Streamwood comic-book artist, writer hooks fans with 'Tiny Titans'
Art Baltazar loved superheroes as a child. He read all the Spider-Man, X-Men and Batman comics he could yank off drugstore spinner racks, and he never missed an episode of superhero cartoons on TV.
Today, the 40-year-old Streamwood resident has two young kids of his own, and they love superheroes, too. But the comic books that entertained Baltazar back in the day aren't suitable for them.
Most contemporary mainline superhero titles, in fact, offer stories that sit firmly in PG-13 territory.
"As we all got older, the stories got older," Baltazar said. "That's not necessarily bad, but it means you have to do something to bring in young readers."
Baltazar is doing his part. He's the co-writer and artist behind "Tiny Titans," a monthly comic book that's part of a special line from DC Comics aimed at younger readers.
The book has been a success for Baltazar and DC. Early issues of the title have been collected into two trade paperbacks, the first of which landed on The New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller List in March. Just a couple of weeks ago, the title won the coveted Eisner Award in the Best Publication for Kids category. The Eisners are the comics industry's version of the Oscars.
Baltazar will be selling his work, doing sketches and chatting with fans at the Chicago Comic-Con, which runs all weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
The accolades, and the steady work, that Baltazar has enjoyed during his tenure on "Tiny Titans" feel particularly sweet for the South Side native, who spent years barely making ends meet creating his own comics and taking horrid pay-the-bills day jobs.
"I've been drawing since I was a kid, and I always wanted to do comics," Baltazar said during an interview in his basement studio, a fanboy paradise packed with comic art, movie posters and hundreds of action figures. "It took a while to get here, but now I feel like I'm living my dream. It's so cool."
Baltazar's art style, a charming mix of Charles Schulz and 1970s-era Hanna-Barbera cartoons, didn't wow the big comics companies at first. He lugged his portfolio to comics conventions after completing his art degree at Columbia College Chicago in 1992, but the job offers didn't come.
"When I showed my stuff to Marvel and DC, they said: 'It's too cartoony; go back to school,'" Baltazar said.
Undaunted, Baltazar decided to create his own comics in his distinctive style. He wrote and drew "The Cray-Baby Adventures" in 1994, then took a crash-course in self-publishing.
"I had to figure out the printing business from scratch," he said. "There aren't many printing outfits that do comic books, and I encountered some unsavory characters. But I was able to get copies printed."
Baltazar attended as many conventions as he could to sell his work. He also took whatever jobs he could to pay his bills. It was an exhausting and occasionally depressing time. Friends of his were buying stereos, cars and condos; Baltazar struggled to say afloat.
Things started to change in 2000, when Baltazar created a new character called "Patrick the Wolf Boy." He and his friend Franco Aureliani wrote the stories featuring Patrick, who's a growling homage to legendary little-boy characters like Dennis the Menace and Charlie Brown.
The Patrick books generated some buzz, eventually drawing the attention of the folks at Disney. In 2003, Baltazar was hired to contribute comics to the Disney Adventures anthology magazine, which had more than 1 million subscribers. It was a huge break.
"The Disney stuff, along with Patrick, really helped get my name out there," he said. "It was that work that prompted DC to give me a call, I think."
"Tiny Titans" was launched in 2007. The book re-imagines the Teen Titans, a DC superhero team that dates back to the 1960s, as children who attend Sidekick City Elementary School. (The original team was composed of the sidekicks to DC's popular heroes.)
The young heroes wear costumes and have powers, but instead of fighting super-villains, they deal with schoolyard bullies and mean substitute teachers.
Baltazar, who cowrites the book with Aureliani, sprinkles the gag-driven stories with references to characters and story lines from throughout the Teen Titans' history. In one sequence, for example, the Robin character receives a bunch of new costumes for his birthday, all of them costumes that the "real" character has worn in the past.
"We want to make the book funny and suitable for kids, but we also like to include stuff that older readers will get," he said. "Little nods to past story lines, things like that."
The artwork bears Baltazar's typically cartoony stamp. He draws and inks each panel by hand, then colors them with a computer.
"I love the way Art draws little kids," said Laurie Biedrzycki, owner of Dreamland Comics in Schaumburg. "The way they look at each other, the way they talk to each other, it's so funny and cute."
Biedrzycki said "Tiny Titans" sells well in her shop each month, and that the book's fans include adults as well as children.
"The humor works on both levels," she said.
Since gaining recognition for "Tiny Titans," Baltazar has taken on a few other writing jobs for DC. He plans to do more "Patrick the Wolf Boy," a property that has attracted some interest from Hollywood. He also hopes to do additional creator-owned work in the future.
For now, though, he's more than happy to be toiling away in his Streamwood basement every day, living his dream by drawing superheroes.
"It took until I was 40, but it happened," he said with a smile. "It's great now because we're all home together every day - me, my wife, the kids. You can't beat that."
Chicago Comic-Con
A massive pop-culture convention featuring comic books, toys, video games, TV and movies. Dozens of comics professionals will be on hand, along with celebrities such as Michelle Rodriguez, Billy Dee Williams and Ray Park.
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9
Where: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont
Tickets: $30 per day, available at the door or via the event Web site, wizarduniverse.com