Comics Coast To Coast » The Show

Episode 164 – The Alison Acton Interview

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:26:29 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Alison Acton about Bear Nuts.

Bear Nuts by Alison Acton
http://www.bearnuts.com/

About Alison:

http://www.bearnutscomic.com/about/

Studio DoOomcat is a husband and wife art team of Alison Acton and Jim Charalampidis. Both are free-lance artists trained in traditional animation and with a passion for comics. Jim is a colorist who’s worked on various books for different publishers like Dynamite Entertainment, Wildstorm, and Soleil. Alison is currently working on art chores for a graphic novel series from Harper Collins and Tokyopop. In their free time, they work on stuff for DoOomcat and travel to cons with posters and comics in tow.

Bear Nuts is written and drawn by Alison, with Jim on web support and kitchen duty… what a guy

About BearNuts:

As one of the largest exhibits at the Discount Zoo, (in both size and number of inhabitants) the bears attract a lot of attention… something none of them are happy about. Between gawking adults, jeering children, and their own rather profound personality clashes, it’s a wonder the bears can get through each day without maiming each other… well, most days.

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

Bear Nuts… What’s in a name? How did it come about? Are we talking nutty bears or bear-y nuts? Joel

STD bear and the Cone F Shame… Tanked bear eating his own barf… What is the grossed thing you’ve drawn in bear nuts? What is your barometer? Joel

What motivates the bears? Their own boredom? Pleasure in tormenting others? Joel

One of the design choices you make when drawing the bears far away is to not draw their nose. Style thing? (Anime) Or scale thing? Joel

Shop talk! What is your process? Traditional? Digital? Combo? Walk us through … Joel

How big do you draw Bear Nuts? (THE COMIC. Get your mind out of the gutter.) Joel

You’ve been at this a while, you obviously know your characters really well. Ever catch yourself thinking like any of the bears at social gatherings? Joel

Are you familiar with Happy Tree Friends? Before or after Bear Nuts? Source of inspiration? Joel

Tell us about your prints! “Tanked Nouveau” is a fave. Joel

What work fills your time outside if bear nuts? Joel

ipad question Joel

editor interest ? Joel

traffice / ads… Joel

Time constraints aside, any thoughts of animating Bear Nuts? Joel

Over time I’ve noticed slight design changes in the bears and their proportions. Natural evolution or conscious effort with things you’re not happy with? Joel

Why no girl bears? Joce

Given the subject matter of your comics, do you ever take flack from people who take offense to your comic? If so, how do you deal with the trolls? Joce

Do you find it difficult to incorporate all 9 (Now 10 with the panda) of your characters into the strip? I imagine Gay Bear would be quite a diva if he didn’t get enough screen time… Joce

The Bear Nuts characters are obviously the dark universe equivalent of the Care Bears, but were there other things that inspired the idea? Matt

Your stuff is very highly polished, how long does it take you to do a finished page? Matt

I see you are a fellow animator. Which medium holds greater appeal for you, animation or illustration? Matt

Bear Nuts seems to be largely your creation, but you still mention that your husband is involved. How does he help? Matt

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, and Matt

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 163 – The Travis Hanson Part 2 Interview

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:00:33 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Travis Hanson about The Bean and follow up to Trav’s latest Kickstarter project: Adventures For A Lazy Afternoon.

The Bean by Travis Hanson
http://www.beanleafpress.com/

About Travis:
http://www.beanleafpress.com/?page_id=2
“I am an artist and storyteller. I have been illustrating professionally for about 15 years now. I am also a father of 5 incredible kids, and husband of a beautiful enduring wife.

“the Bean” is my story. Published both as a webcomic and as printed graphic novels. In 2011 Bean was nominated for an Eisner in the “Best Digital”. That was a huge motivation to keep the story going.

I am lover of fantasy art and epic story telling. I am also a believer that “If you truly want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen.”. I also believe that it is our responsibility to teach others how to achieve their dreams as well. Yet, in the end it really comes down to how bad do you want to see your own dream happen. I won’t give it to you.

