The triumphant return of Love and Capes

This week marks the long-awaited return to comic shops the appearance of Love and Capes, Tom Zahler’s unique superhero, romantic comedy, comicbook. Formerly self-published by Zahler’s own Maerkle Press logo, it hits the stands now not only under the IDW imprint but as a monthly limited series. Zahler himself describes the title as a “Heroically Super Situation Comedy” which is perhaps the most apt description of the title that anyone has ever used.

The book follows the ongoing romance and relationship of Mark Spencer (secretly the Crusader, protector of Deco City) and the love of his life, Abby Tennyson (who knows of his dual identity and owns an independent book store). They were recently married (in issue #13 of the original run), and now they are moving onto the next phase of their mutual lives — marital co-habitation. Zahler writes this stuff with such an incredible ease that his story is (save for the folks running around in tights and flying and all), totally believable.

His dialogue is smooth and sharp at the same time, displaying wit and tone that isn’t always present in comicbook writing (which tends towards bland, two-dimensional characters, hence the term “cartoon characters”). While it is true that everybody’s dialogue seems more urbane than folks your likely to meet in real life, that is perfectly fine and fits entirely with the going-ons of the storyline itself. The rest of the regular cast consists of Abby’s sister, Charlotte (who is currently going to school in Paris, France, and used to date millionaire Paul LaCrox); Paul (who is secretly Darkblade, the dark protector of Chronopolis, and Crusader’s best friend), and Amazonia (who used to date Crusader, and is now dating Darkblade). The three heroes (along with several others), belong to a superteam called the Liberty League.

Each issue is (generally speaking), self-contained , so it is not necessary to possess all of the previous issues so as to be up-to-date with what is going on in the comic (although, after reading a single issue, you will probably want to rush out to purchase the other issues, simply because the series is that good). In this kick-off IDW issue (subtitled Ever After) begin with Abby & Mark getting used to married life, and looking for a new (larger) apartment. Then, in the middle of their search, Abby’s landlord raises her rent (twice), forcing her to consider a new location for her bookstore as well.

Added onto the tension of the newlyweds, is an invitation by Darkblade and Amazonia to have a couples night at LaCrox’s enormous estate (when offered a tour of the mansion, Paul musses that he hopes the Segways are charged up). This particular issue is a tad light on the superheroics part of the Love and Capes equation, but that is hardly a complaint, as the story is — as always — a gem.

Hopefully, with his new association with IDW (and its access to a wider distribution network), Love and Capes will get more of the recognition and acclaim that it justifiably deserves. The story is delightful; the artwork is bright, stunning, and vibrant, just the way comicbooks should be to reach outside of traditional marketplaces and bring new reader into the field. One can only hope.

The War has broken!

This is the time of wars and rumors of wars. Yes, in October, War finally broke out, you may have heard about it by now or not, but it is here and there really is nothing that we can to do about it.

Fortunately, this is not a war with a (real) human body count, this is the War of the Independents of which I have spoken extensively, and it takes place within the pages of a funnybook. Yes, that’s right, Dave Ryan’s long-awaited magnum opus is finally hitting the stand, or rather has already hit the stands. Published by Red Anvil Comics The first issue showed up at this past October at the New York ComicCon, and let me tell you that it is an outstanding gathering of the best, coolest, most buzz-worthy comicbook characters to populate the Indie universe.

Seriously, kids, this is the comicbook aficionado’s version of Sly Stallone’s recent The Expendables. This comic will give you a Geekgasm of the highest order.

The story revolves around an event that threatens to rend the very fabric of the multiverse requiring the gathering of the greatest assemblage of heroes the comicbook world has ever seen (including Badger, Phazer, Scud, The Tick, Mr. Monster, Too Much Coffee Man, Captain Action, Crusader (Love & Capes), and, well way too many to list here, but take my word, there are a metric tonne of your favorite characters here — including yours truly's very own Wülf Girlz).

The story is fun and promises a whole lot more is to come in future issues (six plus a graphic novel containing an extra chapter, we are told), so you just know that you are going to get your money’s worth with this event. As a matter of fact, there is even a prequel of sorts with a comic staring Phazer, and published by RZG. The prequel (which is done independently of Dave’s work), provides a lead-in to the series, and is also quite well done; providing a background to several of the characters in order to get the reader up to speed.

