Available Now: Amazing Arizona Comics #45!

Amazing Arizona Comics #45 is now available in print or full-color digital! Learn the strange truth behind the last four -- eight -- twelve -- years of American politics, with the most hair-raising conspiracy theory you've ever heard of!

Click here to select your print or digital copy today!

Amazing Arizona Comics #44 Now Available!

Amazing Arizona Comics #44 is now available for digital download and in print -- featuring TWO brand new stories! June Monsoon vs. The Beer Bugs! Speed Cameron vs. K.A.R.E.N.! Read it to believe it!

Click HERE for the 99 cent digital download...

...and/or click HERE for the $2 print edition. Price INCLUDES shipping! 

Shop TRIBE Direct for more indie comics goodness, including all back issues of Amazing Arizona Comics, and stay tuned for #45, coming next month!

Welcome to Amazing Arizona Comics!

The Latest Amazing Arizona Comics

The end of 2019 saw the release of Amazing Arizona Comics issues #38-39, featuring the origin of Samantha Brero, and #40, an issue-long adventure starring yours truly and inked by some of the best cartoonists I know.  

These issues, along with the entire Amazing Arizona Comics catalog, are now available via TRIBE Direct, a fellow self-publisher and new distributor of small press comics. The TRIBE team has done an incredible job organizing and offering my comics these past few months -- check out everything they have to offer!

Now Available!

Now available!  The Amazing Arizona Comics 24 Hour Full Color Comic Special was drawn and colored in the window of downtown Glendale's Drawn to Comics from 1 p.m. on June 23, 2018 to 1 p.m. on June 24, 2018, with sponsorships to support the Tempe-based Foster Hope Foundation.  Now, the comic is available for purchase at Drawn to Comics and Ash Avenue Comics, with more shops and online purchasing coming soon!

What if Phoenix was suddenly in the grip of a never-ending caffeine rush?  Would all of that energy make the world a better place . . . or send us all to our doom?  The Arizonauts discover the answer . . . and it will SHOCK you!  

This Friday, August 3, I'll be selling copies of this and all issues of Amazing Arizona Comics at  the Wasted Ink Zine Distro (2222 N. 16th St.) for Phoenix's monthly First Friday.  If you're in the Valley, come by to pick up your issue and to get a free superhero sketch from yours truly!

Stay tuned for more news about this and future issues of Amazing Arizona Comics!

Amazing Arizona Comics #2 Trailer

Amazing Arizona Comics Month continues!  Phoenix Comic Fest is next week, and I'll soon share my itinerary for the weekend, so you know where and when to find me.

In the meantime, dig this trailer for 2010's Amazing Arizona Comics #2, featuring June Monsoon, Al Gore, and the truth behind that year's burst of the Tempe Town Lake Dam!

The Secret Origin of Wigwam, part 3

Today's post is a special two-in-one!  Because I'm posting on Mother's Day, today's Amazing Arizona Comics Monthly entry is an actual excerpt from Mother Road's travelogue!  It's also the conclusion of "The Secret Origin of Wigwam," Mother Road's sidekick on her adventures protecting Route 66.  

If you've been following the ol' blog the last few days, you read a synopsis of the time Crystal Vortex (the Sedona sorceress) accidentally brought Route 66 attractions to life. You also read a brief history of the Santa Fe Railroad, and its one-time mascot Chico. Now, in this blurb from Mother Road's diary, you'll see how the two are connected and have brought a new hero to the world -- Wigwam!

Wigwam's first memory is crawling out of the desert sand, like he was birthed from the earth herself. The way he describes his surroundings at the time, I think he was in Winslow.  Makes sense, since the Santa Fe ran through there. 

I don't know if Wigwam knows, but he's clearly "Chico," from those old Santa Fe ads, brought to life.  I talked to Speed Cameron.  Crystal did something a few months ago, some magic that brought the Jack Rabbit and the other oddities on The Route to life.  Good thing he stopped the giants before they smashed Flagstaff.  I couldn't join the party -- that was the day the Gila Mobsters tried to turn a mountain in Oatman into a hot sauce volcano. 