It has been a long hard road so far, but so worth it. I love creating stories and I love sharing them.

My influences over the years and in no order are James Owen, J.S.Lewis, Daniel Davis, Jason Brubaker, Spike, William Stout, Charles Vess, Stan Sakai, Jeff Smith, Wendy and Richard Pini, and so many more. They have each given me a little inspiration, some sound advice and incredible work ethic to follow.

So keep creating and enjoy the ride.”

Current Kickstarter!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/488571414/adventures-for-a-lazy-afternoon

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

Congrats on Adventures for a Lazy Afternoon. Still a few days left and you are already at 300% of set goal. Pleased? Did you celebrate the day you funded? What did you do? When does the real work begin? Brian

How is your new year’s goal of 20 pages a month going for book 4? Brian

Inking on Velum was the topic of a recent YouTube video you posted. What are the risks vs reward in this process? Brian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn-G52vz5Ws
What size? Joel

With three books available now, have you made any move towards giving readers the option of a digital version? Joel

Do I detect a fellow Elfquest fan? Matt

Your story has a leisurely pace to it that I love, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Have you had any complaints? Matt

I get the impression that, unlike a lot of artists I know, you really love doing backgrounds. Am I wrong? Matt
http://www.williamstout.com/

You give some good advice about backgrounds when you posted this comic. What was on your mind? What spurred that thought during the comic? Brian
http://www.beanleafpress.com/?p=4355

You have a character who speaks all in ryhme. Were you kicking yourself for that decision after a while? Matt

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 162 – The Ben Towle Interview

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:04:28 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Ben Towle about his tales of Oyster War

Oyster War By Ben Towle
http://www.oysterwar.com

About Artist:
http://www.benzilla.com/?page_id=132
Ben Towle is an Eisner-nominated cartoonist whose most recent book Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean (with Sarah Stewart Taylor), a graphic novel for young adults, was released by Disney/Hyperion Books in 2010. The book has received accolades from such publications as The New York Times and Publishers Weekly and was a Junior Library Guild selection. His previous work includes the historical fiction graphic novel Midnight Sun as well as an earlier volume of comics folk tales, Farewell, Georgia, both from SLG Publishing. He’s currently working on the webcomic, Oyster War.
Note from Joce: There is a whole lot more info on the About Me page, I just didn’t want to copy it all in here

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

Can you give us (and listeners) the basics on Oyster War. Joel

Your other works fall in historical function. I take it Oyster War is the same? (Forgive me, my American history is crap.) Joel

So I have to ask, why oysters? Joel
Follow up: Did you have to do a lot of research before/while writing Oyster War?

Who are your current cartooning influences? (Long list? Your top three or four.) Joel

You use a wide range of colors on Oyster War, not all of them obvious choices, how do you select your color pallet? Joel
Follow up: (comment) Great use of color for highlight/communication on Page 43.

How do you come up with your characters names? Historical influence as well? Joel

John Clark Monk sounds like an… Interesting fellow. Based on a real story/legend or all you? Joel

tools of the trade: how do you draw the comic? Joel

In a conversation we had on Twitter about web design you mentioned a coming end for Oyster War… What can you tell us about that? Always the plan? Looking forward to new projects? Joel
Follow up: Once you wrap things up, any thoughts on revamping the website for new readers vs. current/on-going readers?

Tease his new projects… Joel

You have only one supernatural creature in your cast, a selkie? Is she going to be the only piece of mythology, or is there more in the works? Matt

I love the Captains tendency to mangle well known sayings. How did you come up with that character quirk? Matt

You’ve put out a few books already. Which one was your favorite to work on and why? Matt

There’s a lovely retro vibe to the comic. It reminds me of some of the early newspaper strips. Was that what you were shooting for? Why? Matt

The comic is so rich visually that it must take a long time to do each page. Have you had to crop anything out of the story in order to keep things moving? Matt

I saw on your “about me” page that you’ve done some teaching. What classes did you teach? Matt

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 161 – The K. Lynn Smith Interview

admin — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:46:14 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Kati Lynn Smith about her old west comic Plume

Plume By K. Lynn Smith

http://plumecomic.com/

About Artist:
http://plumecomic.com/about.html
“K. Lynn Smith found her start in the comic world as a freelance cartoonist for her university newspaper. Currently, she is a freelance photographer (shameless plug), a designer at her local Chamber of Commerce, and a ye olde storyteller of the Western persuasion, via Plume.

