Comic Lab

Two weeks ago, Dave felt he was doing the best work of his career. Now, he dislikes every idea and dreads sitting down to write. What changed — and how does he get moving again?

Brad and Dave have an honest conversation about creative slumps, confidence, and giving yourself permission to make something imperfect. Brad offers practical ways to restart the writing process, from setting a 30-minute timer to breaking a scene into its simplest storytelling elements. Along the way, Dave gets a new cartoon idea — right in the middle of discussing why he can’t get ideas.

Then, Brad reports back from the ’Ringo Awards with tales of torrential rain, a marathon hotel check-in, and a suspicious ability to bring everyone else good luck.

On this week’s show:

• The creative roller coaster. Why past accomplishments can feel distant when you’re struggling with today’s blank page.
• Productive procrastination. Recognizing when administrative work becomes an excuse to avoid writing.
• Permission to make a bad comic. You can improve something imperfect — once it exists.
• Thirty minutes to try. Giving yourself a manageable writing session without demanding a finished result.
• The “Butso” method. A character wants something, but an obstacle intervenes, so they take action.
• Trust and unfinished ideas. Why sharing early work feels vulnerable, and how talking with a trusted friend can help.
• Brad’s ’Ringo Awards recap. Nominee appearances, 17 pounds of books, and competing against a major publisher.
• The value of a nomination. Finding promotional opportunities and appreciating recognition even without a win.

Plus: A one-cent residual check and a particularly resourceful tavern.

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.

What happens to your audience when the platform hosting your comic disappears? Brad and Dave discuss the news of Tapas shutting down and why owning your website, building a mailing list, and connecting readers through RSS remain essential tools for an independent comics career.

Then, Brad shares ways to breathe new life into a digital product whose sales have stalled. Finally, a listener asks about revising previously posted cartoons before submitting them to publications — sparking a discussion about first-publication rights, letting time be your editor, and applying yesterday’s lessons to tomorrow’s comics.

On this week’s show:

• Pen names, professional identities, and some spectacularly silly alternatives.
• The risks of building your audience entirely on someone else’s platform.
• Mobile-friendly websites, newsletters, and RSS.
• Reviving digital products through bundles, bonus content, new formats, sales, and membership gifts.
• Revising published cartoons versus creating new work.
• Building a buffer so you can edit with fresh eyes.
• Being kinder to the younger cartoonist who helped you get here.

Publication update: Tapas has confirmed its service will end March 31, 2027. Tapas

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 Hugo Award nomination brought cartoonist Dave Kellett new readers, book sales, and Patreon supporters. Five days behind a WorldCon booth brought something else entirely: A serious crisis of confidence.

This week, Dave shares his WorldCon experience, from wonderful conversations with Drive readers to a painfully quiet dealers’ room. Brad and Dave discuss the emotional cost of a poorly performing convention — and why even an established cartoonist can mistake a bad show for a verdict on their career.

Along the way, they share John Picacio’s terrific metaphor for designing book covers, explore a storytelling approach that falls between planning everything and improvising everything, and discuss why an award nomination can deliver real business benefits without a win.

On this week’s show:

• WorldCon’s strengths and challenges. How a convention built around fan participation, volunteer organizers, and panels differs from the comics shows Brad and Dave usually attend.
• A better way to think about book covers. John Picacio’s approach: introduce your book as you would introduce an interesting friend at a party.
• Connecting with your most dedicated readers. Why a small coffee gathering became one of Dave’s favorite experiences as an author.
• Architect, gardener… or road tripper? Knowing your story’s major destinations while leaving room to discover what happens along the way.
• The emotional cost of a bad convention. Five days, approximately $2,000 in gross sales, and one day without a single sale — compared with Dave’s $19,000 San Diego Comic-Con.
• Award recognition and independent publishing. Why audience size matters in voting, and why a smaller readership can still support a strong business.
• Making the most of a nomination. How Hugo recognition and a Bluesky starter pack helped bring new readers to Drive.
• What’s next? Questions about webcomic eligibility, the possibility of a ComicLab nomination, and forthcoming Tales of the Drive stories from K. B. Spangler and Ursula Vernon.

