I'm Not Above a Little Product Placement If I Like the Product

This was a hard page to break. I actually did two versions of the script and sent it to a friend before committing to the final version. It was one of those great communication moments where I wrote and said "Here's what I was thinking, but none of it's very good" and my friend said "Just put these words from A and these words from B together and you're there."

And wow, was he right. Of course, you'll have to wait until July to find out. Sorry about that.

As far as the Starbucks reference, yeah, it's product placement of a sort, but I do drink the stuff myself. Regularly. Almost obsessively. And, I love the idea that they've even made it into another dimension.

And they didn't pay for it. But if they want to send me some gift cards, I wouldn't say no.

Ooops, I Did Page Eleven

Really, I meant to take a mini-break with page ten. I mentioned on Twitter that I had an epiphany about how the end of this issue will work, and I was glad about that. But I didn't really expect to do another page over the weekend.

Then, of course, the page just bubbled in my head until I went ahead and did it yesterday. I finished coloring and lettering it yesterday.

It's more adventures in Leandia, as Amazonia, Abby and Mark are heading to the Queen's castle.

And here's something I can't figure out how to mention: the big flying disc. I think it's a cool way for them to get around but it looks kind of unsafe, right? Well, borrowing off an idea I think I may have read in an old V novel, the discs have artificial gravity which help "lock" you in place. So, the disc could turn sideways or upside down, and you'd still be drawn to the disc as if you were right side up.

Okay, I thought it was cool.

Page Ten

There's other stuff I should have been working on other than page ten, which you'll probably notice is done by the panel I'm posting. Sometimes time management is a tricky beast. I'm at a break point in the Love and Capes #11 story here. I know what happens next, but I don't have the exact how yet. So, I decided to pound out this last page that I had figured out.

Then, I can work on some other projects while the page 11 percolates in the back of my mind. I won't have to fight against my urge to do more Love and Capes and will be more productive on the other project.

And that's the way my mind works.

Easter Eight!

Happy Easter everyone!

I've been oddly productive this Triduum weekend. I got a bonus page of Love and Capes done today. I started it yesterday, having some extra time since I didn't go out until the Easter Vigil Mass, and managed to hammer this page together before then. It's doubly remarkable since it features a new set, the Flapjack Flophouse. I designed more of the place than appears in these scenes, too. There's a table and booth set up for both straight on shots and angle shots. Most of the angle elements weren't necessary for this page, but maybe they will in the future.

This is also one of my favorite pages so far, and for an odd reason. You can't tell from the snippet I'm showing, but this whole page isn't superhero related. Oh, there are some plot points mentioned, but with a quick edit, this could be a scene about any two people having a discussion in a Waffle House, er, Flapjack Flophouse.

When I first started Love and Capes, I wanted to make sure that the characters could be funny without the superhero trappings. Sure, the hero stuff would be the major source of funny, but for a situation comedy, the characters had to be in and of themselves funny. Issue #2 was the first issue that had a scene without a superhero-heavy joke. Now, I've lost track of the number of times that these scenes have happened, but I'm always glad when they do.

Page Six

It's a little early in the run to be blocking out dialogue, but I'm doing it now. There's a plot twist early in the book, and I want to keep it secret. So, we have faded lettering here.

And, with this page, I am one-quarter of the way done with #11. It's fun to watch that number count down (or up, I suppose) and see completion come so fast. Of course, #12 will be extra sized, so things will go slower the next time.

I like the coloring and staging in this sequence. It's fun doing the night scenes in Chronopolis, and the cathedral may be the most visually interesting set I have there. And I like the body language, Darkblade working his iPhone while holding a cup of coffee. Apparently, a futuristic iPhone that allows you to swipe while wearing gloves. Or maybe Darkblade has special electrostatic gloves. You never know with him.

One-Sixth of the Way Home

The wind was understandably knocked out of my sails last night, so I didn't finish working on page four until today. Still, it's good news for my schedule, because it means I only have twenty pages left. That's one every three days, and that's a very manageable speed to maintain. Assuming I don't hit the dreaded writer's block.

In other news, the balance of my Love and Capes #10 order came in. For my next trip, I'm bringing them up to the attic.

And a word about tomorrow, April Fool's Day. I don't do any sort of April Fool's joke, at least not here on the blog, and definitely on Twitter. There will be too much of that tomorrow anyway. No promises, though, if you see me in person.

Page the Third!

I went ahead and got page three done, which follows The Quest for the Dress a little more. The Dress will be a huge part of issue #11, and it should go in unexpected ways.

I'd like to get page four done by Wednesday, too, so that I'll only have twenty pages to go before my self-imposed end of June deadline. Especially with the traveling I'll be doing for FCBD and a trip or two afterward, it's best to get as much banked as I can.

I'm especially happy with the outfits Abby and Charlotte are wearing. I think they look nice, and are very much in character for both people.

I also like the line about "Presidents' Corner." It's six words, but it serves to create an entire desirable neighborhood for Deco City. Naming it was the hardest thing, since it had to sound like a portion of a city. In Cleveland, we've got Old Brooklyn, but if I'd used anything like that, it would have read as a separate city, not part of Deco itself.

The Journey of 192 Panels Begins with One Page

I figure at eight panels over twenty-four pages, that's 192 panels. Well, 184 now. Page one of Love and Capes #11 is done. Twenty three pages to go.

The first couple of pages are always the hardest. It's a rough horse to get back on, committing to do another book. Technically, I committed when I sent the information to Diamond to appear in the May Previews, but you know what I mean.

This should be a fun issue, and a heck of a lot lighter than the last issue. Oh, wait, you haven't read that one yet. Well, trust me. This one should be pretty funny, as we follow Abby's Quest for the Dress. Like "The Quest for Peace", except intentionally funny and with better special effects. And much less crapulence.

Oh, and is my tradition, since it's page one, you can actually click and embiggen it.

Torpedoes Away

I just uploaded the print files for Love and Capes #10 to the FTP site of the book's printer. Yay!

It's probably about time to start the next one.

Stop a Bullet Cold, Fight a War With Love

While I was sitting at my table at MegaCon, I did a couple of warm-up/sample commissions. At the very least, these help me fill out the next edition of Powerful Women, which I hope will be out for my trip to Heroes Con.

I haven't done a proper Wonder Woman image in any of the books. There's one with her and Wonder Girl, and another with her and Power Girl, but I wanted one that was her by herself. This is still a little different, compositionally, than most of my other pieces, but I think it works well.