Meet Samantha Brero!

Amazing Arizona Comics Month continues!  Today's post starts with a shout-out to my friend Derk Harron.  I was a guest on his new podcast, Here Comes the Pitch, featuring local writers and artists pitching story ideas to each other.  The latest episode features Derk's pitch for The Helmet, a fun concept that struck me similarly to Marvel's The Sentry in its scope and potential for exploring the history of superhero comics.  Listen to our episode on iTunes, SoundCloud, iHeart Radio, or his own website, right here!

If you don't already know,  this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day.  Comic book shops across the country will be giving away free comics, made specifically for this special day -- and, for many shops in Arizona, Amazing Arizona Comics will be among their priceless offerings. This year's FCBD story is an excerpt from Amazing Arizona Comics #33, featuring Sam and Samantha Brero.  If you aren't in Arizona, or your local comic shop runs out of issues, have no fear -- Sam Brero's story will appear right here, on this very blog, on Saturday in a very special way.  In the meantime, I'm excited to introduce you to Sam's friend, Samantha Brero.

Samantha's origin story hasn't been shared in the pages of Amazing Arizona Comics yet, but we know that she and Sam have similar alien sombreros that, when donned by a worthy wearer, transform him or her into their personal perception of a hero.  Samantha's look is obviously inspired by "la adelita," or the warrior women of the Mexican Revolution.  "La Adelita" was once a musical ballad and has developed to describe strong women throughout Mexican culture.  Samantha Brero was clearly an admirer, and now a successor to the title.

Tomorrow, I'll be at Drawn to Comics in downtown Glendale, giving away copies of Sam and Samantha Brero's latest adventure.  If you can't catch me there (or even if you can), come back here to see the Arizonauts face . . . "The Cold Hand of Justice!"

The Drawn to Comics Podcast

Since I started self-publishing Amazing Arizona Comics in 2010, I've been very lucky to meet some incredible people in the local comics scene.  Among them is Ken Brown, who runs a great local comics shop in downtown Glendale, Arizona.  This year, his Drawn to Comics was named one of the nation's best comic book stores in the country by TravelandLeisure.com, and it's the setting of my webseries Kirby For A Day.

Last year,  Ken asked me to join him for a podcast hosted by the Geek News Network, and I was honored.  We get together and record a few times a month, and I've begun posting the shows on my feed, too, clickable right here, in the right column.  Dig our last two episodes, as we talk the latest comic news over breakfast at Bitz-ee Mama's in Glendale.  It's superhero analysis as you've never heard it before -- through mouthfuls of bacon!

Seriously, Ken is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and his insight as a fan and retailer is invaluable.  Even if you aren't in Arizona, you can support Drawn to Comics . . . by listening to it!  Perfect for those holiday roadtrips!  If you are in Arizona, come say hi to Ken and me this Saturday.  I'll be at Drawn to Comics for its Holiday Artist Series, with Forever Etched Mirrors and Glass.  Come see what all the hype is about!