie helped me on this. He saw my first spec and thought it was all right and spent a couple hours on the phone telling me what was wrong and right, but he challenged me to do "A Thom Zahler" script. He'd felt the one I wrote was generic, and he wanted to see the one that would be the one that only I could write.

So I did. Sadly, I never got a chance to show it to him as he passed away before I finished it.Dwayne not only made me a better writer, he made me want to be a better writer. That continues to this day.

So, here's a PDF of my spec. Check it out if you'd like.

Amazing Arizona Comic-Con

This weekend I'll be attending Amazing Arizona Comic Con [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/phoenix_final_pre.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it! It'll be my first time in Arizona for anything more than driving through the corner of it or stopping in an airport. I'm looking forward to seeing the actual city for once. And, new city means a new con print. They're limited to 25, like all the rest of the set. Hope you like it.

It also kicks off another crazy con season for me. Here we go again!