As stated, there will be other comics whose heroes appear in the series that will appear in tie-in comics (Shadowflame comes to mind). So if you are a fan of Indie comics, if you have ever read an Indie comic, or you just want to see the coolest, most original concept in Indie comic series ever published, then you owe it to yourself to check out The War of the Independents.

Happily ever after (with more to come)

It is no secret that I’m a huge fan of Love & Capes, the superhero comic masquerading as a romance comic (or is it a romance comic hiding inside of a superhero comic?) Truth to tell, I never get that right, however, I honestly don’t care which one it is, because it totally works.

This is easily one of the top five comics currently being published in today’s market. It is the love story of Abby Tenyson (the owner of a small, independent book store) and Mark Spencer, a mild accountant (who happens to be the Crusader, the most powerful superhero on the planet). The book has been coming out for a couple of years, and I’ve just acquired the recently-released issue #12 of the series where Abby and Mark finally tie the proverbial knot. Writer, artist Thom Zahler, manages to crisply capture realistic dialogue that conveys both the romantic byplay between the lovebirds as well as heroic dialogue of the heroes.

To be sure, the heroes themselves borrow heavily from established DC & Marvel characters but only so much in the shorthand of their superficial appearances. The story, as well as the characters themselves are pure Zahler. With this issue, Zahler did a truly wicked-cool marketing maneuver, he gave long-time fans the opportunity to attend the wedding of their favorite characters, and (for a small fee) to have Zahler (a respectable caricaturist as well as a top-flight cartoonist) insert their image into the church as the couple exchanged their vows. He produced a pair of covers (one with Mark Spencer and a second with The Crusader), as well as an interior two-page spread (which became a for-sale print).

Now how cool is that?

If you haven’t seen Love and Capes yet, you are going to want to pick up a copy. Want to give it test run before investing your hard earned money? no problem, Zahler has been producing a Free Comic Book Day issue for the past couple of years (which is how this writer first discovered the comic), proving that making sample comics available on Free Comic Book Day really does work.

Romantic comics

When adding the “Love” back into comics; one of my favorite books that I love is Thom Zahler’s wonderful Love and Capes. It is easily the best combination of super-heroics and romance that I’ve ever read. While it really is essentially a comic that details the relationship between the Crusader (Mark Spencer) and his girlfriend, Abby Tennyson. The Crusader protects Deco City, and pals around with other heroes, including Darkblade (Paul LeCroix, protector of Chronopolis, and fellow member of the Liberty League), while Abby runs a bookstore, knows that Mark (an accountant) is The Crusader, and has a sister named Charlotte.

Other characters include Amazonia (Crusader’s ex girlfriend), Arachnerd, Steel Worker, and well, a number of other characters that are thinly-veiled versions of DC and Marvel heroes. Oh yeah, issue #11 is the most recent issue out, with #12 (due out later this year), slated to be the double-sized wedding issue. As always, Thom provides sparkling dialogue, and engaging stories, perfectly blending the amount of super-heroics with a requisite amount of mushy relationship stuff that keeps this ideal blending of both genres.

It is a true treat to read this comic, and I look forward to each and every issue (as a matter of fact, Thom always has a Free Comic Book Day version of one issue, which then is also issued in sequence as part of the on-going series.

Well, as long as we are talking about “romance” Comics, I thought that I’d run this report from my pal Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat (a column she writes for Publisher’s Weekly) about comics. This particular edition of her column is about a romance publisher that is developing romance comics for both online and iPhone delivery. Now while I’ve never really read any of their comics, I have read my share of romance comics over the years, and know of their worth and value. So if you like romance comics (or you want to hook your romance-reading girlfriend on them so she will stop breaking your stones over your reading comics), then you might want to hook her up with these folk.

Oh, if you want more info on romance comics, follow these links:

• Captain Spectre - Adventure in the grand tradition of 1930's - 1940's newspaper strips.


• Corbett Features - Enjoy Romantic Comics? Read Star Crossed at Corbett Features. 6 Comic Strips and a Weekly Caption Writing Contest!


• OnlineComics.net - A directory of online comics.

Now go and have fun!

Love and Capes

A couple of years ago I discovered Love and Capes a romance comicbook disguised as a superhero comic. The comic was one of those Free Comic Book Day comics, and, after reading it I was hooked. To be sure, it took a second FCBD and actually meeting the creator Thom Zahler at the NY Comic Con twice before I actually ponied up to acquire the missing issues. Well they just arrived the other day and I couldn't devour them fast enough.

