Comics that Changed My Life: Power Pack #7

This is the fourth in a series of five posts about comics that made an impact on me growing up. I'm not talking about anything I worked on as a professional, but books I bought that influenced me as a creator and as a person. I know what you're thinking: "Power Pack? Seriously?"[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/powerpack.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785137904/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0785137904&linkCode=as2&tag=thozahartstu-20&linkId=RAPTQIW6KROE56J5" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

It's not the story or the art here, though those are certainly solid. If you look in the letter column, you'll see the first letter I ever had published in a comic book. It was me coming up with an idea about how the Power children could speak an alien language. Yeah, it was also my first attempt at a No-Prize.

But, this is one of the first instances of external validation of me as a writer. Sure, my parents liked my stuff, and I probably won a contest or two. But this was Comics saying that what I had to write was worth printing. It seems like a little thing, but at the time it was huge.

From there, I had letters published in several issues of Fury of Firestorm, in Spectre and in Star Trek. I gained some pen pals from my letters' appearance, which in the pre-internet days, that was an incredible thing.

A couple years ago, I met Louise Simonson and mentioned this story. She said "I always printed the smartest letters." It made my night.

Commission List open!

Coming to Denver Comicon or Heroescon? My commission list is open for both shows. If you're interested in getting a piece, shoot me an email and we'll figure it out.

Comics that Changed My Life: G.I. Joe #21

This is the third in a series of five posts about comics that made an impact on me growing up. I'm not talking about anything I worked on as a professional, but books I bought that influenced me as a creator and as a person. I'd never seen anything like this comic before. It was silent! It also had ninjas. But it was silent![image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/gijoe.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1631400355/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1631400355&linkCode=as2&tag=thozahartstu-20&linkId=SMKJGBM5VFJYGSVD" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

I read this comic in the car on a rainy day home from the comic shop and immediately started creating one of my own. It was a young ninja, because I'm all original like that (hey, I was twelve) but the mood and the pacing of the story were inspired from this issue.

This story was the one that showed me how much you could do with the format,  and how much of the storytelling could be carried in the pictures alone. It rocked my world and not only made me want to be an artist more, but it made me want to do something just as inventive.

Comics That Changed My Life: Adventure Comics #480

This is the second in a series of five posts about comics that made an impact on me growing up. I'm not talking about anything I worked on as a professional, but books I bought that influenced me as a creator and as a person. You've just gotta love a George Peréz cover, don't you? I certainly did.

This was the first issue of DC's Dial H For Hero that caught my eye. I remember buying it at a Barney's grocery store. There was something just so interesting about the six colorful heroes on the cover. I read it and enjoyed it, and then I went back and bought all the back issues I could find. Fortunately, they weren't highly in demand, so a lot of them were in the quarter bins.

The cool thing about Dial H was that the fans created the heroes and the heroes. Chris King and Vicki Grant became a different hero very time they used their power dials, and they fought against an ever changing roster of villains. Every hero that appeared had a credit listing the creator, their ages (many were younger than me!) and where they were from. And then they got a t-shirt, too.[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/adventurecomics.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401226485/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401226485&linkCode=as2&tag=thozahartstu-20&linkId=5PQKWMZ6ECYDDCUO" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

So, I traced the John Buscema bodies from How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way and started creating hero after hero. I remember creating a hero based on the Executioner, Bruce Wayne's pre-Batman identity, from Superboy. I remember a Queen of Hearts character, a gold and green lady and a hero with a car. Along the way, I also created a shape shifter called Any-Body.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/anybody.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401226485/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401226485&linkCode=as2&tag=thozahartstu-20&linkId=5PQKWMZ6ECYDDCUO" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

Years later, in The New Adventures of Superboy #35, Any-Body appeared.  I could have used that issue for this as well, but this is the issue that launched me on that path. It was the first time a character I created saw print and my first contribution to a comic book universe. I'd want more.

I'll be at Fiesta Equestria!

It's been announced that I will be at guest at Fiesta Equestria in Houston. The show will be July 11-13 at the Houston Marriott Westchase, and I'll be there along with other Pony People… including Brenda Crichlow, the voice of Zecora. Since I wrote the recent Zecora/Fluttershy issue, I'm particularly looking forward to meeting her. I'll be bringing copies of the Pony books I worked on, sketchcards, and be taking and doing commissions, too. Hope to see you there.

Look upon the header! It's a new banner!

Stealing from my friend Sean Tiffany, I'm going to try to update my banner every month. Above: Rac Shade from Shade the Changing Man, part of my "drawing a day" project from December.

Play Ball

Yesterday was my big day throwing the first pitch and being part of the Akron Comicon day at the Akron Rubber Ducks game. The first thing I learned was that it's not so much "the first pitch" but "one of the first". There were fourteen of us throwing out ceremonial first pitches. So, technically, I was the twelfth pitch. But I don't care, it was still awesome.

I was practicing with my Dad for the last week or so because I respect our national pastime. Also, I didn't want to embarrass myself. We wound up throwing from the mound, which I hadn't practiced, but I managed to clear the distance which was the important thing to me. My pitch was ultimately high and outside, so I like to think of it as practicing my brushback move.

After that, I hung out at my table and signed posters and gave away comics. I think the mini comic con went really well, and I hope that this will be the first of many such events.

I even got to sign alongside Webster, the Akron Rubber Duck mascot. I'm the one without the feathers.

Comics that Changed My Life: Superman #290

This is the first in a series of five posts about comics that made an impact on me growing up. I'm not talking about anything I worked on as a professional, but books I bought that influenced me as a creator and as a person. I don't actually remember my first comic book. They were always part of my life. But this is the earliest comic book that I can remember. I remember my Dad reading it to me. I was reading from a really early age, and my parents used comics as a reward system. [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/superman290.jpg" align="left"  border="image_border" link="https://www.amazon.com/Superman-1939-290-DC-Comics/dp/B005UQZ540/ref=as_sl_pc_ss_til?tag=thozahartstu-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=3TPWMPVNUB4TLJ3I&creativeASIN=B005UQZ540" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]Clean your room, get a comic, that kind of thing. We bought them on vacations and at flea markets. They were always around.

I also don't remember a time where I didn't want to do comics. I've always known it was what I wanted to do. In some way, this is the comic that sent me on that journey.

A Stormtrooper in Lederhosen

My art book is called Rhinos Bowling because I realized that what my world involved one day. Yesterday was Stormtroopers Wearing Lederhosen. I can't say what it's for yet, though once I can, rest assured that I will. For now, I leave you to wonder how they can drink beer through their helmets.

Sometimes People Bring Me Things

I have great fans and friends. At Comicpalooza, I've made the acquaintance of a couple people who work at and with the Houston Space Center. One of them, Rick, was kind enough to bring me some Orion stuff. I can't express how cool this is.