Anyway, some piece of Santa Fe Railroad memorabilia must've been touching The Route when Crystal cast her spell. Crystal's reverse-spell targeted the attacking attractions, so Wigwam might've been spared.  The way he tells it, Wigwam wandered the desert for days, unaware of whom or what he was.  When he stumbled into Holbrook, he saw the Wigwam Motel and fell asleep under its sign.  That's where I found him. 

I never thought about taking on a partner out here on the road.  Actually, I HAVE thought about it, and I hated the idea.  Dead weight, that's what I figured. Mankind is the biggest reason The Route has gone to seed these past 50 years.  I've realized Wigwam may be a boy, but he'll never grow to be a man.  He's just some marketing scheme brought to life, and he may outlive us all.   

That makes him everything I hope The Route can and will be.  Nothing makes more sense than me protecting him, and him protecting me.

There you have it, folks!   Here's a panel from Mother Road and Wigwam's recent adventure, from Amazing Arizona Comics #33.  Happy Mothers' Day! 

The Secret Origin of Wigwam, part 2

Continuing the never-before-told origin of Mother Road's sidekick, Wigwam!

The Santa Fe Railroad is one of America's most traveled and storied cross-country expressways.  I dare say it was the "Route 66" of railroads, with service from Chicago to Los Angeles, to boot.  Of course, such a journey would bring passengers right through Arizona, and notable stops included Winslow and the Grand Canyon.

One of the tickets (heh) to the Santa Fe Railroad's success was its marketing.  In the early '60s, many of their print ads included a young Native America boy, named Chico. According to this article on the website Bid On Travel:

While Chico’s name emphasized the Hispanic heritage of much of Santa Fe’s operating territory, his clothes and feather evoked images of the Navajo and other lands of native peoples its trains passed through. 

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief still travels through a portion of the Navajo Nation on former Santa Fe tracks. 

I will let others decide if Chico would be politically correct today, but he has to be one of the most effective corporate symbols ever created. He set the tone.

Considering the debate over images like the Washington Redskins' mascot, Chico probably wouldn't survive much past a marketing pitch meeting today.  In fact, if his likeness didn't still exist in those vintage advertisements, and if a certain spell didn't bring Route 66 icons to life just a few years ago, some might say he'd be lost to the annals of Americana forever.  Yet, a glance at the graffiti that adorns Route 66's landmarks to this day might lead one to believe that a Native American boy haunts the highway, maybe even bringing those very vandals to justice.

To be concluded!

Paul Bunyon & The Muffler Men, part 2

Why do I have such a fascination with roadside attractions, specifically giant statues? Why would I dedicate a whole week of Amazing Arizona Comics Month to them? Simply put, the giants that adorn America's freeways are all the evidence I need that the line between our reality and the realms of superheroes is a thin one, if it exists at all.  Just look at Jack Kirby's interpretations of alien worlds -- or Howard Porter's amazing visuals from Wonderworld in Grant Morrison's JLA: Rock of Ages.  Everywhere, giants, and statues of giants!

In America, we have a few beloved giants.  Some are jolly and green.  Others wield axes and hang with blue oxes.  That's Paul Bunyon, of course.  In the '60s, a fiberglass company decided to pay homage to Bunyon by making statues in his honor, and the fad became commercially successful.  Businesses began using specialized Bunyons to promote their services; the first was, appropriately, the Paul Bunyon Cafe right here in Flagstaff.  Since many of the businesses that displayed Bunyons were auto shops or gas stations, the statues became known as muffler men.  The robotic constructs I featured yesterday may share the "muffler men" moniker, but these Paul Bunyon statues were the first.

If America's giants are our connection to the superhero adventures going on around us, Arizona is certainly the national capital, since our highways are littered with dinosaurs, cowboys, jackrabbits, and, yes, muffler men.  I've personally beheld four former-Bunyons, in Flagstaff, Prescott, Phoenix, and Tucson. That's a remarkable boast for a singular state, considering their rapid decline and disappearance.  While these statues represent America's bold, noble spirit, I've wondered what might happen if their power was harnessed for evil.  That investigation became Amazing Arizona Comics #13.  

Amazing Arizona Comics #13 actually collects three different Free Comic Book Day stories from 2015, each taking place around a different muffler man.  Flagstaff's muffler man is NAU's lumberjack mascot.  Phoenix's muffler man is a part of a giant collector's front yard collection, and Tucson's promotes an auto shop.  Each of them are in very public places, holding axes.  If a magical spell were to animate them, they could be a danger to us all! Fortunately, the Arizonauts exist to prevent just that.

