Comics Are Great! http://comicsaregreat.com The visual storytelling show Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:01:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=Comics Are Great! Cartoonist and Teaching Artist Jerzy Drozd talks with other comics creators and industry leaders about the comics medium. Jerzy Drozd no jerzydrozd@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) Comics Are Great by Jerzy Drozd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at comicsaregreat.com. Talking about visual storytelling with people who make or care about comics. comics,webcomics,graphic,novels,animation,storytelling,writing,illustration Comics Are Great! http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://comicsaregreat.com TV-Y Comics Are Great by Jerzy Drozd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at comicsaregreat.com.comics,webcomics,graphic,novels,animation,storytelling,writing,illustrationArts/Visual Artscomicsaregreat@gmail.comJerzy Drozd Comics Are Great! 46 – Manga Studio http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/NcFxW-E9Lb8/cag46 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag46#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:53:25 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3259 This episode is packed to the gills as I’m joined by a full house of great people who are all eager to talk about comics!

First up is a discussion on drawing digitally in Manga Studio with Stephen McCranie, who leads a demonstration of how he draws his comics in the program while Paul Storrie and I watch and comment with baited breath.

We’re then joined by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library and David Carter of the University of Michigan Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library for some great book recommendations and some talk on Mini-Comics Day in Ann Arbor, March 10.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations:

Upcoming events:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-KiDF0XG1Q

Live streams every other Wednesday at Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Paul, Stephen, and Dave on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag46/feed 0 aadl,adobe photoshop,ann arbor district library,david carter,digital tools,drawing,inking,manga studio,paul storrie,penciling,sharon iverson,stephen mccranie This episode is packed to the gills as I'm joined by a full house of great people who are all eager to talk about comics! - First up is a discussion on drawing digitally in Manga Studio with Stephen McCranie, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/mangastudio.jpg)This episode is packed to the gills as I'm joined by a full house of great people who are all eager to talk about comics! First up is a discussion on drawing digitally in Manga Studio (http://manga.smithmicro.com/index.html) with Stephen McCranie (http://malandchad.com/), who leads a demonstration of how he draws his comics in the program while Paul Storrie (http://storrieville.com/) and I watch and comment with baited breath. We're then joined by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org/) and David Carter (http://twitter.com/davereadscomics) of the University of Michigan Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library for some great book recommendations and some talk on Mini-Comics Day in Ann Arbor, March 10 (http://www.lib.umich.edu/minicomicsday). Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * The Mal & Chad contest! * Stephen's Doodle Alley essays (http://doodlealley.com/) on sustainable creativity * The Parable comics anthology * Mike Maihack (http://www.cowshell.com/) * Dave Carter's Ignite Ann Arbor Talk, Awesome Comics You Should Read (http://igniteshow.com/videos/awesome-comics-you-should-read) * More Ignite talks on comics (http://igniteshow.com/search/apachesolr_search/comics) * The Watchmen prequels * Jeff Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Smith_(comics)) * Eric Orchard (http://www.ericorchard.blogspot.com/) * Dave Gibbons's webinar on using Manga Studio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIgYn5MjCQA) * Ghostopolis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostopolis) * The Wacom Cintiq (http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Cintiq.aspx) * nemu*nemu (http://www.nemu-nemu.com/) * Matt Feazell (http://home.comcast.net/~mattfeazell) (check out his appearance on CAG 23 (http://comicsaregreat.com/cag23)) * Suzanne Baumann (http://www.fridge-mag.com/) * Sean Beiri (http://themanwhojaped.blogspot.com/) * XKCD (http://xkcd.com/) * Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School (http://www.drsketchy.com/) Comics and Book Recommendations: * Lunch Lady Comics * Cross Game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Game) * Orange Road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimagure_Orange_Road) Upcoming events: * Mini-Comics Day at the Duderstadt Center, March 10 (http://www.lib.umich.edu/minicomicsday) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-KiDF0XG1Q Live streams every other Wednesday at Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Paul (http://twitter.com/#!/storrieville), Stephen (http://twitter.com/#!/stephenmccranie), and Dave (http://twitter.com/#!/davereadscomics) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page (https://plus.google.com/111237521512731594998) Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:17:16 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag46http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag46.mp3 Comics Are Great! 45 – Balancing Act http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/F9wbXRmng54/cag45 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag45#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:20:07 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3215 Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I’m joined by Skottie Young and Katie Cook for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist and strategies to stay on top of one’s career, finding time for personal projects, all while still being present for friends and family.

We’re joined at the end by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for some final thoughts and book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and book recommendations:

Upcoming events:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NlGbM5mF5Y

Live streams every other Wednesday at Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Skottie, Katie, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag45/feed 1 aadl,ann arbor district library,artistic development,eli neiburger,katie cook,skottie young,time management Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I'm joined by Skottie Young and Katie Cook for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist a... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cag45art.jpg)Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I'm joined by Skottie Young (http://skottieyoung.com) and Katie Cook (http://katiecandraw.com) for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist and strategies to stay on top of one's career, finding time for personal projects, all while still being present for friends and family. We're joined at the end by Eli Neiburger (http://ulo.tricho.us) of the Ann Arbor District Library for some final thoughts and book recommendations. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Scatterwood (http://www.skottiescott.com/), a comic by Skottie Young and Scott Morse (http://scottmorse.blogspot.com/) * Skottie Young's 2012 Manifesto (http://www.skottieyoung.com/2012/01/2012-manifesto.html) * Skottie's FAQ (http://www.skottieyoung.com/p/faq.html) * Gronk (http://www.gronkcomic.com/), a weekly webcomic by Katie Cook * The Traveling Wilburys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling_Wilburys) * Doug TenNapel (http://tennapel.com/) * Ramón Pérez (http://www.ramonperez.com/) * Big Cartel (http://bigcartel.com/) * Epic Win productivity app (http://www.rexbox.co.uk/epicwin/) Comics and book recommendations: * Jim Henson's Tale of Sand (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936393093/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1936393093)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1936393093) * Shutterbug Follies (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385503466/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385503466)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0385503466) * Organizing from the Inside Out for Teenagers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805064702/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0805064702)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0805064702) * Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419657275/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419657275)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1419657275) * How to Be Organized in Spite of Yourself: Time and Space Management that Works with Your Personal Style (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451197461/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0451197461)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0451197461) * reMIND (http://www.remindblog.com/) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Volume 1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613770073/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1613770073)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1613770073) Upcoming events: * Scott Yoshinaga and Audra Furuichi (http://nemu-nemu.com) will be the guest artists at the next Comic Artists Forum at AADL (http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=13744) * Jerzy's Family Comic Jam at UMMA (http://comicsaregreat.com/family-comic-jam) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NlGbM5mF5Y Live streams every other Wednesday at Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Skottie (http://twitter.com/#!/skottieyoung), Katie (http://twitter.com/#!/katiecandraw), and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Jerzy Drozd clean 1:06:27 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag45http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag45.mp3 Comics Are Great! 44 – Great Comics http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/7IQiLiBu_DU/cag44 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag44#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:06:54 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3201 We’re back with a new “season” of Comics Are Great! recorded live out of the Ann Arbor District Library Netcast Studio! And to kick it off, we’re starting with a discussion of the wild and varied landscape of comics by talking about some of our favorite books. Whatever your tastes, there’s a comic out there just waiting for you to fall in love with it.

I’m joined by Stephanie Mannheim, Gale Williams, and Eli Neiburger, who share some of their favorite comics and use music and movie metaphors to explain who these comics are made for.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics Recommendations:

Webcomic Recommendations:

Upcoming Events:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uPR_GItrcA

Live streams every other Wednesday at Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Gale, Stephanie, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag44/feed 0 aadl,ann arbor district library,eli neiburger,gale williams,stephanie mannheim,webcomic We're back with a new "season" of Comics Are Great! recorded live out of the Ann Arbor District Library Netcast Studio! And to kick it off, we're starting with a discussion of the wild and varied landscape of comics by talking about some of our favorit... We're back with a new "season" of Comics Are Great! recorded live out of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org) Netcast Studio! And to kick it off, we're starting with a discussion of the wild and varied landscape of comics by talking about some of our favorite books. Whatever your tastes, there's a comic out there just waiting for you to fall in love with it. I'm joined by Stephanie Mannheim (http://stephaniemannheim.com), Gale Williams (http://patbird.galesaur.com), and Eli Neiburger (http://ulo.tricho.us/), who share some of their favorite comics and use music and movie metaphors to explain who these comics are made for. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cag44_art3.jpg)Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Vault of Midnight (http://www.vaultofmidnight.com/) * Peter Bagge (http://www.peterbagge.com/) * Robert Crumb (http://rcrumb.com/) * Tex Avery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Avery) * Basil Wolverton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Wolverton) * Charles Burns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Burns_(cartoonist)) * The Ramones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones) * Kevin Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Smith) * The Future (film) (http://www.tribecafilm.com/news-features/features/The_Future_Miranda_July.html) * Juno (film) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/) * Magical Girls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_girl) * T-Rex (band) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Rex_(band)) * Andrew Bird (http://www.andrewbird.net/) * Garden State (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0333766/) * Memento (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/) * Van Halen (http://www.van-halen.com/) * John Williams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams) * Michael Bay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bay) * Smallville (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279600/) * Superbad (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/) * The new Ultimate Spider-Man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Morales) Comics Recommendations: * Buddy Does Seattle (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560976233/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1560976233)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1560976233) * The Bradleys (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560975768/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1560975768)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1560975768) * Dr. Slump (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159116950X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=159116950X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=159116950X) * The Fate of the Artist (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596431334/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1596431334)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596431334) * From Hell (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0958578346/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0958578346)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0958578346) * Eddie Campbell's Bacchus (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0958578362/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0958578362)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0958578362) * 20th Century Boys (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591169224/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1591169224)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1591169224) * Little Things: A Memoir in Slices (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PO68II/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001PO68II)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001PO68II) Jerzy Drozd clean 58:24 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag44http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag44.mp3 Comics Are Great! 43 – Let’s Fight! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/cQicqY829EI/cag43 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag43#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:58:09 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3162 It’s a special unscheduled Comics Are Great! discussion with Ryan Estrada, who just happened to be in town during the winter break. He sat down with me for a talk on the various kinds of drama that pop up in comics circles and together we explore why it is that we’re sometimes so eager to pick a fight online. Is there a time and place for arguing with peers or readers, or is it an opportunity to turn them into a superfan?

We also talk about the benefits of taking risks (both creatively and in our daily lives), using Ryan’s adventure travels and his “Not My Thing” challenge he takes on from time to time.

Links mentioned this episode:

Upcoming events:

We’ll be back in January with more live episodes at Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing.

Follow Jerzy and Ryan on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag43/feed 1 artistic development,ryan estrada,self publishing It's a special unscheduled Comics Are Great! discussion with Ryan Estrada, who just happened to be in town during the winter break. He sat down with me for a talk on the various kinds of drama that pop up in comics circles and together we explore why i... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ryancomplete.jpg)It's a special unscheduled Comics Are Great! discussion with Ryan Estrada (http://ryanestrada.com), who just happened to be in town during the winter break. He sat down with me for a talk on the various kinds of drama that pop up in comics circles and together we explore why it is that we're sometimes so eager to pick a fight online. Is there a time and place for arguing with peers or readers, or is it an opportunity to turn them into a superfan? We also talk about the benefits of taking risks (both creatively and in our daily lives), using Ryan's adventure travels (http://ryanestrada.com/expeditions/africa.html) and his "Not My Thing" challenge he takes on from time to time. Links mentioned this episode: * Rachel Yu (http://www.rachelbookcorner.com/), a 14-year-old self-published author whose work recently hit the #1 slot in Amazon's Kindle Graphic Novels and Comics Store (http://www.comicsbeat.com/2011/12/27/sales-charts-unboxing-day-2011-and-a-surprising-discovery/) * Comics Are Great! 13 - Swears (http://comicsaregreat.com/cag13) * Ryan's free download of everything he's ever done (http://ryanestrada.com/complete/index.html) * Ryan's 168-hour comic (http://ryanestrada.com/pedxing/index.html) * Lulu print-on-demand (http://www.lulu.com/) * Ryan on Google Plus (https://plus.google.com/u/0/100623276740673202144/posts) * Lean Into Art (http://leanintoart.com/workshops/) Upcoming events: * January comics events at AADL (http://www.aadl.org/events/list/0/56) * Jerzy's Sound Design Online Workshop January 7, 11, & 14, 2012 (http://leanintoart.com/ftam-designing-sound-adobe/) We'll be back in January with more live episodes at Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Ryan (http://twitter.com/#!/ryanestrada) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page (https://plus.google.com/111237521512731594998) Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:04:22 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag43http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag43.mp3 Comics Are Great! 42 – My Life in France http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/2KuMPTW3uqw/cag42 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag42#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:17:47 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3148 Click to see photos of Dave and Raina's experience at the Saint-Malo festivalAs we close out the 2011 season of shows, I’m thrilled to have Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier on to talk about their recent experience at the Quai des Bulles Saint Malo Comics Festival. While watching some video and slideshows from their trip, Raina shares her reflections on how tabling at a French comics festival differs from ones in the United States, and Dave shares his observations about how the festival felt different for the person walking the aisles.

We close with an appearance by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some more great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Upcoming events:

This week’s book recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gEO0ZhKcRk

We’ll be back in January with more live episodes at Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Raina, and Dave on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag42/feed 0 aadl,ann arbor district library,conventions,dave roman,events,raina telgemeier,self promotion,sharon iverson As we close out the 2011 season of shows, I'm thrilled to have Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier on to talk about their recent experience at the Quai des Bulles Saint Malo Comics Festival. While watching some video and slideshows from their trip, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mylifeinfrance.jpg)As we close out the 2011 season of shows, I'm thrilled to have Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) and Raina Telgemeier (http://goraina.com) on to talk about their recent experience a... Jerzy Drozd clean 1:04:24 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag42http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag42.mp3 Comics Are Great! 41 – Digital Painting http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/NyDH4iTa8A8/cag41 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag41#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:43:50 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3128

After a failed attempt at some digital painting, I enlisted the help of Brandon Dayton, celebrated cartoonist behind Green Monk and concept designer for EA Games, for a discussion and demonstration on how to paint with pixels. Lots of great material in the video this time as Brandon shares some terrific tips and tricks!

