From Baltimore Comicon 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland... pictured from L to R is Patrick Strange and William Tucci. Tucci is most well known for creating Shi with Crusade Comics... currently penciling Heroes for Hire... Tucci also recently wrote & created Zombie-Sama in which I'm holding the cover of (yes, its mine!)... Billy is one of the coolest guys in the industry... even though I've been in the biz going on 5 years now and have hung out with Billy, I still get geeked out that I know Tucci... now if I can only get him to hook me up with some Heroes for Hire pages...

Info on William Tucci: William Tucci, author, artist and entrepreneur, couldn't find a vehicle for his character Shi. His youth and novel ideas hindered his dream come true, so, refusing to allow this setback to stifle him or alter his idea, he forced his dream to come true by creating his own vehicle. Billy begged, borrowed and worked hard for the money needed to start him on his way towards success, aided by his relatives and friends. Billy put in months of unpaid work and lost lots of sleep to get his idea off the ground. He created Crusade Comics as the instrument to publish his first book, Shi. Upon release, Shi # 1 became an instant success and sold out on the newsstands immediately. That first issue was printed without receiving any upfront monies, based on pre-orders of 37,000 copies. Although Billy claims this was a gamble that paid off, his overnight success was preceded by many years of research. He studied everything he could get his hands on about ancient Japanese history and the many different philosophies of Zen and Christianity. Billy, known for his perfectionism, combined his absorbing writing and fantastic artwork ability to form a most outstanding series of Shi comics. This combination of abilities has catapulted him into the world of the top ten comic book publications; he has become the most successful self-publisher in the industry to date. William Tucci's desire to see more leading female characters led to the successful creation of Ana Ishikawa, a strong, independent woman of 1990s America. He describes his story as one woman's long journey of self-discovery. Ana Ishikawa, the book's main character, is honor-bound by ancient Japanese beliefs to avenge her father and brother and bring honor to their deaths. Yet she sincerely wishes to remain true to her strong Christian beliefs, causing inner battles of conscience to rage within her. This exciting story line is currently being considered by several major production companies for a blockbuster film. Billy, the cover story of numerous comic industry publications, has appeared on nationwide TV shows as a lively, articulate personality and sought-after guest. His exciting story and simply remarkable talent always leaves the audience wanting more.

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