If you know of any Arizona giants that may have been (or perhaps one day may be) the focus of a superhero adventure, please share in the comments below!  I may have traveled many of Arizona's highways, but I haven't seen them all.  That may be a task too giant for one man to tackle!

Bonus!  Click here to read those Free Comic Book Day stories starring Paul Bunyon, posted on this very blog in 2015!

Paul Bunyon & The Muffler Men, part 1

Author's Confession: Today's entry for Amazing Arizona Comics Month is essentially a re-post.  I talked about Phoenix's roadside "muffler men" in April 2017, but for this week's focus on roadside oddities, I thought they'd be worth a second look . . . especially since they're loosely affiliated with another roadside inspiration -- but we'll get to that in a moment.  

Muffler Men are basically humanoid constructs built from car parts, often used as roadside beacons for desperate drivers in need of a body shop.  They're the stuff of mad science, without the mad science that could bring them to life -- as far as we know.  You see, in Amazing Arizona Comics #24, some evil, animated Muffler Men make a brief appearance fighting the Agents of F.L.A.G.  I hope to reveal how they were been animated in future stories, but in the meantime I've spent a significant amount of time scouring the Valley to study their diverse designs.

That's kind of why I love them.  Unlike the relics of Route 66 (and, believe me, we'll get to those, too), Muffler Men can found right here, in our own backyard, and the questions they pose speak not only to their origins, but our own.

Like, who was the first person to build a muffler man? Was he taking a call to recyle as far as it could go, or were his plans more nefarious?  Perhaps, so it goes throughout history, he was trying to re-create and harness the power from a myth of the past . . . something bigger than any of us.  That myth?

Paul Bunyon.  To be continued, tomorrow!

What Is Family Fun Bot?

The Arizona desert is littered with roadside oddities, and many of them inspire the superheroic adventures of Amazing Arizona Comics.  In some case, they inspire the superheroes, themselves.

All week long, as a part of Amazing Arizona Comics Month, I'll be featuring some of the quirkier corners of Arizona, and how they make Amazing Arizona Comics one of the most unique minicomics on the market today!

If you've driven through the small town of Eloy, between Phoenix and Tucson on the I-10 freeway, you've undoubtedly spotted the remains of Family Fun World, a multi-faceted theme park that never made it to opening day.  According to the blog The Weird AZ Challenge:

This property was purchased by Richard Songers in 1995 with the intent of creating an amusement park, zoo, race track and concert arena, this extravaganza was to be called Family Fun World. But after several years of development Songers was forced to give up the Family Fun World dream for lack of funds.

For years, one of the remains of Family Fun World was a robot that stood right on the edge of the highway.  The best image of the robot online is by Jeremiah Ellsworth.  Check out his Flickr for more amazing pictures.

The robot has since disappeared, and many wonder why.  Some assume vandals are to blame. As the author of a superhero comic book, my theories are a little more controversial.  I presume that the robot has achieved sentience and now fights alongside the Arizonauts.  I don't blame you if you don't believe me, but I've chronicled Family Fun Bot's meeting with Sam Brero, so take it or leave it!  

Of course, I once travelled to the site of Family Fun World, and despite "No Trespassing" signs, I felt it was my duty to discover the truth.  I documented the experience, and, I must admit, my footage is some of the best shots of those forbidden grounds you'll find anywhere.  The roadside robot and baskets are well documented, but here's a look at everything else.  If your interest is piqued, the whole story of Family Fun Bot's first meeting with Sam Brero is documented in Amazing Arizona Comics #16, available now.  

Thank You, Free Comic Book Day!

If you're visiting the ol' blog because you picked up a free issue of Amazing Arizona Comics yesterday, thank you for stopping by!  If you're a regular fan that's been visiting daily in May for Amazing Arizona Comics Month, welcome back!  I've had a great first week updating you with sketches, motion comics, and character insights -- and we're just getting started.

