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The podcast about making comics — and making a living from comics! It's half shop talk, half how-to, and half friendship. WE SQUEEZED IN THREE HALVES. It's tips and tricks and all the joys of cartooning as a pro. So pull up your drawing chair, put on some headphones, and join us while you draw! And if you like what you hear, join our community at patreon.com/comiclab (For sponsorship inquiries: comiclabpodcast@gmail.com)
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Superhero romantic comedy
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Since the early days of the interwebs Cory Casoni, Brad Guigar, & Scott Kurtz have been creating and publishing content online. Join them every week to discuss art, test new media technologies, talk to other industry professionals, and share some laughs.
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Chris Daily and John Troutman interview cartoonists and other luminaries from the world of geek culture. The official audio podcast of Keenspot, the world's largest source for webcomics. www.keencast.com. Email us at keencast@gmail.com
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Dave and Brad each realize they must raise their rates on their individual Patreon campaigns. This results in a surprising bout of Impostor Syndrome for Brad that nearly immobilizes him — if not for a meaningful intervention from a trusted friend. SHOW NOTES Raising rates on Patreon UPDATE: Get your exclusive ComicLab enamel pin at Comic-Con Intern…
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Marvel/Scholastic illustrator Asia Simone (Instagram, Twitter)shares her experience of illustrating a "Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur" book, navigating the world of YA graphic novel publishing, and... surviving Brad's studio! Next, a listener asks... "Should I jump to Cara?" TODAY'S SHOW Special guest Asia Simone Should I jump to Cara? San Diego Comic-…
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How to build an audience on Substack
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1:03:34
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Substack is one of the few social-media newcomers that actually produces visible results. It delivers audience-building, reader retention, advanced messaging, intelligent analytics, savvy promotion, and discovery. Better yet, it has a user interface that's a joy to use. So why are so many cartoonists perplexed by it? Brad and Dave do a deep dive in…
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A new father asks if his baby will change how he writes. "Hey, Comics Dads, I'm worried," he says. "Hey, Worried, we're Comics Dads," we reply. And then Dave invites Brad to pull his finger. After they discuss the effects of parenthood on creativity, a friendly zinester writes in to take Brad to task over his dismissal of zines as "nutty." ON TODAY…
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After six weeks of working on their comic, a listener asks how soon they can expect to make a living doing this — and gets an earful from Brad and Dave. Plus, Brad and Dave share more of their picks for Reuben Award nominees. In this episode, Brad and Dave discuss the importance of having realistic expectations and enjoying the creative process whe…
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How much of your work would you consider "top tier?" Fifty percent? Twenty percent? And speaking of the top tier, Brad and Dave share a partial list of people they think should be nominated for a Reuben Award this year. In this episode, Brad and Dave discuss the ratio of their work that they consider to be top-tier. They also talk about the benefit…
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We've all heard successful creators complain that younger hopefuls "just don't want to do the hard work." They disregard the complicated nature of achieving their status and dismiss aspiring novices on the basis of one single factor. Survivorship bias is undoubtedly a result of flawed reasoning. ...But is it bad advice? Brad and Dave discuss surviv…
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How did Brad and Dave know when they'd "made it"? ALSO: Now that you have a website with a blog... what do you write?? Brad shares a heartwarming story about his dad's induction into the Michigan High School Bowling Hall of Fame. They discuss the concept of 'making it' as a cartoonist and the different definitions of success. They also address the …
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How do you know when you're giving your readers too many details? — or not enough? Where's the sweet spot between action and exposition? We're going deep on storycraft this week! PLUS: Zines, gutters, and distribution! THIS WEEK'S SHOW How much story to write Should you be doing a zine? Gutters Borders Distribution You get great rewards when you jo…
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Having completed their Kickstarters, Dave and Brad review the promotional outreach that delivered the biggest results and make a shocking discovery. Traditionally, social media platforms were the biggest drivers of Kickstarter pledges. But in 2024 they barely made the top ten. That raises an important question: If we can't rely on social media to d…
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Building traffic vs building audience
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Is it possible to build traffic for your comic without building an audience? Also, an anonymous post on Reddit accuses Webtoons of using a predatory contract. ON TODAY'S SHOW Building traffic vs. building an audience UPDATE: SDCC Panels UPDATE: Dave's 500 for 50 Is the Webtoons contract "predatory?" You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab …
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This week, we're talking to Dave Blazek, creator of "Loose Parts," a single-panel comic syndicated to more than 120 newspapers worldwide. Blazek is a three-time NCS Silver Reuben award winner and a danged delight. We'll discuss how he became an "accidental cartoonist" and his unique approach to writing humor. You get great rewards when you join the…
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New Yorker cartoonist Jason Chatfield joins us to talk about cartooning for the venerable mag, working with a writing partner, doing stand-up at Dangerfield's comedy club, helming the 104-year-old Ginger Meggs syndicated comic, and much, much more! ON TODAY'S SHOW Jason Chatfield on Substack Chatfield on creative collaborations Doing standup at Dan…
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We all have creative peaks and valleys. How can we maximize the good times and minimize the bad? ON TODAY'S SHOW Can you really maximize creativity? UPDATE: Dave's TikTok prediction may still come true UPDATE: 3-part series on Kickstarter coming to Pro Tips Favorite comics from outside the US You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Communi…
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How important is rebranding after a series of unsuccessful ventures? Also, how does one get their comic translated into another language — and why? ON TODAY'S SHOW Rebranding Translating a comic UPDATE: The importance of monthly Profit/Loss statements UPDATE: Authors Equity Planning for page turns You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Co…
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It's our most useful, actionable, practical show yet! Stufffed with handy tips and constructive advice for cartoonists and comic creators! ON TODAY'S SHOW Pen names UPDATE: Dave's Kickstarter at picklesbook.com UPDATE: Patreon Welcome surveys Honorifics, acronyms, and abbreviations in word balloons. You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab …
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Dave has some thoughts on AI. And Brad hates to stretch. That's it. That's the show. ON TODAY'S SHOW Artificial Intelligence is going to force us to be more creative How important is it to rest? NOTE: The Kickstarter for Brad's new Evil Inc books ends this week! Time is running out! You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patr…
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Special Guest Scott Kurtz and "Tables Titans Club"
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Scott Kurtz is on the show to talk about the release of his new book, "Table Titans Club." It's available at Target stores nationwide, along with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore! ON TODAY'S SHOW Reimagining the "Table Titans" webcomic as a middle-school graphic novel Working with an editor for the first time Pivoting from self-publ…
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Are you using the wrong tool for the job?
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Kickstarter delivers on Discovery in a big way. So would it be wise to use it to replace our failing social media platforms? ON TODAY'S SHOW Using Kickstarter as social media? UPDATE: NCS Reuben Awards 2024 UPDATE: Dave has "Still Got it!" Posting a parody on Webtoon to gain notoriety NOTE: The Kickstarter campaign for Brad's new Evil Inc book is i…
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TikTok and Instagram reels are moving to the forefront of social media. Is it time to learn video/animation so you can promote your webcomic? ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Using animation to promote UPDATE: Short Story Challenge UPDATE: Eisner deadline UPDATE: AI Art A digital-exclusive eComic You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on …
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Every once in a while, someone asks if it's possible actually to make a living in comics. It's a fair question, and it deserves an honest answer. SPONSORED BY... ComicLab is brought to you this week by the book "How Comics Were Made, a Visual History from the Drawing Board to the Printed Page." Comics historian and ComicLab fan Glenn Fleishman has …
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A listener asks if they should write one big, successful comic or several mediocre ones. We have a bigger question: What makes you think you have a choice?! Also, it turns out the whole "Substack nazi" thing was yet another case of Platform Panic. SPONSORED BY... ComicLab is brought to you this week by the book "How Comics Were Made, a Visual Histo…
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BE ADVISED: We'll be discussing issues like death and dying in this episode. Dave turns fifty years old, and it has us talking about cartooning in the second half of one's life. And we're not the only ones asking existential questions. Our first question asker is worried that they're not going to have time to work on all of their ideas in one lifet…
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We often advise that beginners write a few short stories to sharpen their comics-making skills before they tackle that 200-page epic that they're burning to produce! But how do you write a short story? Today's show offers an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide! Use this blueprint to participate in the ComicLab Short Story Challenge! PLUS... if it's …
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As last year came to a close, it was becoming very clear that social media has been failing to deliver what we traditionally relied on it for — reaching our current readers and finding new ones. So this year Brad is trying out a new platform — Subsack. But that comes with a whole new learning curve — and more than a few ethical issues to wrestle wi…
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