McGruff . . . Enough!
You may have heard this week that McGruff the Crime Dog has barked up the wrong tree of the law, but do you know the whole story? If you're cruising comic shops in Phoenix this week, you can pick up a noir copy of this strip, but here it is in glorious color, revealing McGruff's connection to America's Super Secret Service, the national extension of Amazing Arizona Comics explored here in years past. (Click here for easier reading.)
Cool Cosplay
I get to see a lot of cool cosplay at the cons I attend, and rather than post endless slideshows of fat Batmen, I like to feature one great costume at a time, ideally revealing the wearer's creativity, originality, and most importantly to me practicality. So, here's a look at a Samurai Flash from the Amazing Arizona Comic Con! Great threads, dude!
This Week's Intake
This week, I've been catching up on Dean Haspiel's The Fox through Archie Comics' Red Circle Comics imprint. I've dug Dean since the Billy Dogma days, but his out-of-this-world take on classic superhero shtick is really fun. I think the next issue (#5) wraps the current storyline, so pick up the back issues while you can! Sure, a trade is right around the corner, but nothing beats this series' funky floppy issue design, which includes a nice batch of bio pages and back-up stories.
Coming Soon . . .
I've created a yearlong game plan of projects for 2014, which started with the Amazing Arizona Comics: No Burn Day Special that month, and continues with Amazing Arizona Comics Quarterly, my first standard comic-sized issue! AACQ will collect old and new adventures alongside extras exploring the rich superhero subtext of Arizona's history. The first issue, scheduled for publication by mid-March, will feature Cupid's annual plot to usurp Arizona's birthday in favor of his beloved Valentine's Day, both of which fall on February 14. The mini-comics will continue, but AACQ will be fun way to get these tales out there in a different format for new readers.
Karaoke Comics and my old fanzine Far & Wee are all on the to-do list for this year, as well. Keep your eyes on freebie shelves around Phoenix -- and of course right here on the blog -- for excerpts of all this stuff.
Until next week, happy birthday, Arizona!