I wanted to use today's post to say thank you to all of the comic shops that carry and support Amazing Arizona Comics.  Specifically, I'd like to thank Drawn to Comics for hosting a great event yesterday.  Dozens of artists were set up in the Velma Teague Branch of the Glendale Library, and I was happy for the reminder that comics are a powerful reading tool for kids.  You don't have "comic book" without book, and, as we fans are often swept away by beautiful art and unique character designs, the words are an often overlooked part of the equation.  My favorite comic books are stories that I'll remember the rest of my life, and I can quote those issues just as folks can quote any other kind of literature that impacts them.  The symbiotic relationship between text and pictures is what makes the comic book such an important and unique medium.

Anyway, back to the yesterday's event, I set up an Amazing Arizona Comics pop-up shop, and folks enjoyed perusing back issues to complete their collection.  I especially enjoyed sketching for fans in a more lounge-y way, so don't be surprised if I lug a recliner to Phoenix Comic Fest at the end of the month!

I'd also like to thank Ash Avenue Comics in Tempe.  Their independent comics rack is the best in the state, and if you're looking for small press, self-published or alternative comix, Ash Avenue is the place to be.

Side note: My girlfriend and I concluded Free Comic Book Day at Castaway's, one of our favorite karaoke bars in Phoenix.  A birthday party insisted on singing Alice in Chains songs most of the night, so while someone sang the hit "Rooster," I drew a rooster man for him.  I guess I couldn't stop sketching, but it was kind of fun to keep the "free comics" thing going just a little while longer!

Come back tomorrow for more background info about Amazing Arizona Comics, as I post more behind-the-scenes stuff all month long!  I appreciate your reading, in print -- and online!

Happy Free Comic Book Day!

Happy Free Comic Book Day, everybody!  As I shared yesterday, I'm spending FCBD with my good friends at Drawn to Comics, which was named by travelandleisure.com as America's fifth best comic book store!  DTC's owner, Ken Brown, and I have been podcasting for awhile now and I consider him a great friend.  If you're ever in the Metro Phoenix area, you gotta check them out!

Special thanks to Cab Comics in Flagstaff, as well!  They posted some kind words about Amazing Arizona Comics on their Instagram yesterday, and I appreciate their shop -- and their support!  Obviously, music_pg_n1 agrees.

And now, here is a special presentation of today's Free Comic Book Day adventure. That's right, it's a full length motion comic!  Can Sam Brero stand against . . . "The Cold Hand of Justice?"  Watch here, now!

The Saga of Parallel Earth-1070!

Amazing Arizona Comics Month continues!  

Superhero comics are known for their multi-part story arcs. Such is the power of the phrase, "To be continued!"  The first multi-issue adventure for the Arizonauts began in Amazing Arizona Comics #7, when an evil doppelganger of then-Governor Jan Brewer banished June Monsoon to Parallel Earth-1070.  There, Arizona State Bill 1070 had become the sovereign law of the entire world, ruled by its version of Sheriff Arpaio, dubbed "Darkpaio."  (Yes, the similarities to DC Comics' Darkseid are palpable.)

"What is this...
sheriff?"

"The Saga of Parallel Earth-1070" ended in Amazing Arizona Comics #9, the series' first 24-page issue.  Spoiler alert: June makes it home, but not without complications that pit her against one of her closest allies: Speed Cameron!  You'll have to read it to believe it!

The satirical edge of Parallel Earth-1070 was a fun concept to explore in those three issues, certainly worthy of adventures all its own, but -- what would be the best format for such a story?  Why not an Adult Swim series?  Let your imagination run wild with this pseudo-promo for this Amazing Arizona Comics would-be spin-off!

Amazing Arizona Comics #1 Trailer

You heard it here first: May is officially Amazing Arizona Comics Month!  All month long, I'll be posting back issue spotlights, future issue previews, character bios, and much more.  Today, our first offering for Amazing Arizona Comics Month, falls under the "much more" category.

My brother Kyle joined me on producing Amazing Arizona Comics a few years ago, coloring every issue from that point both forward and backward. He lives in Connecticut, but, like me, he grew up in Arizona, so he's very familiar with much of the subtext of our stories.  Here's a rare photo of him and me at a comic con together (specifically, the Small Press Expo in Maryland).

As if his coloring duties weren't enough, Kyle has decided to animate some of our stories, starting with teaser trailers for key back issues.  So, to kick off Amazing Arizona Comics Month, here's the debut of the teaser trailer for Amazing Arizona Comics #1!  Makes sense, right?