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.

Should you launch a comic studio — or are you really talking about a comics collective, a shared workspace, or simply collaborating on a project? This week, Brad and Dave unpack what the word “studio” actually means and why adding another layer of branding might make your project harder, rather than easier, to promote. They discuss shared creative spaces, financial partnerships, anthology projects, comics collectives, and why most collaborations work better when everybody knows exactly what they’re signing up for.

They also argue that an anthology generally doesn’t need an umbrella “studio” brand at all. Keep the marketing focused on the book, make the financial responsibilities clear, and be wary of creating an organization that one hardworking person winds up carrying by themselves.

Also in this episode:

• Kickstarter late pledges really work. Dave reports continued pledges long after his campaign ended — but Brad and Dave agree emphatically that you should never advertise late pledges while the campaign is still running. Kickstarter depends heavily on urgency and FOMO.
• Why having more free time can make you less productive. Both Brad and Dave have experienced the strange phenomenon of getting less done when their schedules suddenly open up. They discuss rest, motivation, structure, and learning to shift to other useful tasks when the creative work isn’t happening.
• Dave introduces his “Three Sisters” approach to productivity: when one part of your comics career isn’t moving, switch to another complementary task — bookkeeping, website improvements, promotion, admin work, or another creative project — so the overall career keeps moving forward.
• Susan McTaggart returns! ComicLab’s internationally unverified motivational speaker offers another soul-fortifying affirmation.
• And Dr. Reginald Wigglesby explores Lionel Feininger’s 1906 comic strip Wee Willie Winkie — with exactly the level of scholarly rigor longtime listeners have come to expect.

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.

Is there a limit to how many cartoonists can build successful careers—or is the real limiting factor the cartoonists themselves?

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett examine the surprisingly vast comics ecosystem, where thousands of creators can cultivate separate audiences without ever appearing on one another’s radar. The market may have room for far more working cartoonists than we realize — but success requires more than artistic ability. Creators must also be willing to learn business, communicate consistently with their audiences, and improve when something doesn’t work.

Also: Brad discovers that his brilliant new idea had already been implemented… by Brad.

ON TODAY’S SHOW

• Is there a ceiling on the number of successful comics careers?
• Why artistic talent alone isn’t enough
• The danger of waiting for Marvel, syndication, or a publisher to “make” your career
• Audience-building isn’t “shilling”—it’s part of the job
• Could 10,000 different Brad Guigars all make a living?
• How niche comics find their “true fans”
• Three essentials for a sustainable comics career
• Why repeated promotional messaging matters
• The Council of Brads
• Do Kickstarter creators owe sales tax?
• Kickstarter Pledge Manager vs. BackerKit
• Dr. Wigglesby: Which comic was the first successful daily newspaper strip?

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.

How do you build momentum as a cartoonist — and what happens when you lose it?

Brad and Dave examine momentum across every part of a creative career: generating ideas, maintaining a productive workflow, growing an audience, and building a sustainable business. They discuss why progress can feel imperceptibly slow at first, how consistent work eventually begins producing its own energy, and why returning after a break can feel like starting a stalled train.

Then, a listener asks how cartoonists should transition between scenes, chapters, and storylines in a collected book. Brad and Dave compare their very different approaches, debate whether a completely blank page is ever justified, and explain how multiple purpose-driven read-throughs can reveal problems with pacing, continuity, page turns, and transitions.

Also: Skunk Watch 2026 continues, Dave considers surrendering his backyard, and Professor Dr. Reginald Wigglesby reveals the completely reliable history behind Little Orphan Annie’s pupil-less eyes.

ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW...

