Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, we're thrilled to welcome our friend Keith Knight to the 'Lab. Keith's new TV series, based on his comics, is premiering on Hulu right now. We talk about "Woke," Keith's journey in comics, and the creative process of adapting comics for television. You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get t...
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 148
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! A ComicLab listener is trying to decide on a domain name for their comic, and Brad and Dave have some advice. Then, Brad has an easy way to tell if your promotional outreach is actually spam. Questions asked and topics covered... Choosing a domain name "Am I a spammer?" Drawing/sketching for fun Time management You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Sub...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 147
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! If your outreach is "Support me on Patreon," you're delivering a tone-deaf message. We're going to talk about getting more backer by adjusting your pitch. Plus, we have our first ComicLab nuptials! Questions asked and topics covered... Wedding bells! Don't say "Support me on Patreon" Pandemic update — how has your 2020 plan changed? Is it possible to over-pose your comic? How to know if you're "giving away the store" ...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 146
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad talk about the hurdles they've experienced as artists. And then, when a prominent arts educator advocates for the use of "Poor Man's Copyright," Brad's head nearly explodes. Questions asked and topics covered... Artisting hurdles Poor Man's Copyright What did Dave do at Mattel? Why don't we talk about fumetti comics? You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Ea...
Oct 01, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 145
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, our friend Erika Moen joins us to talk about one of the most important topics we've ever covered on ComicLab — Mental health. Coming soon from Erika Moen... Drawn to Sex Vol. 2: Our Bodies and Health. Have you ever wanted to learn exactly how pregnancy works? How about what to expect at your next doctor’s visit? Or even just really understanding what’s “down there”? Erika and Matthew are ready to help out w...
Sep 24, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 144
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! As a follow-up to our conversation about writing a strong beginning to your story, we've discussed the benefits of beginning a story in media res. But action, action and more action isn't going to do the trick alone. So today we're talking about another aspect of a a strong opening — setting an emotional hook! Questions asked and topics covered... Setting an emotional hook Ira Glass' essay "The Gap" has us discussing ...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 143
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, we're talking about using a joke that you didn't write. That topic leads into a discussion of the controversy that exploded after Alphonso Dunn posted a video accusing Jake Parker of plagiarism. Questions asked and topics covered... Using other people's writing in your comic The Inktober controversy — did Jake Parker plagiarize Alphonso Dunn What should your highest-level Patreon tier be? How to handle a wo...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 142
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Patreon has unveiled Annual Membership — should you promote it to your backers? Questions asked and topics covered... Catching up with Snares, a/k/a "Singapore Bob" USPS announces temporary price increases* Patreon Annual Membership Using sound effects well Avoiding politics? You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on t...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 141
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Brad and Dave talk about black-and-white comics — are they still viable in today's publishing landscape? Questions asked and topics covered... You are exactly where you need to be for the next step Do the recent AT&T layoffs indicate the end of DC Comics? Using the Sunday strip format to tell a short story Doing a Writers' Room... but for non-humor comics Choosing a color palette You get great rewards when you join th...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 140
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Brad and Dave talk about ways to find other cartoonists and comics creators in your local area. Questions asked and topics covered... Internal narration 'Return to Oz' cartoonists Finding one's local community What is the Message you're sending to your readers through your comic? Side stories make good Patreon exclusives deliberate practice blue mechanical pencil leads You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab ...
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 139
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Brad and Dave talk about their experience running their first virtual comic convention! PLUS — Dave talks about his third Eisner Award nomination and his second self-administered haircut... both of which ended up in disappointment. Questions asked and topics covered... Dave's third Eisner Award nomination Studio Con recap — how did the virtual convention go? Ellipses — what's the right way to use those three little do...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 138
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Brad and Dave talk about writing characters from outside your own personal experience. Empathy as a writing tool! Then, a listener says they're losing interest in their comic — can Dave and Brad help? Questions asked and topics covered... How do you write characters different from yourself? Losing interest in your comic Zines vs formatted-for-phone comics Releasing the comic as an eBook before it appears on your site ...
Aug 06, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 137
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Brad and Dave recall a guideline for reader retention from the early days of webcomics that's a relevant today as it was then — the 8-Pages Rule. Questions asked and topics covered... The return (?) of Gary Larson The 8-Pages Rule How many panels should an average page have? Removing the obstacles from drawing Saving for retirement You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — E...
Jul 30, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 136
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, a Patreon backer asks how they can build their own Writers' Room. Questions asked and topics covered... Building you own Writers' Room Falling asleep at the drawing desk The importance of writing Calling it quits after ten years Paypal micropayments You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get ...
Jul 23, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 134
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad welcome the incredible Terry Blas to the show! Questions asked . . . Do you two old guys EVER meet anyone NEW? What is the best size for a webcomic? You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast $10 — Record an audio question for possible use on the sh...
Jul 16, 2020•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 135
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad discuss what we should call ourselves — cartoonist, creator, comics artist, or what? Questions asked and topics covered... What do you call yourself? How to write humor How much transparency do you owe your readers? How do you define success? You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show A...