Yep, there are 10 issues of L&C and I have all of them, and I’m thinking about acquiring some of the other items for sale on Thom’s fully stocked store.

Love and Capes is the a “Heroically Super Situation Comedy Comic Book” or at least that what the cover copy calls it. The series extrapolates a romantic relationship between the super-powered protector of a great metropolitan city and his non-powered girlfriend. Liberally sprinkled throughout the cast are other superheroes, supervillians, friends, and family. If this sounds like the random episode of Lois and Clark than you wouldn’t be far off. Still, to call it that, would be to short-change this wonderful series.

Truly, this series is a pitch-perfect balance between the superhero daring-do that us superhero-geeks want, and the Chick-Lit Romance that our girlfriends want. The series has us involved in the personal lives of Mark (“Crusader”) Spenser and his girlfriend (now his fiancee; and soon to be his wife) Abigale Tennyson. Other major players include Darkblade the dark and grim detective protector of Chronopolis (Crusader’s best friend — and Batman to Crusader’s Superman) and Charlotte, Abby's sister.

There is a Liberty League (JLA — complete with an orbiting satellite), and numerous other characters that passingly resemble other well-known heroes (Amazonia, Yellow Flashlight, and — just in case you think that Zahler only reads DC comics — he has also included Steel Worker and (my personal favorite) Arachnerd). To be sure, this book is not one of those awful, highly disposable spoof comics that simply mocks what goes on in regular comics, it is not. Admittedly it starts in a funnybook world that is familiar to us, but the stories it tells are wholly original, using what we know about superheroes to springboard into building an on-going richly-woven tapestry that keeps us coming back for more.

If you are not currently reading Love and Capes, you should be reading it. It is the easily the best comicbook that is being published. The art is clean, dynamic, and pops off the page, the dialogue is witty and sparkling, the storylines are straightforward and don’t require a metric ton of continuity to follow, and (perhaps best of all) each and every issue is a solid story. You never get the feeling that the writer is padding out 10-page short into a 12-issue maxi-series just to get the graphic album kick on the back end over at the bookstore.

This is a wonderful story, go out now and buy the entire set. You'll agree with me, I’m sure

What a Difference a Decade (or more) Makes

When I was in my 20s I wanted to write an article which I had then intended to call Earth One, Earth Two, Earth Red, Earth Blue. Not so much because I had anything truly informative or functionally relative to say about the idiosyncrasies of the multiple Earth syndrome over at DC, but simply because I wanted to use (what I thought was the) the wicked-cool (and incredibly clever) Dr. Suss alliteration in the title of the article.

Needless to say, I never wrote it. And I still think it is wicked-cool, and incredibly clever.

I bring this all up because just this past month I read not only the Marvel giveaway comic, The Wolverine Saga but the DC Free Comic Book Day handout, Blackest Night. in both cases I learned new stuff about both characters that I had simply not known prior to reading either comic.

It’s true. In the case of Wolverine I learned that he is like 150 years old (I knew that he had fought in WWII, but I had no idea that he was far older than that). In the case of Green Lantern, I discovered that there was an entire rainbow of lanterns (thus the Earth Red, Earth Blue reference from above). I knew about the Sinistro corps, and had heard something about Red Lanterns, but Blue, Black, Yellow, Saphire, Indigo, and well, like I said, there is a whole rainbow of Lanterns these days. Now, I’m sure that there is a really nifty-cool reason behind all of them, but I can’t help to think that it all seems just a tad silly.

Part of the reason that I didn’t know any of this is that I had stopped reading X-Men around 1995, and most DC comics a few years earlier. These days I mostly (only) read Spider-Man comics. The reason for this is that I really like Spidey, and as everything is so expensive (and I’m one of the Sr. Reviewers for SpiderFan, I determined to limit my reading to a character I truly enjoy.

Oh yeah, I also spend a considerable amount of time reading the Indie comics of friends and acquaintances, (new talent needs to be encouraged, and friends should support each other). Additionally, I do sample other comics (whenever any company offers a reduced or entry price to a title (or a giveaway — like FCBD), I’ll check out the book. (This is how I discovered the very Delightful Love and Capes), and the equally interesting The 99.

Anyway, it appears that a bunch of stuff has been happening in comics. So much for “the illusion of change.”

The Day after the Night Before!

