Comic Lab

Latest Episodes:

Kryptonite razors, hypnotic glasses and ennui Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they point out that the Eisner Awards have changed their submission guidelines — and that's great news for short-form webcartoonists! THEN they discuss a tweet by Nate Powell that has everyone talking. This Eisner-winning cartoonist claims his income breaks down to about $455 a month! NEXT, it's all about joke theft — what do do when you're accused of it, and what to do when it happens to you! THEN, Dave and Brad do a deep dive on exclamation points. How many it enough? How many is too many?! And what about the interrobang? FINALLY, the guys talk about embedding ads in your comic to promote a Kickstarter or Patreon campaign.

But first... Dave's son explains how Superman shaves, and it has us in stitches!

SHOW NOTES

00:00 — Kryptonite razors and hypnotic glasses
07:44 — New submission guideline for Eisners
15:58 — Publishing vs Self-publishing
21:45 — The offensiveness of rigidity
29:12 — Stretch break!
30:08 — Joke theft
48:39 — Exclamation points
01:03:10 — Embedding ads in your comic

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — Support the show
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — Record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com

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.

When longtime readers stop reading Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they discuss what you should do when you realize you've lost longtime readers. Then, where should you work, when you work from home? What kind of day job should you have? And finally... how do some cartoonists produce those amazing sketchbooks?

But first... Dave's going to Alaska Robotics' Comics Camp!

SHOW NOTES

00:00 — Comics Camp
06:10 — Why do longtime readers fall away from your comic, and how can you address it?
14:21 — Where should you work, when you work from home?
28:00 — What are some things folks need to know before going into comics full time?
40:54 — What kind of day job is best — menial or creative?
55:43 — How do some artists release those massive sketchbooks?

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — Support the show
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — Record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com

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!

Guigar's Law of merchandise Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, Brad makes another lasting contribution to webcomics: Guigar's Law — The first person to comment that they'd buy a certain type of merchandise is the first person to disappear when the merch is offered!

BUT FIRST, Brad and Dave fondly remember comic-convention cosplay.

Show Notes

00:00 — Spotting the batawang at a comic convention
06:35 — Dave clarifies his production schedule
07:54 — Guigar's Law: The first person to say "I'd buy that" is the first person to disappear when you offer the merch.
17:48 — Is it important to have a consistent theme to your comics?
25:54 — Comics anthologies
37:04 — Stretch Break!
37:53 — What should YOU be planning for 2019?
49:27 — Dave doesn't buy as many comics as he used to. Should that be worrisome?
56:29 — Dave and Brad were both Little League umpires... with very different styles, and Brad shares his utter failure as a baseball player
01:03:36 — Advice for launching your first Patreon

Launching your Patreon
Here's a helpful guide to all of the ComicLab episodes with advice on launching your Patreon. See the Show Notes for each episode to see where we start talking about the topic you're looking for. Remember, of course, the Golden Rule of Crowdfunding from last week's Lightning Round: Build an audience first. It's right there in the word — you have to have a crowd before you can have funding.

Episode 50
ProTips #47
Episode #47
ProTips #46
ProTips #42
Episode 38
Pro Tips #32
Pro Tips #27
Pro Tips #26
Episode 26
Episode 25
Episode 15

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!

Pro No Tip Jan 16, 2019

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! In this episode, they discuss best practices for sound effects and promoting longform comics on social media. NEXT, they discuss "Chapter Zero" — what it is, and whether it's right for you. THEN it's strategies for coping with the Q1 slowdown. AND FINALLY, they take a handful of questions from 2018 and drill through them in a Lightning Round!

BUT FIRST, as Dave prepared to receive a shipment of books for his latest Kickstarter campaign, he learns something about his co-host's tipping habits.

Show Notes

00:00 — Dave's books and Brad's tips
07:39 — Finding the right word for sound effects
20:14 — Promoting longform comics on social media
30:23 — Stretch Break!
31:14 — Chapter Zero
42:31 — Coping with the Q1 slowdown
49:54 — Lightning Round! Drilling down several questions from 2018.

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — support the show
$5 — submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your
comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the
exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
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!

Planning Out 2019 Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

Dave and Brad are planning 2019 — PLUS, Steve McGarry from the National Cartoonist Society drops in to talk about NCSFest in Huntington Beach, Calif, May 17-19, 2019. But FIRST... Brad's teenagers give Dave a look at what's in store for his kids in the future — and it includes sleeping in till noon.

Show Notes

00:00 — Teenagers
06:06 — Brad's plan for 2019: Hiring an assistant
20:22 — Dave's plan for 2019: Five personal appearances
22:55 — Dave's plan for 2019: Publishing schedule to include an all-pop-culture Sheldon collection and a children's book!
40:44 — The NCS's Steve McGarry joins us to talk about NCSFest
54:00 — Brad's plan for 2019: Publishing the second collection of Evil Inc After Dark and the second edition of The Webcomics Handbook.
01:07:17 — Dave's shoot-the-moon plans for 2019: A comics-related TV show, a podcast book club, and a ComicLab Quickstarter.
01:09:25 — Revisiting our three-year plan and five-year plan project from 2018.

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — support the show
$5 — submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your
comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the
exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
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 Kevin McShane Jan 02, 2019

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar talk social-media strategy with Kevin McShane of Buzzfeed, the Lusty Horde, and more!

