Comic Lab

Dave brings in a new concept for the holidays — declaring organizational bankruptcy.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Declaring organizational bankruptcyA scaled-back Kickstarter?UPDATE: MastodonPosting schedule?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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Referring to current events may give your comic an edge today, but it can also make your work harder for future generations to enjoy.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Writing comics with a shelf lifeYouTube instead of Patreon?Amazon KDPUsing Patreon as an archiveYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

A ComicLab listener would like his friends to give him feedback on his comic — and he wants them to subscribe to his Patreon to do it.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...A Patreon level for constructive feedbackDave at WorldCon?UPDATE: Clip Studio update... feeling kinda screwedWhat happens to your books after you dieWhat extras should go into a digital book?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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Is it wise to exploit parasocial relationships to get more Patreon backers?ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Drunk ComicLabParasocial relationships on PatreonAre ads making a comeback?After the Thanos Snap — would Brad and Dave do a podcast?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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Patreon has unveiled a massive update to its service, and we'll discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...The GoodThe user experience has some significant improvementsCollectionseStore — Buy digital goods.Find Creators You Love — a somewhat improved attempt at discoverabilityMember Posts section is being sunsettedThe BadAnemic analytics. Graphtreon still beats Patreon's own data.Patreon's pivot to social media. I have lots of places to talk to my fans. Social media is where I go to make NEW fans. That means Discoverability. Where's that??Patreon Chat. It's a straight 50-50 split. Half of my patrons can't see/access the chat, and the other half don't care.Making a new post: BAD interface. Separates different parts of the process to different screens. It makes it super awkward to select tiers.The UglyThat logo is laughable. Whoever designed it belongs in the Witless Protection Program.You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submi

Sure, making comics is fun, but do we ever do serious work, like painting, sculpting, or other classical art forms?ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Do we ever do "classical" work?If tenacity is #1, what's #2?UPDATE: Dave's booth cost for SDCC '24UPDATE: NCS networkingUPDATE: Alaska Comics CampWhich to work on... popular, fun Series A or almost-done Series B?Black guttersYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

The Gannett newspaper chain, which includes USA Today and about 200 other daily newspapers, has selected 34 syndicated comics. Each of its newspapers will be limited to running comics from that list. Any comic that didn't make the list has been shut out of roughly 20% of the existing market. Not surprisingly, most of the 34 are legacy comics whose original creators are long since deceased. This is the end of syndicated comics.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...The Gannet 34 signals the death of syndicated comicsUPDATE: Mastodon Aint itWhy no ComicLab website?Relaunch a failed Kickstarter?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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

We're thrilled to welcome Jamar Nicholas, creator of Leon The Extraordinary, to talk shop with us!ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Jamar NicholasUPDATE: NCS and Planks PrincipleUPDATE: Musk to take Twitter behind paywall?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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Dave and Brad return from the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Awards with stories, anecdotes, and  reflections.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...What is the NCS?The Reuben Awards weekPhil Foglio wins the award for Best Online Longform ComicMeeting Mike Peters ("Mother Goose & Grim")Brunch with the NCS — "Ya wanna hear about MY heart attack?"Outgoing NCS president Jason ChatfieldNCS is reaching out to younger cartoonistsRegional chapters of NCSJamar Nicholas' "NCS  Studio Chats" series on YouTubeThe original art auctionPublishing on Amazon / KDP: a phenomenal panel by Colin Shields, Vice President at Simon & Schuster, alongside Brent Bartram, Chief Strategy Officer of Andrews McMeel SyndicationEliminate "online" categories of the Reuben Awards?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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The W

New Yorker cartoonist Jason Chatfield and "Sarah's Scribbles" cartoonist Sarah Andersen join Brad and Dave at the Farewell Brunch, closing out the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Awards events.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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Is comics a young person's game?  Pull up a (rocking) chair, and let's talk about it!ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Are you too old to start in comics?Battling procrastinationOne-and-done publishing strategy?The TinyView appEye problems due to comicsYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Which is more important for a cartoonist to learn — writing or drawing?ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Is it worth my time to learn how to draw AND how to write?UPDATE: Dropbox in declineUPDATE: Brad writes a "Tales from the Drive" storyUsing social media to direct traffic to websiteWorking 7 days a week to achieve work-life balanceYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Thanos snaps his fingers and erases Brad and Dave's careers. They have all their current knowledge, talents, and skills. But they don't have their titles, audiences, or archives. What, where, and how do they RESTART?ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Celebrating 300 episodes of ComicLab and 300 episodes of Pro Tips.The Thanos snapYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

