Johnson, Alex :: My Art Collection - Artists and the Characters I Associate with them

Young Romance #1 by Alex Johnson and Thom Zahler

Artists: Thom Zahler (All) , Alex Johnson (Writer)

14 Comments - 795 Views - 4 Likes

Young Romance #1 by Alex Johnson and Thom Zahler Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Young Romance #1 by Alex Johnson and Thom Zahler
Artist:	Thom Zahler (All)
Artist:	Alex Johnson (Writer)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	795
Likes on CAF:	4 5
Comments:	14
Added to Site:	12/26/2020
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I wanted something special for Kathy, but what? Something over a year ago, I thought telling our "how Alex proposed" story might make a fun comic. I wasn't sure how to do it, but I knew that my friend, the comic book writer/artist Thom Zahler knew how to tell a tale and get it published.

I wrote up a 2000 word story and sent it to Thom. He gave me an estimate for a color comic with front and back covers and 16 story pages. I could live with the amount and he agreed to take monthly payments.

We draw on the same pool of funds so hiding a significant expense is difficult! I told her I'd be taking a sum from the account every month for a year and that I could not tell her what it was for. She loves and trusts me and said fine!

The payments and the clock started ticking in September of 2019. Of course, the work didn't start immediately, but we knew that I wanted it for one of the events of 2020. We were planning a trip with family to Sonoma in August 2020 for her 65th birthday and there were two acceptable later dates - our 38th anniversary in November, 2020 or Christmas. Any of the three was fine by me, but I wanted to have a plan.

Thom's plans shifted (he has to make a living - check out his web series Cupid's Arrows) and so did mine. As summer approached, it was obvious that we weren't going to Sonoma for her 65th (thanks, SARS-CoV-2) and that the comic wouldn't be ready either. That was fine. Since the 65th was going to be a very small party, the party favor wasn't needed. :)

Next target, our anniversary. Work really got serious in July. He produced a script and I tweaked it. Over the next months, I worked with my consultants (Allie & Larry, Elizabeth, and Rebecca) to catch errors and amend the story. One point that I thought was really astute was the scene with the narrator amid photos. In the published version, he's singing Mambo #5 and using those girls' names. In the original, it was the names of the actual girls. Allie thought that for a gift to my wife using the real names was probably a bit much. She was right and Thom had exactly the right patch for my misjudgment.

Another big, big catch was the cat on the couch. I had forgotten to tell Thom about Suzette who was the best cat we've ever had and we've had a bunch. She was a seal point Siamese and representing her as some other variety would have been terrible. Again, my consultants came through with the catch.

Thom sent a draft cover and I really liked it. It had the feel of a DC Romance Comic and that was perfect for this job.

Thom put it all together in a pdf and sent it for final comments. He also presented me with a dilemma. We had four unused pages - back of the front cover, the last story page, and the front and back of the back cover. He asked how I wanted to use them. He pointed out that he could run his house ads (as DC did back in the day) and an add from the printer (Ka-Blam) which would lower the print cost slightly.

It was at that point that I had what I considered to be a great idea - a letters column featuring notes from my consultants. I wrote the first note and I had them send their notes to Thom directly so that I could have a surprise in the book, too. We filled the last normal page and the back cover with the letters to the editor. The inside front cover and the back cover are House Ads. We set the print run at 30 copies and sold out! :)

Speaking of surprises, I ended up with three:

Their letters
The picture he used on the last page of the story
This cover.

I didn't even think to ask Thom if he'd draw out the cover "long hand." I assumed that the book would be all digital and when he told me the cover was drawn by hand, I was thrilled. It was a very kind gift from him to us.

It was a great experience and I've had lots of positive feedback. Of course, it's all from friends and family so it may be a bit biased.

Here are some samples:

My sister, Mary Tyler Labhart wrote, "Sweet story and a wonderful gift to your entire family! The artwork is on point, and the story gives insight into your young love!" She added this later, "Definitely (enjoyed reading it) - such a perfect idea." [Ed note: I gave copies to my kids and my siblings.]
My brother John and his wife Maria exclaimed, "We laughed, we cried, we scratched our heads, and then laughed some more. Ah, Romance!"
My daughter, Elizabeth says, "As soon as I get a copy, I will write a review!" [Ed note: Yeah, her copy was combined with her uncle's since they live in the same town, but he hasn't delivered it yet. Ooops!]

You can read more on these links:

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About the Owner

	Alex Johnson Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	January 2006
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	alxjhnsn
Website:	http://web.mac.com/alxjhnsn
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Alex's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About AlexJohnson

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Comments on this Artwork

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Ray Cuthbert
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Such a wonderful tale to go with two wonderful people whom must deserve one another in the best possible way!

Rabid Ferret
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Very cool project!! You never do 'simple' ;) Congrats on an epic gift idea!!!

Rob Stolzer
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Pure lovely wonderfulness! Nicely done, Alex!

Ron S
Member Since 2007

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Excellent!!

Alex Johnson
Member Since 2006
Forum Moderator

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Review Comment:
My friend and the man who introduced us, Brian, wrote: Kathy is the best. There is no contest. I certainly won't argue the point with him. :)

Alex Johnson
Member Since 2006
Forum Moderator

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Review Comment:
My friend, Jana, the hostess in the comic and the wife of Brian, wrote, "A romance of the ages- and a very romantic gift!"

Alex Johnson
Member Since 2006
Forum Moderator

1 - Posted on 12/27/2020

Review Comment:
My friend, Terry Moore of Strangers In Paradise fame wrote, Young Romance is a sweet story with a happy ending. And it’s true! Great job by Alex and Thom.

Timothy Finney
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 12/28/2020

Cheers!

Kin Wong
Member Since 2007

1 - Posted on 12/28/2020

Awesome project!

D. J. Peters
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 12/28/2020

How great is this! Brilliant!

Chris K.
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 12/28/2020

This is fantastic, Alex - such a thougtful idea...and the execution could not have been better!

Michael Cross
Member Since 2018

1 - Posted on 12/29/2020

Very cool comic man. Well done Alex and Thom!!

Dave W
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 12/30/2020

Great idea and excellent execution. Congrats!

James S
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 5/10/2023

This is incredible! I'm sure it's treasured!

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