Jul 09, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 133
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, we're joined by writer/actor Gloria Calderón Kellett, co-showrunner of the critically-acclaimed "One Day at a Time." As the coronavirus crisis looms over TV and movie production, Brad thinks this is a great time to pitch your comic as an animated project. Gloria jumps in to talk about the process from her first-hand experience. Special Offer Join us at the $5 tier by July 4! When you do, you (along with all...
Jul 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 132
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! At the beginning of the year, Dave and Brad shared their goals for the year. But that was before the world was turned upside-down by the coronavirus pandemic. The guys discuss what has changed over six months. Special Offer Join us at the $5 tier by July 4! When you do, you (along with all of the other $5 backers) will get an exclusive invite to the Cocktails with ComicLab Zoom meet-up! Plus... FOUR eBooks from the co...
Jun 25, 2020•59 min•Ep. 131
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad welcome Scott Kurtz for a mini-reunion of Webcomics Weekly ! Scott discusses his decision to reboot his comic PvP for the third time! Special Offer Join us at the $5 tier by July 4! When you do, you (along with all of the other $5 backers) will get an exclusive invite to the Cocktails with ComicLab Zoom meet-up! Plus... FOUR eBooks from the co-hosts... How to Make Webcomics The Webcomics Handb...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 130
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad welcome the delightful Karla Pacheco , writer of Spider-Woman , Bettie Page and, of course, Inspector Pancakes . Special Offer Join us at the $5 tier by July 4! When you do, you (along with all of the other $5 backers) will get an exclusive invite to the Cocktails with ComicLab Zoom meet-up! Plus... FOUR eBooks from the co-hosts... How to Make Webcomics The Webcomics Handbook Evil Inc: Under N...
Jun 11, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 129
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad ask — as art schools move towards virtual learning — is it worth the money? Special Offer Join us at the $5 tier by July 4! When you do, you (along with all of the other $5 backers) will get an exclusive invite to the Cocktails with ComicLab Zoom meet-up! Plus... FOUR eBooks from the co-hosts... How to Make Webcomics The Webcomics Handbook Evil Inc: Under New Management Drive Act One Questions...
Jun 04, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 128
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad welcome the marvelous Cat Farris , illustrator of My Boyfriend is a Bear and the forthcoming Ghoul Next Door . Questions asked and topics covered... The Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast $10 — Record a...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 127
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad talk about their most important creative partners — their wives. Questions asked and topics covered... Let's talk about life partners Logo design Staying creative when life is tough You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes $5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast $10 — Record an audio qu...
May 21, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 126
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Recently Webtoons spoiled a reveal in "Lore Olympus" that the creator, Rachel Smythe, had been building towards for years. Dave and Brad return to the topic they broached at the beginning of the year— " Should you build your audience on Webtoons ?" Questions asked and topics covered... The problems with building an audience on Webtoons Midtown Comics and DC Comics step up to fill the void left by Diamond Comics Distri...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 125
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad talk about the best Content Management System (CMS) for publishing webcomics. Toocheke is brand new, and Brad's a big fan. Questions asked and topics covered... Toocheke is a new CMS Brad endorses for publishing webcomics How to deal with an e-mail barnacle Doing business under a pen name What are the best tools for a beginner? Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilb...
May 07, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 124
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, Dave and Brad drill down deep on a crucial topic in comics — word balloons! Then Dave talks about his recent Kickstarter, and why it didn't fund. Questions asked and topics covered... Word balloons Why the Kickstarter for Story/Line didn't fund This is no time to back away from crowdfunding or digital merchandise How will publishers and comic shops going to fare in the global pandemic The real danger of los...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 123
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, the ComicLab guys talk shop with Gale Galligan, creator of the bestselling Babysitter's Club graphic novels . See all of Gale's latest at Galesaur.com . Questions asked and topics covered... Getting ideas that don't fit in your own universe Mini-comics Vying for the YA graphic-novel market Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilbook.com and sheldonstore.com ! You get great rewards ...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 122
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! Dave and Brad are devoting the entire show to topics related to the coronavirus pandemic. Having been self-employed for years, Dave and Brad share some advice to people who are working from home for the first time. Also, crowdfunding is proving to be surprisingly resilient so far, so this is no time to get sheepish about Patreon and Kickstarter. Dave talks about writing in moments of grief, and Brad shares some though...
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 121
Today's show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, the ComicLab guys talk shop with Karl Kerschl of The Abominable Charles Christopher and Isola . Questions asked and topics covered... Unpredictible schedules How to sell original art Is it better to master one thing or be very good at several things? Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilbook.com and sheldonstore.com ! You get great rewards when you support ComicLab on Patreon $2 ...
Apr 09, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 120
Todays show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the incredible Wacom One ! This week, the ComicLab guys talk shop with Lar deSouza of Least I Could Do and Looking For Group . Questions asked and topics covered... A new competitor for Patreon — does the math add up? Dave's Kickstarter — storylineshow.com eBooks Limited-edition ComicLab enamel pins are now available at newevilbook.com and sheldonstore.com ! You get great rewards when you support ComicLab on Patreon $2 — Early access to episodes...
Apr 02, 2020•58 min•Ep. 119