We’re later joined by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for a discussion on micropayment systems like BitCoin, Flattr, and YouTipIt, followed by another round of great comics recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Book recommendations this week:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ-_mXhMcYs

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Brandon, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag41/feed 0 adobe photoshop,ann arbor district library,brandon dayton,business model,design,eli neiburger,illustration After a failed attempt at some digital painting, I enlisted the help of Brandon Dayton, celebrated cartoonist behind Green Monk and concept designer for EA Games, for a discussion and demonstration on how to paint with pixels. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/paintings.jpg) After a failed attempt at some digital painting, I enlisted the help of Brandon Dayton (http://brandondayton.com), celebrated cartoonist behind Green Monk and concept designer for EA Games (http://www.ea.com/), for a discussion and demonstration on how to paint with pixels. Lots of great material in the video this time as Brandon shares some terrific tips and tricks! We're later joined by Eli Neiburger (https://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org) for a discussion on micropayment systems like BitCoin (http://bitcoin.org/), Flattr (http://flattr.com/), and YouTipIt (http://www.youtipit.org/home/index), followed by another round of great comics recommendations! Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Brandon's portfolio (http://brandondayton.com/website/portfolio/) * Risk Factions (http://www.ea.com/risk-factions) (and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/riskfactions)) * Photoshop Clipping Masks (http://photoshopcontest.com/tutorials/23/clipping-mask-101.html) * Steve Gibson's explanation of BitCoin (http://twit.tv/sn287) * The IMF (http://www.imf.org/) * BitCoin Evolution (http://bitcoinevolution.com/) * Star Trek Replicators (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicator_(Star_Trek)) * The nemu*nemu Kickstarter campaign * play.aadl.org (http://play.aadl.org) * Jerzy's FTAM! Designing Sound Elements in Adobe Illustrator workshop (http://leanintoart.com/ftam-designing-sound-adobe/) Book recommendations this week: * Nobody Particular: One Woman's Fight to Save the Bays (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931498946/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931498946)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1931498946) * Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670062219/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0670062219)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0670062219) * Dreamtoons (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001PBY9K/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0001PBY9K)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0001PBY9K) * Missed Connection Comics (http://missedconnectioncomics.blogspot.com/) * Grandville (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595823972/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1595823972)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1595823972) * nemu*nemu (http://nemu-nemu.com) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ-_mXhMcYs Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Brandon (https://twitter.com/#!/brandondayton), and Eli (https://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page (https://plus.google.com/111237521512731594998) Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:14:59 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag41http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag41.mp3 Comics Are Great! 40 – Jim Henson Was Complicated http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/5kzrF37dCQw/cag40 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag40#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:39:33 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3106 WARNING: If you wish to avoid spoilers or opinions on The Muppets movie, I suggest that you save this episode until after you’ve seen the film.

In this special audio-only episode of Comics Are Great! I’m joined by Dave Roman for a talk about the new Muppets film. We discuss some of the unique storytelling tricks used in the film, revisit some of our thoughts on the Mary Sue character (which we first broached in Comics Are Great! episode 03), and examine some of the special considerations one encounters when approaching storytelling with characters like the Muppets. Throughout our discussion we tackle complicated topics such as author intent, whether or not a franchised intellectual property must be frozen in time, and interpreting the mind of a brilliant creator.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing.

Follow Jerzy and Dave on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag40/feed 0 character design,dave roman,storytelling WARNING: If you wish to avoid spoilers or opinions on The Muppets movie, I suggest that you save this episode until after you've seen the film. - In this special audio-only episode of Comics Are Great! I'm joined by Dave Roman for a talk about the new... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jimhenson-300x293.jpg)WARNING: If you wish to avoid spoilers or opinions on The Muppets movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204342/), I suggest that you save this episode until after you've seen the film. In this special audio-only episode of Comics Are Great! I'm joined by Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) for a talk about the new Muppets film. We discuss some of the unique storytelling tricks used in the film, revisit some of our thoughts on the Mary Sue character (which we first broached in Comics Are Great! episode 03 (http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-03-mary-sue)), and examine some of the special considerations one encounters when approaching storytelling with characters like the Muppets. Throughout our discussion we tackle complicated topics such as author intent, whether or not a franchised intellectual property must be frozen in time, and interpreting the mind of a brilliant creator. Links mentioned in this episode: * It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/It%27s_a_Very_Merry_Muppet_Christmas_Movie) * A Muppet Family Christmas (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Family_Christmas) * The Great Muppet Caper (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Great_Muppet_Caper) * The Muppet Movie (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppet_Movie) * The Muppets Take Manhattan (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppets_Take_Manhattan) * The Muppet Christmas Carol (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Christmas_Carol) * Muppet Treasure Island (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Treasure_Island) * The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppets_wizard_of_oz) * Muppets From Space (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppets_From_Space) * The Dark Crystal (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Dark_Crystal) * Labyrinth (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Labyrinth) * Muppets Tonight (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppets_Tonight) * Elizabeth Stevens' essay on the Muppets (http://www.theawl.com/2011/07/weekend-at-kermies-the-muppets-strange-life-after-death) * Frank Oz reveals why he turned down The Muppets (http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2011/10/23/frank-oz-reveals-why-he-turned-down-the-muppets/) * Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibition * Life in the Age of Fanfiction (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/the-bigger-picture-muppets-avengers-and-life-in-the-age-of-fanfiction) * ToughPigs.com (http://www.toughpigs.com/) * AG Bear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AG_Bear) * Astronaut Academy (http://yaytime.com/books/astronaut-academy/) * Delilah Dirk (http://delilahdirk.com) Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Dave (http://twitter.com/#!/yaytime) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page (https://plus.google.com/111237521512731594998) Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:32:25 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag40http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag40.mp3 Comics Are Great! 39 – The Delilah Dirk Fan Club http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/SWwZ-aVf6I0/cag39 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag39#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:28:11 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3101 This week we’re joined by Paul Storrie and Tony Cliff for a talk on doing your research when making a comic placed in a specific place or time–that is, when Paul and I aren’t too busy gushing over Tony’s Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant.

We start off with some talk on creating a premise for your story. How do you create a situation that propels your characters forward? We then kick into some discussion on research methods for creating a plausible sense of place and time for a comic story. But how deep into the reference materials or special collections should you dive? Is there a middle ground between verisimilitude and accuracy?

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares this week’s book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

This week’s book recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZohv6Jhhiw

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Paul, and Tony on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag39/feed 0 aadl,ann arbor district library,paul storrie,sharon iverson,storytelling,tony cliff,writing This week we're joined by Paul Storrie and Tony Cliff for a talk on doing your research when making a comic placed in a specific place or time–that is, when Paul and I aren't too busy gushing over Tony's Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. - (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/delilahdirk-267x300.jpg)This week we're joined by Paul Storrie (http://storrieville.com) and Tony Cliff (http://delilahdirk.com) for a talk on doing your research when making a comic placed in a specific place or time–that is, when Paul and I aren't too busy gushing over Tony's Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. We start off with some talk on creating a premise for your story. How do you create a situation that propels your characters forward? We then kick into some discussion on research methods for creating a plausible sense of place and time for a comic story. But how deep into the reference materials or special collections should you dive? Is there a middle ground between verisimilitude and accuracy? We're joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares this week's book recommendations. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant * The Muse * Make the Comics Drink & Draw event on December 8 (http://www.facebook.com/events/303294819689609/) * The Ann Arbor Comic Artists Forum on December 4 (http://www.aadl.org/node/192125) * Comics! An Exhibition of comics art at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=13697) * Indiana Jones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Jones) * Lupin III (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin_III) * The Borg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)) * Catch 22 * Standing Desks (http://smarterware.org/7102/how-and-why-i-switched-to-a-standing-desk) * Yoga (http://www.yogajournal.com/) * Suboptimal (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/suboptimal) * Virginia Woolf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf) * Aunt Agatha's Bookstore (http://www.auntagathas.com/) * The Three Amigos * Colon Blow (http://www.hulu.com/watch/10304/saturday-night-live-colon-blow) * Justice League Unlimited * The Goonies * Paul Storrie on Comixology (http://www.comixology.com/search/?search_query=storrie) This week's book recommendations: * Muppet Sherlock Holmes (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058M6LK8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0058M6LK8)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0058M6LK8&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0545175321/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0545175321)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545175321&camp=217145&creative=399373) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZohv6Jhhiw Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Paul (http://twitter.com/#!/storrieville), and Tony (http://twitter.com/#!/TangoCharlie) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page (https://plus.google.com/111237521512731594998) Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:01:43 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag39http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag39.mp3 Comics Are Great! 38 – Ideas are Crap http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/jCmc9egonQg/cag38 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag38#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:08:05 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3096 This week we address the time-honored topic of ideas and how a storyteller turns them into something useful. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then how do you know a good one from a bad one? If execution is everything, how do you execute? We’re joined by Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm and local artist Jono Balliett, who share some insights on how they’ve combined non-trivial time restraints and a spirit of play to take crummy ideas and turn them into gold.

We’re joined once again by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

This week’s book recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSe29tN_15A

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Kim, Jono, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag38/feed 2 ann arbor district library,artistic development,eli neiburger,ideas,jono balliett,kim holm,storytelling This week we address the time-honored topic of ideas and how a storyteller turns them into something useful. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then how do you know a good one from a bad one? If execution is everything, how do you execute? (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sillyworks-200x300.jpg)This week we address the time-honored topic of ideas and how a storyteller turns them into something useful. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then how do you know a good one from a bad one? If execution is everything, how do you execute? We're joined by Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm (http://cartoonarchy.com) and local artist Jono Balliett (http://demophon.tumblr.com), who share some insights on how they've combined non-trivial time restraints and a spirit of play to take crummy ideas and turn them into gold. We're joined once again by Eli Neiburger (https://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations! Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Kim Holm's free digital illustration textures library (http://denungeherrholm.smugmug.com/) * Diary of a Space Monkey (http://spacemonkey.no/) * Lean Into Art (http://leanintoart.com) - a learning network * Jerzy's Front re-imaginings (http://comicsaregreat.com/tag/the-front) * Make the Comics Drink & Draw (http://www.facebook.com/events/303294819689609/) - First session begins December 8! * Husky House Restaurant (http://www.localstore.ca/stores/87583/husky-house-restaurant/) * Jackson Pollock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock) * The Picture of Everything (http://www.thepictureofeverything.com/) * Dating in the Dark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dating_in_the_Dark) * We Live in Public (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Live_in_Public) * Gamification (http://gamification.org/) * Kim Holm's Free Art Friday (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/denungeherrholm) * WTF Podcast (http://www.wtfpod.com/) * Pixar films (http://www.pixar.com/) * H.P. Lovecraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft) * Moleskine Sketchbook Pocket (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8883701054/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=8883701054)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=8883701054&camp=217145&creative=399369) * All babies look like Winston Churchill (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2215330833) * Dark Mischief: a Spooky Anthology (http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6333) * JLA/Avengers: Collector's Edition (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1840238569/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1840238569)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1840238569&camp=217145&creative=399373) This week's book recommendations: * Achewood Volume 2: Worst Song, Played On Ugliest Guitar (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595822399/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1595822399)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1595822399&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Stop Forgetting to Remember: The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307339505/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0307339505)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307339505&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Mid-Life (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1770460284/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1770460284)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1770460284&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Cat and Girl (http://catandgirl.com/) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSe29tN_15A Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). Jerzy Drozd clean 1:03:06 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag38http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag38.mp3 Comics Are Great! 37 – Adobe Illustrating http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/WgkoHs8UbD4/cag37 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag37#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:30:32 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3080 We’ve got two super cartoonists in the studio this week for a discussion on digital vs analog tools, with a demonstration on how to draw with what might be the program that perplexes the most cartoonists–Adobe Illustrator!

And who better to demo than Jannie Ho, children’s book illustrator and comics artist, widely known for her work on The Great Reindeer Rebellion, Light the Menorah, and Lily’s Lucky Leotard.

Also in studio we have Ryan Estrada, author of Aki Alliance, The Kind You Don’t Take Home to Mother, and Chillin’ Like Villains (or you can just download the Complete Ryan Estrada Collection to get them all–for free!). Ryan was recently included in the next Machine of Death collection as well.

Together we talk a bit about Ryan’s recent adventures in South America and finding out he was a Google Plus star upon his return home. After revisiting some talk on social networking we started in Comics Are Great! episode 17, we move on to some drawing demos from Ryan and Jannie.

We’re joined once again by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations!

This week’s book recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03v8kHj_Fk0

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Ryan, Jannie, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag37/feed 2 adobe illustrator,design,digital tools,drawing,illustration,jannie ho,ryan estrada We've got two super cartoonists in the studio this week for a discussion on digital vs analog tools, with a demonstration on how to draw with what might be the program that perplexes the most cartoonists–Adobe Illustrator! - (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/jannie_bunny.jpg)We've got two super cartoonists in the studio this week for a discussion on digital vs analog tools, with a demonstration on how to draw with what might be the program that perplexes the most cartoonists–Adobe Illustrator! And who better to demo than Jannie Ho (http://chickengirldesign.com), children's book illustrator and comics artist, widely known for her work on The Great Reindeer Rebellion (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005K6QN32/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005K6QN32)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005K6QN32&camp=217145&creative=399373), Light the Menorah (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0843189541/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0843189541)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0843189541&camp=217145&creative=399373), and Lily's Lucky Leotard (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1434214117/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1434214117)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1434214117&camp=217145&creative=399369). Also in studio we have Ryan Estrada, author of Aki Alliance (http://ryanestrada.com/akialliance/index.html), The Kind You Don't Take Home to Mother (http://ryanestrada.com/thekindyoudonttakehometomother/index.html), and Chillin' Like Villains (http://ryanestrada.com/chillinlikevillains/realheroes.html) (or you can just download the Complete Ryan Estrada Collection (http://ryanestrada.com/complete/index.html) to get them all–for free!). Ryan was recently included in the next Machine of Death (http://machineofdeath.net/) collection as well. Together we talk a bit about Ryan's recent adventures in South America and finding out he was a Google Plus star (https://plus.google.com/100623276740673202144) upon his return home. After revisiting some talk on social networking we started in Comics Are Great! episode 17 (http://comicsaregreat.com/cag17), we move on to some drawing demos from Ryan and Jannie. We're joined once again by Eli Neiburger (https://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations! This week's book recommendations: * French Milk (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N2XGIG/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B002N2XGIG)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002N2XGIG&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Tonoharu: Part One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0980102324/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0980102324)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0980102324&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Burma Chronicles (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/177046025X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=177046025X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=177046025X&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Mister Wonderful: A Love Story (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307378136/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0307378136)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307378136&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03v8kHj_Fk0 Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Ryan (http://twitter.com/#!/ryanestrada), Jerzy Drozd clean 1:05:59 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag37http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag37.mp3 Comics Are Great! 36 – Inking Foo http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/JSESPBn7EG4/cag36 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag36#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:13:19 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3054 If you’ve ever wondered about “analog” inking techniques and tools, this is the episode for you! I’m joined this week by Michigan cartoonists Joe Foo and Mike Roll for a talk on why and how they use the brush to ink their comics. You might want to watch the video of this week’s episode, as Joe and Mike lead some really terrific demos of how they do what they do so well.

We’re joined once again by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

This week’s book recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJrBwvzO_-c

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Joe, Mike, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag36/feed 2 ann arbor district library,eli neiburger,illustration,inking,joe foo,mike roll If you've ever wondered about "analog" inking techniques and tools, this is the episode for you! I'm joined this week by Michigan cartoonists Joe Foo and Mike Roll for a talk on why and how they use the brush to ink their comics. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/apooka.jpg)If you've ever wondered about "analog" inking techniques and tools, this is the episode for you! I'm joined this week by Michigan cartoonists Joe Foo (http://desmondscomic.com/) and Mike Roll (http://mikeroll.blogspot.com/) for a talk on why and how they use the brush to ink their comics. You might want to watch the video of this week's episode, as Joe and Mike lead some really terrific demos of how they do what they do so well. We're joined once again by Eli Neiburger (https://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations! Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * CAG Producer Matt Dubay's Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/eyenstine85) * The College For Creative Studies (http://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/) * Apooka (http://apooka.blogspot.com/) * Desmond's Comic (http://desmondscomic.com/) * Fast vs Slow Zombies (http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2004/03/dead_run.html) * Paranormal Activity (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179904/) * Manga Studio (http://manga.smithmicro.com/index_ex.html) * SkyNet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(Terminator)) * C.H.U.D.s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.H.U.D) * Crow Quill pens (http://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-crow-quill-dip-pen-and-nibs/) * Reed Gunther (http://reedgunther.com/) * Guy Davis (http://guydavisartworks.com/mainFrameset2.htm) * Jay Fosgitt (http://www.jayfosgitt.com/) * Niles Crane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niles_Crane) * Wassup? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whassup%3F) * Willow (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096446/) * Michael Cho (http://chodrawings.blogspot.com/) * Dang Argyle (http://www.etsy.com/shop/dangargyle) * Todd McFarlane (http://www.spawn.com/info/todd/bio.long.aspx) * Chucky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chucky_(Child's_Play)) * Chucky Finster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckie_Finster) * Leo Laporte (http://leoville.com/) * Dick Cavett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cavett) This week's book recommendations: * The 120 Days Of Simon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603090509/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1603090509)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1603090509&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Cecil and Jordan in New York (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1897299575/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1897299575)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1897299575&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Union Station (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934964271/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1934964271)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1934964271&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Cinder and Ashe (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XQI5OC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B002XQI5OC)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002XQI5OC&camp=217145&creative=399373) * The Complete Ryan Estrada Collection (http://ryanestrada.com/complete/index.html) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJrBwvzO_-c Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Joe (https://twitter.com/#!/joefoo22), Mike (http://twitter.com/#!/mikerroll), and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! Jerzy Drozd clean 59:43 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag36http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag36.mp3 Comics Are Great! 35 – Gender Identity http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/HSo474iM3vU/cag35 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag35#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:40:38 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3040 It’s a discussion on the positive power of fantasy stories on this week’s Comics Are Great! podcast, as I’m joined by Joamette Gil and Brian Denham for a discussion on their new comic, Exile. Gil and Denham’s story features a transgender protagonist who faces cosmic challenges while also dealing with her own gender identity. But this raises a question–why deal with these issues in a fantasy tale, rather than a memoir or slice-of-life story? How does a fantasy story change one’s approach in dealing with these issues?