So, yesterday was Free Comic Book Day, and I visited two comic shops (on opposite sides of the state, next year I think I'm going to add one in the middle as well), and in addition to scoring 31 FCBD comics (plus three more “regular” comics that one shop adds in as special extras), I scored a set of four special Marvel comics from Taco Bell, a set of six comics from Teshkeel Publishers who produced the wonderful Islamic-themed superhero comic The 99, A pair of comics (Celtic Knights) from my Facebook Buddy from Ireland (Stephen Paul Coffey, and a comp copy of Beyond the Kuieper Belt (Free Lunch Comics) as I had contributed a fake “letter of comment” to the premiere issue. Plus I picked up a pair of comics from one of the indie comic creators/publishers who was displaying at Sarge’s.

Plus, a bunch of us went to see Wolverine (my second time). While at this second viewing I learned that there are apparently multiple codas attached to the end of the film (stick around ‘til after all of the credits roll).

Forty-nine comics, not a bad haul for a single day. In fact that I somehow missed out on snagging a copy of Love & Capes is a tad irritating, but I’m sure that one will turn up.

Now I have to get back to writing my entries for the Official Index to Marvel Comics.

Once I get past this deadline, I'll start posting reviews of the comics I scored this weekend.

Love and Capes Rocks the House!

I first discovered Thom Zahler’s wonderful comic Love and Capes a few years back on Free Comic Book Day. I immediately fell in love with the comic and have done what I can to acquire the back issues. (currently I have issues #’s 2, 4, 7, 8 & 9 — Issues 2, 8 & 9 are autographed by Zahler).

What makes this superhero comic different than virtually all other superhero comics that I have ever read, is that this one is actually a romance comic that is disguised as a superhero comic.

That’s right, it really is a lighthearted take on the whole Superman & Lois Lane love story (and no, not simply a re-do of Lois & Clark). No, Zahler’s delightful series relates the engaging story of Mark Spencer and Abby Tennyson, the gal of his dreams. They are in love, and this is the story of their courtship, only Mark is secretly the Crusader, a superhero who has been protecting Deco City for the past 10 years.

In issues 8 & 9, we have Abby’s sister, Charlotte moves to Paris to study art (courtesy of millionaire Paul LaCrox — secretly Darkblade, and Crusader’s best friend) with Mark temporarily filling in at Abby’s bookstore until she can find full-time replacement for Abby. On the superhero front the Liberty League is kidnapped by a super-powerful alien who wants them to fight a group of super-baddies in a “winner-take-all” Secret Wars, kind of bout).

The interesting twist to this episode is that (unknown to the heroes) Psi-Clone bests Crusader, and takes his place among the heroes (and in Abby’s life) disguised as Crusader. As can be expected, this plays hob with not only the public’s perception of Crusader, but Mark and Abby’s romance as well. To be sure Crusader does come back to Earth (albeit after a few weeks of having to fly back on his own from the planet where he was left), still the sheer enjoyment of the tale is how Zahler goes about telling the story.

If you are looking for either straight romance or full-blown super heroics, you will ultimately be sorely disappointed, but, truth to tell, if you are here already, you are not so much looking for one or the other, but the rich combination of both that Zahler so expertly delivers.In fact it is Zahler’s rich understanding of superhero dynamics that so expertly enriches this saga of a modern superhero love story. This is neither “Chick-Lit” superheroics, or a watered-down superhero comic that is spiced up with romance for the gals. this is an honest-to-goodness adult comic written for adults who have grown past the need for busty babes in spandex and over-testosteroned guys in spandex that solve things by hitting them.

* * * UPDATE! * * * UPDATE!* * * UPDATE! * * *

This is the superhero comicbook for the rest of us. Thom tells me that issue #10 is due out for Free Comic Book Day ‘09, with issue #11 due out in July. Then there is a double-sized wedding issue due in November. Thom also informs me that folks can even buy a space on the cover and attend the wedding.

I can hardly wait!

Yes, it is still Free Comic Book Day in my House

As we all know, the annual Free Comic Book Day occurs (generally) the first Saturday in May, well, even though I missed out on the actual festivities this year (a first for me), because of a family event (out of which I could not get) I managed to score a full load of comics from my preferred funnybook store (A Timeless Journey in Stamford). Well, between the 30+ books I scored from Paul Salerno (Owner of the shop), and the dozen or so books I picked up at the NY Comic Con the week or so before, I’ve been literally swimming — Scrooge McDuck-style in funnybooks for the past month (and loving it!)