When she’s not shooting, designing, or writing, K. Lynn enjoys traveling, yoga and occassionally seeing the sunlight.”

About Comic:
http://plumecomic.com/about.html
Plume is a story set in the Old West about a girl named Vesper Grey and her supernatural companion, Corrick. On their quest to recover her father’s life work, they encounter new friends and new foes, and learn that the Wild West is anything but tame.

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

TECH QUESTIONS:

Are you all digital or do you brainstorm/sketch in the really real world? Brian

Are you still using Photoshop CS4? Tried Manga Studio 5? Everybodies doing it. C’mon. Just a quick hit. Brian

What kind of hardware? Wacom? Intuous? Cintiq? Nintendo Zapper? Brian

Have you been creating the comic with an eye toward a print version? Matt

http://www.devilsdue.net/plume/

I read through the archives on my iPad. It felt like there was a lot of white space on the site. Why not make you art bigger? It deserves it! Joel

How big are your originals/digital templates? Joel

ARTISTIC VISION QUESTIONS:

You use halftone patterns in your comic. Is this an homage to old school comic shading? How do you do them? C’mon. Out with it. We won’t use it…we promise. Brian

You have a very rich but muted color palette. Is this an ever evolving pallete like my spelling of pallette or did you pretty much have a theme in mind from the offset? Brian

What influenced you to do a old west themed comic? Was it so you could draw horses walking away? Or something more sincere like “my dad and I used to watch….” Please let it be something sappy!! Brian

You have had other artists such as Nei Ruffino, Joel Humberto Herrera and Elizabeth Torque create alternative covers for issues of the comic book versions of Plume. How do you feel with your characters in the hands of other artists? Was this a personal experience or something setup by your publisher? Brian

Your drawing style seems heavily influenced by animation, specifically disney and anime. Do you have some favorite films? Matt

I noticed your characters tend to have a white outline around them, how did that come about? Matt

Vesper’s hair is black with no detail beyond the silhouette. Corrick is the same but white. How did you reach that aesthetic? Is there a reason you can share for the juxtaposition? Joel

WRITING STYLE QUESTIONS:

Your dialogue is sparse but punchy. Lots of energy. Do you write in this way naturally or do you labor over each word, beating the dialogue into some ruggedly handsome well spoken cowboy from the turn of the century. Brian

Do you often find yourself in the grocery store staring at the grapes trying to remember what you needed? Also, it isn’t grapes. No wait. That was me. Brian

Wait…now I remember. Do you write all the stories on your own? During my cyberstalking of the comic I saw a post where a friend was helping you write dialogue. Was that for humor effect or a little peak behind the curtain at the enormous head that is the Wizard? Brian

Is the whole story already written out or are you working from some kind of outline? Matt

How long do you anticipate the final story to be, or is it meant to be ongoing? Matt

Vesper and Corrick. Interesting names! How did you come up with them? How do you approach names in general? Joel

You do a great job of not beating the reader over the head with important details. IE: Amulet. Golden gun. Intentional technique or happy accident of your storytelling style? Joel

Personal Appearances and Shit:

Part of the comicer’s life has increasingly become dependent on getting out to the conventions & meeting the fans and potential fans. Tell us about the reception you get at the cons with Plume. Brian

Do you ever dress up for these conventions? Maybe in some Plume themed costuming? Do the Steam Punks ever try to start shit? Brian