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some terrific book recommendations with us.

Links mentioned in this episode:

This week’s book recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIXSU3RB4L0

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Joamette, and Brian on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag35/feed 2 adobe illustrator,ann arbor district library,brian denham,illustration,joamette gil,sharon iverson,storytelling,writing It's a discussion on the positive power of fantasy stories on this week's Comics Are Great! podcast, as I'm joined by Joamette Gil and Brian Denham for a discussion on their new comic, Exile. Gil and Denham's story features a transgender protagonist wh... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/orn-189x300.jpg)It's a discussion on the positive power of fantasy stories on this week's Comics Are Great! podcast, as I'm joined by Joamette Gil (http://www.blackinkbird.com/) and Brian Denham (http://www.briandenham.com/) for a discussion on their new comic, Exile (http://projectchancecomic.tumblr.com/). Gil and Denham's story features a transgender protagonist who faces cosmic challenges while also dealing with her own gender identity. But this raises a question–why deal with these issues in a fantasy tale, rather than a memoir or slice-of-life story? How does a fantasy story change one's approach in dealing with these issues? We're joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares some terrific book recommendations with us. Links mentioned in this episode: * Womanthology: Heroic (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613771479/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1613771479)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1613771479&camp=217145&creative=399373) * The Olympia Cartoonists Collective (http://olycartoonists.wordpress.com/) * Katie Shanahan (http://ktshy.blogspot.com/) * Project Chance (http://projectchancecomic.tumblr.com/) * Brian Denham's Adobe Illustrator tutorials (http://www.illcraft.com/) * Homestuck (http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6) * Antarctic Press (http://antarctic-press.com/) * PPV: Pay-Per-View (http://www.komikwerks.com/komiks/episodes.php?ti=123&ep=1712&utype=AOL) This week's book recommendations: * The Knights of the Lunch Table #2: The Dragon Players (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439903238/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0439903238)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0439903238&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Calamity Jack (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599900769/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1599900769)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1599900769&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Showcase Presents Aquaman 1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1435216172/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1435216172)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1435216172&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Diary of a Zombie Kid GN (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983182337/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0983182337)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0983182337&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Wandering Son: Book One (Wandering Son)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1606994166&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIXSU3RB4L0 Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Joamette (http://twitter.com/#!/joamettegil), and Brian (http://twitter.com/#!/briandenham) on Twitter! The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page (https://plus.google.com/111237521512731594998) Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:01:51 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag35http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag35.mp3 Comics Are Great! 34 – Did Somebody Say Topic? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/BeWo7BPnAiY/cag34 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag34#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:16:14 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=3028 It’s a bit of a silly episode with a special surprise topic at the end. I’m joined by Paul Storrie, Alice Hunt, and Tracy Williams for a discussion on the physical hazards of making comics, the Captain America movie, My Little Pony, and finally some talk on writing. Thankfully Eli Neiburger joins us at the end to tie some of our randomness into some kind of usable thoughts, along with some more great book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

This Week’s Book Recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5chro1xcc5c

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Paul, Alice, Tracy, and Eli on Twitter!

The Comics Are Great! Google+ Page
Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag34/feed 0 alice hunt,ann arbor district library,eli neiburger,illustration,paul storrie,storytelling,tracy williams,writing It's a bit of a silly episode with a special surprise topic at the end. I'm joined by Paul Storrie, Alice Hunt, and Tracy Williams for a discussion on the physical hazards of making comics, the Captain America movie, My Little Pony, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Goodbyechains-198x300.jpg)It's a bit of a silly episode with a special surprise topic at the end. I'm joined by Paul Storrie (http://storrieville.com), Alice Hunt (http://goodbyechains.com), and Tracy Williams (http://tracywilliams.tumblr.com/) for a discussion on the physical hazards of making comics, the Captain America movie, My Little Pony, and finally some talk on writing. Thankfully Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) joins us at the end to tie some of our randomness into some kind of usable thoughts, along with some more great book recommendations. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Goodbye Chains (http://www.goodbyechains.com/) and the Historical Notes (http://www.goodbyechains.com/historicalnotes.html) * The Green Hornet Casefiles (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933076941/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933076941)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1933076941&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/) * Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367882/) * Choose Your Own Adventure books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose_Your_Own_Adventure) * My Boyfriend Is a Monster 2: Made for Each Other (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761370773/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0761370773)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0761370773&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Festivus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus) * Manga Studio (http://manga.smithmicro.com/index_ex.html) * The Captain America movie * The Godfather (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/) * Peanuts Minus the Last Panel (http://3eanuts.com/) * My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Friendship_is_Magic_Wiki) * Bronies (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bronies) * Interview with a Bronie (http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137406751/interview-with-a-bronie) * She-Ra, Princess of Power (http://www.darah.com/she-ra/) * Hockytown (http://www.hockeytowncafe.com/) * Harvey (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042546/) * Seth MacFarlane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_MacFarlane) * Futurama (http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/futurama/index.jhtml) * Firefly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(TV_series)) This Week's Book Recommendations: * Waiting for Food: Restaurant Placemat Drawings (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878164650/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0878164650)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0878164650&camp=217145&creative=399373) * The Beats: A Graphic History (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809016494/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0809016494)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809016494&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Studs Terkel's Working: A Graphic Adaptation (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595583211/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1595583211)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1595583211&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5chro1xcc5c Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Paul Jerzy Drozd clean 1:06:45 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag34http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag34.mp3 Comics Are Great! 33 – Teens Make Comics http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/CkOObhlD9X8/cag33 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag33#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:00:27 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2953 In this Comics Are Great “Special,” we have a panel discussion with some local teen cartoonists at the Ann Arbor District Library Mallets Creek Branch. Snow, Olivia, Natalia, and Caleb are all people under the age of 18 who have demonstrated a deep enthusiasm for telling stories through our medium, and they take some time to share their experiences and thoughts on making comics.

Wherever you are in your cartooning career, I think you’ll find the insights and advice of these teens worth a listen.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pOcvfCF70

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag33/feed 2 ann arbor district library,character design,drawing,events,publishing,storytelling,writing In this Comics Are Great "Special," we have a panel discussion with some local teen cartoonists at the Ann Arbor District Library Mallets Creek Branch. Snow, Olivia, Natalia, and Caleb are all people under the age of 18 who have demonstrated a deep ent... In this Comics Are Great "Special," we have a panel discussion with some local teen cartoonists at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org) Mallets Creek Branch. Snow, Olivia, Natalia, and Caleb are all people under the age of 18 who have demonstrated a deep enthusiasm for telling stories through our medium, and they take some time to share their experiences and thoughts on making comics. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/teensmakecomics.jpg)Wherever you are in your cartooning career, I think you'll find the insights and advice of these teens worth a listen. Links mentioned in this episode: * Ryan Estrada (http://ryanestrada.com) * Dresden Codak (http://dresdencodak.com/) * Dr. McNinja (http://drmcninja.com/) * Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0316073873&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Sonic The Hedgehog Archives Volume 1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1879794209/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1879794209)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1879794209&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Archie Comics (http://www.archiecomics.com/) * The Ann Arbor Art Center (http://annarborartcenter.org) * Kids Read Comics (http://kidsreadcomics.org) * The Ann Arbor District Library Comic Artists Forum (http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=12838) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pOcvfCF70 Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:27:05 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag33http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag33.mp3 Comics Are Great! 32 – Alchemical Science http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/Zz9L5ZoTgKE/cag32 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag32#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:47:03 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2946 It’s a discussion devoted to using the art of comics to celebrate history and science on this week’s Comics Are Great! But what might be the best part of the episode is how the discussion turns to a general talk about why comics are such an effective medium regardless of topic.

I’m joined this week by Jim Ottaviani, who just released his latest comic biography of the great physicist Richard Feynman, and Nick Abadzis, celebrated author of the historical graphic novel Laika.

If you’re up for a discussion on why comics are so well suited for stories about science, how to get in the mind of your characters, as well as some terrific visual storytelling techniques available to a cartoonist, you won’t be disappointed.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx59eeclMro

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy and Nick on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag32/feed 2 character design,feynman,Jim Ottaviani,laika,nick abadzis,storytelling,writing It's a discussion devoted to using the art of comics to celebrate history and science on this week's Comics Are Great! But what might be the best part of the episode is how the discussion turns to a general talk about why comics are such an effective m... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/feynman_laika.jpg)It's a discussion devoted to using the art of comics to celebrate history and science on this week's Comics Are Great! But what might be the best part of the episode is how the discussion turns to a general talk about why comics are such an effective medium regardless of topic. I'm joined this week by Jim Ottaviani (http://gt-labs.com), who just released his latest comic biography of the great physicist Richard Feynman (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596432594/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1596432594)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596432594&camp=217145&creative=399369), and Nick Abadzis (http://www.nickabadzis.com/), celebrated author of the historical graphic novel Laika (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596431016/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1596431016)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596431016&camp=217145&creative=399369). If you're up for a discussion on why comics are so well suited for stories about science, how to get in the mind of your characters, as well as some terrific visual storytelling techniques available to a cartoonist, you won't be disappointed. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * A Brief History of Time (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553380168/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0553380168)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0553380168&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Horrible Histories (http://horrible-histories.co.uk/) * Nick Abadzis' sketchblog (http://nickabadzis.my-expressions.com/) * Synesthesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia) * Color Theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory) * José Muñoz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Antonio_Mu%C3%B1oz) * Jamie Hernandez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Hernandez) * Drawing Words and Writing Pictures (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596431318/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1596431318)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596431318&camp=217145&creative=399369) * First Second Books (http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx59eeclMro Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Nick (http://twitter.com/#!/nickabadzis) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:04:46 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag32http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag32.mp3 Comics Are Great! 31 – Know Your Selector http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/tcyTy_sFLsg/cag31 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag31#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:36:29 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2936 If you believe, as I do, that libraries are the new front lines in broadening the audience for comics, then this episode is for you.

This week I talk with Sharon Iverson, Teen Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library, about a variety of hot topics surrounding comics in libraries, including:

Getting your self-published comics into library collections. Who do you approach to see your comic in the stacks? Is it even a good idea to have your comic carried in a public or school library?

Partnering with your local library to create comics events. Sharon and I share our experiences over the last five years, growing a string of one-off events for 12 kids into some institutionalized multi-session classes and ongoing monthly comics gatherings.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Sharon also brings some terrific book recommendations for this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcWt3OsoXBE

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag31/feed 5 ann arbor district library,events,libraries,workshops If you believe, as I do, that libraries are the new front lines in broadening the audience for comics, then this episode is for you. - This week I talk with Sharon Iverson, Teen Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/stacks1-300x225.jpg)If you believe, as I do, that libraries are the new front lines in broadening the audience for comics, then this episode is for you. This week I talk with Sharon Iverson, Teen Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), about a variety of hot topics surrounding comics in libraries, including: Getting your self-published comics into library collections. Who do you approach to see your comic in the stacks? Is it even a good idea to have your comic carried in a public or school library? Partnering with your local library to create comics events. Sharon and I share our experiences over the last five years, growing a string of one-off events for 12 kids into some institutionalized multi-session classes and ongoing monthly comics gatherings. Links mentioned in this episode: * Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) * John Green (http://johngreenart.com/) * Jim Ottaviani (http://gt-labs.com) * Nick Abadzis (http://nickabadzis.com) * Audra Furuichi (http://nemu-nemu.com) * Kids Read Comics (http://kidsreadcomics.org) * The Ann Arbor Art Center (http://annarborartcenter.org) Sharon also brings some terrific book recommendations for this episode: * Feynman, by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596432594&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Teen Boat! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547636695/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0547636695)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0547636695&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809026856/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0809026856)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809026856&camp=217145&creative=399369) * City of Spies (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596432624/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1596432624)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596432624&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcWt3OsoXBE Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:31:24 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag31http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag31.mp3 Comics Are Great! 30 – Shape and Variance http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/gk51eNY4l-4/cag30 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag30#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:00:37 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2878 It’s all about character design this time, featuring the return of Jake Parker and Gale Williams! With Tyler James’ 30 Characters Challenge right around the corner, it’s time to think a little about what specific concerns face a cartoonist when making up their fictional people. Jake brings a stellar presentation to explain how a basic understanding of shape and variance will deliver good character design, even if you don’t think your drawing skills are up to snuff. Gale brings a few thoughts on how putting your character in a situation to help figure out what makes them tick.

We’re then joined by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for some more book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Book recommendations this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuxJks8-xwA

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Jake, Gale, and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag30/feed 3 character design,drawing,eli neiburger,gale williams,jake parker,writing It's all about character design this time, featuring the return of Jake Parker and Gale Williams! With Tyler James' 30 Characters Challenge right around the corner, it's time to think a little about what specific concerns face a cartoonist when making ... It's all about character design this time, featuring the return of Jake Parker (http://agent44.com) and Gale Williams (http://patbird.galesaur.com)! With Tyler James' 30 Characters Challenge (http://www.30characters.com/) right around the corner, it's time to think a little about what specific concerns face a cartoonist when making up their fictional people. Jake brings a stellar presentation to explain how a basic understanding of shape and variance will deliver good character design, even if you don't think your drawing skills are up to snuff. Gale brings a few thoughts on how putting your character in a situation to help figure out what makes them tick. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/inktober.jpg) We're then joined by Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org) for some more book recommendations! Links mentioned in this episode: * Jake's Inktober challenge (http://agent44.com/blog2/?p=502) * 30 Characters Challenge (http://30characters.com) * 30 Classes in 30 Days (http://leanintoart.com/30-classes-in-30-days/) * Patbird & Galesaur (http://patbird.galesaur.com) * My He-Man and the Masters of the Universe character re-imaginings * The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061914622/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0061914622)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061914622&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Dark Michief: A Collection of the Frightful Kickstarter Campaign * Open Lab at the Ann Arbor District Library October 16 (http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=11669) * Teens Make Comics Panel at the Ann Arbor District Library October 18 (http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=11688) * The AADL Games continue! (http://play.aadl.org/) Book recommendations this episode: * Peanutbutter & Jeremy's Best Book Ever (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891867466/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1891867466)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1891867466&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Little & Large (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595820108/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1595820108)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1595820108&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Meanwhile: Pick Any Path. 3,856 Story Possibilities(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0810984237&camp=217145&creative=399369) * The Big Book of Hoaxes: True Tales of the Greatest Lies Ever Told! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563892529/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1563892529)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1563892529&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Cartoon Animation (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560100842/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1560100842)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1560100842&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Action! Cartooning (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806987391/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0806987391)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0806987391&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Fantasy! Cartooning (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402716125/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1402716125)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1402716125&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuxJks8-xwA Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Jerzy Drozd clean 1:09:37 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag30http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag30.mp3 Comics Are Great! 29 – Just be Interesting! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/NQh2v-TU1kI/cag29 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag29#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:19:16 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2852 How do you engage with your audience? How do you manage your social media interactions to drive interest in your comics? Is it as simple as “just be interesting”? If so, what does “interesting” even mean?

Fortunately I’m joined by the super savvy  Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for a discussion on the subject. Eli offers his insights from the standpoint of his role in creating the wildly successful Summer Game at AADL as well as a non-practitioner webcomics enthusiast. We discuss opportunities and business models open to creators via new media and some ways to think about cultivating an audience for your comic online.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-YzoDtgoyc

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag29/feed 0 business model,eli neiburger,new media,social media,social networking How do you engage with your audience? How do you manage your social media interactions to drive interest in your comics? Is it as simple as "just be interesting"? If so, what does "interesting" even mean? - How do you engage with your audience? How do you manage your social media interactions to drive interest in your comics? Is it as simple as "just be interesting"? If so, what does "interesting" even mean? (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/twitter1.jpg)Fortunately I'm joined by the super savvy  Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org) for a discussion on the subject. Eli offers his insights from the standpoint of his role in creating the wildly successful Summer Game at AADL as well as a non-practitioner webcomics enthusiast. We discuss opportunities and business models open to creators via new media and some ways to think about cultivating an audience for your comic online. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2xl.jpg)The Nintendo Wii * Eli's YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/ulotrichous) * Eli's Gamers... In the Library?!(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0838909442&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Double Dash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Kart:_Double_Dash%E2%80%BC) * Doritos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doritos) * Annoying Orange (http://annoyingorange.com/) * The new Kindle models (http://www.amazon.com/kindle-store-ebooks-newspapers-blogs/b/ref=topnav_storetab_kinh?ie=UTF8&node=133141011) * The 2XL Robot (http://www.2xlrobot.com/) * Penny Arcade (http://penny-arcade.com/) * Achewood (http://achewood.com/) * Goats (http://www.goats.com/) * Scenes from a Multiverse (http://amultiverse.com/) * Machine of Death (http://machineofdeath.net/) * Homestar Runner (http://www.homestarrunner.com/) * They Might Be Giants (http://www.theymightbegiants.com/) * Paul F Tompkins (http://paulftompkins.com/) * Build and Analyze episode 44 (http://5by5.tv/buildanalyze/44) * Blamimations (http://blamimation.com/) * Conan O'Brien (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1864288/) * The Perry Bible Fellowship (http://pbfcomics.com/) * The Lean Into Art podcast (http://leanintoart.com/podcasts) * Heello, the land of fake Twitter identities (http://boingboing.net/2011/08/11/twitter-clone-heello-a-parallel-universe-for-twitter-fakesters.html) * Jim Henson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Henson) * The other Jerzy Drozd (http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/) * DRM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management) * Cory Doctorow's For the Win * Jess Fink (http://jessfink.com/) * Scott Pilgrim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim) * PhoneGap (http://www.phonegap.com/) * Eli's appearance on Comics Are Great! Episode 12 (http://comicsaregreat.com/cag12) * David Malki's (http://wondermark.com) appearance on Comics Are Great! Episode 14 (http://comicsaregreat.com/cag14) * Peter Baker (http://ptrbkr.com/), photographer * nemu*nemu (http://nemu-nemu.com) * Google Plus (https://plus.google.com/) * Posterous (https://posterous.com/) * Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/) * Facebook (http://facebook.com) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-YzoDtgoyc Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:13:25 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag29http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag29.mp3 Comics Are Great! 28 – Watch Out, Kids! Zombies Bite http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/549J6Ut2-m8/cag28 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag28#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:55:45 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2829 It’s a discussion on walking the line when making comics for young people, as I’m joined by Mark Mariano. We talk about the difference between thrilling and shocking an audience, the value in being explicit with your story’s messages, and developing an inner barometer to measure whether your story moments are appropriate for kids.

We’re joined at the end by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares a few more thoughts on the subject and provides some terrific book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Book recommendations for this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5dGir0IlTI

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Mark, and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag28/feed 0 all ages,drawing,eli neiburger,mark mariano,storytelling,writing It's a discussion on walking the line when making comics for young people, as I'm joined by Mark Mariano. We talk about the difference between thrilling and shocking an audience, the value in being explicit with your story's messages, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/zombies-300x300.jpg)It's a discussion on walking the line when making comics for young people, as I'm joined by Mark Mariano (http://mypalmark.com). We talk about the difference between thrilling an... Jerzy Drozd clean 1:00:33 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag28http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag28.mp3 Comics Are Great! 27 – Sailing the Seas of CMS http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/FXoil13z7qA/cag27 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag27#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:42:01 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2800 It’s hard enough to make a comic, but now we have to learn all of these new digital publishing models, too? Thank goodness I’m joined this week by Rob Stenzinger, a cartoonist and user interface designer, who helps me navigate through a discussion on the various content management systems available and the kinds of thinking required to make a successful start of things.

We’re joined toward the end by Eli Neiburger, who shares some additional thoughts on the subject, as well as some more great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Book recommendations for this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2uqA6QDwfQ

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Rob, and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag27/feed 0 cms,eli neiburger,publishing,rob stenzinger,social media,webcomics It's hard enough to make a comic, but now we have to learn all of these new digital publishing models, too? Thank goodness I'm joined this week by Rob Stenzinger, a cartoonist and user interface designer, who helps me navigate through a discussion on t... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/cag27_thumb.jpg)It's hard enough to make a comic, but now we have to learn all of these new digital publishing models, too? Thank goodness I'm joined this week by Rob Stenzinger (http://interactive-storyteller.com/), a cartoonist and user interface designer, who helps me navigate through a discussion on the various content management systems available and the kinds of thinking required to make a successful start of things. We're joined toward the end by Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous), who shares some additional thoughts on the subject, as well as some more great book recommendations! Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Lean Into Art's 30 Classes in 30 Days event (http://leanintoart.com/30-classes-in-30-days/) (early bird registration ends soon!) * The Lean Into Art podcast (http://leanintoart.com/lean-into-art-podcast/) * Rob will be presenting his Storytelling to Make Your Comic's UI Awesome workshop at Intervention September 16-18 (http://interventioncon.com/) * The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Biggest_Ball_of_Twine_in_Minnesota) * Balki and Larry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Strangers_(TV_series)) * Beast Wars (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Wars_(cartoon)) * Definition of the term "Wheelhouse" (http://wishydig.blogspot.com/2008/02/on-deck-wheelhouse.html) * Wordpress (http://wordpress.com/) * Posterous (https://posterous.com/) * Tumblr (http://tumblr.com/) * Google Plus (http://plus.google.com/) * Blogger (http://blogger.com/) * MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/) * Squarespace (http://www.squarespace.com/) * Comic Life (http://plasq.com/products/comiclife/mac) * Picasa Web (https://picasaweb.google.com/) * Webcomics Nation (http://www.webcomicsnation.com/) * Smackjeeves (http://www.smackjeeves.com/) * What is RSS? (http://www.whatisrss.com/) * Feedburner (http://feedburner.com/) * 5 by 5 podcast network (http://5by5.tv/) * Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/sweetbroandhellajeff/) * Gallery of the new animated GIF (http://iwdrm.tumblr.com/) * It's a Trap! (http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/001/384/Atrapitis.gif) Book recommendations for this episode: * Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416552375/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=1416552375)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1416552375&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Vertigo Pop: Tokyo Days, Bangkok Nights (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401221890/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1401221890)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401221890&camp=217145&creative=399373) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2uqA6QDwfQ Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Rob (http://twitter.com/#!/robstenzinger), and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:02:54 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag27http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag27.mp3 Comics Are Great! 26 – Gathering Your Community http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/dI03a2q2c4c/cag26 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag26#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:28:02 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2765 It’s all about organizing and executing public events to plant a flag for your community to gather around this week, as I’m joined by Onezumi Harstein and James Harknell of the upcoming Intervention! Together we talk about some of the pitfalls to be aware of when creating a public event, tips on ways to do your due diligence in planning and researching, and how one’s artistic and personal philosophies get tied into developing an event that people will want to attend.

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some new book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Book Recommendations for this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXNk27VgllU

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy and Onezumi on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag26/feed 1 conventions,events,james harknell,onezumi harstein,sharon iverson It's all about organizing and executing public events to plant a flag for your community to gather around this week, as I'm joined by Onezumi Harstein and James Harknell of the upcoming Intervention! Together we talk about some of the pitfalls to be aw... It's all about organizing and executing public events to plant a flag for your community to gather around this week, as I'm joined by Onezumi Harstein (http://www.onezumiverse.com/) and James Harknell (http://www.awsom.org/) of the upcoming Intervention (http://interventioncon.com/)! Together we talk about some of the pitfalls to be aware of when creating a public event, tips on ways to do your due diligence in planning and researching, and how one's artistic and personal philosophies get tied into developing an event that people will want to attend. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/intervention1.jpg) We're joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares some new book recommendations. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * Onezumi's Stupid and Insane Defenders Against Chaos (http://www.onezumi.com/) * The Webcomic Central iPhone App service (http://www.onezumi.com/webcomics-central-app-service/) * iOS (http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/) * Big Macs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac) * The Intervention 2011 guest list (http://interventioncon.com/2010/guests/) * Clowns are scary (http://www.everseradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/clowns_last_supper1.jpg) * Basecamp (http://basecamphq.com/), a cloud productivity application * Small Press Expo (http://www.spxpo.com/) * Tautology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_(rhetoric)) * Videos of past Intervention events (http://interventioncon.com/category/event-video/) * Interlibrary Loan (http://elibrary.mel.org/) - your library probably has a system like this, too! * Lean Into Art's upcoming 30 Classes in 30 Days event (http://30classes30days.com) Book Recommendations for this episode: * Crogan's Vengeance (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934964069/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1934964069)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1934964069&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Northwest Passage: The Annotated Collection (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932664610/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1932664610)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1932664610&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Peach Girl: The Complete Series (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W75BS8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004W75BS8)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004W75BS8&camp=217145&creative=399373) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXNk27VgllU Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Onezumi (http://twitter.com/#!/onezumi) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:07:57 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag26http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag26.mp3 Comics Are Great! 25 – It’s Your Comic, You can do what You Want http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/Q4I7Pa_vTH4/cag25 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag25#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:52:43 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2746 This week we’re joined by Scott Yoshinaga and Audra Furuichi, creators of one of the most sincere comics on the Internet, nemu*nemu. We talk about the evolution of the series from a vertical strip to a more free-form full-color series, how introducing new characters and diverse plot lines keeps the series fresh for the creators and readers alike, and how they’ve diversified their publishing and merchandising strategies to make nemu*nemu Audra’s full-time job.

We’re joined at the end by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares a ton of great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics Recommendations for this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MYsQx7Nc2A

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Eli, Scott and Audra on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag25/feed 0 audra furuichi,eli neiburger,lettering,nemu-neum,panel composition,scott yoshinaga,storytelling,webcomics,writing This week we're joined by Scott Yoshinaga and Audra Furuichi, creators of one of the most sincere comics on the Internet, nemu*nemu. We talk about the evolution of the series from a vertical strip to a more free-form full-color series, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/nemu.jpg)This week we're joined by Scott Yoshinaga (http://twitter.com/#!/kimonostereo) and Audra Furuichi (http://twitter.com/#!/kyubikitsy), creators of one of the most sincere comics on the Internet, nemu*nemu (http://nemu-nemu.com). We talk about the evolution of the series from a vertical strip to a more free-form full-color series, how introducing new characters and diverse plot lines keeps the series fresh for the creators and readers alike, and how they've diversified their publishing and merchandising strategies to make nemu*nemu Audra's full-time job. We're joined at the end by Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares a ton of great book recommendations! Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): * nemu*nemu Vol 5 is now on sale (http://www.nemu-nemu.com/shop/books/) * It's also available as a digital download (http://www.nemu-nemu.com/shop/digital-downloads/) * Henshin Rider (http://www.nemu-nemu.com/2006/06/21/henshin_rider.php) * Kiyohiko Azuma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohiko_Azuma) * Scott Kurtz (http://pvponline.com) * Krishna Sadasivam (http://pcweenies.com) * The Wacom Cintiq (http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Cintiq.aspx) * Japanese nib pens (http://www.wetpaintart.com/Product_Archive/Drawing_&_Writing/Japanese_Nibs/Japanese_Nibs_at_Wet_Paint.html) * Manga Studio (http://manga.smithmicro.com/index_ex.html) * Mac Paint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacPaint) * The nemu*nemu iOS app * The ALA YALSA Awards (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm) * Merlin Mann (http://www.merlinmann.com/) * Kasey Van Hise (http://wintersinlavelle.com) * The Wacom Inkling (http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Inkling) (video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXbBA1DRE84)) Comics Recommendations for this episode: * Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097652550X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=097652550X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=097652550X&camp=217145&creative=399369) By Guy Delisle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Delisle) * Space Trawler (http://spacetrawler.com/) * Amulet (http://www.boltcity.com/amulet/) * Twin Spica, Volume: 01(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1934287849&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Black Jack, Vol. 1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=193428727X&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MYsQx7Nc2A Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous), Scott (http://twitter.com/#!/kimonostereo) and Audra (http://twitter.com/#!/kyubikitsy) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/88x31-Stitcher-logo.jpg) Jerzy Drozd clean 56:16 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag25http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag25.mp3 Comics Are Great! 24 – I’m a Doctor, I know Science http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/BAk_zUt1Jvo/cag24 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag24#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:02:51 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2711 This one goes out to any young or beginning cartoonists who are wondering what to expect as they enter the world of promoting their work and making a living at this comics stuff!

We’re joined by Christopher Hastings, artist/writer of Dr. McNinja and writer of the new Fear Itself: Deadpool mini-series, who shares some terrific thoughts based on his experiences in comics publishing, including:

  • Starting a webcomic while holding down a day job
  • Deciding whether or not art school is for you
  • Incentivizing page views with layered humor
  • Letting old work stand
  • Pacing your pages when doing long-form comics on the web
  • Staying in touch with your kid-self in order to write
  • Handling trolls and reviews

We’re also joined by Lauren Houser, who shares some of her own thoughts on art school and preparing for a long slog on a graphic novel she plans to serialize online.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM5CkQF12fI

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Chris, and Lauren on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag24/feed 2 christopher hastings,drawing,lauren houser,publishing,self publishing,storytelling,webcomics,writing This one goes out to any young or beginning cartoonists who are wondering what to expect as they enter the world of promoting their work and making a living at this comics stuff! - We're joined by Christopher Hastings, artist/writer of Dr. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/dinoridin.gif)This one goes out to any young or beginning cartoonists who are wondering what to expect as they enter the world of promoting their work and making a living at this comics stuff! We're joined by Christopher Hastings (http://twitter.com/#!/drhastings), artist/writer of Dr. McNinja (http://drmcninja.com/) and writer of the new Fear Itself: Deadpool (http://www.deadpoolbugle.com/2011/07/fear-itself-deadpool-2-preview.html) mini-series, who shares some terrific thoughts based on his experiences in comics publishing, including: * Starting a webcomic while holding down a day job * Deciding whether or not art school is for you * Incentivizing page views with layered humor * Letting old work stand * Pacing your pages when doing long-form comics on the web * Staying in touch with your kid-self in order to write * Handling trolls and reviews We're also joined by Lauren Houser (http://twitter.com/#!/blizzardpaw), who shares some of her own thoughts on art school and preparing for a long slog on a graphic novel (http://blizzardpaw.deviantart.com/gallery/2406299) she plans to serialize online. Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster (http://twitter.com/#!/ejk) for collecting them!): (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/deadpool.png) * Get your Dr. McNinja books here! (http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TO&Category_Code=RB-BOOKS) * More Dr. McNinja merchandise can be found here (http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TO&Category_Code=RB) * Carly Monardo (http://www.carlymonardo.com/), who is currently working on some great Mad Men portraits! * Frank Miller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller_(comics)) * Sam & Max: Freelance Police (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_&_Max) * Homestar Runner (http://homestarrunner.com/) * The Dc Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823010287/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=0823010287)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0823010287&camp=217145&creative=399381) * The School of Visual Arts (http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/) * XKCD (http://xkcd.com/) * The Oatmeal (http://theoatmeal.com/) * Hyperbole and a Half (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/) * Something Awful (http://www.somethingawful.com/) * Axe Cop (http://axecop.com/) * Commissioner Gordon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gordon_(comics)) * Drizzt Do'Urden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drizzt_Do'Urden) * Jean-Claude Van Damme (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000241/) * Fear Itself: Deadpool (http://www.deadpoolbugle.com/2011/07/fear-itself-deadpool-2-preview.html) * Internet Trolls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)) and the Troll Face (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trollface.png) * The Honda Accord (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Accord), Dr. McNinja's car * The Honda Accord 360-degree viewer (http://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sedan/exterior-360-view.aspx) * Manga Studio (http://manga.smithmicro.com/index_ex.html) * Lauren Houser's Tumblr (http://blizzardpaw.tumblr.com/) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM5CkQF12fI Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Chris (http://twitter.com/#!/drhastings), and Lauren (http://twitter.com/#!/blizzardpaw) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:19:38 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag24http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag24.mp3 Comics Are Great! 23 – Experiments and Limitations http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/RQJ09bhbqOI/cag23 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag23#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:31:54 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2696 As someone once said about comics, “it’s all limitations”, and this week I’m joined by two terrific cartoonists for a discussion on working within limitations and experimenting to find new forms of expression in comics. As it turns out, these experiments also serve to jump-start one’s creativity, regardless of which form or genre in which you’re most at home.

Matt Feazell is the creator behind the legendary Cynicalman comic series, who shares a video during the show–a first for CAG– the trailer to the new Cynicalman movie he’s been working on.

Matt Madden is the co-author of Drawing Words and Writing Pictures and the DW&WP blog, where you can find some terrific resources to learning how to make and teach comics. He shares a bunch of terrific insights on the value he’s found in making experimental comics like his The Woods Transmissions, 99 Ways to Tell a Story : Exercises in Style (site with samples here), and Oubapo, the Workshop for Potential Comics.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVz3vlz5wQk

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy and Matt Madden on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag23/feed 2 drawing,experimental comics,storytelling,teaching,writing As someone once said about comics, "it's all limitations", and this week I'm joined by two terrific cartoonists for a discussion on working within limitations and experimenting to find new forms of expression in comics. As it turns out, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/99ways.jpg)As someone once said about comics, "it's all limitations", and this week I'm joined by two terrific cartoonists for a discussion on working within limitations and experimenting to find new forms of expression in comics. As it turns out, these experiments also serve to jump-start one's creativity, regardless of which form or genre in which you're most at home. Matt Feazell (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754382221) is the creator behind the legendary Cynicalman (http://home.comcast.net/~mattfeazell/index.htm) comic series, who shares a video during the show–a first for CAG– the trailer to the new Cynicalman movie (http://home.comcast.net/~mattfeazell/MOVIE/index.htm) he's been working on. Matt Madden (http://twitter.com/#!/mmaddencomics) is the co-author of Drawing Words and Writing Pictures (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596431318/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=1596431318)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596431318&camp=217145&creative=399381) and the DW&WP blog, where you can find some terrific resources to learning how to make and teach comics. He shares a bunch of terrific insights on the value he's found in making experimental comics like his The Woods Transmissions (http://mattmadden.blogspot.com/2011/08/woods-transmissions-report-08.html), 99 Ways to Tell a Story : Exercises in Style (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FKPA8C/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B000FKPA8C)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000FKPA8C&camp=217145&creative=399373) (site with samples here (http://exercisesinstyle.com/)), and Oubapo, the Workshop for Potential Comics (http://www.tomhart.net/oubapo/). Links mentioned in this episode: * WCBN (http://www.wcbn.org/) * Espresso Royale (http://www.espressoroyale.com/location.php?id=19) * Terrifying Steamboat Stories 3 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H5I6ZY/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B000H5I6ZY)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000H5I6ZY&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596431318/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=1596431318)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596431318&camp=217145&creative=399381) * 99 Ways to Tell a Story : Exercises in Style (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FKPA8C/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B000FKPA8C)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000FKPA8C&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Exercises in Style (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811207897/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=0811207897)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0811207897&camp=217145&creative=399381) * The Cynicalman Movie * Cynicalman's official website * Oubapo (http://www.tomhart.net/oubapo/) * Jessica Abel (http://jessicaabel.com/) * Tom Hart (http://www.tomhart.net/) * Sean Bieri (http://themanwhojaped.blogspot.com/) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVz3vlz5wQk Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Matt Madden (http://twitter.com/#!/mmaddencomics) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds. Jerzy Drozd clean 1:13:55 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag23http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag23.mp3 Comics Are Great! 22 – World, Character, Theme http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/lSevSK-sfUg/cag22 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag22#comments Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00:33 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2334 It’s an episode packed with great discussion on breaking down a story into comics form with guests Jake Parker and Dave Roman! We each share our own approach to writing visually: Starting with a world, characters, or a theme, and what our respective processes are to getting to the final story.

This one might be best enjoyed via watching the video, as Jake dives into a really neat visual presentation on his writing method.

Special appearance at the end by Eli Neiburger of AADL, who shares some great book recommendations with us.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Book Recommendations this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMWK9ICnBDY

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Jake, and Dave on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag22/feed 0 character design,dave roman,eli neiburger,jake parker,panel design,storytelling,theme,world building,writing It's an episode packed with great discussion on breaking down a story into comics form with guests Jake Parker and Dave Roman! We each share our own approach to writing visually: Starting with a world, characters, or a theme, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/awesomeman-232x300.jpg)It's an episode packed with great discussion on breaking down a story into comics form with guests Jake Parker (http://agent44.com) and Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com)! We each share our own approach to writing visually: Starting with a world, characters, or a theme, and what our respective processes are to getting to the final story. This one might be best enjoyed via watching the video, as Jake dives into a really neat visual presentation on his writing method. Special appearance at the end by Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of AADL, who shares some great book recommendations with us. Links mentioned in this episode: * The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061914622/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0061914622)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061914622&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Missile Mouse #1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545117151&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Missile Mouse, No. 2: Rescue on Tankium3(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545117178&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Flight Explorer Volume 1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002SDAPRK&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596436204/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1596436204)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596436204&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159643600X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=159643600X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=159643600X&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Jake's great essay on The Known World of Visual Storytelling (http://agent44.com/blog2/?p=1245) * G.I. Joe Filecards (http://www.yojoe.com/filecard/) * Lost, Season 1 * Zuko's Mom (http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Zuko) * Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Framed_Roger_Rabbit) * BIC 4-Color Ball Point Pen (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F2PFPS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=B000F2PFPS)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000F2PFPS&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Blue Man Group (http://www.blueman.com/) * Dave will be at SPX (http://spxpo.com) this September 11-12! Book Recommendations this episode: * Rasl Volume 1: The Drift (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1888963204/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=1888963204)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1888963204&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Tales Designed to Thrizzle (Vol. 1)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1606991647&camp=217145&creative=399381) * The Animator's Survival Kit (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0571202284/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=0571202284)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0571202284&camp=217145&creative=399381) * School of World (http://schoolofworld.tumblr.com/) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMWK9ICnBDY Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Jake (http://twitter.com/#!/mrjakeparker), Jerzy Drozd clean 1:11:52 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag22http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag22.mp3 Comics Are Great! 21 – Puppetbending http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/3Hp-vMRbTro/cag21 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag21#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:05:20 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2305 It’s a jam-packed episode where we tackle the topics of fandom in the 21st century, the role of “shipping” in storytelling, what it’s like to win an Eisner award, and perhaps most importantly, the new Avatar: The Legend of Korra series!

First we’re joined by Raina Telgemeier, who stops by for a little to share her experience at the Eisner Awards and to show off her freshly-won trophy for her graphic novel Smile!

Then Dave Roman and Kevin Coppa hang out with me to talk about Kevin’s Avatar: The Last Puppetbender series of videos. We talk about the importance of fan-created works and how they can contribute to the overall success of a creative project, how one gets into being a puppeteer and creating their own fan films, and then move on to a discussion on the new Avatar series, The Legend of Korra.

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares a few book recommendations for this week’s episode as well as some upcoming comics events in Ann Arbor.

Lots of links mentioned in this episode:

Book Recommendations this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGLPYQNq2_E

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Raina, and Dave on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag21/feed 0 avatar: the last airbender,cartoons,community,dave roman,kevin coppa,raina telgemeier,storytelling It's a jam-packed episode where we tackle the topics of fandom in the 21st century, the role of "shipping" in storytelling, what it's like to win an Eisner award, and perhaps most importantly, the new Avatar: The Legend of Korra series! - (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/doctoranddave.jpg)It's a jam-packed episode where we tackle the topics of fandom in the 21st century, the role of "shipping" in storytelling, what it's like to win an Eisner award, and perhaps most importantly, the new Avatar: The Legend of Korra series! First we're joined by Raina Telgemeier (http://goraina.com), who stops by for a little to share her experience at the Eisner Awards and to show off her freshly-won trophy for her graphic novel Smile (http://goraina.com/books_smile.html)! Then Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) and Kevin Coppa (http://alternatecoppa.deviantart.com/) hang out with me to talk about Kevin's Avatar: The Last Puppetbender (http://www.youtube.com/user/kornersphere) series of videos. We talk about the importance of fan-created works and how they can contribute to the overall success of a creative project, how one gets into being a puppeteer and creating their own fan films, and then move on to a discussion on the new Avatar series, The Legend of Korra (http://nicktoons.nick.com/videos/clip/nicktoons-avatar-legend-of-korra-teaser-cx24.html). We're joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares a few book recommendations for this week's episode as well as some upcoming comics events in Ann Arbor. Lots of links mentioned in this episode: * Kevin Coppa's DeviantArt page (http://alternatecoppa.deviantart.com/) (check out the amazing Doctor Who cosplay pics!) * Avatar: The Last Puppetbender series on YouTube * The Puppetbender backdrop Kevin mentioned (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_N-BJsfVug) * Final Cut Pro (http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/) * Adobe After Effects (http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html) * The Avatar Legacy Panel (http://avatarlegacy.com/) * Raina Telgemeier's Smile * Give Dave's Astronaut Academy a review on Goodreads! * The Astronaut Academy video trailer * The Eisner Awards (http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.php) * Comics Express for the kids of Joplin (http://www.indiegogo.com/ComicsExpress) * The name change surrounding The Legend of Korra * The Last Airbender motion picture * "Shipping" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_(fandom)) * Art Institute of Pittsburgh (http://www.artinstitutes.edu/pittsburgh/) * The Muppets on The Tonight Show (http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Tonight_Show) * Nickelodeon Slime (http://nickelodeon.wikia.com/wiki/Slime) * C2E2 (http://www.c2e2.com/) * Avatar: The Lost Adventures from Dark Horse Comics * John Green (http://www.johngreenart.com/) * Ki-Hyun Ryu (http://blacksataguni.deviantart.com/) * The Micro-Machines Man, John Moschitta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Moschitta,_Jr) Book Recommendations this episode: * Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596436204/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1596436204)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596436204&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Jax Epoch And The Quicken Forbidden Volume 1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1932051112&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Jax Epoch And The Quicken Forbidden Volume 2: Separation Anxiety(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1932051244&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGLPYQNq2_E Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Raina (http://twitter.com/#!/goraina), and Dave Jerzy Drozd clean 1:13:33 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag21http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag21.mp3 Comics Are Great! 20 – Harry Vs. Aslan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/NSlyZ9ifQww/cag20 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag20#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:14:17 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2298 It’s a lighter look at storytelling as I’m joined by Dave Roman for a friendly debate over which is better–the Harry Potter series, or The Chronicles of Narnia? Throughout the discussion we cover the merits of each property’s storytelling, the difference between writing fantasy and mythology, and the problems with dating your material.

We’re joined at the end by Gale Williams (though I apologize for insisting on calling her by the name “Grace”), who shares her own thoughts on what makes the Harry Potter series so great.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBNvhldeRAA

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Gale, and Dave on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag20/feed 1 cs lewis,dave roman,gale williams,harry potter,storytelling,writing It's a lighter look at storytelling as I'm joined by Dave Roman for a friendly debate over which is better--the Harry Potter series, or The Chronicles of Narnia? Throughout the discussion we cover the merits of each property's storytelling, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/aslan-300x210.jpg)It's a lighter look at storytelling as I'm joined by Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) for a friendly debate over which is better--the Harry Potter series, or The Chronicles of Narnia? Throughout the discussion we cover the merits of each property's storytelling, the difference between writing fantasy and mythology, and the problems with dating your material. We're joined at the end by Gale Williams (http://patbird.galesaur.com/) (though I apologize for insisting on calling her by the name "Grace"), who shares her own thoughts on what makes the Harry Potter series so great. Links mentioned in this episode: * Gale's Patbird & Galesaur comic * Mary GrandPre (http://www.marygrandpre.com/) * Popcorn movies (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=popcorn%20movie) * LeakyCon, a Harry Potter convention (http://www.leakycon.com/) * Harry and the Potters (http://harryandthepotters.com/) * The Harry Potter Alliance (http://thehpalliance.org/) * We Are Wizards (http://www.wearewizards-themovie.com/) * Otakon (http://otakon.com/) * Indiebound, the #1 place to get Dave's Astronaut Academy * But leave a review for Astronaut Academy on Amazon! Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBNvhldeRAA Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Gale (http://twitter.com/#!/kelvarin), and Dave (http://twitter.com/#!/yaytime) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:14:08 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag20http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag20.mp3 Comics Are Great! 19 – Ghosts of Comics Past and Future http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/KQrg6otRYgM/cag19 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag19#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:01:32 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2290 It’s a talk about the past and future of comics with Karl Altstaetter! Karl and I start out by talking about comics in the 90s, his work on the Samurai anthology then about his work on the MTV Geek webcomics project and his own contribution, Me2! We then talk a bit about the future of comics and what we see that’s being done right and wrong as we move more and more of our content to mobile devices.

