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.
When I Go South for FCBD
I'm flying down to Austin today for my appearance at Randy Lander's Rogues Gallery Comics and Games. I'll be there signing and chatting, trying to have the Rick Castle experience, as well as enjoying some fine Austin food and drink.
I'll be Twittering about the event and posting pictures. As much as I can, at least. If things get busy, and let's hope they do, I can't promise hourly updates or anything. But I'll do what I can to give you the virtual Thom Zahler Free Comic Book Day experience. And I'll try to hit you up with a blog entry every night or so, too.
And, to continue my internet presence, I've just joined FriendFeed, too. So, if you're of a mind to Feed the Friends, check it out here.
Review of LNC#10-Free Comic Book Day
Here's a link to another review of Love and Capes #10, this one by Blake Petit over at Comixtreme.com. With Free Comic Book Day being tomorrow, I expect more than a few of these to show up in the next couple of days.
What? You want a snippet? Okay, here goes:
When you march down to your comic shop on this Free Comic Book Day, there are going to be a lot of books to choose from. Love and Capes #10 should be at the top of your pile.
And, the full review is here.
FAFCBDQ (Frequently Asked Free Comic Book Day Questions)
As a participant/Silver Sponsor, there are a couple of questions I get each year about Free Comic Book Day: Is this a new issue? The answer to that is “yes”. Then I get asked: Why are you giving away a brand-new issue?
That’s a much longer answer.
Every company has to do what works for best for them. For some people, that’s reprints or for others, samplers. For me, it’s a new issue.
Financially, the FCBD edition, and it’s follow-up retail issue, do almost as well as a regular run of the book. That’s because of a lot of things, from being able to gang the printing of both versions and bringing down my per-unit cost, to being able to sell advertising based on the higher circulation numbers that I can’t for the regular run. As a participant, we’re asked to provide the books at cost. I actually provide mine below cost, to compete with the bigger companies.
From a reader’s point of view, I don’t want my readers to be upset that a book they bought X months ago would have been free if they’d just waited until Free Comic Book Day. Especially since I publish quarterly, I don’t have as many issues between a year-old issue and a Free Comic Book Day issue to lessen that feeling.
And from a philosophical point of view, I just think FCBD should be about giving away a product that’s as close to the regular product as possible and that means a full issue. Free Ice Cream Scoop Day, on which FCBD is heavily based, gives you a full scoop of ice cream. Not a little taster spoon. And not a scoop of mint chocolate chip with a little less sugar and no chocolate chips, but trust us the real thing is even better. It’s the full experience.
None of this is to take away or insult the choices other publishers make. You’ve got to do what’s right for you. Doing a full brand-new issue of Love and Capes is right for me.
Pre-FCBD Appearances
Thursday will start the Thom Zahler Media Glut.
I'll be doing a presentation/class on cartooning for the Shaker Heights Public Library. I'll be there from 3:15pm-4:45pm doing the Obi-Wan Cartoonobi thing.
I'll also be appearing on the tremendously-taented Jackie Kashian's Dork Forest radio/podcast show. The show airs at 7:00pm Eastern, 4:00pm Pacific. Check it out here. Hopefully, my phone line will hold up this time. I have bought new phones for the occasion, just to be sure.