Another part of the conventions is getting out and meeting your colleagues and heroes in the industry. Regale us with such an encounter. Brian

Lora Innes: The Dreamer

http://www.thedreamercomic.com/

Into The Future:

With 2 successful kickstarter projects funded. Do you see a 3rd on the horizon? Love/Hate Kickstarter? Brian

More Plume? Other projects upcoming? Brian

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 160 – The Jay Fosgitt Does It Again Episode

admin — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:50:41 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Jay P. Fosgitt about his new all-ages comic book Bodie Troll

About Artist:

http://www.jayfosgitt.com/about.html

Jay P. Fosgitt is the creator of the all-ages comic book BODIE TROLL that comes out April 17th, 2013 from Red 5 Comics. Jay is also the creator of the graphic novel DEAD DUCK, which was originally published by Ape Entertainment in 2009 and is now an ongoing web comic. Jay’s other creator-owned projects are NECRONOMICOMICS, a single panel comic that lampoons horror films, which is published monthly in Rue Morgue Magazine. Jay’s has also produced licensed comic book work, contributing illustrations to DREAMWORKS ANIMATION MAGAZINE, and contributing writing and art for the forthcoming SESAME STREET comic book, both published by Ape Entertainment. Also for Ape Entertainment, Jay was the writer/artist on the all-ages comics LITTLE GREEN MEN, DINO DUCK, and OLD MCMONSTER’S HAUNTED FARM. He was also the character designer on the comic book SCOUTS. Jay has contributed artwork for such sketch card series as STAR WARS GALAXY 5 for Topps Entertainment and MARVEL: DANGEROUS DIVAS, MARVEL UNIVERSE 2011, and MARVEL: BRONZE AGE for Rittenhouse Archives, and ARCHIE, SABRINA, and HACK/SLASH for 5finity Productions. Most recently, Jay’s artwork has been featured in the book TEAM CUL DE SAC: CARTOONISTS DRAW THE LINE AT PARKINSON’S, alongside other professional cartoonists who drew characters from Richard Thompson’s comic strip “Cul De Sac”, with proceeds going towards a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. Jay will also be the letterer on comic creator Guy Davis’ upcoming comic, The Marquis and the Midwife, to be published by Dark Horse Comics. Jay is a member of The National Cartoonists Society. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife Laura and cats Goonie and Tika. Visit his website at: www.jayfosgitt.com.

About The Comic

http://www.jayfosgitt.com/projects.html

BODIE TROLL
In the fairytale village of Hagadorn lurks Bodie Troll, a fuzzy little grump who wants to be big and scary, but is doomed to be cute and cuddly, and no help from his Fairy Godmother-employer, Miz Bijou, or his barmaid-best friend, Cholly, can change that. But what Bodie lacks in terror he
makes up for in mischief, and silly and suspenseful adventures await just beyond his bridge!
Created, written and drawn by Jay Fosgitt
Coming April 17th 2013 from Red 5 Comics.

DEAD DUCK
Jay’s creator-owned graphic novel about a minion of Death and his sidekick, Zombie Chick, as they collect the dead in all their weirdest and wackiest forms. Previously published by Ape Entertainment in 2009, Dead Duck is currently re-run as a web comic.”

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

Why do you smell so good? Do you bathe in some sort of expensive soaps? – Brian

We had a chance to read Bodie Troll on our digital devices. What are your distribution plans? – iTunes? Comixology? Independent PDF? - Joel

In the same line of thought, have digital platforms (iPad, android tablet, retina displays) influenced your layout? Joel

Is is a spoiler to ask how Bodie became employed by Miz Bijou? Joel

I love all the names for the characters in the story so far. How did you come up with them? Do you have a secret sauce for naming your characters in general? Joel

I already love the style of Dead Duck, but it seems like you kicked it up a level for Bodie Troll. How much time does a page for each take? Matt

Is Bodie going to be an ongoing series? Please say yes. Matt

I could gush about your artwork all night. Who are some of the artists you would gush over? Matt

