“Where Is Dead Zero?”

I had an incredible time at the CTN Expo this past weekend (and lost my voice in record time: mid-day on Saturday). The abundance of talent on display was both inspiring and awe-inspiring. Picked up sketch books, comics and art samples to last a year.

One particular publication, which made its debut at the Expo, stands out due to both its quality and pedigree, Where Is Dead Zero?. This is the third anthology – following Who Is Rocket Johnson? (2008) and What Is Torch Tiger? (2009) – created by the artists of Walt Disney Feature Animation. Members of the Story Department, the Art Department and a couple of well known Directors contribute comics and stories a far afield from the fairy tales and fantasies they toil on during working hours.

Based around the “theme question” Where is Dead Zero? the artists let their imaginations run wild. The end result is rich and varied: John Musker answers with a gothic mystery, Don Dougherty draws up a Sherlockian comedy, Ron Clements parodies 1950s space cadet adventures, Dave Pimentel conjures up a Japanese ghost story; and 14 others contribute equally beautiful, uniquely different pages of comic art. Information on where to buy the book might be found on its Facebook Page – or contact Stuart Ng, who will be selling copies starting in December. It’s great stuff – and highly recommended.

Cover art by Paul Felix.