Morning Warm-Up: Wonder Woman (Also, Happy Birthday America!)

It got in my head that I should draw a patriotic hero for Independence Day. I thought about expanding my JSA scope to include the All-Star Squadron so I could do Commander Steel, or Mr. America… and then I thought "Wonder Woman, you idiot!" Admittedly, whether or not she's a JSAer is subject to change. I lived through the Crisis, man!

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/wonderwoman_block.png" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/wonderwoman_display.jpg" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

I really think Wonder Woman should be DC's Captain America. Not that anyone's offering, but the take I have on her is that she's sent to Man's World to defend America, the modern Roman Empire, against attacks from the gods. ("Mars/Ares" I can hear you saying, right? No. I'd make it a different recurring antagonist god. Who? Not tellin'. have to keep some things in case such an event should ever happen.) Since she fights for America, she wears America's standard. Hence her uniform.

She'd have a secondary purpose, too. It'd be her job to lead and inspire America to keep faith with the lofty ideals it was founded upon and to be that beacon for the world. Like Captain America doesn't necessary represent the America that is, but the America that it aspires to be. Both characters call us to the better angels of our nature.

So, Happy Independence Day! See some fireworks. Buy Lora Innes' excellent The Dreamer which is on sale at Comixology right darn now, and watch 1776 and stop "reeking of discontentment."

Morning Warm Up: Dr. Mid-Nite

Dr. Mid-Nite has a cool costume and it was a blast to draw it. I've actually done him as a commission before, too. And when I draw him, you have to draw Hooty the Owl, too. [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/drmidnite_block.png" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/drmidnite_display.jpg" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

The idea of an actual medical doctor as a super hero is very interesting to me. There aren't a lot of them, at least not with practices. That's a fund concept I'm going to have to file away for a rainy day.

This one was drawn yesterday, posted today. I'm working on a new one right now. I do post these early to my Twitter feed if you want to get a jump.

Morning Warm Up: Hourman

It's everybody's favorite pill-popping superhero, Rex Tyler, the original Hourman. I think the first time I read Hourman was in the big treasury reprint of All-Star Comics #3, since reprinted elsewhere, too. So many different versions of so many characters I knew, like Flash, Green Lantern and Hawkman, as well as new characters like Atom, Sandman, Doctor Fate… and Hourman.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hourman_pre.png" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hourman_display.jpg" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

Even as a kid I questioned that cape. A yellow cape with a couple of red stripes on it looked more like a bath towel than anything else. Still, I love characters who come with their own countdown clock. And his appearance in DC's Whatever Happened To… backup in DC Comics Presents was awesome, too.

It was interesting figuring out just how that black area on his hood worked, too. Some people have turned it into a mask within a hood, but I wanted to do the classic version of the character.

These morning warm-ups have been fun, and I think I'm getting some pop and energy into the pieces, too. This one, technically wasn't a morning warm-up though. Yesterday I hit a point where I was mostly waiting on emails and had time to kill. But I think I'll refer to all these as "Morning Warm Ups" as that's where they started and what they're for.

Behold the Power of the Atom

I think I'm going to start doing morning warmup pieces. At least for now. I'm cleverly not going to commit to one a morning or anything because the moment I do, I'll get a big client job that sucks up my morning. There's a pro tip for you: You can't miss your schedule if you don't announce one.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/atom.png" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/atom_display.jpg" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

Today, I drew the golden-age Atom, Al Pratt. He was a big member of the All-Star Squadron, which is where I grew to dig him. His costume… let's be honest, it looks pretty silly in real life. But in comics, it's just cool.

I also started experimenting with a highlight layer on this one. I like it on this one. We'll see if I keep with it.

Sometimes You Just Want to Draw the Spectre

I listen to The Fire and Water Podcast, hosted by my fellow Kubie Rob Kelly and The Irredeemable Shag. It's a great show, and we occasionally tease each other good-naturedly, even leading to some wackiness like this fake blog I set up. One of their most popular features is their monthly review of the 80's series Who's Who in the DC Universe. They're up to issue 21 which featured a lot of "S" characters. They mentioned the Spectre and it just hit me: I really wanted to draw the Spectre.[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/spectre_pre.png" align="right" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/spectre.jpg" alt="Spectre" title="Spectre" lightbox="false" ]

I always dug the Spectre, with his ridiculous costume, crazy powerful powerset, and a comics pedigree that includes Jerry Siegel. The post-Crisis 80's series was one of my favorites and all his stuff is worth checking out, and Brad Meltzer even referenced him in one of his books.