Intro Music: Found on Looperman.com

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 159 – The Inkd Interview

admin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:43:25 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Benedict Jones and Justin Salsburey of inkd.me :

About INK’D :

visit: inkd.me

“Inkd is creating a distribution platform for Webcomics. You all know that Webcomics are one of the most creative and unique pieces of content thats surfaced on the internet, so it’s a real shame that there’s no platform built just for them. Right now the tech and online community are the biggest readers. But because they’re so much like Comic Strips in the Newspaper, we think a much larger audience is ready to enjoy them! Unfortunately they’re difficult to discover, organize, and consume. Inkd wants to solve these problems!

Users will have an experience similar to Twitter, in which you’ll see a stream of content being pushed from the webcomics you subscribe to. Unlike twitter however, when you decide to read a new issue of a webcomic you’ll be immersed in a comixology-like experience. But truly it all begins with the Authors. As the creators of this content they need better ways to publish their work, make it more accessible, and easier to share. Authors will have an opportunity to drive traffic back to thier site, and earn revenue through advertsing. Currently we are looking at providing the ability for Authors to create and place their own ads (at the end of each strip, for example) affording them a space to highlight merchandise, or drive traffic to any page on their site. Access to traditional options through an Ad Network will also be available.”

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

What was the motivation behind creating ink’d? Brian

(if not answered above) Are any of you aspiring cartoonists, fans or just saw a need in the market? Brian

You had an unsucceful Kickstarter Campaign back in January. Obviously, you are still moving forward. What’s the plan now? Brian

How much will ink’d cost? viewer vs publisher? Brian

Did you work with any cartoonists during the development of ink’d? Brian

Do you have a favorite cartoonist? Brian

Your number 1 selling point for ink’d as a publisher. as a user. Brian

With the general decline of ad revenue on websites (specifically webcomic sites) do you feel ad supported revenue with your app may suffer? Joel

How are you handling multiple screen sizes? From iPhone small to iPad big. Retina? Joel

The screen shots on your website appear elegant and user friendly. Can you tell us about your design mission objectives? Joel

Your site description mentions a curated experience for readers. Who’s taking care of that, Inkd or the creator? Customizable? Joel

Tell us about the Author Advisory Board. What’s that been like? Joel
Can you share how artists have received the project / how they have contributed? (I understand if per-launch you can’t be too specific) Joel

Out of all the platforms you’re planning to be on, which one do you think is/will be the most difficult? Matt

Have you been actively approaching creators or are you counting on them coming to you? Matt

Ranking system? Comics rated like apps are rated in the app store? (not important – can leave until last) Joel

Intro Music: Found on Looperman.com

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 158 – The Stephen Fox Interview

admin — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:31:34 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Stephen Fox of the superhero webcomic NEX

About Artist:

http://www.FoxStorytelling.com/
“My whole life, I’ve felt my purpose was to tell stories of optimism. While that may seem vague enough, it’s actually a pretty restricting perameter. To me, it’s an important one though.
”
There are enough stories that use cynicism and vulgarity to wrangle the simplest form of humor or art. While some of my work is less than refined, it is my hope to always offer an escape from whatever troubles you might be experiencing. As someone that believes in a loving—while baffling creator, I also believe that even simple or silly stories like NEX can be worthwhile. Because of that belief, I put a lot of my heart and soul into each thing I write and illustrate. The drawback is that because I’m a father and husband, it’s difficult to pour a lot of time into an endeavor that doesn’t help with the bills at all.

About The Comic
http://www.nexcomic.com/
NEX is a totally original comedy comic about redneck superheroes. Specifically, four rednecks from the small southern town of Bucksnort, TN that are abducted, and mistakenly injected with an alien super-serum intended for Martian super-soldiers. This series follows Mack, Ricky, Bret & Keith as they become the world’s first redneck superhero team. These guys aren’t mild-mannered, articulate, defenders of a big city. the world has enough of those kind of heroes. NEX: Superheroes for the rest of us.