There's a  definite benefit to making mistakes early in your career. They have a much lower impact than the ones that come later.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Making small mistakes early so you can avoid big trauma laterRe-releasing old merchandiseVisual novelsLuck in social mediaYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Has manga overtaken American-style comics in the hearts and imaginations of readers? ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Did manga win comics?UPDATE: Threads usage declines — is this the end of the Social Media Age?Kickstarter reaffirms commitment to AI technologyYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

Dave and Brad return from Comic-Con International in San Diego, and they have much to discuss!ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...San Diego Comic-Con recapUPDATE: Do we need to reintroduce "free?"UPDATE: Musk rebrands Twitter to "X."Sticking with a failing project too longProcreate for printYou 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. Plus $2-tier rewards.Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

This week a ComicLab listener writes to thank us for talking him out of a mistake — and to say he'd like to get back to making it as soon as possible.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Going back to making the same mistakePatreon for a short-term comicUPDATE: Patreon Free TrialUPDATE: Jerry Garcia — "Not everybody likes licorice, but people who like licorice... REALLY like licorice!" That's sage advice for  niche publishing.Particular advice for small comic conventionsComing back after a break — restart the online comic or Kickstart a book with finished materialsDriveThruComicsCheck out the redesigned DriveThruComics here! Their team is looking for feedback as they work on the new layout and features, so pass along your thoughts using this Google Form.If you're interested in setting up a publisher account, here's some helpful information. They also have guides for creating and publishing digital and print-on-demand books!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 —

Today's show is sponsored by DriveThruComics.com! It's the first download comic shop — and we think it's the best!You should build a following on social media. You should launch a website. You should focus on the quality of your comic. How do you manage all of these "SHOULDs?!" ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...Too many "SHOULDs"UPDATE: ComicLab LIVE at NCS Reuben Awards Weekend: Sept. 8, 11 a.m. Special guest Sarah Andersen (Sarah's Scribbles)What cartooning advice would an 18-year-old actually listen to?Losing the passion for NSFW comicsDriveThruComicsCheck out the redesigned DriveThruComics here! Their team is looking for feedback as they work on the new layout and features, so pass along your thoughts using this Google Form.If you're interested in setting up a publisher account, here's some helpful information. They also have guides for creating and publishing digital and print-on-demand books!You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for

Today's show is sponsored by DriveThruComics.com! It's the first download comic shop — and we think it's the best!Social media giant Meta launched Threads and acquired over 40,000 users within the first 24 hours. Will this be the death knell for Twitter? And if it is, will that be good news for comic creators?ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...ThreadsFree Trials on PatreonTweetDeck is going to become subscription-onlyComicLab LIVE at NCS Reuben Awards Weekend: Sept. 8, 11 a.m. Special guest Sarah Andersen (Sarah's Scribbles)DriveThruComicsCheck out the redesigned DriveThruComics here! Their team is looking for feedback as they work on the new layout and features, so pass along your thoughts using this Google Form.If you're interested in setting up a publisher account, here's some helpful information. They also have guides for creating and publishing digital and print-on-demand books!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

Today's show is sponsored by DriveThruComics.com! It's the first download comic shop — and we think it's the best!With Marvel, Netflix, Sony, HBO, and Universal pulling out of Hall H, what will San Diego Comic-Con be like? Some say that removing the Hollywood sightings and signings will allow the attendees to return their focus to the comics creators the show was initially founded to celebrate. Others fear a floor full of angry fans who spent hundreds on a show that isn't there.ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...With Marvel, Netflix, Sony, HBO and Universal pulling out of Hall H, what will SDCC be like?UPDATE: Mastodon still ain't itUPDATE: BlueSkyUPDATE: Patreon video extended to Founder's levelDriveThruComicsCheck out the redesigned DriveThruComics here! Their team is looking for feedback as they work on the new layout and features, so pass along your thoughts using this Google Form.If you're interested in setting up a publisher account, here's some helpful information. They also have guides for creating and publishing