Anyway, I thought he would be a good warm-up sketch. I had a lot of fun with it, and I'll have to do more of these. It was drawn in Manga Studio and colored in Photoshop.

My Fiesta Equestria Commission List is OPEN!

I'm going to be a guest at Fiesta Equestria. It's my first time at an MLP Show. Hopefully it won't be my last. Knowing that I'll be the only Pony artist at the show, I thought I'd post my rates and make commissions available ahead of time. I'll certainly be doing them at the show, but if you want to be sure to get one, it's safest to pre-order. Also, if you want something really complicated (The Mane Six playing poker a la Dogs Playing Poker) I can do the work in my studio and figure out an appropriate price. Also, I'll have sketchcards and copies of my books and trades. Maybe even a Love and Capes trade or too as well.

Below are my prices. You can order online, but you'll need to then email me to let me know what characters you'd like.

Below is a gallery of some recent commissions, so you can see what you'l be getting. Thanks!

[pricing_table column="6" position="other" skin="orange" title="BW HEAD" price="$20" price_sub_text="" button_size="color_button1" button_link="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NRTR8ZE3EQTPG" button_text="Order" ]

• Head sketch of your favorite Pony in black and white

[/pricing_table]

[pricing_table column="6" position="other" skin="blue" title="CLR HEAD" price="$30" price_sub_text="" button_size="color_button1" button_link="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ELY3FEXBK29D2" button_text="Order" ]

• Head sketch of your favorite Pony in color

[/pricing_table]

[pricing_table column="6" position="other" skin="pink" title="BW PONY" price="$40" price_sub_text="" button_size="color_button1" button_link="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=XXCFN96JZ8KAC" button_text="Order" ]

• Full body sketch of your favorite Pony with graphic background

[/pricing_table]

[pricing_table column="6" position="other" skin="green" title="CLR PONY" price="$75" price_sub_text="" button_size="color_button1" button_link="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6PVVZBXSUTWU2" button_text="Order" ]

• Full body sketch of your favorite Pony in full color with graphic background

[/pricing_table]

[pricing_table column="6" position="other" skin="purple" title="BW PONIES" price="$80" price_sub_text="" button_size="color_button1" button_link="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QZ7ABSQWKDCXE" button_text=" Order" ]

• Two Ponies in black and white with graphic background
• Each additional Pony add $25

[/pricing_table]

[pricing_table column="6" position="last" skin="teal" title="CLR PONIES" price="$150" price_sub_text="" button_size="color_button1" button_link="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=PRCASGFE2JHKQ" button_text="Order" ]

• Two Ponies in full color with graphic background
• Each additional Pony add $40

[/pricing_table]

HeroesCon 2014… All the Sketches!

As if Denver wasn’t enough, I did HeroesCon this past weekend, too. Heroes is always a treat, with a huge pool of professionals and friends to spend time with, and it’s definitely one of the easiest shows to navigate and work with. I drove down on Thursday where I did some seventy-mile-an-hour-thinking (as evidenced by the pitch one of my editors got Sunday night) and arrived in Charlotte and set up. The con started strong on Friday and kept on going.

I spent a lot of time with my friend Marc Nathan and his Baltimore crew, which is always fantastic. And I got to see Jeremy and Kelly Dale, Craig Rousseau, Andy Smith, Todd DeZago… heck, one night I even got to have dinner with Romona Fradon and others. She was a delight!

I did a Kids' Comics panel with Stephanie Gladden, Mike Maihack, Chris Schweizer, Andy Runton, Jeremy Whitley and me, and expertly hosted by Jimmy Aquino. It was my first HeroesCon panel appearance and was a great one to start with. Jimmy will be posting the audio soon, so be sure to check this space for details.

I also did a ton of commissions. More than I have at any other show. I was regularly working late into the night on them, but I don’t mind at all. When I was a kid, my mother wouldn’t let me have a Kool-Aid Stand so I set up a drawing stand. There’s something cool about my current business model being the same as my younger self.

There's a photo of me including using the lamp in my room as a lightbox to finish a drawing. Any port in a storm, right?

