Latest Comicstrip Podcast Episodes
Special guest Asia Simone
Comic Lab - July 04, 2024 10:00 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsMarvel/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 g...
How to build an audience on Substack
Comic Lab - June 27, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsSubstack 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 cartoo...
Are dad jokes ~bad~ jokes?
Comic Lab - June 20, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsA 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...
It's Friday — am I famous yet?
Comic Lab - June 13, 2024 10:00 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsAfter 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 real...
They can't all be winners
Comic Lab - June 06, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsHow 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 co...
Survivorship Bias
Comic Lab - May 30, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsWe'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....
Are we 'there' yet?
Comic Lab - May 23, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsHow 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 d...
How much story is too much story?
Comic Lab - May 16, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsHow 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? Gutt...
Social media is dead... now what?
Comic Lab - May 09, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsHaving 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 imp...
Building traffic vs building audience
Comic Lab - May 02, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsIs 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 "p...
Special guest Dave Blazek
Comic Lab - April 25, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsThis 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 ...
Special Guest Jason Chatfield
Comic Lab - April 18, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsNew 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 ...
How to maximize creativity
Comic Lab - April 11, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsWe 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 ...
Rebranding
Comic Lab - April 04, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsHow 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 pa...
How to find the perfect pen name
Comic Lab - March 28, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsIt'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...
Stretching yourself thin
Comic Lab - March 21, 2024 10:00 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsDave 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...
Special Guest Scott Kurtz and "Tables Titans Club"
Comic Lab - March 14, 2024 10:00 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsScott 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 ...
Are you using the wrong tool for the job?
Comic Lab - March 07, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsKickstarter 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...
Using animation to promote
Comic Lab - February 29, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsTikTok 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 Y...
Can you make a living in comics?
Comic Lab - February 22, 2024 11:00 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsEvery 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...
Shopping for Success
Comic Lab - February 15, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsA 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 th...
Fifty is nifty
Comic Lab - February 08, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsBE 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 t...
How to Write a Short Story
Comic Lab - February 01, 2024 11:00 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsWe 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 i...
Rethinking Outreach in 2024
Comic Lab - January 25, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsAs 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 cu...
How to get started in comics, 2024 edition
Comic Lab - January 18, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsOne of our most often-requested topics is "How do I start a webcomic?" We're going to give you some step-by-step instructions — updated for the new year! Plus... we always stress the importance of doing a good comic. That begs another question: "How do I know if my comic is good?" ON THIS WEEK'...
Predictions and goals for 2024
Comic Lab - January 11, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsVeteran cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar make some predictions and discuss their goals for the new year. 2024 Predictions BRAD: Twitter will crash in 2024 DAVE: Social media will remain distributed over five or six platforms BRAD: Web users will begin to pivot away from social media ...
Brad learns to share
Comic Lab - January 04, 2024 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsBetter late than never, Brad learns to share. On social media, that is. And, using what he learned after weeks of analysis, he has a challenge for you: Try — just try — to find something worth sharing on social media. ON TODAY'S SHOW Searching for an effective social media strategy A new soc...
2023 — The Year in Review
Comic Lab - December 28, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsVeteran cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar look back on their predictions for 2023. They nailed a few and failed a few! PREDICTION SCORECARD Patreon will slowly entice people away from the Founder's level -- WRONG TikTok will be banned in the US -- WRONG CSP will unveil amazing feature...
Where do you get ideas? Recorded live at the NCS Rueben Weekend
Comic Lab - December 21, 2023 05:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsWhile we were at the National Cartoonists Society Rueben Awards Weekend, we stopped cartoonists and asked them one question: When you need to spark creativity — and nothing is happening — how do you find ideas? Today's show is a compilation of those responses. You get great rewards when you joi...
We hate Patreon's Free Membership Tier
Comic Lab - December 14, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 294 ratingsPatreon unveiled a free membership tier, and it's really throwing a monkey wrench into things. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... It's official. We hate Patreon's Free Membership Tier Understanding Parody & Free Use Do Dave and Brad ever fight?! You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Communit...
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