Incidentally, you can follow all of our video production projects on our YouTube channel, KazBro Productions, including our comics-themed miniseries Kirby For A Day and Phoenix's own talk show, Phoenix Tonight.  Subscribe to see more motion comics, coming soon!

The Amazing Arizona Comics Winter Tour!

Orko at Phoenix FanFest.

I know I promised more tales from Phoenix Comicon's FanFest last month, but like Orko here conjuring a sketch of Cringer, I've concocted more chances for you to find Amazing Arizona Comics in and around Phoenix!  (Dig that cameo from another magician behind Orko -- imagine that crossover!)

That's right, the Amazing Arizona Comics Winter Tour has begun!  Thanks to {9} the Gallery for hosting my first stop during their First Friday exhibit opening (which is a tremendous exhibit, by the way -- catch it while you can).   With Christmas right around the corner, folks seemed interested in comics co-starring Santa Claus, and following her amazing year in theaters, Wonder Woman was a popular request for sketches.

Sketching at First Friday.  Picture courtesy Kathleen Plasko.

Drinking and drawing at Palo Verde.

The tour continued last Thursday at the Palo Verde Lounge, where Bunny Vomit creator Birdie Birdashaw, B-Sides publisher Marna Kay, and I hosted the first in a series of drink and draw events.  We set up a small pop-up shop of comics and zines, and I sold some back issues of Amazing Arizona Comics right out of the back of my truck.  Thanks to everyone that came, had a brew, and drew!

We may have had a crowded house, but don't worry, folks -- it's not over yet!  I'll be at Drawn to Comics on Saturday, December 16th, set up next to Forever Etched Mirrors and Glass. Come by for a free sketch, and locally self-published minicomic starring Speed Cameron, Santa Claus, and more of Arizona's own superheroes.  They make great stocking stuffers, and, to me, the real gift is this chance to share my stories with you.  'Tis the season, after all!

Kirby For A Day Continues!

Kirby For A Day continues!  Have you watched the latest episode of the webseries I hosted about four Arizona artists attempting the 24 Hour Comic Challenge to honor Jack Kirby's 100th birthday earlier this year?  No?  Well, here's your chance!

What do geeks talk about in the wee hours?  These geeks talk about everything, including how much The Big Bang Theory stinks.  Wait, what?  You gotta see it to believe it!

And come back here later this week for more memories from Phoenix Comicon's FanFest!

Last Sunday: Phoenix Zine Fest!

As my last post plugged, so this post pontificates!  Thank you, Wasted Ink Zine Distro, for organizing an amazing sophomore Phoenix Zine Fest!

A happy customer with the latest issue of Amazing Arizona Comics,
and the Klute's poetry collection with a cover by yours truly.

This year's PZF was at the Unexpected Art Gallery, a venue that has taken the Valley by storm with its diverse programming and potential.  I must say, parking, checking in, and setting up my table were all very smooth and easy, and I'm grateful to the volunteer team that made the day very exhibitor-friendly.  Comic con organizers often forget that exhibitors are their first paying customers, with their marketing emphasis on attendees, and I'm glad PZF remembered our value and prioritized our desire to do business.  And, boy, business was had!

Amazing Arizona Comics was on full display, alongside the my poetry chapbooks and fanzines, and folks were interested everything!  That's what's great about "zines" -- the distinction can include anything self-published, including minicomics.  The crowd was equally assorted, and I was happy to see some young faces interested in alt press and self-publishing.

The young man between his parents is an up and coming self publisher.
The kid on the end was stoked for his Spider-man sketch.

Even the DJ was awesome, and when it comes to music at a show, I'm a cranky old man.  This guy offered a great mix of oldies and hip hop that breached and reached all tastes -- including a few requesting Monkees tunes for yours truly.  These are my people!

This guy's name is Russ and he draws political comics.  Yes, the other guy!

And the exhibitions aren't over, people!  This weekend, Amazing Arizona Comics will be set up alongside Forever Etched Mirrors and Glass at AZ Cosfest in downtown Phoenix.  Just find the details on Facebook, then find us offering etches and sketches to anyone interested.  Thank you for your support, all!