My Free Comic Book Day 2015 at Hazel's Heroes Comics
This past weekend I was a guest at Hazel's Heroes Comics in North Canton, Ohio. Their Free Comic Book Day festivities ran from 9:00-600 and it was a full day of fun! There was a line out front before the store even opened, and a steady stream of customers flowed in the entire day. I spent the day selling books and doing commissions. I even got to add to the ceiling tile art gallery with a Wonder Woman piece (because female heroes were dreadfully underrepresented… so I fixed it).
I had a great time and encourage you all to visit their shop!
I'm looking forward to next year's FCBD, too. Who knows where I'll be next time?
I'm in Aw Yeah Comics #11
[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cellphoneguy.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ] A couple years ago, I was asked to be part of the Aw Yeah Comics Kickstarter. Well, the issue is finally out, and you can read my four page Cell Phone Guy story in issue #11!
As soon as I get my copies, I'll have it for sale at conventions. It's also available on from the Aw Yeah guys and on Comixology.
How to Order Long Distance
My new romantic comedy comic Long Distance will be in stores soon, and it's in Previews now. Pre-ordering is essential for the success of books like these, and while I'm sure you can navigate the Diamond system just fine, I'm trying to make it a little easier for everyone. There are two covers for the book, so two order codes. The one by me is APR150443 and the one by Lora Innes is APR150444.
But I'm not going to stop there. I've made a handy printable graphic for you to give your comic shop owner, so that they can place the order for you.
And because I'm still not done, I've even made an iPhone sized one that you can just show to your retailer to order it and save a tree!
I'm excited about this new series and I hope you are, too. The first issue comes out in June, but please pre-order it now.
Coming soon, my new project: Long Distance!
A week or so ago, there was the Convention Kickoff online convention, and it’s been announced that I have a new project coming out: Long Distance! [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ld_cvr01_final_100dpi.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ] Those of you who have followed me for a while might remember the scriptbook Long Distance that I did years ago. It collected the spec script that I submitted to that Bravo TV show, Situation Comedy, which was kind of a Project Greenlight for sitcoms. It never made the cut, but the idea never went away.
[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ld032_flat.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]
Rocket ahead ten years and here I am turning it into a comic. A lot has changed in that time, especially with how people communicate. Texting and Twitter and those things create a kind of constant telepresence and I thought that was some ground ripe for exploring. Fortunately, IDW thought so, too.
So, coming out in June will be Long Distance #1. It’s a four issue miniseries, each issue being DOUBLE-SIZED (because I’m crazy). I’m doing some hopefully interesting things with color and lettering to visually show location and distance. None of those things involve transparent word balloons, so you can all rest easy there.
Best of all, issue #1 has a variant cover by my friend Lora Innes that will not cause any controversy in the comics industry. Except the controversy of why it’s so good.
[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ld031_flat.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]
I’ll write more about it when it becomes close, but for now, let’s remember the important thing. The Previews order code is APR150443 and the subscription cover is APR150444. Get one, get both! I’m working on some new art that you can print out and take to your shop, too. I’ll update as soon as I have something.
Amazing Arizona Comic-Con
This weekend I'll be attending Amazing Arizona Comic Con [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/phoenix_final_pre.jpg" align="right" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it! It'll be my first time in Arizona for anything more than driving through the corner of it or stopping in an airport. I'm looking forward to seeing the actual city for once. And, new city means a new con print. They're limited to 25, like all the rest of the set. Hope you like it.
It also kicks off another crazy con season for me. Here we go again!
I Did Not Want To Draw a Page Today
I did not want to draw a page today. I lettered sixteen pages. I ran errands and got my hair cut. At best, I wanted to do one of the commissions on my stack. The last thing I wanted to do was draw a page.
Still, I sat down at the Cintiq and opened up my template. I figured maybe I'd just lay out the page. So I did that, and, against my better judgment I laid out a page that had a complicated pose and a brand new background. That meant more work.
More work I had no energy to do. But I didn't get up.
I figured I'd ink the easy panel before dinner. Then maybe work out the new background.
I never got up.
[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ld070.jpg" border="image_border" link="#" alt="" title="" lightbox="false" ]
A couple hours later, the page was done.
You want to get something done? You do it. There's no other way around it. You just sit down and you do it. You just sit down at your damn desk and you do it. Everything else is details.
Freelancing: Being Your Own Travel Agent
As a cartoonist, I spend a lot of time as my own travel agent. Conventions are part of my business, but that means managing hotels and airfares and rental cars. Some cons bring me in, and that’s wonderful. But not all of them do. And you have to do the math:
CON PROFITS - (TRAVEL EXPENSES + HOTEL EXPENSES) = ACTUAL PROFIT
It’s in your best interest to get your expenses down.
When I fly, I fly almost exclusively Southwest. First, bags fly free and I have to bring a lot of stuff to sell. Second, you can rebook your ticket with no penalties past the change in cost. That’s good for when you want to book something but leave the possibility of changing your mind. If I need to cancel flying to Convention X but I know I’ll be going to Convention Y later, I can take the cost of that first ticket and put it towards the second.
