Comic Lab

It's a jam-packed show this week! Brad and Dave argue over the better delivery for story exposition — dialogue or narration. Dave is discontinuing international shipping; Brad gets his Wikipedia updates; and the guys agree that Dee Fish does autobio comics right. Then Dave does another behind-the-scenes analysis of his recent Kickstarter, talking about his pricing strategy for stretch goals and how they processed hundreds of images...

In a recent interview for the National Cartoonists Society, Greg Evans (the creator of the newspaper comic strip "Luanne") spoke about painting a single wall in his studio red. Mel Lazarus, creator of the syndicated strips "Momma" and "Miss Peach," told him that the color red was proven to increase creative thoughts. This resulted in one burning question for the cartoonists assembled to watch the interview: "DID IT WORK!?"

Today's S...

Where's the line between an autobiographical comic and a semi-autobiographical one — between "based upon" and "inspired by"? And when does the whole thing veer directly into fiction?? Plus... Dave Kellett shares real numbers from his recent Kickstarter, and we arrive at a jaw-dropping conclusion: Bluesky is it.

The Webcomics Handbook will publish a visual breakdown of Dave's analytics on April 14th.

Today's show

• Where to draw the ...

As they attempt to save the marriage of one of their listeners, Brad and Dave consider the best path for a cartoonist who wishes to pursue a master's degree. Would a Master's in Fine Arts be the right choice, or would a Master's in Business Administration be the better option? Considering the expense, perhaps the best choice is to avoid both! After grappling with that dilemma, Susan MacTaggart stops by to share a personal affirmati...

When does a running gag stop being funny — and where does it start, for that matter? Cartoonists Brad and Dave must first agree on what a running gag is! Next, they'll talk about aesthetics — in other words, how does one develop their editorial eye? Finally, Dave reviews his accounting from last year's San Diego Comic-Con and discusses how it influences his decisions for this year's show.

Today's Show

• When does a running gag go t...

Social media has convinced an entire generation of creators to focus on numbers — followers, subscribers, likes, shares, and other engagement metrics. However, focusing on numbers can often lead an artist to make bad decisions.

Today's Show

• Focusing on numbers
• Limiting comments on BSky
• UPDATE: Hoganmag.com
• Lost the Kickstarter mojo
• Comic book vs graphic novel

Summary

In this conversation, Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar discuss recen...

Brad and Dave discuss finding the right balance between visual and verbal. Dave asks if too much worldbuilding is an excuse to avoid actually writing the story. And a listener asks if it's a good idea to approach your Patreon as a customer-service job.

Today's show

• Verbal vs. Visual
• UPDATE: DogKickstarter.com
• UPDATE: The Wrong Way Show draws Shrek
• Worldbuilding vs. actual writing
• Is Patreon like a customer service job?

Summary

In ...

A listener seeks writing advice. How can you motivate readers to engage with a story that has an unhappy ending? Additionally, Dave's new DogKickstarter.com, tips for responding to inquiries from "civilians," and the importance of personal branding when posting on social media.

Today's Show

• How to write an unhappy ending
• UPDATE: DogKickstarter.com
• Questions from civilians
• Posting politics on social media

Summary

In this conversat...

What are independent comic creators' most reliable revenue streams — and which are the worst? Brad ranks them from top to bottom, and Dave shares his own experiences with each. Also, the guys share the strategy that's making Patreon's "Collections" feature a solid income generator.

Today's show

• Webcomics Revenue Streams Ranked Best to Worst
• UPDATE: USPS Ground Advantage
• UPDATE: Patreon Collections 
• Should you include credits for dig...

Brad Guigar has categorized the information shared by creative individuals into three groups. Dave Kellett has a couple of his own to contribute. Of the five, only one is useful. Identifying the others can help you avoid making some significant mistakes.

Today's show

• Types of information creative people share
• UPDATE: Brad Guigar celebrates 25 years in comics
• Story pacing

Summary

In this episode, Brad and Dave discuss the informa...

This week's episode is sponsored by Hogan's Alley magazine! We'll discuss those moments in our careers when we said, "F*** me! That actually worked!" Also, a listener writes in to say that they want to take our advice and make the jump to Bluesky, but it causes too much anxiety.

Sponsor

Hogan's Alley magazine sponsors this week's episode!  In the next issue, they'll cover the Tijuana Bibles and much more! Get your copy now!

Today's Sh...

We're heading into a year promising significant upheaval — in business, social media, publishing, and more. But, after twenty-five years of self-publishing, cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar have learned an important lesson: Discomfort is crucial in growing as an artist — and as a businessperson.

Today's show

• Embrace discomfort
• Listifications on Bluesky —  https://bsky.app/profile/listifications.app

Summary

In this conve...

Start your webcomic using the latest platforms, monetization methods, and social media strategies. If you're launching a new comic in 2025, this episode has all the information you'll need to get it off the ground! 

How to start a webcomic in 2025

• Don’t try to “game” your readership. Write about what YOU like
• Building readership takes time and consistency. Creating for love is essential in the early years. 
• Focus on writing as the ...

Cartoonists Brad Guigar, Dave Kellett and Kevin McShane are teaming up on a new show — The Wrong Way! We'll teach you how to draw your favorite cartoon characters without getting sued over copyright theft! Along the way, we'll share tips, tell stories, and roast each other mercilessly. Pay attention and you might learn how to draw The Wrong Way!

Today's Show

• Wrong way
• Clever vs funny

Summary

In this episode, Brad Guigar and Dav...

A ComicLab member complained about following too many people on Bluesky. It was too difficult for them to cultivate a feed that suited their interests! This brought up a topic that has Dave and Brad divided: Are you on social media for business or pleasure?

Today's Show

• You're not on social media to read
• UPDATE: Spice Rack Comics webring (NSFW) — special thanks to Matt Sowers at RCSI Publishing
• UPDATE: Dave and Brad's transposed fa...

As we begin a new year, cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar make their predictions for 2025 and share their goals for the next twelve months.

Predictions

• DAVE: Business planning anxiety
• BRAD: Because of Dave’s prediction, the winners will be people who help address that anxiety. (That’s us!) Be the distraction/escape people need; they won’t forget you. 
• DAVE: Bluesky at 50M by the end of the year
• BRAD: Substack gains prominence...

At the beginning of the year, Dave and Brad made a series of predictions and set some personal goals for the year. The year is over, and it's time to see how they fared.

Predictions for 2024

• BRAD: Twitter will crash in 2023 2024
• DAVE: Social media will remain distributed over five or six platforms
• BRAD: Web users will begin to pivot away from social media
• DAVE: Patreon will move closer to an IPO
• BRAD: Kickstarter will remain #1 by co...

A father is concerned that comics no longer reach kids, suggesting that video games are the better value measured by engagement time. What can we do to reverse this trend? 

On today's show

• How can comics reach kids?
• UPDATE: Buffer (see addendum below)
• How can I avoid Trump's tariffs? (see other addendum below)

Addendum

One day after we recorded the drop that explained that Buffer did not support video uploads, they made an annou...

Writing humor takes a lot of time and patience. We'll discuss ways to persevere.

Summary

In this episode, Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett share insights on the creative process of writing humor, emphasizing that humor can be both an inherited trait and a learned skill. The conversation highlights the necessity of trial and error in developing a comedic voice and the various factors influencing one's ability to be funny. In this conversa...