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares a few book recommendations with us as well as some of the exciting comics events happening at AADL.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Book Recommendations:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytYx-6VEJ9c

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy and Karl on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag19/feed 0 ipad,iphone,karl altstaetter,new media,publishing,self publishing It's a talk about the past and future of comics with Karl Altstaetter! Karl and I start out by talking about comics in the 90s, his work on the Samurai anthology then about his work on the MTV Geek webcomics project and his own contribution, Me2! (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/me2.jpg)It's a talk about the past and future of comics with Karl Altstaetter (http://komickarl.deviantart.com/)! Karl and I start out by talking about comics in the 90s, his work on the Samurai anthology then about his work on the MTV Geek webcomics project (http://www.mtv.com/geek/) and his own contribution, Me2 (http://geek-news.mtv.com/2010/12/17/karl-altstaetters-multiple-metaphors-in-me2/)! We then talk a bit about the future of comics and what we see that's being done right and wrong as we move more and more of our content to mobile devices. We're joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org), who shares a few book recommendations with us as well as some of the exciting comics events happening at AADL. Links mentioned in this episode: * Karl's interview on MTV.com (http://www.mtv.com/videos/interview/591412/a-wiki-comic.jhtml#series=2603&id=1650770) * Karl's Emerald City Blues * Whamix (http://whamix.com/) * Comixology (http://www.comixology.com/) * The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6blEf9xgFM) * The AADL Summer Game (http://play.aadl.org/) Book Recommendations: * Saturn Apartments, Vol. 1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1421533642&camp=217145&creative=399369) * Brain Camp (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057DC6L6/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0057DC6L6)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0057DC6L6&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Biomega, Vol. 1(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1421531844&camp=217145&creative=399369) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytYx-6VEJ9c Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy) and Karl (http://twitter.com/#!/komickarl) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagpodcast) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:15:55 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag19http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag19.mp3 Comics Are Great! 18 – Free Bits for All! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/qRGpffnm_pE/cag18 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag18#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:52:58 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2247 I’m happy to have Paul Storrie return, along with Krishna Sadasivam, for some laughs and bickering! This time we talk about JK Rowling’s Pottermore project and what it means for independent publishing. We then spiral out to discuss how the relationship between author and audience has been changing in the Internet age, and whether that’s a good thing. We’re joined at the end by Eli Neiburger, who offers some more thoughts on how a comics creator has an opportunity to re-think the industry in terms of selling “experiences” over “bits”.

Links mentioned this episode:

Book recommendations mentioned in this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4S-sFQfgc0

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Paul, Krishna, and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag18/feed 5 copyright,eli neiburger,krishna sadasivam,paul storrie,publishing,self publishing I'm happy to have Paul Storrie return, along with Krishna Sadasivam, for some laughs and bickering! This time we talk about JK Rowling's Pottermore project and what it means for independent publishing. We then spiral out to discuss how the relationship... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/creativecommons.jpg)I'm happy to have Paul Storrie (http://storrieville.com) return, along with Krishna Sadasivam (http://pcweenies.com), for some laughs and bickering! This time we talk about JK Rowling's Pottermore project (http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2081247/rowling-unveils-pottermore-drm-free-harry-potter-ebooks) and what it means for independent publishing. We then spiral out to discuss how the relationship between author and audience has been changing in the Internet age, and whether that's a good thing. We're joined at the end by Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous), who offers some more thoughts on how a comics creator has an opportunity to re-think the industry in terms of selling "experiences" over "bits". Links mentioned this episode: * PC Weenies (http://pcweenies.com) * Uncubed (http://www.uncubedthecomic.com/) * My Boyfriend Is a Monster: Made for Each Other (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761370773/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0761370773)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0761370773&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Jerzy has Kermit the Frog arms (http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lngtvdGTgu1qdyfl6.gif) * Rob Granito (http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/03/28/rob-granito-scam-artist/) * Dumpster Diving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpster_diving) * The 1000 True Fans concept as proven by They Might Be Giants (http://laughingsquid.com/they-might-be-giants-instant-fan-club/) * The Paul F.Tompkins 300 (http://paulftompkins.com/blog_detail.php?id=47) * Ruffle Hall (http://www.rufflehall.com/) Book recommendations mentioned in this episode: * Peter Bagge's Other Lives(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401219020&camp=217145&creative=399373) Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4S-sFQfgc0 Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/#!/jerzy), Paul (http://twitter.com/#!/storrieville), Krishna (http://twitter.com/#!/pcweenies), and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:12:57 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag18http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag18.mp3 Comics Are Great! 17 – Marketing is Just Talking to Dudes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/FWzf9VpgCtU/cag17 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag17#comments Sat, 02 Jul 2011 19:26:54 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2236 Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+ are the easy solution to finding success as a cartoonist, right? Just post about your stuff and the audience will come (with money)! We all know it’s not that simple, and I’m grateful to have two super-smart cartoonists on the show to navigate through the confusing labyrinth of choices and practices facing an independent comics creator.

Ryan Estrada creates many comics, the latest of which, Aki Alliance, is available as a free download for your mobile or tablet device!

Janni Ho is a children’s book illustrator and comics creator who recently designed the branding for the Ann Arbor District Library Summer Game!

Together we talk about how marketing/networking is “just talking to dudes”, and what the difference is between a Sales Ninja and a Sales Samurai. Special appearance by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library!

Social media links mentioned in this episode:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqh1xbemXVE

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Ryan, Jannie, and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag17/feed 0 eli neiburger,jannie ho,marketing,ryan estrada Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+ are the easy solution to finding success as a cartoonist, right? Just post about your stuff and the audience will come (with money)! We all know it's not that simple, and I'm grateful to have two super-smart cartoonis... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/akialliancecover-300x230.jpg)Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+ are the easy solution to finding success as a cartoonist, right? Just post about your stuff and the audience will come (with money)! We all know it's not that simple, and I'm grateful to have two super-smart cartoonists on the show to navigate through the confusing labyrinth of choices and practices facing an independent comics creator. Ryan Estrada (http://ryanestrada.com) creates many comics, the latest of which, Aki Alliance, is available as a free download for your mobile or tablet device (http://ryanestrada.com/akialliance/index.html)! Janni Ho (http://chickengirldesign.com) is a children's book illustrator and comics creator who recently designed the branding for the Ann Arbor District Library Summer Game (http://play.aadl.org/)! Together we talk about how marketing/networking is "just talking to dudes", and what the difference is between a Sales Ninja and a Sales Samurai. Special appearance by Eli Neiburger (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) of the Ann Arbor District Library! Social media links mentioned in this episode: * The #kidlitart Twitter discussion group (http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23kidlitart) * Tim Street (twitter.com/#!/1timstreet) * Krishna Sadasivam (http://twitter.com/#!/pcweenies) * Dani Jones (http://twitter.com/#!/danidraws) Here's the video from this episode's live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqh1xbemXVE Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Ryan (http://twitter.com/#!/ryanestrada), Jannie (http://twitter.com/#!/jannieho), and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 58:47 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag17http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag17.mp3 Comics Are Great! 16 – A Post-Cosby Show World http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/Q44p4IVj_gI/cag16 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag16#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:19:06 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2233 It’s a high-energy discussion about writing comics this week with guests Dr. Alice Hunt and Paul Storrie. Together we talk about whether or not gender still matters in the comics industry, what we mean when we say “breaking in” to comics, and how there’s no one path to success in the creative arts.

Special appearance at the end by Dave Roman of Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity!

Links mentioned in this episode:

And here are this week’s comics picks by the guests:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z9ZrVGCbmA

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Alice, Paul, and Dave on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag16/feed 0 alice hunt,dave roman,kids read comics,paul storrie,storytelling,writing It's a high-energy discussion about writing comics this week with guests Dr. Alice Hunt and Paul Storrie. Together we talk about whether or not gender still matters in the comics industry, what we mean when we say "breaking in" to comics, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/mfeo.png)It's a high-energy discussion about writing comics this week with guests Dr. Alice Hunt (http://goodbyechains.com) and Paul Storrie (http://storrieville.com). Together we talk about whether or not gender still matters in the comics industry, what we mean when we say "breaking in" to comics, and how there's no one path to success in the creative arts. Special appearance at the end by Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) of Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596436204/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1596436204)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596436204&camp=217145&creative=399373) Links mentioned in this episode: * My Boyfriend Is a Monster 2: Made for Each Other (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761370773/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0761370773)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0761370773&camp=217145&creative=399373) * Goodbye Chains (http://goodbyechains.com) * Venus in Points * My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (http://www.hubworld.com/my-little-pony/shows/friendship-is-magic) * Detroit Fanfare (http://www.detroitfanfare.com/) * Mid-Ohio Con (http://midohiocon.blogspot.com/) And here are this week's comics picks by the guests: * Roy Rogers Archives Volume 1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593079664/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=1593079664)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593079664&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever! (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399252215/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399381&creativeASIN=0399252215)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0399252215&camp=217145&creative=399381) * Scratch9, Vol. 1: Pet Project (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936340534/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1936340534)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1936340534&camp=217145&creative=399373) Here's the video from this episode's live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z9ZrVGCbmA Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Alice (http://twitter.com/#!/heykidzcomix), Paul (http://twitter.com/#!/storrieville), and Dave (http://twitter.com/#!/yaytime) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:25:58 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag16http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag16.mp3 Comics Are Great! 15 – SAW http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/RERskmjUIhQ/cag15 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag15#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:52:15 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2216 It’s a discussion on teaching comics this week on Comics Are Great, with special guests Rob Stenzinger and Tom Hart! What’s the big deal with comics education? Why not just pursue a traditional art degree? Does a formal education in comics make a difference in a career? We tackle these topics, as well as some thoughts on digital workflows vs more traditional workflows, before talking about Tom’s new project, the Sequential Artists Workshop, a new school for cartoonists in Florida. You can help make the school a reality by pledging to the SAW Indie Gogo fundraising drive!

Links mentioned in this episode:

And here are this week’s comics picks by the guests:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL87IAd9KsI

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Rob, and Tom on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag15/feed 0 teaching,teaching arts,workshops It's a discussion on teaching comics this week on Comics Are Great, with special guests Rob Stenzinger and Tom Hart! What's the big deal with comics education? Why not just pursue a traditional art degree? Does a formal education in comics make a diffe... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/seriouslycomics.png)It's a discussion on teaching comics this week on Comics Are Great, with special guests Rob Stenzinger (http://artgeekzoo.com) and Tom Hart (http://www.tomhart.net/)! What's the big deal with comics education? Why not just pursue a traditional art degree? Does a formal education in comics make a difference in a career? We tackle these topics, as well as some thoughts on digital workflows vs more traditional workflows, before talking about Tom's new project, the Sequential Artists Workshop (http://www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org/), a new school for cartoonists in Florida. You can help make the school a reality by pledging to the SAW Indie Gogo fundraising drive (http://www.indiegogo.com/Creating-The-Sequential-Artists-Workshop)! Links mentioned in this episode: * Stephanie Mannheim (http://stephtheartist.tumblr.com/) * Hutch Owen (http://www.hutchowen.com/) * Moe Szyslak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Szyslak) * Art Geek Zoo (http://artgeekzoo.com) * Dennis the Menace (http://www.dennisthemenace.com/) * Jessica Fink (http://jessfink.com/) * Tijuana Bibles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijuana_bible) * The Minneapolis Indie Expo (http://mplsindiexpo.com/) And here are this week's comics picks by the guests: * PC Weenies (http://pcweenies.com/) * The Winchcombe (http://thewinchcombe.com/) * Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics (http://www.amazon.com/Smithsonian-Collection-Newspaper-Comics-Blackbeard/dp/0874741726) * Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596436204/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1596436204)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596436204&camp=217145&creative=399373) Here's the video from this episode's live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post): httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL87IAd9KsI Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Rob (http://twitter.com/#!/robstenzinger), and Tom (twitter.com/#!/hutchowen) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:06:01 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag15http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag15.mp3 Comics Are Great! 14 – Marketing for Smarties http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/k0lBCfzKDlw/cag14 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag14#comments Sun, 05 Jun 2011 03:57:17 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2154 It’s the first episode of the new Comics Are Great! recorded at the Ann Arbor District Library! The show is now recorded live on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm Eastern Time and broadcasted live on Ustream! Join us for our live discussions where you can participate and ask questions of the guests via a live chat client.

When pushing into the choppy waters of live video streaming one might worry about being dashed against the rocks. That’s why I was relieved to have these world-class cartoonists manning the oars with me:

Together we talk about some marketing strategies Malki ! and Raina have employed over the past few years, some ideas for coming out of one’s shell in order to sell the work at shows, and why observation and self-assessment are crucial when building a business in the creative arts.

Links mentioned this episode:

Book Recommendations:

Below is the video for this episode (audio player at the bottom).

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Follow Jerzy, Malki !, Dave and Raina on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag14/feed 2 marketing,publishing,self promotion,self publishing It's the first episode of the new Comics Are Great! recorded at the Ann Arbor District Library! The show is now recorded live on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm Eastern Time and broadcasted live on Ustream! Join us for our live discussions where you can partici... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cag_live.jpg)It's the first episode of the new Comics Are Great! recorded at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org)! The show is now recorded live on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm Eastern Time and broadcasted live on Ustream (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Join us for our live discussions where you can participate and ask questions of the guests via a live chat client. When pushing into the choppy waters of live video streaming one might worry about being dashed against the rocks. That's why I was relieved to have these world-class cartoonists manning the oars with me: * David Malki ! (http://twitter.com/#!/malki), creator of the Eisner-nominated comic strip Wondermark (http://wondermark.com/), and co-editor of the best-selling book Machine of Death (http://machineofdeath.net/) * Dave Roman (http://twitter.com/#!/yaytime), creator of  Astronaut Academy (http://www.amazon.com/Astronaut-Academy-Gravity-Dave-Roman/dp/1596436204/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287110662&sr=1-3) and various other titles found at the Comics Bakery (http://www.yaytime.com/bakery/comicsbakery.html) * Raina Telgemeier (http://twitter.com/#!/goraina), creator of the Eisner-nominated Smile (http://goraina.com/books_smile.html) and the Baby-Sitters Club (http://goraina.com/books_bsc.html) graphic novels Together we talk about some marketing strategies Malki ! and Raina have employed over the past few years, some ideas for coming out of one's shell in order to sell the work at shows, and why observation and self-assessment are crucial when building a business in the creative arts. Links mentioned this episode: * Malki !'s and Kris Straub's (http://starslip.com/) Tweet Me Harder podcast (http://tweetmeharder.com/) * Tweet Me Harder: Hey World Here Are Some Suggestions (http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=WON-TMH-BK1&Category_Code=WON-BOOKS) * Vote for your favorite for the Eisner Awards! (http://eisnervote.com/) * Lazer Blazer Stickers (http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0769/) * Avatar: The Last Puppetbender (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8urXdyee7g) * Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier's upcoming appearance at AADL on June 17 (http://comicsaregreat.com/krckickoff) * Dave & Raina will be at ALA 2011 in Artist Alley (http://exhibitors.ala.org/resources/artist_alley.shtml) * Malki ! will be at Heroes Con June 3-5 (http://www.heroesonline.com/heroescon/) Book Recommendations: * Bookhunter, by Jason Shiga (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097427156X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399705&creativeASIN=097427156X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=097427156X&camp=217153&creative=399705) * I Think You're Sauceome (http://www.sauceome.com/) * Yokaiden (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345503279/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399705&creativeASIN=0345503279)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0345503279&camp=217153&creative=399705) Below is the video for this episode (audio player at the bottom). httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWuHMgq43Y Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv (http://comicsaregreat.tv)! Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com). This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org). Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Malki ! (http://twitter.com/#!/malki), Dave (http://twitter.com/#!/yaytime) and Raina (http://twitter.com/#!/goraina) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:05:38 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag14http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag14.mp3 Comics Are Great! 13 – Swears http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/-zMJLnV32z8/cag13 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag13#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:35:21 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=2015 Disclaimer on this one: Due to the topic of this discussion, some salty language made it into this episode. It is, as they say, NSFW, and those who are sensitive to coarse language should use discretion before listening.

The roundtable returns for a discussion inspired by some blog posts made recently by John Sanford of the Chippy and Loopus comic. Does using swear words in your comic limit your audience? When is it or isn’t it appropriate to use that kind of language in your story? How does language fit in with the overall storytelling choices facing you when creating a comic? How might you think about managing a career when making “G-rated” comics as well as “Mature” comics?

Lucky for me I’m joined by a smart and funny group of people to help me navigate this dicey topic:

Dave Roman is the author of Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, due for release this summer from First Second. Check out his Astronaut Academy trailer on YouTube!

Ryan Estrada is the author of tons of comics found on his RyanEstrada.com website. It’s there you can find out more about his upcoming One Month Animated Feature project.

Brandon Dayton is the author of the acclaimed Green Monk graphic novel. You can see pages from his next volume on his website and read his fascinating thoughts on storytelling and game design on Feature Creeps.

Kasey Van Hise is the author of the fantastic webcomic Winters In Lavelle. She also posts pictures of fat unicorns on her Tumblog.

Dave and Kasey will be at the MoCCA Festival this Saturday, April 9. You can meet Brandon at the Stumptown Comics Fest on April 16 & 17. All three will be at Kids Read Comics this June 17-19!

Lots of links to things mentioned in this episode:

Follow Jerzy, Kasey, Brandon, and Dave on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag13/feed 3 dialogue,storytelling,style,writing Disclaimer on this one: Due to the topic of this discussion, some salty language made it into this episode. It is, as they say, NSFW, and those who are sensitive to coarse language should use discretion before listening. - Disclaimer on this one: Due to the topic of this discussion, some salty language made it into this episode. It is, as they say, NSFW, and those who are sensitive to coarse language should use discretion before listening. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/r.jpg)The roundtable returns for a discussion inspired by some blog posts made recently by John Sanford (http://twitter.com/#!/jsanford) of the Chippy and Loopus comic. Does using swear words in your comic limit your audience? When is it or isn't it appropriate to use that kind of language in your story? How does language fit in with the overall storytelling choices facing you when creating a comic? How might you think about managing a career when making "G-rated" comics as well as "Mature" comics? Lucky for me I'm joined by a smart and funny group of people to help me navigate this dicey topic: (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/astronautacademy-211x300.jpg)Dave Roman is the author of Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596436204/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1596436204)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1596436204), due for release this summer from First Second (http://firstsecondbooks.typepad.com/mainblog/). Check out his Astronaut Academy trailer on YouTube! Ryan Estrada (http://twitter.com/ryanestrada) is the author of tons of comics found on his RyanEstrada (http://ryanestrada.com).com website. It's there you can find out more about his upcoming One Month Animated Feature (http://onemonthanimatedfeature.tumblr.com/) project. Brandon Dayton (http://twitter.com/brandondayton) is the author of the acclaimed Green Monk (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615382835/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0615382835)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0615382835) graphic novel. You can see pages from his next volume on his website (http://brandondayton.com) and read his fascinating thoughts on storytelling and game design on Feature Creeps (http://creeps.lineofaction.com/). Kasey Van Hise (http://twitter.com/spacekase) is the author of the fantastic webcomic Winters In Lavelle (http://wintersinlavelle.com). She also posts pictures of fat unicorns on her Tumblog (http://mineraloid.tumblr.com/). Dave and Kasey will be at the MoCCA Festival (http://www.moccany.org/content/mocca-festival) this Saturday, April 9. You can meet Brandon at the Stumptown Comics Fest (http://stumptowncomics.com/) on April 16 & 17. All three will be at Kids Read Comics (http://kidsreadcomics.org) this June 17-19! Lots of links to things mentioned in this episode: * John Sanford's blog post about swears in comics (http://chippyandloopus.com/?p=1011) * Kasey Van Hise's Tumblog (http://mineraloid.tumblr.com/) * Dave Roman's Tumblr (http://yaytime.tumblr.com/) * Ryan Estrada's Tumblr (http://onemonthanimatedfeature.tumblr.com/) * Jerzy's Tumblr (http://jerzydrozd.tumblr.com/) * (waiting on Brandon to get a Tumblr account) * Happy Tree Friends * South Park * Invincible * Fish Bones (http://fishbonescomic.com/) * Homestuck (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/) * Dead Like Me * Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame * The Secret of NIMH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_NIMH) * Platinum Grit (http://platinumgrit.com) * Oglaf (http://oglaf.com) (definitely NSFW) * Lunchbox Funnies (http://lunchboxfunnies.com/) * Johnny Ryan (http://johnnyryan.com/) * Steven King's On Writing (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743455967/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743455967)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0743455967) Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Kasey (http://twitter.com/spacekase), Brandon (http://twitter.com/brandondayton), Jerzy Drozd clean 1:15:43 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag13http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag13.mp3 Comics Are Great! 12 – Calling all LCS! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/v7m8d60ZKmw/cag12 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag12#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:27:13 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1769 Whatever its intent, the recent news about Diamond Distribution’s attempt at digital distribution has stirred up a lot of talk about the future of Local Comics Stores (LCS). Digital delivery of comics through services like The Illustrated Section or Comixology has certainly disrupted the business of selling and distributing physical comic books, but does this mean that comics stores are no longer relevant? Is there more to what ails LCS? Can they adapt their business model to become more relevant than ever before?

I’m grateful to be joined by two people who lend a boat-load of insight on the subject:

Eli Neiburger is the Associate Director of IT and Production at the Ann Arbor District Library and author of Gamers… In the Library?!

Barry Gregory is the owner of the Ka-Blam Digital Printing service as well as the IndyPlanet and ComicsMonkey fulfillment and distribution services.

Together we explore how LCS can reach new audiences and find their unique value proposition by partnering with local cartoonists and begin thinking of themselves as much as a content creator as they are a content seller. We use some successful strategies used by libraries as models for consideration.

Some links mentioned in this episode:

We talk a lot about interactive comics events during our discussion, which reminds me to point you at the Kids Read Comics Extravaganza on March 12 in Ann Arbor, MI!

Follow Jerzy, Barry, and Eli on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag12/feed 5 business model,events,teaching arts Whatever its intent, the recent news about Diamond Distribution's attempt at digital distribution has stirred up a lot of talk about the future of Local Comics Stores (LCS). Digital delivery of comics through services like The Illustrated Section or Co... (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/computer_comic.jpg)Whatever its intent, the recent news about Diamond Distribution's attempt at digital distribution (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/46087-diamond-iverse-team-up-to-sell-digital-comics-via-comics-shops.html) has stirred up a lot of talk about the future of Local Comics Stores (LCS). Digital delivery of comics through services like The Illustrated Section or Comixology has certainly disrupted the business of selling and distributing physical comic books, but does this mean that comics stores are no longer relevant? Is there more to what ails LCS? Can they adapt their business model to become more relevant than ever before? I'm grateful to be joined by two people who lend a boat-load of insight on the subject: Eli Neiburger (http://ulo.tricho.us/) is the Associate Director of IT and Production at the Ann Arbor District Library (http://aadl.org) and author of Gamers... In the Library?!(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0838909442) Barry Gregory is the owner of the Ka-Blam Digital Printing (http://ka-blam.com) service as well as the IndyPlanet (http://indyplanet.com) and ComicsMonkey (http://comicsmonkey.com) fulfillment and distribution services. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/gamersinthelibrary.jpg)Together we explore how LCS can reach new audiences and find their unique value proposition by partnering with local cartoonists and begin thinking of themselves as much as a content creator as they are a content seller. We use some successful strategies used by libraries as models for consideration. Some links mentioned in this episode: * Eli's "Libraries are Screwed" talk he led at the Library Journal/School Library Journal Online Summit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqAwj5ssU2c) * Green Brain Comics (http://www.greenbrain.biz/) * Vault of Midnight (http://www.vaultofmidnight.com/) * Wondermark (http://wondermark.com/) * Achewood (http://achewood.com/) * Raina Telgemeier (http://goraina.com) * The Dok Library (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shifted/sets/72157604142377648/) * My talk at Ignite Chelsea, The 21st Century Cartoonist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kXX2rLR-4g) * A blog post (http://comicsaregreat.com/digitallcs) I made on the topic of LCS pursuing local talent to create content We talk a lot about interactive comics events during our discussion, which reminds me to point you at the Kids Read Comics Extravaganza (http://mlatcomics.com/krc/kids-read-comics-extravaganza-march-12) on March 12 in Ann Arbor, MI! (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/krcex_728-90.jpg) Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Barry (http://twitter.com/barrygregory), and Eli (http://twitter.com/#!/ulotrichous) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:06:37 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag12http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag12.mp3 Comics Are Great! 11 – Continuity vs Iteration http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/ik-ixJ1pKzs/cag11 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag11#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 03:51:08 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1675 It’s the return to the roundtable discussion as we try to weigh the pros and cons between canonical storytelling and story franchises that undergo multiple reboots and iterations! What are the perils of working in a strict continuity? Does rebooting your story run risk of alienating readers? When does pleasing your readers cross the line into “fan service”?

These are tough questions, and I’m glad I had help on this one from:

Brandon Dayton, whose terrific comic Green Monk made the YALSA 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list!

Kasey Van Hise, most known for the webcomic Winters in Lavelle and soon-to-be released Fat Unicorn (check out her design for Susan Banana, the derpy tiger)!

And new guest to the roundtable, Jake Parker, whose comic Missile Mouse continues to thrill kids and adults alike!

Links mentioned this episode:

Follow Jerzy, Kasey, Brandon, and Jake on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/cag11/feed 2 character development,storytelling,theme,writing It's the return to the roundtable discussion as we try to weigh the pros and cons between canonical storytelling and story franchises that undergo multiple reboots and iterations! What are the perils of working in a strict continuity? (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/missilemouse.jpg)It's the return to the roundtable discussion as we try to weigh the pros and cons between canonical storytelling and story franchises that undergo multiple reboots and iterations! What are the perils of working in a strict continuity? Does rebooting your story run risk of alienating readers? When does pleasing your readers cross the line into "fan service"? These are tough questions, and I'm glad I had help on this one from: Brandon Dayton (http://brandondayton.com), whose terrific comic Green Monk (http://brandondayton.com/website/green-monk/) made the YALSA 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/ggnt11.cfm) list! (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/wintersinlavelle.jpg)Kasey Van Hise (http://wintersinlavelle.com), most known for the webcomic Winters in Lavelle (http://wintersinlavelle.com) and soon-to-be released Fat Unicorn (check out her design for Susan Banana, (http://mineraloid.tumblr.com/post/2472981868/tyger-tyger-burning-bright-in-the-forests-of) the derpy tiger)! And new guest to the roundtable, Jake Parker (http://agent44.com), whose comic Missile Mouse (http://agent44.com/comics/missilemouse1/missilemouse1.htm) continues to thrill kids and adults alike! Links mentioned this episode: * Twin Spica(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1934287849) * B.P.R.D.(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1593072805) * The Red Shirt Guy at Blizzcon 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwyMB19q7ms) (video) * Wormworld Saga * Missile Mouse(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0545117151) * (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/greenmonk.jpg)Green Monk (http://brandondayton.com/website/green-monk/) * Winters in Lavelle (if you purchase the print edition, you'll get access to audio commentary tracks by Kasey and me!) * The Illustrated Section (http://theillustratedsection.com), featuring a ton of great comics for the iPad * Kids Read Comics is now accepting applications (http://mlatcomics.com/krc/apply-for-a-table) to table at our 2011 event! * Jerzy's new mini-comic Boulder and Fleet: Adventurers for Hire Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Kasey (http://twitter.com/spacekase), Brandon (http://twitter.com/brandondayton), and Jake (http://twitter.com/agent44) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:09:18 http://comicsaregreat.com/cag11http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag11.mp3 Comics Are Great! 10 – Finding Story Through Math? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/AtgG23y68ns/comics-are-great-10-finding-story-through-math http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-10-finding-story-through-math#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:54:07 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1343 It’s some more visual storytelling talk, this time with Simpsons storyboard artist and cartoonist Luis Escobar!

We spend a little bit of time at the top discussing his work on a recent controversial Simpsons couch gag, followed by an attempt to find a proper name to what people have been calling “motion comics”. It’s a terrific medium, but is it appropriate to call them comics?

From there we dive into a discussion on a new project Luis has been working on, and how the Dramatica writing system has been changing his creative process. If you’ve ever participated in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, you might find Dramatica a familiar method of story and character building!

Links mentioned in this episode:

For a preview of how the Dramatica software looks and feels, check out this great video by Jonathan Rector!

Follow Jerzy and Luis on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-10-finding-story-through-math/feed 2 deconstruction,storytelling,structure,writing It's some more visual storytelling talk, this time with Simpsons storyboard artist and cartoonist Luis Escobar! - We spend a little bit of time at the top discussing his work on a recent controversial Simpsons couch gag, It's some more visual storytelling talk, this time with Simpsons storyboard artist and cartoonist Luis Escobar (http://www.luisescobarblog.com/)! (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/simpsons.jpg) We spend a little bit of time at the top discussing his work on a recent controversial Simpsons couch gag (http://www.zupi.org/index.php/site_zupi_en/view/baksy_creates_controversial_opening_for_the_simpsons/), followed by an attempt to find a proper name to what people have been calling "motion comics". It's a terrific medium, but is it appropriate to call them comics? From there we dive into a discussion on a new project (http://www.luisescobarblog.com//?p=591) Luis has been working on, and how the Dramatica writing system (http://www.dramatica.com/theory/what_is_dramatica/index.html) has been changing his creative process. If you've ever participated in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, you might find Dramatica a familiar method of story and character building! Links mentioned in this episode: (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rob-howard-sketch.jpg) * The Heart & The Bottle (http://www.youtube.com/user/HCChildrensBooks#p/a/u/1/Wc3fghSJvBM) book for the iPad (video) * Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060391685?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060391685)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060391685) * The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577315936?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1577315936)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1577315936) * Dramatica: A New Theory of Story, by Melanie Phillips (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091897304X?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=091897304X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=091897304X) * The free Dramatica audio book series (http://www.dramatica.com/podcasts/index.htm#dbook) * The crazy Dramatica story structure chart (PDF (http://comicsaregreat.com/images/structure_chart.pdf)) * Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006097625X?ie=UTF8&tag=arst09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=006097625X)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arst09-20&l=as2&o=1&a=006097625X) * Luis' Illustrated Trip to Italy (http://www.luisescobarblog.com/?page_id=26) * Luis' animatic teaser (http://www.youtube.com/user/Daarck#p/a/u/0/zHmsGUE-0iI) showing Rob facing off with the sorcerers * Ghettomation (http://ghettomation.blogspot.com/), a terrific animation podcast For a preview of how the Dramatica software looks and feels, check out this great video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYVlUX722fA) by Jonathan Rector (http://jonathanrector.com)! Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy) and Luis (http://twitter.com/Luis_E_Escobar) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:27:34 http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-10-finding-story-through-mathhttp://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag10.mp3 Comics Are Great! 09 – Limitations Breed Creativity http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/rsdDxCoKumg/comics-are-great-09-limitations-breed-creativity http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-09-limitations-breed-creativity#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:23:49 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1240 This time it’s a one-on-one conversation between me and Ryan Estrada, the cartoonist who is taking on the brobdingnagian challenge of animating a feature-length film in one month!

As we discuss the project and the perils it presents to Ryan, we wind up investigating some topics that apply to any cartooning endeavor, such as:

  • Story and Character as the chief driving force of a project, and finding the right style and structure to service them
  • Project constraints and deadlines breed creativity
  • The benefits of publicizing the process of your project and how to measure what you do and don’t share

Some of the links we mention during our conversation:

Follow Jerzy and Ryan on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-09-limitations-breed-creativity/feed 2 cartoons,drawing,storytelling,writing This time it's a one-on-one conversation between me and Ryan Estrada, the cartoonist who is taking on the brobdingnagian challenge of animating a feature-length film in one month! - As we discuss the project and the perils it presents to Ryan, This time it's a one-on-one conversation between me and Ryan Estrada (http://ryanestrada.com), the cartoonist who is taking on the brobdingnagian challenge of animating a feature-length film in one month! (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/onemonth.jpg)(http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ryan.jpg)As we discuss the project and the perils it presents to Ryan, we wind up investigating some topics that apply to any cartooning endeavor, such as: * Story and Character as the chief driving force of a project, and finding the right style and structure to service them * Project constraints and deadlines breed creativity * The benefits of publicizing the process of your project and how to measure what you do and don't share Some of the links we mention during our conversation: * The One Month Animated Feature process blog (http://onemonthanimatedfeature.tumblr.com/) * Jake Parker's essay on how constraints and accountability are the "flint and steel" of creativity (http://agent44.com/blog2/?p=987) * Ryan's Cartoon Commune business (http://www.cartooncommune.com/) * Ryan's 168-hour comic, Ped X-ing * 11 Minutes Ago, a short film made in 24 hours * Scott Kurtz (http://www.pvponline.com/) * Kris Straub (http://www.krisstraub.com/) * Barney Wornoff (http://barneywornoff.com/) * Kevin McShane (http://www.kevinmcshane.org/) * Dan Meth (http://danmeth.com/) * John Campbell's Pictures for Sad Children (http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/) * Ryan and I did an Audioboo (http://audioboo.fm/boos/140782-best-story-ever) about a crazy talented kid at Kids Read Comics (http://kidsreadcomics.org) * Ryan's talk on Making Comics Like an Adventurer at the Ann Arbor District Library Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy) and Ryan (http://twitter.com/ryanestrada) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:08:30 http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-09-limitations-breed-creativityhttp://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag09.mp3 Comics Are Great! 08 – Readers’ Advisory http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/yBrvHOfh0Jg/comics-are-great-08-readers-advisory http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-08-readers-advisory#comments Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:30:57 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1233 If we agree to the conceit that most of us want more people to read comics, the next question is: How do we recommend works to people who don’t normally read comics? Do we base our recommendations on the genres that the person is interested in, do we try to get them to read something we are personally excited about reading, or do we feel a responsibility to educate and improve the tastes of others? It’s a tricky subject, and I’m glad to have yet another great roundtable to help me try to pin the subject down for a while.

Anne Drozd is the co-author of various comics found at Tiny Astronaut, including Tiny Hamilton, Rocketosaurus!, and Dino Love.

Dave Roman is the creator behind Astronaut Academy, due for release next June from First Second Publishing.

Kasey Van Hise creates the webcomic Winters in Lavelle.

Some of the various websites and webcomics we mentioned this episode:

And as you might expect, we talk about a ton of books this time, including these!

Follow Jerzy, Dave, Anne, and Kasey on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-08-readers-advisory/feed 0 If we agree to the conceit that most of us want more people to read comics, the next question is: How do we recommend works to people who don't normally read comics? Do we base our recommendations on the genres that the person is interested in, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/booklust.jpg)If we agree to the conceit that most of us want more people to read comics, the next question is: How do we recommend works to people who don't normally read comics? Do we base our recommendations on the genres that the person is interested in, do we try to get them to read something we are personally excited about reading, or do we feel a responsibility to educate and improve the tastes of others? It's a tricky subject, and I'm glad to have yet another great roundtable to help me try to pin the subject down for a while. Anne Drozd (http://twitter.com/ethelfred) is the co-author of various comics found at Tiny Astronaut (http://tinyastronaut.com), including Tiny Hamilton, Rocketosaurus!, and Dino Love. Dave Roman (http://twitter.com/yaytime) is the creator behind Astronaut Academy (http://www.webcomicsnation.com/daveroman/ae/series.php), due for release next June from First Second Publishing (http://us.macmillan.com/Content.aspx?publisher=firstsecond&id=5887). Kasey Van Hise (http://twitter.com/spacekase) creates the webcomic Winters in Lavelle (http://wintersinlavelle.com/). Some of the various websites and webcomics we mentioned this episode: * The Webcomic Friday Recommendation movement on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23webcomicfriday) * The 12 Days of Comics series of recommendations on Elephant Eater * Raina Telgemeier (http://goraina.com) * Topatoco (http://topatoco.com/hey/) * Aga Saga literature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_saga) * Goodreads, a social network for book lovers (http://www.goodreads.com/) * Mike deGury's TED talk about Octopi (http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_degruy_hooked_by_octopus.html) And as you might expect, we talk about a ton of books this time, including these! Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Dave (http://twitter.com/yaytime), Anne (http://twitter.com/ethelfred), and Kasey (http://twitter.com/spacekase) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:28:31 comics,webcomics,graphic,novels,animation,storytelling,writing,illustrationhttp://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-08-readers-advisoryhttp://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag08.mp3 Comics Are Great! 07 – Manga is Great http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/H-8KV_qHQJk/comics-are-great-07-manga-is-great http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-07-manga-is-great#comments Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:19:16 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1163 Hot on the heels of last episode’s celebration of American Comics, this time we’re paying tribute to the wonderful world of comics from Japan, otherwise known as Manga!

I’m joined by one of my favorite roundtables of cartoonists:

Brandon Dayton is the cartoonist behind the comic Green Monk and contributor to the Feature Creeps process blog.
Kasey Van Hise is the creator of Winters In Lavelle, who may or may not be doing a comic soon called Fat Unicorn.
Dave Roman is the creator of Astronaut Academy, soon to come out from First Second Publishing.

We sit down for a discussion on some of the common misconceptions by American audiences in regards to Manga, followed by some of the lessons we’ve learned through letting some of our favorite Manga influence our works.

Links and artists mentioned in this episode:

Some of the books mentioned in this episode:

Other links mentioned at the end of the episode:

Follow Jerzy, Dave, Brandon, and Kasey on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-07-manga-is-great/feed 2 artistic process,drawing,influence,manga,storytelling,style,writing Hot on the heels of last episode's celebration of American Comics, this time we're paying tribute to the wonderful world of comics from Japan, otherwise known as Manga! - I'm joined by one of my favorite roundtables of cartoonists: - (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/yotsuba.jpg)Hot on the heels of last episode's celebration of American Comics, this time we're paying tribute to the wonderful world of comics from Japan, otherwise known as Manga! I'm joined by one of my favorite roundtables of cartoonists: Brandon Dayton (http://brandondayton.com) is the cartoonist behind the comic Green Monk (http://brandondayton.com/website/green-monk/) and contributor to the Feature Creeps process blog (http://creeps.lineofaction.com/). Kasey Van Hise (http://spaceykasey.com) is the creator of Winters In Lavelle (http://wintersinlavelle.com), who may or may not be doing a comic soon called Fat Unicorn (http://mineraloid.tumblr.com/tagged/fatunicorn). Dave Roman (http://yaytime.com) is the creator of Astronaut Academy (http://www.webcomicsnation.com/daveroman/ae/series.php), soon to come out from First Second Publishing (http://us.macmillan.com/Content.aspx?publisher=firstsecond&id=5887). We sit down for a discussion on some of the common misconceptions by American audiences in regards to Manga, followed by some of the lessons we've learned through letting some of our favorite Manga influence our works. Links and artists mentioned in this episode: * Shaenon K. Garrity's (http://www.narbonic.com/) blog post, Ten Things to Know About the Future of Comics (http://www.comixology.com/articles/412/-Ten-Things-to-Know-About-the-Future-of-Comics) * Osamu Tezuka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osamu_Tezuka) * Hayao Miyazaki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki) * Katsuhiro Otomo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuhiro_Otomo) * Pokémon (http://www.pokemon.com/us/) * Trigun * Cowboy Bebop * GoGo Monster (http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=8739) * Rumiko Takahashi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumiko_Takahashi) * Amy Kim Ganter (http://www.felaxx.com/) * Becky Cloonan (http://www.estrigious.com/becky/) * One Piece (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece) * Digimon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digimon) * Transformers: Robots In Disguise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_Robots_in_Disguise) * Taiyo Matsumoto (http://www.amazon.com/Tekkon-Kinkreet-Black-White-Matsumoto/dp/1421518678) * Natsume Ono (http://www.amazon.com/not-simple-Natsume-Ono/dp/1421532204/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291266473&sr=1-3) * Ristorante Paradiso (http://www.amazon.com/Ristorante-Paradiso-Natsume-Ono/dp/1421532506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291266473&sr=1-1) * House of Five Leaves (http://www.amazon.com/House-Five-Leaves-Vol-1/dp/1421532107/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291266473&sr=1-4) * Keiko Takemiya (http://www.amazon.com/Terra-1-v/dp/1932234675/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291266529&sr=1-1) * Cowa, by Akira Toriyama Some of the books mentioned in this episode: Other links mentioned at the end of the episode: * Raina Telgemeier is holding a holiday sale on her Baby-Sitters Club original pages--only $30! * Kasey Van Hise will give you a free Winters In Lavelle button set if you purchase her book and mention this podcast! * My 216-page graphic novel The Front: Rebirth is on sale until December 15 for a paltry $6! * Brandon Dayton is having a print sale on his website (and he also takes commissions)! (http://brandondayton.com/website/store-2/) Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Dave (http://twitter.com/yaytime), Brandon (http://twitter.com/brandondayton), and Kasey (http://twitter.com/spacekase) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:19:29 http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-07-manga-is-greathttp://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag07.mp3 Comics Are Great! 06 – American Exuberance http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/IlpwHpWOSqo/comics-are-great-06-american-exuberance http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-06-american-exuberance#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:02:48 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1106 This time it’s a celebration of the bombastic storytelling found in American comics storytelling with Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm. Given the popularity and influence of Manga over the last decade, and considering the terrific outpouring of new indie comics artists who are breaking all kinds of new ground in comics, it’s easy to overlook the rich and wonderful storytelling legacy left to us over the last century by American cartoonists. Kim and I sit down in studio for a discussion comparing European comics to North American comics in an attempt to highlight a few things we can learn from American storytellers as we pursue our own cartooning endeavors.

Cartoonists and comics mentioned in this episode:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Follow Jerzy and Kim on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-06-american-exuberance/feed 1 comics,drawing,storytelling,style,writing This time it's a celebration of the bombastic storytelling found in American comics storytelling with Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm. Given the popularity and influence of Manga over the last decade, and considering the terrific outpouring of new indie ... This time it's a celebration of the bombastic storytelling found in American comics storytelling with Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm (http://cartoonarchy.com). Given the popularity and influence of Manga over the last decade, and considering the terrific outpouring of new indie comics artists who are breaking all kinds of new ground in comics, it's easy to overlook the rich and wonderful storytelling legacy left to us over the last century by American cartoonists. Kim and I sit down in studio for a discussion comparing European comics to North American comics in an attempt to highlight a few things we can learn from American storytellers as we pursue our own cartooning endeavors. (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/salbuscema_cover.jpg)Cartoonists and comics mentioned in this episode: * Bamse, the World's Strongest Bear * The Adventures of Tintin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin) * The Katzenjammer Kids * Carl Barks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Barks) * Don Rosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Rosa) * Moebius (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Giraud) * Steranko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steranko) * Neil Adams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Adams) * Klaus Janson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Janson) * Al Williamson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Williamson) * Will Eisner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Eisner) * Frank Miller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller_(comics)) * Jack Kirby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_kirby) * John Buscema (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buscema) * Sal Buscema (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal_Buscema) * Windsor McCay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_McCay) * Mike Mignola (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Mignola) * Rick Leonardi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Leonardi) * E.C. Segar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.C._Segar) Books mentioned in this episode: Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy) and Kim (http://twitter.com/denungeherrholm) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 1:22:19 http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-06-american-exuberancehttp://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag06.mp3 Comics Are Great! 05 – Kids Read Comics Panel http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/vpGZHv_UesI/comics-are-great-05-kids-read-comics-panel http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-05-kids-read-comics-panel#comments Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:49:32 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=1013 On October 30, 2010 I sat in on the Kids Read Comics panel at Detroit Fanfare. The panelists and I discussed a wide range of topics surrounding the mission of KRC, including the specific concerns facing all ages cartoonists and writers, the importance of cartoonist leadership in comics advocacy, creative marketing, and breaking the stereotypes between cartoonists and librarians.

The panelists:

Books mentioned in this episode:

Follow Jerzy, Dan, Mark, and Rob on Twitter!

Subscribe through iTunes
RSS

]]> http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-05-kids-read-comics-panel/feed 0 conventions,drawing,marketing,teaching,teaching arts,writing On October 30, 2010 I sat in on the Kids Read Comics panel at Detroit Fanfare. The panelists and I discussed a wide range of topics surrounding the mission of KRC, including the specific concerns facing all ages cartoonists and writers, (http://comicsaregreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/krc_logo_square-300x255.jpg)On October 30, 2010 I sat in on the Kids Read Comics (http://kidsreadcomics.org) panel at Detroit Fanfare (http://detroitfanfare.com). The panelists and I discussed a wide range of topics surrounding the mission of KRC, including the specific concerns facing all ages cartoonists and writers, the importance of cartoonist leadership in comics advocacy, creative marketing, and breaking the stereotypes between cartoonists and librarians. The panelists: * Mark Crilley (http://www.markcrilley.com/), possibly best known for his series of Akiko (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0440416485?tag=marcrisoffyou-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0440416485&adid=128MGTT86XNBYAQM1PWS&) books, who was there to promote his latest work, Brody's Ghost. * Rob Worley (http://www.scratch9.com/), writer for Marvel Comics who recently sold out of his new series, Scratch 9 (http://www.scratch9.com/) * Dan Merritt (http://greenbrain.biz), co-owner of Green Brain Comics (http://greenbrain.biz) and co-organizer of the Kids Read Comics celebration (http://kidsreadcomics.org) Books mentioned in this episode: Follow Jerzy (http://twitter.com/jerzy), Dan (http://twitter.com/greenbraincmx), Mark (http://twitter.com/#!/markcrilleynews), and Rob (http://twitter.com/#!/robworley) on Twitter! Subscribe through iTunes (itpc://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) RSS (http://comicsaregreat.com/?feed=comicsaregreat) Jerzy Drozd clean 50:16 http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-05-kids-read-comics-panelhttp://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/comicsaregreat/comicsaregreat.com/audio/cag05.mp3 Comics Are Great! 04 – Expressionist Comics http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cagpodcast/~3/93mhFVf8iY4/comics-are-great-04-expressionist-comics http://comicsaregreat.com/comics-are-great-04-expressionist-comics#comments Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:11:31 +0000 comicsaregreat@gmail.com (Jerzy Drozd) http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=839 Whether you’re an extroverted or an introverted creator, I think this discussion has something to offer you. This time I talk with Kim Holm about audience engagement and expressing emotions in comics storytelling.

We begin with some talk about the possibilities for interaction and collaborative storytelling provided by webcomics models, using Kim’s excellent Space Monkey as a basis for meditation. Throughout our discussion we investigate how one can re-invent how a story is created by opening up the process to the audience, and how one must think like a Game Master in order to guide the story into a narrative.

We close with some thoughts on the role of Expressionistic thinking in making comics. Whether you’re using lines, moment choices, or color, comics affords a storyteller the opportunity to explore the emotional and tonal content of a story with great immediacy. But how much is too much expressionism?

Kim will be at the UP! Fair this November 19th & 20th in Lexington, Kentucky. I hope you’ll be able to attend and avail yourself of some of the hands-on workshops there. Kim will be leading some himself!