Hey, I just finished Love and Capes #11, and you know what that means. It's time for the Mocha of Victory! Since I swear working on this book is aging me, and because of how fast I needed to get it done, I decided to accompany the mocha with the Golden Age Flash.
And Done. Now I Can Start Again!
Last page done! Woo. In fact, woo and hoo!
This issue will lead into the big wedding issue in #12. Not that I'm showing the last page, but I will say, it's the first time the last page has had a full eight panels on it. In previous issues I've had a half splash or even a full splash. The ending of this issue isn't as "big" as previous issues, but that's fine. It's the calm before the storm.
Now to package this thing up and get it to the printer.
2009 Harvey Nominees Announced and… Great Googly-Moogly!
Wow! I've been nominated for not one, but two Harvey Awards. I've been nominated for Best Letterer for Buzzboy, which is cool enough, but I've also been nominated for Best Cartoonist for Love and Capes. That's fantastic. Amazing. And humbling. I'm up against some great competition, too. But hey, it's an honor just to be nominated. And yes, I am practicing saying that.
The awards are given out (well, I'd say earned) at Marc Nathan's awesomely awesome Baltimore Comicon in October. All of the cool kids will be there. You should be there, too.
Blink and You'll Miss Her
Okay, I admit, I have no 
idea who Blink is. (I know now, though, so I know she's from the X-Men books. Don't worry.) But it's part of the fun of doing convention sketches, when someone comes in with a character you've never heard of. As well as reference, man is reference important. At HeroesCon, if necessary, I could use the insanely useful iPhone to pull some reference off the web. At San Diego, that's not going to be possible, I presume, since I think everyone in the Creative Services and Hollywood has an iPhone, and that's going to slam the 3G network at the San Diego Convention Center.
Back to Blink, though. She was fun to draw. I think this is a definitely different pose, and her skin tone was fun to color since it's not a traditional tone. It made it fun to color.
Twenty-Twenty
One of these days I'll figure out why these pages always take until 11:30, no matter when I get them started. Hmm, maybe if I were smart, I'd start at 11:00 and then each page would only take half an hour.
Here's a scene from the next page. Dialogue's been stripped out to keep the scene secret like. Still, it's a funny enough visual, I think you all will appreciate it.
Freebies For iPhones!
I haven't gotten the new iPhone yet (and will probably wait until next year to upgrade) but my Mom got hers, and she wanted some Love and Capes wallpaper for it. She's so nice. And it was a good idea, so you can now download iPhone ready wallpapers below or at the Love and Capes Download Page.
Love and Capes Loves Ladies!
I've been reading the silly "guys only" contest stuff at San Diego, and the Jake Gyllenhaal abs comments and all, and I've had enough. So, first 75 ladies who come up to my table at Heroes Con this weekend get a free randomly selected copy of Love and Capes. One per customer per weekend is all I ask. I'll be at booth SP-638 in small press.
Hmmm, I'm usually not that pithy. Still, I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I've got a box with issues 1-9 of Love and Capes. Come up, be a woman, get a book.
Redirected Male
I did an interview for Sequential Tart a while back. In the course of the interview, I was asked a question about comic based movies and went off so much that we spun it off into its own interview. So, if you want to read my thoughts about comics movies up until Watchmen (nothing on Wolverine or Star Trek, since that hadn't come out at the time of our little chat) check it out here.
Someone Likes Melvin
I've mentioned that Bill Williams and I are competing in this month's Zudacomics competition. I'm probably going to mention that a lot more over the next month, so apologies in advance.
Lefty Films have already reviewed this month's competitors. Who got the highest grade? Well, modesty prevents me from saying, but not reprinting the review.
The Urban Adventures of Melvin Blank by Bill Williams and Thom Zahler
Unique. Intriguing. Fascinating. The cliche of a man in a boys body and mind is nothing new, but the concept is executed brilliantly here. You don't SEE Melvin until the comic is almost done, and when you do - you fully understand in one panel who he is. Before his reveal, he is shrouded in shadow and there seems to be nothing special about his language or manners. But then everything changes in one frightening heartbeat. It feels like the teaser for an X-Files episode. This thing could go anywhere. The cartoony artwork only helps with the set-up, and the unsettling afterglow. The creators honestly know their sh*t.GRADE: A+
Be sure to check out the whole review here!
Facey-Space and Bliggity Blogs
I've started a Facebook Fan Page for Love and Capes. Check it out here.