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

MATT: I don’t know if any of this will help, but here are some bit’s o’ information:
“I wrote a kid’s book called “”Lela’s Tree”" as a charity fundraiser for a local Nashville adoption…
”
STEPHEN: I love Futurama, King of the Hill, The Muppets, A Lone Star State of Mind, Trailer Park Boys, & Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—all of which inspired NEX in one way or another
Bucksnort TN really exists
NEX was originally created as an 80 page series proposal to Adult Swim
Watching Mat The Wad inspired me to consider animation before making NEX a comic…a realization that the amount of work would be awful and nightmarish in it’s neverendingness talked me out of it.
Listening to CCtoC (along with one other pcast) is what convinced me to make NEX a comic, and to post it online for free.
NEX book #2 will have a back up story about a trio of Fat Vampires, called…Fat Vampires.

Walk us through your creative (visual) process for NEX. (Digital? Traditional? Obviously full color.) Joel
With all the cultural references you use in the dialogue, are you worried some people won’t get it? Matt
So the burning question (if not already answered)… Why rednecks? Joel
What type of comics would you say dominate your reading? Marvel/DC? Indie? (web) Gag a day? Long form, like yours? Joel

The comic has a lot of dialogue at times, was it difficult to balance the visuals with the word balloons? Matt
I see a little MAD magazine influence here, am I wrong? Matt
I hope the crazy stalker alien isn’t based on a real person. Matt
Spoiler on a spaceship. Awesome. Matt
Will there ever be a sequel? Matt
Old comics? Matt
Characters based on real people? Matt

Where do you see yourself in 5 years with regards to NEX and your work? Goals? (not just the books) Joel
Let’s not forget to mention the fun community still growing at Webcomics Google+ Community Joel
https://plus.google.com/communities/106742014422516775756

Intro Music: Found on Looperman.com

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 157 – The Dave Kellett Interview

jocelyn — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:45:04 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Dave Kellett of Sheldon, Drive and Stripped: The Comics Documentary.

About Sheldon: “See, Sheldon is this weird, wonderful little strip…with geeky characters, all-ages storylines, and lots of pop-culture nerdiness. At its center is this odd little family: A boy, his duck, and the grandfather that raises them both.” Check out the cast of characters HERE!

About Drive: “DRIVE tells the story of a second Spanish empire, a galactic empire, and it’s looming war with a race called “The Continuum of Makers”. Humanity has built their empire using technology stolen from the Makers — and these creatures want it back with an almost religious fervor.

In the brewing war, it’s clear that humanity will lose, and lose badly, unless they can find some advantage in battle. That hope arrives in the form of a tiny, mysterious creature who can drive a starship like no one’s ever seen. Now all humanity needs to do…is find 10,000 more pilots just like him. But no one knows where he’s from.

We follow the crew of the scout ship Machito, who have been press-ganged into a unique mission by an Emperor they despise: Find this mysterious race, or the empire…ends.” Check out the cast of characters HERE!

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

Sheldon

This is your longest running comic correct? You ever think about stopping? (right for the jugular…gnaw gnaw gnaw..like a pug with no teeth) Brian

It seems you put no limits on what Sheldo would be able to do in your comic by making him a self made man from the start. How does Sheldon keep grounded? In other words…do you ever worry your readers will not be able to relate to 10 year old rich kid of the internet age? Brian

Drive
What do you get the most out of with Drive? Departure from Sheldon? Testing ground for new techniques/ideas? Joel

I think I read/heard that you draw Drive with a pure digital process. Do you own or have you produced art for comics on an iPad/tablet? Joel

One was not enough? What did your spouse think about a second strip? Brian

Freeing Comics Talk
In your talk at OSU “The Freeing of the Comics” you mentioned how little online advertising effects your bottom line. As far as I can tell, in the past 2 years online advertising (for comics) has fallen further. Have you considered dumping ads all together on your site? Joel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzRival4atI

Be accessible. – Be entertaining. – Be kind. Joel has a story. I am scared.

