A Little Housekeeping
I've added a new feature to my website, on that might strike you initially as strange or a nuisance: A Challenge Feature in the blog.Here's what's happening... I am getting a TON of spam on the comments section. So, in an effort to squelch it, I've added the Challenge Plug-in, so now you'll be asked a question to verify that you're a real person, and not a SpamBot. The question, by the way, is pathetically easy. It is What is the odd way I spell my first name?
Press Release: Lake County Captains Celebrate Free Comic Book Day with Local Cartoonist
On Saturday May 5th, Thom Zahler Art Studios will team up with the Lake County Captains to bring Free Comic Book Day to the ballpark. Free Comic Book Day is a national outreach program that promotes the comic book art form by encouraging the public to stop by their local comic book specialty store and receive a free comic book.
"Since my newest issue of Love and Capes is being exclusively distributed nationwide in comic shops on May 5th as part of Free Comic Book Day, I thought it might be fun to extend the idea to baseball fans right here in my home town.", said cartoonist Thom Zahler. With the support of the Lake County Captains and Comic Heaven in Willoughby, all fans attending the 1:05pm Captains vs. Blue Claws game at Classic Park will receive a free random copy of Love and Capes, issues #2 and #3. The newest issue, #4 is only available at comic book specialty stores that same day.
Love and Capes is the ongoing story of Abby and Mark. She's a bookstore owner. He's an accountant who also happens to be the city's top super powered crime fighter, The Crusader. This situation offers some hilarious and offbeat challenges to their romantic relationship. Love and Capes is written and drawn by Thom Zahler, an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator, based out of Timberlake, Ohio. Zahler has worked in the comics field for over ten years, and his artwork has appeared all over the world.
The Lake County Captains are the single-A farm club for the Cleveland Indians, based in Eastlake, Ohio. Their website is www.captainsbaseball.com. For more information regarding Free Comic Book Day and to find a comic book shop near you, visit www.freecomicbookday.com. Love and Capes can be found on-line at www.loveandcapes.com and www.myspace.com/loveandcapes.
To schedule an interview with Thom Zahler call 440-269-8653 or email tz@thomz.com.
COVER #2
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc02cvr_print.jpg
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc02cvr_web.jpg
COVER #3
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc03cvr_print.jpg
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc03cvr_web.jpg
COVER #4
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc04cvr_print.jpg
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc04cvr_small.gif
INTERIOR IMAGES
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc02_03int_print.jpg
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc02_03int_web.jpg
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc03_05int_print.jpg
http://www.loveandcapes.com/pr/lnc03_05int_web.jpg
Like a Trip to the Dentist
So, here's a panel from page four. Yeah, they go to a tiki bar. Can't say as I've been to one before, but they always looked cool to me, and besides, I've become a big fan of TikiBarTV. Using a tiki bar as a backdrop is a cool visual, and once I thought of the name for the place, I was hooked. The name? The Riki Tiki Tavern.
Okay, I'm off to bed, to hopefully figure out page five as I drift to sleep.
The Kindness of Strangers
I have to give a big shout-out to Comic Heaven in nearby Willoughby. They are graciously donating bags and boards for the Lake County Captains Free Comic Book Day promotion. So, if it rains (and please, God, let it not rain that day) the books will be safe. Also, the bags will allow me to add an advertising insert, and that's not a bad thing either.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
I’ve had my Secret Meeting and it went well. Well enough that I can talk about it.
People attending the May 5th (hey, that’s Free Comic Book Day) Lake County Captains game against the Lakewood BlueClaws.will receive a random copy of Love and Capes, either issue #1, #2, or #3.
Why not #4? Because that’s the Free Comic Book Day issue, and I don’t want to compete with the local comic shops. If you want that, you’ll have to visit one. Since the game is a day game, I’m hopefully going to be able to work something out with my local shop to donate some bags and boards in return for an advertising insert driving people to their store.
It should be a great way to get LNC into the hands of people who wouldn’t have otherwise seen it, and get some good coverage for the book.
Back on the Horse Again
So, here's your token panel from Love and Capes #5. The malaise was pretty bad… this page has been on my drawing table for almost a week. I couldn't figure out what I wanted Charlotte to wear for the longest time, or how to stage the scene or the jokes. The real breakthrough came Sunday, where I finally found my vibe and finished the page at 1:00am. Hmmmm, I also had my first cup of homemade (non-Starbucks) coffee since Lenth last night, too. Coincidence? I think not.
To further tweak your interest, today I have a Secret Meeting about a new promotion for Love and Capes. Hopefully, it'll go well and I can tell you about it soon. In the meantime, feel free to pray to whatever God, or Gods if you're a member of the Battlestar Galactica, that the meeting goes well.
First FCBD Review!
In this FCBD issue, Zahler does everything right. He devotes his inside front cover to information “for those just joining us” and it’s as inviting as a new reader could want. The story itself is complete-unto-itself with just a touch more “screen time” for those members of the cast wearing spandex…Getting an issue of the ongoing series for free, especially when the ongoing series is as terrific as this one is, may be the greatest bargain you’ll find on Free Comic Book Day.
Thanks, Tony. Be sure to check out his column online.
Does Whatever a Sales-Man Can
It's been a while since I posted any actual artwork, so here's a heaping helping. I do covers for a company called HGR, which specializes in industrial surplus. I'm not exactly sure what that is, but if it means something to you, I'd certainly advocate you check them
Anyway, they do two covers a month or so, for a "buy" and "sell" catalog. Using head shots of their salespeople, and the fine cartooning skills of yours truly, we put together covers based on a theme they supply. We've done Las Vegas and Deal or No Deal and all sorts of other stuff. This month they said "Can you do a Spider-Man cover?"
Can I do a Spider-Man cover?
So, the cover features one of the salepeople as Spider-Man, and the others as villains from his rogues gallery. (Sandman, Green Goblin, Mysterio, Venom, Shocker, Scorpion, Doctor Octopus and Electro respectively.) For trying to work with nine different characters in such a small space, I think it came out pretty well.
Why Am I Just Finding Out About This Now?
In the wake of the recently announced Spider-Man musical, I've found out that the long-talked about Batman musical is a dead project.
So imagine my surprise to find out that Steinman actually wrote some songs for it, and posted the demos on his website. He cribbed one of them, "Angels Arise" for Dance of the Vampires. From what he writes on his site, he wasn't a fan of that production, and being one of the eighteen people who saw it, I can't say I blame him. I enjoyed it, but I freely admit it wasn't good.
Still, it would have been interesting. It was clearly based on the Tim Burton movie (one of the songs is "Wonderful Toys") but included Catwoman and, interestingly, had a young Selina Kyle as a witness to the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents by the Joker. I wouldn't want to see them adapt it to the comics, but it is an interesting way to tie those three characters together.
At least one of the songs, "In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King" appears on Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell III.
Just For Kicks
So set your TiVos and see if I can drink enough coffee to be awake and chipper at that un-Thomly hour.