Most of the FCBD books I acquired were reprints and/or samplers some of it was targeted for kiddies, and thus not as interesting to me, while some were just art samples and background info. One was a “How To Draw” book, and only marginally interesting to me. Still a few were quite interesting. Of course there was a Marvel comic (staring Spidey) That I’m, going to review shortly for SpiderFan. Some of the others included Love and Capes #7 (A book I waxed enthusiastic about a week or so back). Well this version continues the love story between Abby and Mark (he is trying to propose to her, and not quite coming up with the “perfect” way to do so), while adding a new superhero (Steel Worker) to the mix. To be sure, Steel Worker (who looks suspiciously like a certain Iron Avenger who just had his own movie) plays only a minor roll, but does show up predominately on the cover of the comic.

Another fun read was Steve Rude’s The Moth. This comic has a real Jack Kirby feel to it, as well as being just a load of fun to read. Steve recently began his own publishing company which is handling both this and Nexus. I really enjoyed this comic due to its very retro feel, marking it as something of a rarity in today’s marketplace.

D. J. Coffman’s Hero by Night, (published by Platinum Studios) was also very interesting. If I’m understanding this correctly, Platinum has a Comic Book Challenge, the winner of which gets their concept into a print comic. The story is about a present-day individual who found the power ring of a 1950’s hero, and uses it to become a hero himself. Needless to say, it spins out into some results he had not quite anticipated. The book is a flip book and is backed up by Jorge Vega’s Gunplay. This one is a western that seems to be written with a Clint Eastwood “The Man with No Name” feel to it. Very well done. You can see why both of these concepts won this honor.

Another fun comic to read was an EC Sampler, that reprinted some classic horror stories from that legendary line of comics. As stated, there were some 30 FCBD comics that were issued (as well as a couple of Clix figures — which I also managed to score) all of which have given me several hours of enjoyment. I’ll probably talk some more about these comics over the next couple of days, but I felt that I should start with these.

Love and Capes

A couple of years ago, I discovered a way cool Indie comic entitled Love and Capes. over the past couple of years I’ve managed to snag a couple of issues of the comic due to Free Comic Book Day and have always throughly enjoyed the book.

Well, this past weekend, I managed to run into Tom Zahler the creator/writer/artist of the series at the NY Comic Con. As I was able to tell by the type of book he creates he was a very nice guy, and we got to chat for a couple of minutes. While I was there I acquired a copy of his lovely book and yep, I enjoyed that one as well.

Tom is writing what is ostensibly a cross between a superhero book and a romance book, cast as if it were a TV SitCom. The series is a really wonderful slant on superhero life all done up in a unique perspective. The series centers around The Crusader (Mark Spencer), a Superman-like character (hiding out as an accountant in the “real” world, and his interactions with his girlfriend Abby Tennyson. All of the other superheroes and supervillains in his world are all essentially modeled after mainstream characters from the DC and Marvel universes. However, we don’t so much get to see the superheroics of that world as much as we get to read about the lives that they all lead.

Back in the ‘80s I had a conversation with Keith Giffin who expounded on how The Justice League could be made for TV. His concept was to treat it as if it were the TV show, Barney Miller. That is to say, the JLA would simply never leave their HQ. Whenever it came time for them to catch the bad guys they would exit the stage, have their superheroic fight off-camera, and then return with the bad guys in cuffs. (he then hilariously detailed how Flash and Hawkman would go to capture Mr. Freeze, only to return with Flash frozen in a block of Ice and being wheeled in with a hand truck “Put him over in the corner by the heater until he melts”).

Zahler writes Love and Capes just like that. Sure we get to see some superheroic stuff, but this is mostly like reading Terry Moore’s Strangers In Paradise. it is all “relationshipy” (not that there is anything wrong with that).

The series is light-hearted, delightful, and way more fun than I’ve had in comics since the start of Back In Black. So, as you can tell, I’m really enjoying this series, and I wanted to tell everyone that they should deluge Tom’s site to purchase back issues. I love all of his delightful “insider” references (like the Ditko hands bit in the right).

The thing that made me pick up the comic initially (besides the whole “Free Comic Book Day” thing, was that the issue that I recall picking up first had “The Arachnerd” in it. Obviously the character is Tom’s take on Spidey, so you had me right there. Needless to say, I came for the Spidey spoof, and stayed for the wonderful story,and I’m not at all sorry that I did. Now I just need to acquire more copies of it for myself.