Most of the flights have layovers, which I know not everyone likes. They don’t bother me, and an extra three hours of travel time to save $200 seem worth it, especially when I can work decently in airports.
The math here is complicated. How many people are going? How much stock do you have to bring? Is it driving distance? What’s the cost of gas right now? For me, being in Cleveland, Chicago and New York are definitely driving shows. DragonCon in Atlanta is the far end of my travel time, but I usually go with Amy, which means weighing two plane tickets and bringing freight against a rental car and gas prices. Usually those numbers works in favor of the driving.
Selecting an “official” airline also means you’ll rack up some Frequent Flier miles. (What? You’re not a member of a Frequent Flyer club? Join now!) I usually manage to get a free flight every year or year and a half through my Southwest Rapid Rewards account. [1. Super pro-tip: Here in Ohio we have Giant Eagle, which allows you to buy gift cards and accrue rewards for discount fuel purchases. So, at it's peak, you can buy a $50 Southwest gift card and save 20¢ a gallon on gas. If you know you're going to spend $400 on a flight, this way you'll at least save $1.60 per gallon on your next fill-up. I did this with Best Buy cards to get my new iPad, and I've been driving free gas for the last few weeks. If somewhere near you has a similar program, take advantage of it]
When possible, I book my rooms through Hotels.com. Again, picking a dance partner here has some advantages. After every ten stays, you get a free night, and I’ve used that more than a few times. Cancellations are often free, and they have a price matching program where if you see a better price, you can call and they’ll match that. It can be a hassle to monitor that stuff, but I just dropped my DragonCon hotel down $150 doing it, so it’s worth it.
You may need to stay in the con hotel, so that locks out some choices. And there are places like Comic-Con in San Diego where you’re locked into the Hoteloween system. But not every show has the same nighttime social needs. And maybe you know you’re going to spend your nights in the hotel drawing commissions. So you can look to hotels that are a little farther off-site.
For DragonCon, we stay at a hotel half an hour away. Driving back and forth isn't as easy as walking from the hotel, but for one night at a con hotel we can cover our entire stay at the off-site hotel. And since every dollar I don’t spend on expenses is a dollar profit, it’s the difference between slightly better than breaking even and turning a profit. Add to that free wifi and free breakfast at this hotel, and there’s no question which is better for us.
I rent a fair number of cars, too. You don’t need them for every show, especially if you fly in, but if you’re going to drive to Charlotte, you might want to put those miles on someone else’s car, especially if it has a bigger trunk.
Here I haven’t found a ton of benefit to the frequent renter programs. I am a member of Hertz’s which is free, and allowed me to set myself up as a business. That means I don’t have to pay for extra drivers on the rental if they’re driving for my business. And I do get some free days of rental or free upgrades every now and then.
But, when I’m renting in a convention city, I swear by AutoSlash.com. With AutoSlash, you make your reservation and then they continually price the best offers and send you emails to change. So, if you book a one week rental for $200 at Hertz and then Enterprise offers a lower rate, AutoSlash alerts you and by replying to the email, you switch. Pretty cool!
AutoSlash does great with airport-based rentals, less so with suburban locations.
Past all that, I recommend taking advantage of free cancellation policies. If you want to go to Convention X, book your room, grab your car, as long as you can cancel them without penalty. I booked my MegaCon room a year out this year. You'll get the best prices, and the chance for better prices, that way. Far better than waiting until a couple of weeks before and lamenting the high prices and few choices you have.
More time means more options and better prices. And better prices mean lower expenses!
Please consider Love and Capes for the 2014 Harveys
Today's my birthday. You know what would be nice? If Love and Capes got nominated one more time for a Harvey Award. If you're a comics pro, you can vote here. Whether or not you think Love and Capes should get a nod in the "Special Award for Humor" category, be sure to vote. A diversity of voices enriches the awards.
My Fluttershy/Zecora Cover!
Superman/Wonder Woman Sketch Cover
Carol and John's Comic Shop is, well, a comic shop in Cleveland at Kamm's Corners. They're doing a promotion with local artists doingsketch covers to raise money for the local food bank. All I had to do was get to the shop and pick up my choice of blank covered comics and go to town. So I grabbed a copy of Superman and Wonder Woman and came up with a concept for a holiday themed cover. Since I could work on this in my studio, I could put a little more prep work into the image. I scanned to cover and imported it into Manga Studio (yeah, I've been talking a lot about that, haven't I?) and roughed out my concept.
Originally, it was just going to be Superman and Wonder Woman exchanging horrible film versions of themselves. But the back cover was blank, too, and was calling out to be filled. So a Batman joke popped into my head and I figured, "How can I not do that?"
Then, just for filler, I drew the classic
I did my rough pencils in blue and then, as I'vebeen doing, did a quick loose digital ink pass, too. Then I printed out the pages and lightboxed the art onto the cover, inked by hand and colored with my Copics.
This was a lot of fun.Good luck to Carol and John at the event. I hope to be doing more with them in the New Year.