BUT FIRST, Dave marvels over the exercise craze of the belt vibrator. And that leads to this little-known story about the true-life origin of Marvel supervillain, the Shocker.

Show notes

00:00 — The belt vibrator
08:10 — Understanding "sharing statements" in social media
27:05 — Sharing on Instagram
47:50 — We use the passing of Stan Lee to get Kevin to do his Fake Stan Lee impression
55:48 — Possible replacements for Tumblr for web hosting

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — support the show
$5 — submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your
comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the
exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
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!

2018: What worked and what didn't Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar look back over another year in webcomics and discuss what worked really well — and what didn't.

BUT FIRST, Dave marvels over the British idiom, "hard cheese," and that leads to a discussion of British humor in general.

Show notes

00:00 — "Hard cheese, old chap."
05:00 — 52 ComicLab episodes in 52 weeks — thanks to our Patreon backers!
08:00 — Dave and Brad disagree on buffers
11:45 — "Webcomics is constantly evolving... so we need to be constantly questioning"
14:40 — Adapting to mobile
16:45 — "Quitting comic conventions improved my webcomics business"
22:17 — Planning saved Dave from a potentially disastrous year
27:30 — Kickstarter planning
30:10 — Making better hiring decisions
36:16 — Crisis management for creators
44:10 — "Spanish Flea" and mutual admiration
47:00 — Bonjoro
53:00 — Sometimes social media should be a one-way communication
56:26 — The power of ComicLab LISTENERS has gone untouched!

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — support the show
$5 — submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your
comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the
exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
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!

Why you should be planning a Patreon Special Offer NOW Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

Webcomics pros Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss the Patreon Special Offer — and why comics artists should be using it — RIGHT NOW. Plus... running concurrent campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Is it a little skeevy, or super skeevy? And then, the burning question for the ages... What's it like being the most handsome host of ComicLab?

BUT FIRST, Brad finally wins the artificial-Christmas-tree argument at his house. And he's miserable about it.

Show notes

00:00 — Brad's artificial Christmas tree woes
8:00 — The Patreon Special Offer... what it is, how to do it, and WHY you should be doing it NOW
45:10 — What's it like being the most handsome host of ComicLab?
50:07 — Running concurrent campaigns on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo
01:05:00 — What's your stance on offering cameos of people or their original characters as higher tier Kickstarter or one-time Patreon rewards?
01:13:10: — Brad has a new microphone, thanks to ComicLab's Patreon backers

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — support the show
$5 — submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your
comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the
exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
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!

Drilling deep on Patreon — and more Dec 13, 2018

Show notes

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Still reeling from an action-packed weekend at PatreCon, the guys are talking Patreon! For example — should you hide your Patreon numbers or display proudly how much you're earning? And what do you do when a backer expects more than you're offering? And how soon is too soon to launch your Patreon? Also — can a story-driven comic strip like "Bloom County" survive on the Web today? And the guys discuss which of their many projects have brought them the most joy.

BUT FIRST, before they drill deep on Patreon, Dave's dentist does some drilling of his own — and gets an unexpected result!

Show notes

00:00 — Dave's trip to the dentist
04:00 — Do public-facing $$$ numbers cause Patreon patrons to drop because "you don't need any more help"?
05:49 — The two approaches to Patreon — Exclusivity vs Support
10:30 — Dave insists that public-facing Patreon numbers should be hidden
17:40 — Making Dave blush is fun
19:17 — Can a story-driven comic (like "Bloom County") do well on the Web today?
33:33 — Which project has brought you the most joy?
40:18 — What to do when a Patreon backer expects more than you're offering
48:46 — Should you launch a new Patreon as soon as you start your new comic — or wait?
57:30 — Where should your priorities be in launching a new comic?

Great rewards when you support ComicLab

$2 — support the show
$5 — submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$10 — record an audio question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast
$50 — Sponsor the show! We’ll read a brief promo for your
comic/product and read it twice during the show AND you get the
exclusive ProTips podcast

Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com
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!

Under the blanket with Brad Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Redbubble has killed off its support for print-on-demand calendars. Should you be doing the same? ALSO, how to prepare for a portfolio review. THEN, building a digital press kit and approaching comics-media outlets. FINALLY, when a cartoonist has 1.1 million Instagram followers and only about 400 Patreon backers, is something amiss?
BUT FIRST, Brad builds a podcasting fort with a heavy blanket to combat the echo in his studio… and it works!

Show notes

•	00:00 — “Let’s go to Upright Citizen’s Brigade!”
•	04:04 — Brad’s recording under a blanket
•	08:35 — Dave’s healthy lifestyle
•	10:33 — Redbubble kills print-on-demand calendars. Should you?
•	15:50 — Producing 25 different desktop wallpapers / mobile backgrounds quickly
•	18:29 — InDesign Calendar Wizard
•	20:00 — Portfolio reviews
•	29:25 — Press releases and comic-media outlets
•	32:17 — How to make a digital press kit
•	45:19 — A cartoonist who has 1.1 million Instagram followers… but only 387 Patreon backers! What went wrong??
•	01:00:00 — Use the tags on ComicLab’s Patreon page to find information quickly