Who said we don't do books about love and/or capes?

We've long been accused of deliberately avoiding superhero comics (which is fair, since we deliberately have avoided doing them). But that stance has been lightening a bit of late, through books like BADGER and FX.

And since we've also done so many horror books, I've heard from people who said many of our books could use more heart (never mind the fact that many of our horror books feature all kinds of heart-wrenching relationship stories amidst the more horrific elements).

So to both those camps, I'd like to point out a book that we're announcing in a press release today, Thom Zahler's LOVE AND CAPES. The comic has existed before--Tom has done seven issues now (counting the upcoming Free Comic Book Day edition)--but we're doing the trade paperback collection of the first six issues, anyway.

Harlan Ellison, of all people, called me up and encouraged me to give the book a look, raving (not ranting, but raving) about the sweetness and humor of the story. When a guy of Ellison's standing talks up a comic that he really likes, it definitely deserves a look. So I contacted Thom, we had a nice chat, he sent me the comics... and then began my usual near-impossible task of simply finding time to read them. But finally, with Thom patiently waiting, I gave one a look, and was hooked. It really is a great, charming story. In the press release, I mentioned that only Tom Beland's comics feel like they've got as much heart and good humor as these comics. But where Tom's are based on his life, Thom's are a full-on romantic comedy with superheroes. Not like that painful Uma Thurman movie, but more like THE INCREDIBLES.

So I'm happy to be able to put this book out, and hopeful that between this release and the FCBD issue, Thom's great comic will reach the wider audience it deserves. Check out Thom's LOVE AND CAPES site to see what I mean.