As I described last week, one wonderful San Diego Comic-Con panel in which I annually participate is called How to Get News Coverage. This panel is a way to focus on what do after you’ve created a comic; how to build a marketing buzz.

There’s a lot of great advice offered from smart folks like Tim Chizmar (Fangoria, co-chair of the Horror Writers Association, First Comics News), Glenn Hauman (Comic Mix), Michael Kingston (Headlocked Comics, BOOM! Studios), Heidi MacDonald (Comics Beat), Alexander Raymond (Monstar Public Relations), Rob Salkowitz (ICv2, Forbes), Amanda Sheriff (Gemstone Publishing), Francis Sky (First Comics News, Massacre Twins), and Josh Waldrop (Ultima Digital Media). Usually, J.C. Vaughn and Holly Golightly are on the panel too.

During this panel, I like to make an offer for creators to promote their comics in With Further Ado.

We did that last week, and let’s continue with a look at another creator: Arnon Z. Shorr. He’s not only a passionate comic creator, but he’s a film maker too. And unlike so many comic + film folks, he did it backwards. In other words, he made the film first and then made the comic. Here’s a look at Arnon Z. Shorr and his creative effort: José and the Pirate Captain Toledano:

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Arnon is a writer/director and author of character-driven adventures and thrillers, where heroes grapple with the extraordinary, and in doing so, learn important truths about themselves. He spent most of his childhood between worlds: a Hebrew speaker in America, a private school kid with no money, a suburbanite in a rented apartment. Whenever he’d set foot in one world, his other foot would betray him as different. For that reason, Arnon tells stories that embrace the peculiar, where encounters with the strange reveal who we are.

And those stories seem to be resonating: Arnon’s films have captivated audiences at film festivals around the globe. His screenplays include a Page Awards finalist and a Launch Pad top-50. And José and the Pirate Captain Toledano, Arnon’s award-winning graphic novel (which he adapted from his own popular short film about Jewish pirates) sold over 5000 copies in its first week. Arnon was recently hired by Source Point Press to help build a new division for high-quality, mass-market Jewish content. There, Arnon shepherds multiple comics series (including his own) and manages the development of a new Jewish Comics Universe (a JCU!)

With fresh screenplays ready to go, new comics to write and a universe to build, Arnon is looking to expand his team, forge new partnerships, and once again elevate difference on the page and the screen.

Follow Arnon and the Jewish pirates via
• Facebook: @jewishpirates
• Twitter: @jewishpirates
• Instagram: @jewishpiratecaptain
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There’s another bunch of “actual comics” at San Diego Comic-Con that I’d like to shine the spotlight on.

Between the 1st and 2nd floors of the convention center, there’s a section that’s designated for fan groups. The Legion of Super-Heroes fans always have a wonderful exhibition booth, filled with promotional materials and freebies. (Their flight rings are the best!)

They also create Legion of Super-Hero mini-comics, Legion Lore Fanzine, and give them away for free. These reprint old LSH stories, and they are so much fun. I greatly respect these fans and their disciplined devotion!