The Shazam Family piece I did for the auction was well received, too. It garnered the most of any of my contributions, so I’m proud of that. Of course, when you’ve got the power of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury on your side, how can you not do well?

Denver Comic Con 2014

The weekend before last was the third Denver Comic Con and I was lucky enough to be a guest. I love doing the Denver show because I get to see my brother John, as well as spend lots of time with my former Kubie classmate Sean Tiffany. Add to that seeing buddies like Tony Fleecs and Sean Williams, and geat googly-moogly it’s a good time! This is my second time back (and their third year) and the show just keeps growing. A lot of their line issues seemed to have been fixed, and the staff was great in taking care of us.

I did two panels. One was on My Little Pony, and that was a lot of fun. Tony Fleecs, Jeremy Whitley, Andy Price, Katie Cook and I held court for a bunch of MLP fans. We were even covered by the Denver Post. The other was a Sketch Duel hosted by the lovely Rowan Rosanski. I’m hoping that some of our sketches get posted or sent to me soon. Some of them were really funny.

Amongst all the drawing, my first one was particularly special. Someone asked me to draw Slider, who I used to draw back in my days working for the Cleveland Indians. The buyer saw my Tribe history in the program book and remembered the strip. That was very cool!

I’m planning on being back next year, so hopefully I’ll see you there!

As usual, photos and commissions follow.

HeroesCon Auction Piece: The Shazam Family

I'll be at HeroesCon in a couple of weeks, and I try to participate in the art auction each year. I really liked the way my Doctors Who piececame out, and dug that longer format. I've also been reading the Lou Schimer Filmation book, so the World's Mightiest Mortal has been on my brain. I thought it'd be fun to do a long vertical piece of the Shazam Family flying. All the Family. So that meant the Lieutenants Marvel, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny and Uncle Dudley. And for good measure, you can see the wizard Shazam in the background, too.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/marvelfamilyWIP.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/marvelfamilyWIP.jpg" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" width-"200 px" ]

It's my hope that one of these days, DC will give the Marvel Family the same digital treatment they have for Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman. I think Shazam has a lot of room for interpretation, and taking them outside the DC mainstream may be the best place for these characters of different world and sensibilities. I mean, there's a walking, talking tiger and people just accept it.

And yeah, I'd hope I got to work on it, too.

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/marvelfamily_heroesPRE.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/marvelfamily_heroesPRE.jpg" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" width-"200px" ]

Anyway, to do this piece, I sketched out all the characters on tracing paper. I tried to give them unique poses, even though they're all doing basically the same thing. I stuck with the DC 70's versions of the characters, except I gave Mary the same swashbuckler boots everyone else has instead of the slippers she wore for a while.

And, as much as I like the idea, I did away with the jacket flap on Captain Marvel's uniform. I know it was from the original and I am kind of a fan of it but there's something about the simpler design that works better for me.

The original piece is 24" high on bristol, and the black and white, as well as a color giclee print, will be donated to the auction at HeroesCon. I might have a couple extra copies of the print at my table, too.

Comics That Changed My Life: Uncle Scrooge, His Life and Times

This is the fifth 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. Somehow I wound up with this book. Honestly, I can't remember where I bought it. It might have been when my aunts took me on a trip to Hawaii, because I have some memory of reading it on a plane.

I always loved Uncle Scrooge. He was one of the few non-superhero books I unabashedly enjoyed.[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/unbclescrooge.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0890875103/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0890875103&linkCode=as2&tag=thozahartstu-20&linkId=B52RLWCML6WSZYUK" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]

Barks and Scrooge instilled some pretty important lessons in me. The virtues of hard work, of risk-taking and innovating, and of traveling. But no story stuck with me as much as Go Slowly the Sands of Time.

Scrooge feels old. He wants to be rejuvenated, to be young again. He, Donald and the Nephews go to Khunza and wind up talking to the oldest citizen, the royal treasurer, who has the same love of acquiring and creating money as Scrooge.  They realize Scrooge is just as old, or even older, then their ancient treasurer.

"The secret of long life," the ancient one pontificated, "is to be happy with your work. Your daily toil has to be your whole reason for living."

I love being a cartoonist. I love being a storyteller. I love what I do, and the places it takes me and the things it lets me do. It is my favorite thing in the world and the thing that, without question, I was put on this planet to do.

I don't act my age. And I often hear that I don't look it, either. I think I'm doing something right.