Comic Lab

This week's show is sponsored by Dreamhost . If the implosion of Twitter has you wondering if you should finally build your own website, Dreamhost is there for you. With transparent pricing and a 100% uptime guarantee, they'll get you started on owning and controlling your work on the Web. As an OG webcartoonist , Bill Barnes has deep roots in the comics community. As the person in charge of the t...

This week's show is sponsored by Dreamhost . If the implosion of Twitter has you wondering if you should finally build your own website, Dreamhost is there for you. With transparent pricing and a 100% uptime guarantee, they'll get you started on owning and controlling your work on the Web. Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk to a pro-am cartoonist who wants to build a running gag into th...

This week's show is sponsored by Dreamhost . If the implosion of Twitter has you wondering if you should finally build your own website, Dreamhost is there for you. With transparent pricing and a 100% uptime guarantee, they'll get you started on owning and controlling your work on the Web. Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar do a deep dive on Print-on-Demand! Then, because it's a train wreck...

This week's show is sponsored by Dreamhost . Everything you need to launch a website. Transparent pricing and a 100% uptime guarantee. Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the social contract between comics creators and readers. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Does a comics creator have a social contract with their readers? UPDATE: Bono regrets his "Magic Wand" Moment UPDATE: The new ComicLab g...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the impending demise of Twitter — and how comics creators can prepare for the changes this will bring. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Elon Musk looks primed to destroy Twitter — how can comics creators prepare for this massive change? Verification will soon cost $8/month — this will destroy the intent behind "verification" $1 billion in annual interest mean...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar try to help a ten-year dopamine addict stop themself from posting his comics before they're ready! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Help a dopamine addict! How can  someone stop themself from posting their comics too soon. UPDATE: Day 366 of another Substack deal UPDATE: Charles Schulz Museum UPDATE: CSP subscription - $30/year Professional jealousy Our early comics...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss Impostor Syndrome and how to fight it. But first, Dave needs recommendations on building a D&D starter kit for one of his kids, and Brad has thoughts! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Building a D&D starter kit Impostor Syndrome vs the need for improvement UPDATE: BeReal — we're real over it UPDATE: Dave gets retweeted from a 2.5-million-follower Twitter acco...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the new social-media app BeReal. Will it have any usefulness for cartoonists? ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... BeReal Spending less time on the art to increase posting rate How to indicate continuity in an anthology project How to add value to a giveaway Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level w...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss how websites and email newsletters have made a remarkable comeback in the past few years — and how you should be using them to publish now. Also: What is a squircle, and why is it the best word balloon?! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Websites and email newsletters Patreon's new billing option Tumblr did NOT bring back NSFW comics Word balloons: Elliptical...

The cartoonist uncles have a disagreement! Dave Kellett hates flashbacks, and Brad Guigar can't get enough! They'll talk about the right way to handle a flashback in your comic, when you should use one — and whether you shouldn't reconsider the whole approach in the first place! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... How to present a flashback scene in your comic Should you brand your Patreon on the comic — or on...

Being lonely in a large city has a listener feeling a little Ziggy — and cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar have some advice. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Feeling a little Ziggy Making money while on government assistance The secret success is... failure Making a board game or card game based on your comic Sheldon... the movie? Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 t...

A recent statistic about the print publishing industry have cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar thankful they self-publish. Also... the NFT comics company that reached out to Dave at San Diego Comic Con folded eight days later.  ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Publishing statistics report 90% of published books sell under 2,000 copies What are the disadvantages to self-publishing? UPDATE: NFT company...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the fabulously underrated Butso Method for writing.  ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... The Butso Method When should you launch a side project? UPDATE: Dave shares his Kickstarter stats How many pages on launch day of longform? Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! Patreon backers at that level will get exclusive access to l...

People make decisions based on emotions first, and then they back it up with logic afterwards. So cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss effectively marketing your comic with feelings over facts.  ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Using emotions to promote your comic (based on this Reddit thread ) Growing Patreon 10% with Brad's advice Clip Studio Paint goes to the subscription model Offering help...

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett start a discussion about  trying to avoid becoming the people they used to fight, only to slowly realize... it had already happened. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Don't become your heroes What is the dominant publishing format? How much life experience goes into writing? How do you keep the sex fresh in NSFW comics? Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab m...

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett get a case of déjà vu when a new crowdfunding service reminds them of an old scheme that crashed and burned. Then, a listener writes in to complain "It's Friday and I'm not famous!" ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Subless — A new crowdfunding service based on an old idea "It's Friday and I'm not famous!" Weekend Web traffic Today is a great time to bump up your Comi...

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett give advice to a comics artist who realizes that they'd accidentally plagiarized a character from someone else... but they like their character so much they just don't want to change it! Is there a plagiarism loophole? But FIRST... there's a lot of news and updates to cover! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Oni Press lays off senior staff , faces allegations of unpai...

Cartoonist Dave Kellett has returned from Comic-Con International in San Diego, and talks about his first convention since the pandemic began. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Dave Kellett reviews Comic-Con International in San Diego Live show at the Schulz Museum Nov. 12 Sacrificing aesthetics for time Re-thinking vertical scroll? Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tier! P...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar give some advice to a cartoonist whose friends want his comics for free. Is this an entitlement issue? It is... but not in the way he thinks. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... My friends won't buy my comics! UPDATE: dinokickstarter.com UPDATE: A rolling stone does NOT gather moss UPDATE: "Brad Guigar Stole My Woman" Presenting an archive of older work Dream goals. Tod...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the Decoy Effect and wonder how this economic phenomenon could be applied to crowdfunding.  ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Using the Decoy Effect on Patreon and Kickstarter Should you pay a collaborator MORE than they ask for? Comics-Prose hybrid Identifying success so you know how to look for it Messaging new patrons Today is a great time to bump up your C...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar field a question from a listener who is worried that they'll lose readers as they improve their skills! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Raising prices to match inflation Desigining background "sets" for comics What if practice *doesn't* make progress? How to keep from going stir-crazy while working from home. Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar field a question from a listener who is worried that they'll lose readers as they improve their skills! ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... We need to talk about Webtoons UPDATE: SDCC reached out saying I can't use the ™ "Comic-Con" on packaging UPDATE: Backerkit launches a crowdfunding platform How page design effects the layout of a book. Today is a great time to bump...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss word balloons! How do you find the look that suits your comic best? ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Word balloon aesthetics Kickstarter stretch goals UPDATE: Free ComicLab pins at SDCC UPDATE: Gannett slashes op-ed pages Do Patreon milestone rewards still work? Is Ziggy the best comic of all time? Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to...

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the importance of mindset in building a career. If you search for excuses, you'll find excuses. If you search for solutions, you'll find solutions. ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... Choosing to find solutions instead of wallowing on failure Great How-to books for comics Releasing a longform comic one panel a day?? Participating in a critique as a novice Today...

Toronto Comics Arts Festival has become the latest comics organization to step on the NFT landmine! When will they learn?! Also, how do you rebuild after a social-media hijacking? ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW... TCAF and NFTs Rebuilding after a social-media hijacking Are long stories or short stories better for improving your writing? Today is a great time to bump up your ComicLab membership to the $10 tie...