Coming Soon: Amazing Arizona Comics Quarterly #2

At this point, Amazing Arizona Comics Quarterly is a bit of an annually, but I hope to change that in 2015 -- starting with the long-awaited second issue!  It'll drop at the Amazing Arizona Comic Con, if all goes according to plan, but here it is for exclusive pre-purchase -- buy it now, before the comic con, and I'll include a free inked sketch of an Arizonaut, just to say thanks!

Happy Birthday, Speed Cameron!

On Facebook, today marks Speed Cameron's birthday, because, back in 1988, November 1st was the day my family first moved to Arizona.  I remember this because trick-or-treating was skimpy that year, lest we heave a Hefty bag of candy onto the plane.  If only we knew then that in a post-9/11 world such a feat would be impossible -- anyway, to celebrate, here's an exclusive comic strip.  This two-page spread originally appeared in the local zine Pholx back in 2011 and is now colored, thanks to my "bro-ducer" Kyle Kaz.  Enjoy!

Remember to visit the Amazing Arizona Comics webcomic tomorrow for a new strip, starring June Monsoon and Sam Brero at the Arizona State Fair!

Happy Birthday, Sheriff Joe Arpaio!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled series of Phoenix Comicon Memories to wish Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio a happy birthday -- on Flag Day, to boot!  Sheriff Joe's birthday is a holiday around these parts, since he plays a huge part in Amazing Arizona Comics, so let's take a look back at some of his most notable appearances!

Sheriff Joe first appeared in Amazing Arizona Comics on the cover of the very first issue, which in fact promised: "Now with more Sheriff Joe!"  As issue #1, that was an easy promise to keep!

Here's a detail from the recently colored edition of Amazing Arizona Comics #1, as tensions rise between Sheriff Joe and Speed Cameron.

In my predictions for 2012 (published in the local zine Pholx), I'd anticipated that Sheriff Joe would transcend the bonds of Earth to fight aliens off-planet.  Unfortunately, this only manifested in comic strip form.  That I can prove.

Aside from space-faring lawman, Sheriff Joe has found himself in a few different incarnations during the comic's run, including as Sheriff Scorpaio (coined by Bill Campana) and Sheriff Ape-aio (co-created with Bob Leeper).  His most nefarious incarnation, however, is undoubtedly Darkpaio, the despot from Parallel Earth-1070.

In the end, Flag Day is a celebration of patriotism, so we should end this homage to Sheriff Arpaio on a high note -- perhaps with a shot of him alongside other notables that share his birthday!

If you'd like to see the adventures of Joe Arpaio and the Agents of F.L.A.G. Day, drop a comment below.  Next year, you might just wake up to find a gift under your Flag Day tree!

June Monsoon vs. Darkpaio!

June Monsoon vs. Darkpaio -- and the fate of Earth-1070 hangs in the balance!  See how it all turns out at Phoenix Comicon this weekend, when Amazing Arizona Comics #8 debuts at Artists' Alley table #1723.

Countdown to Phoenix Comicon 2013!

The countdown to Phoenix Comicon has begun!  Amazing Arizona Comics #8 will make its debut at Artists' Alley table #1723, so swing by and check out June Monsoon's adventure on Earth-1070.  Over the next week, I'll be posting panels from the new issue, so you can see what poor June is up against.

Here, Darkpaio gloats over the world he's created . . . a world of peace, at what cost . . .

Getting Back Into the Swing...

I'll be posting here with more regularity for the rest of the year, primarily with conceptual sketches from Amazing Arizona Comics and beyond, but until then I should mention "The Swing Vote of Sheriff Ape-aio," the serial strip that ran on Nerdvana last month (following the ambitious Speed Cameron's California Adventure, of course).  That's right -- before Sheriff Arpaio was campaigning for his own seat, he was endorsing Mitt Romney at the RNC, where he was transformed into an ape!  Guest starring Invisible President Obama, Clint Eastwood, Ben Quayle, and some mysterious visitors from -- Parallel Earth 1070?!  Check out the collection here!

Here's the trailer to whet your appetite:

Speed Cameron's California Adventure, chapter 3: Annotations

Tomorrow marks the end of Speed Cameron's California Adventure, so in the meantime here are some notes that annotate the third, penultimate chapter.

Page 1: When DC Comics announced that Green Lantern, a.k.a. Alan Scott, was gay, the topic was a high trender on Twitter.  (See here.)

Page 3: In the midst of the Supreme Court's deliberations over SB1070, San Francisco stood by the grassroots boycott of Arizona.  Here, Affirmative Action stands with their city.  (See the Huffington Post article here.)

Page 4: According to superhero historian Bob Leeper, Juan Hit Wonder is known to utter one hit wonder song titles before every attack.  A list of references can be found here.