Process
Your process is well documented in books, podcasts and even a video on your site – but how has it changed recently? (past few years) Joel

Fill us in on the new standing desk. How do you like it? (I have one as well – make shift, but it works.) Joel

Time Management
How do you stay in the present when so much planning is going into your future. Brian

Stripped: The Comics Documentary
Stripped features a HUGE list of comic professionals… Can you share one of your favorite moments? Joel
A. With a mentor? Joel
B. With a peer? Joel
http://strippedfilm.com

You’ve reached what most creators would consider to be success. What do you think were the most important ingredients in getting there? Matt

What has been the most unexpected part of your journey? Matt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs

Intro Music: Found on Looperman.com

Opening Loop – 2DEEP REMIX by SteelCityRed http://www.looperman.com/users/tracks/895897

Closing Loop – DeadStringer – My Loops, Acapellas And Songs At Looperman.com http://www.looperman.com/users/profile/794457

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 156 – The Megan and Isabelle Interview

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:01:53 +0000

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we talk to Meg and Isa about their collaborative work on their fantasy and fairies comic Namesake.

Check out the comic here:

http://namesakecomic.com

About: Isabelle Melanço
Isabelle is a French-Canadian artist who grew up in Ottawa and currently lives in Montreal. Her professional debut, ROSE, was published in 2009.

About: Megan Lavey-Heaton
Megan Lavey-Heaton is a visual journalist who has moved across the United States several times for her craft. She is currently a newspaper designer and freelance blogger who resides in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

About: The story
Namesake is the story of Emma Crewe, a woman who discovers she can visit other worlds. She finds out that these are places she already knows – fantasy and fairy lands made famous through the spoken word, literature and cinema. Her power as a Namesake forces her to act as a protagonist in these familiar stories as she figures out how to get home.

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

- Who came up with the idea for your fantasy comic Namesake?

- How did you two meet?

- Have you heard of Ni no Kuni? Are you guys really huge into Anime?

- How do you like working in a comic book store?

- What does Megan do for a living?

- Print vs Digital, go!

- Self publishing and Kickstarter – Namesake Book 2

- Publishing in North America vs Publishing in China, why did you decide to go local?

- What is your process? How does the collaboration between you two work?

- How do you do all the lettering for the comic?

- Conventions! Where are you heading? Tell us about them.

- Tools of the Trade! What do you use, what do you recommend?

- Nomad Brush

- Wacom Bamboo Stylus for iPad (from Brian)

- Are you fans of the original Wizard of Oz movie? How did you get introduced to that world?

- Books vs Movies in the Oz universe

- Speaking of creepy adaptations, have you played Alice: Madness Returns?

- What was the idea that sparked the story of Namesake?

- Any tips on collaboration?

Remember to go support the Kickstarter! Help the ladies out!

All links to Megan and Isa’s social media accounts are found on the Namesake website! (Right hand side, down where the blog is).

Intro Music: Found on Looperman.com

DeadStringer – My Loops, Acapellas And Songs At Looperman.com http://www.looperman.com/users/profile/794457

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker:

Episode 155.5 – The Supple-mental Episode

admin — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:14:24 +0000

Mat_The_Beard

On this episode of Comics Coast To Coast we hang out around the ole virtual watercooler and talk about everything from comics to beards. Join us now on this very special host episode of CC2C

Don’t forget to listen to all the great podcasts on the Frog Pants Network.

As always, you can find our show by clicking the link below, or if you want to take us with you,
you can download us from iTunes.

Download MP3

Show Notes:

M-I-C-K-E-Y C-O-M-I-K

Intro Music: Found on Looperman.com

Follow the guys on Twitter: Brian, Joel, Matt and Denver

Special thanks: Scott Johnson (http://myextralife.com), Sebastiaan (The Mashup Man) for our Mashups, Nicole Spagnuolo (http://nicolespag.com) and everyone behind the scenes

Official Note Taker: