Comic Lab

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Arts
**Comic Lab**

The podcast about making comics — and making a living from comics! It’s half shop talk, half how-to, and half friendship. WE SQUEEZED IN THREE HALVES. It’s tips and tricks and all the joys of cartooning as a pro. So pull up your drawing chair, put on some headphones, and join us while you draw! And if you like what you hear, join our community at patreon.com/comiclab (For sponsorship inquiries: comiclabpodcast@gmail.com)

Latest Episodes:

The New Patreon: The Good, The Bad, and That Logo Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Patreon has unveiled a massive update to its service, and we'll discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

The Good

The user experience has some significant improvements
Collections
eStore — Buy digital goods.
Find Creators You Love — a somewhat improved attempt at discoverability
Member Posts section is being sunsetted

The Bad

Anemic analytics. Graphtreon still beats Patreon's own data.
Patreon's pivot to social media. I have lots of places to talk to my fans. Social media is where I go to make NEW fans. That means Discoverability. Where's that??
Patreon Chat. It's a straight 50-50 split. Half of my patrons can't see/access the chat, and the other half don't care.
Making a new post: BAD interface. Separates different parts of the process to different screens. It makes it super awkward to select tiers.

The Ugly

That logo is laughable. Whoever designed it belongs in the Witless Protection Program.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.

A sexy, sexy defense of the Ninth Art Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Sure, making comics is fun, but do we ever do serious work, like painting, sculpting, or other classical art forms?

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Do we ever do "classical" work?
If tenacity is #1, what's #2?
UPDATE: Dave's booth cost for SDCC '24
UPDATE: NCS networking
UPDATE: Alaska Comics Camp
Which to work on... popular, fun Series A or almost-done Series B?
Black gutters

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

Is syndication dead? Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

The Gannett newspaper chain, which includes USA Today and about 200 other daily newspapers, has selected 34 syndicated comics. Each of its newspapers will be limited to running comics from that list. Any comic that didn't make the list has been shut out of roughly 20% of the existing market. Not surprisingly, most of the 34 are legacy comics whose original creators are long since deceased. This is the end of syndicated comics.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

The Gannet 34 signals the death of syndicated comics
UPDATE: Mastodon Aint it
Why no ComicLab website?
Relaunch a failed Kickstarter?

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

Special guest Jamar Nicholas Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

We're thrilled to welcome Jamar Nicholas, creator of Leon The Extraordinary, to talk shop with us!

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Jamar Nicholas
UPDATE: NCS and Planks Principle
UPDATE: Musk to take Twitter behind paywall?

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

The NCS Reuben Awards Week Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Dave and Brad return from the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Awards with stories, anecdotes, and reflections.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

What is the NCS?
The Reuben Awards week
Phil Foglio wins the award for Best Online Longform Comic
Meeting Mike Peters ("Mother Goose & Grim")
Brunch with the NCS — "Ya wanna hear about MY heart attack?"
Outgoing NCS president Jason Chatfield
NCS is reaching out to younger cartoonists
Regional chapters of NCS
Jamar Nicholas' "NCS Studio Chats" series on YouTube
The original art auction
Publishing on Amazon / KDP: a phenomenal panel by Colin Shields, Vice President at Simon & Schuster, alongside Brent Bartram, Chief Strategy Officer of Andrews McMeel Syndication
Eliminate "online" categories of the Reuben Awards?

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

LIVE from the Reuben Awards — with special guests Sarah Andersen and Jason Chatfield Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

New Yorker cartoonist Jason Chatfield and "Sarah's Scribbles" cartoonist Sarah Andersen join Brad and Dave at the Farewell Brunch, closing out the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Awards events.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

Are you too old to start in comics? Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Is comics a young person's game? Pull up a (rocking) chair, and let's talk about it!

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Are you too old to start in comics?
Battling procrastination
One-and-done publishing strategy?
The TinyView app
Eye problems due to comics

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

How do I decide between writing and drawing? Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

Which is more important for a cartoonist to learn — writing or drawing?

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Is it worth my time to learn how to draw AND how to write?
UPDATE: Dropbox in decline
UPDATE: Brad writes a "Tales from the Drive" story
Using social media to direct traffic to website
Working 7 days a week to achieve work-life balance

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

The Thanos Snap Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

Thanos snaps his fingers and erases Brad and Dave's careers. They have all their current knowledge, talents, and skills. But they don't have their titles, audiences, or archives. What, where, and how do they RESTART?

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Celebrating 300 episodes of ComicLab and 300 episodes of Pro Tips.
The Thanos snap

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

THe Wisdom of Small Mistakes Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

There's a definite benefit to making mistakes early in your career. They have a much lower impact than the ones that come later.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Making small mistakes early so you can avoid big trauma later
Re-releasing old merchandise
Visual novels
Luck in social media

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon

$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.

If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected