Philly's "Black Cherry Bombshells" go to Comic Con

Johnny Zito has a cool t-shirt on; it's a three-quarter sleeve baseball jersey adorned by a weathered Liberty Bell with a lightning bolt instead of a crack. As a matter of fact, the last two times this Phillyist saw Zito, I commented on his cool t-shirts. His reply: "Oh, this is one of ours. Want me to order you one?" This pitch makes perfect sense for Zito and his roommate/business partner Tony Trovarello, the two hardest working men in South Philly showbiz. Whether its building sets for feature films, touring with local band The Swimmers, directing porn star Stoya in their 48 Hour Film Project, or designing t-shirts, Trov and Zito have learned to diversify their portfolio. In other words, they've mastered the art of the hustle.

What's paying the bills these days, though, is their most impressive project yet: a web-based comic strip called "Black Cherry Bombshells" where ultra violent girl gangs battle for supremacy in a doomed future where all the men have been mutated into flesh eating zombies. Last year the pair won a contest sponsored by DC division Zuda Comics and their wildly popular creation has been published online ever since. In fact, this January DC announced that in would be compiling the strips into a graphic novel available in bookstores and comic shops across the country.

This week, Trov and Zito embark on a cross-country road trip to San Diego to promote the Bombshells and schmooze with industry types at Comic Con, in what Zito describes as, "Lewis and Clark meet Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." The journey will be chronicled in on the comic's video blog and promises stops at Graceland, Chicago and the Creation Museum, as well as plenty of "NSFW truck stop adventures."

This is the second Comic Con for the pair, and they told me that they're still impressed by the reception they receive. "Being a nerd is cool right now," says Zito. "People line up for autographs and one woman even asked me how my birthday was," adds Trov, "I said thanks; how did you know it was my birthday?"

The Internet is a wonderful place, Trov.

Image credit: Black Cherry Bombshells blog