With page fourteen, the Arachnerd storyline wraps up, although he will be seen again this issue. After that, I decided we really needed to see Abby again, so Mark and she get some time to hang out in one of the more difficult standard set-ups: the couch. Why so difficult? Well, the style I use is kind of cartoony, and Mark is particularly broad and muscular, and Abby's kind of petite and short. So any time where they need to sit together or do something with the same props (like drink out of matching glasses) is always a challenge to make work.
In art school, I was taught that when you draw people sitting, draw the chair (or in this case, the couch) first and then place your characters on it so that they sit on the same plane. It sounds simple, but it's always a challenge and one that can get past you if you're not careful. There are a couple of scenes in Love and Capes #1 where I still cringe. And no, I won't tell you where those are.
I've settled on Abby being about a head shorter than Mark, as any more of a size difference makes sitting them together and look into each other's eyes almost impossible. With all that being said, I think it worked out pretty well.
You'll notice, too, that Mark's wearing a Deco City University t-shirt. I've settled on that as being his college. I was debating where else to send Mark to school. I toyed with Loyola and Wharton, but decided on the fictional DCU because… well, you know, I can't really say why. But it's actually a storyline consistency issue. I wrote a line in #2 that meant he had to go to college in Deco City. I thought about putting the logo for some show or band that I really like, too, but I thought that might be a little glaring in this scene. I'm not above it other places, though. I'm all about the advertising.
Speaking of which, there are ad spaces available in the Free Comic Book Day issue of Love and Capes. You can read details here, but basically, there are open full color pages on the inside that are going for $250. Per Diamond rules, the FCBD edition needs to be 32 pages, although it's okay if those additional pages are advertising or other pieces. So there will also be ads, a soon-to-be-announced contest, and a breakdown of how a page comes together, starting out in soap crayon on my shower wall and ending up on my computer.
The contest? I'm not going to say much about that, but if you must have a hint, dial 4 on your phone.
Thom Zahler has 21 days remaining to draw 10 pages.