johntThe Kentucky Standard Arts & Entertainment Section April 14, 2006
He’s changing their toon
Former Marvel Comics intern teaches an old industry new tricks
When you think of a comic book you get the image of wafer-thin, flimsy periodicals with newspaper pages and printers ink that comes off on your fingers. Unless you’re John Taddeo, an award winning independent film writer and director who sees comics on I-pods, TVs, Play Station Portables and computer screens.
Oh — and he’s pushing the envelope on printed comics, too.
Taddeo, formerly of Marvel Entertainment where he began his career in publishing as an intern, is the creator of Zoom Suit, a comic fantasy which is being delivered to fans in a multitude of formats. You can download it to your media device, watch it come to life in Flash animation on your computer, or visit your local comic shop to purchase the most technologically advanced printed comic the world has ever seen.
The various forms of delivery weren’t really planned. Taddeo stated. “All I wanted to do was tell a good story. The extras just sort of happened.”
The 11 minute short film, animated entirely in 2-D Flash, routinely wins in festivals where it competes against 3-D animations from large professional teams with massive budgets and more advanced hardware. Industry insiders attribute the success of Zoom Suit to the story.
“I can honestly say that the exciting rescue scene in Zoom Suit is one of the best superhero sequences I’ve read in years,” said Fletch Adams, Staff Writer at Broken Frontier.
“Zoom Suit has contagious excitement. It’s every ounce of Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling. Whereas most testosterone-fueled tough guy heroes appeal to males 16–45, Zoom Suit has attracted kids of both sexes and all ages. It’s a true 8-88 story in the vein of Shrek and The Incredibles.”
“I absolutely love the comic! Kudos,” Ronée G. Bourgeois, Buzzscope Comics News Editor and Columnist said.
With each new format, Taddeo’s strategy has been to raise the bar higher. His success has caught the eye of numerous industry insiders.
“I opened the package containing my preview copy and was floored. The MetalFX pages look incredible. Zoom Suit is visually unreal! It actually looks like it’s glowing,” John Comberford, contributing writer to Iron Man fan site Advanced Iron, said. “Zoom Suit is an exceptional example of what a comic book should be.”
“From the moment you pick up Zoom Suit, you see and feel the quality and there is no doubt you have something very special in your hands. Comic fans will love Zoom Suit,” Chris Meade, Staff Writer for the Comics Review, said. “It will be interesting to see how quickly juggernauts Marvel and DC will be copying Taddeo – assuming it hasn’t started already.”
Taddeo’s marketing represents a radical departure from the industry norm. Video games and computers have pushed comics to the back burner,especially among young people. Comic books have mainly held their ground through the video age with strong collectable interest by boys who grew up reading them in the ‘70s and ‘80s, who are now 25-50 year olds. Having been featured in more than 50 film festivals during 2005 and viewed by more than 500,000 fans, Zoom Suit has exposed the comic hobby to the younger set. Comic shop owners, who have watched industry leaders Marvel and DC battle over an ever shrinking market, could not be happier to see a product that reaches out to the tech generation.
“I’m very excited about Zoom Suit appealing to a much wider audience than some of the traditional comics, thereby bringing in a new generation of comic readers,” Phil Boyle of the multi store chain Coliseum of Comics in Florida, said. “There are a lot of great things happening in comic shops and Zoom Suit is one of them.”
“Based upon the power of how significant this package looks and feels and the uniqueness of the book itself, without fail, I know that if I put this book in someone’s hand, it will equate to a definite sale,” Alan Davis, owner of the multi store chain Silver Bullet Comics in Winston-Salem North Carolina, said. “My bet is that John will have to allocate these, because I expect orders will be incredible for him on this.”
Having set the bar with the award winning animated short, “Team Zoom” as the group calls itself set out to make the printed comic equally as impressive.
“Since the animation was first, we knew the comic would have to be something special. The images would need to leap off the page. The answer was to push the limit first with the talent of the artists and then print a comic book like never before.”
Starting with the artwork, the team on the Zoom Suit comic reads like a “Who’s Who” of the last 50 years of comics. Gene Colan, a comics icon dating back to the 1960s and Iron Man No. 1 provided the art for a cover. Likewise, Bob Layton and Jim Starlin provided long runs of work for Marvel and DC in the ’70s and ’80s. Fan favorite Bart Sears, most famous for his work in the ’90s contributed a cover. Finally the interior pages are penciled by two of the biggest up and comers in comics, Billy Dallas Patton and Keron Grant. With a comic creator “Dream Team” in place, Taddeo set out to push the limits on modern printing.
“I wanted a super high resolution and something more than the usual four color process. At Marvel we had done nice foil covers such as stamping foil on Wolverine’s Claws, or a die cut dark inks on Ghost Rider. But the enhancements were only on the cover. I was trying to find a way to keep the cutting edge images provided by Keron and Billy enhanced throughout the comic, to the effect it became a standard movie theater and a 3D Imax Theatre.”
The answer came from more than 4,000 miles away when Taddeo found MetalFX Technology of the United Kingdom. The effect utilizes sophisticated metal infused ink to create millions of metallic colors. Spot printed throughout the entire issue, the process makes the alien Zoom Suit so real you would swear it’s hanging in your bedroom closet.
“I loved the MetalFX process, but it wasn’t possible economically. The production costs would double. The ink were three times the norm. The process required a major upgrade in the paper and a staccato printing process that would double the resolution printed on the page. The final manufacturing cost was over four times a standard comic book.”
Lucky for comic fans, Taddeo, the writer and director, has a secret identity as businessman.
What followed was a five-company deal in three countries and two continents. MetalFX would provide production and software, Datachrome provided its staccato process, Coast Paper Turgeon upgraded the paper and Hublein Inks provided the inks. In exchange for the goods and services the companies could utilize John’s characters in advertising and at shows, as well as receive copies of the comic for tradeshow and samples.
“The deal has a million moving parts, but we loved the project and John’s enthusiasm was contagious,” Juan Campbell of Datachrome Printing in Canada, said. “It’s a super-premium comic book at a standard price. We’re already fielding calls from publishing companies all over North America asking how Zoom Suit was achieved. This has become a very special project for us and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Hollywood has taken notice. John Taddeo recently appeared on “Screening Room” with Executive Producer Jonathon Krane (Face Off, The General’s Daughter) who left the viewing blown away. “I was stunned, bowled over. John Taddeo is a visionary producer and director who has created something that has a broad range of audience appeal and incredible franchise potential,” Krane said. “I can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Within a few days of the show acclaimed producer David Foster (The Fog, The Thing, Mask of Zorro) signed on as the Executive Producer of the live action Zoom Suit feature film. The property is also in negotiation for an animated prime time television series.
Now the only fear is will there be enough? Unlike other comics which are printed based upon retailer orders, Zoom Suit was printed in advance based upon a “best guess” which did not take into account the stratospheric interest 2006 would bring. As of press time, retailers may receive a 50 percent allocation of their original orders. If the trend continues that number could drop under 50 percent by the April 26 release of the comic, Taddeo explained. “We can go back to press for a second print, but it won’t have the MetalFX process. If you want a copy of Zoom Suit No. 1 please contact your local comic shop to reserve one early.”
Fans can watch the award winning animated short Zoom Suit at www.superverse.com and while you’re there, e-mail them a request for a limited edition signed and numbered Zoom Suit trading card set. Each set features the unique MetalFX process and is autographed by Zoom Suit creator John Taddeo. Shipping in the USA and Canada is also free.
JenS