• What “momentum” means in a creative career
• Why momentum takes longer to build than most cartoonists expect
• Creative momentum and generating new ideas
• Using an assembly-line workflow to work faster and better
• Repurposing one comic for websites, social media, books, merchandise, and more
• Building business momentum through Patreon, Kickstarter, and audience trust
• Why old business models can survive on momentum—even after they stop making sense
• Recovering after a creative pause
• Transitioning between scenes, chapters, and storylines
• Splash pages, title pages, narration boxes—and the dreaded blank page
• Conducting separate read-throughs for dialogue, art, pacing, continuity, and page turns
• Reviewing a book in print, on desktop, and on a small screen
• Skunk Watch 2026
• Prof. Wigglesby, The Histories of Sequential Art: Little Orphan Annie’s eyes

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.

How much of a successful comics career depends on being temporarily delusional? Brad and Dave suspect it may be more than anyone wants to admit.

Then, a listener asks about creating a style guide for a comic. Brad and Dave discuss the small decisions that help lettering remain clear, consistent, and easy to read — from spelling out numerals and avoiding hyphenated line breaks to shaping word balloons, using all-caps lettering, and deciding whether “livestream” is one word or two.

Finally, they look back at the pivotal “sliding doors” moments that could have sent their careers in entirely different directions. Dave talks about leaving Mattel, choosing webcomics over syndication, and the friendships that helped him become a better cartoonist. Brad remembers the collapsed newspaper job offer that sent him back to comics, the syndicate pitch that deserved to fail, and the leap that finally made cartooning his full-time career.

ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW...

• Why every creative career requires a little temporary delusion
• What belongs in a comic-specific style guide
• Why Brad spells out numbers in Evil Inc
• Punctuation, abbreviations, and the Oxford comma
• Why hyphenating words inside balloons hurts readability
• How line breaks affect the shape and flow of a word balloon
• All caps versus sentence-case lettering
• Using colloquial spellings without making dialogue difficult to read
• The pivotal decisions that changed Brad and Dave’s careers
• Leaving a secure job to become a full-time cartoonist
• Choosing webcomics over newspaper syndication
• How a community of fellow cartoonists can accelerate your growth

ComicLab is made possible through the support of our Patreon members. Join us at Patreon.com/ComicLab for more than 200 hours of bonus episodes, including our exclusive Pro Tips podcast, and access to the ComicLab Discord community.

Share your thoughts on the ComicLab Confab Line: 1-609-379-3520. We may play your message on a future episode!

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.

Dave and Brad return from the 80th Annual National Cartoonists Society Conference and Reuben Awards with stories to tell!

They look back on ComicLab LIVE and a private tour of the newly redesigned Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum!

Then it's on to the Reuben Awards, where Mark Tatulli finally won the Reuben Award after years of nominations.

But some of the best moments happened between the scheduled events. Brad gets the chance to sit down with 95-year-old cartooning legend Mort Gerberg and hear stories about the golden age of magazine cartooning — including an incredible story about a newly arrived Sergio Aragonés taking Manhattan by storm. Jim Davis shares the story behind Garfield's famous suction-cup dolls, along with his surprisingly strict 25-word rule for writing the strip. And the farewell brunch turns into an exchange of sketches, original art, and some wonderful reminders of why cartoonists come back to this event year after year.

Finally, an old collection of America's “best college cartoonists” offers an unexpected lesson about making a career in comics: You don't have to start out at the front of the pack. You just have to keep going.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

• ComicLab LIVE at the NCS Conference
• The newly redesigned Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
• Which original would you save from a museum fire?
• The Reuben Awards
• Katie Cook and Mark Tatulli take home awards
• Lunch with Dave and Eileen Blazek
• Brad's conversation with Mort Gerberg
• Mort's stories about Sergio Aragonés
• Jim Davis on writing Garfield
• The accidental origin of the Garfield suction-cup doll
• Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott
• Original art at the farewell brunch
• ComicLab listeners at the NCS
• The NCS Cartoonist Showcase
• Why persistence matters more than being the best

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.

Once again, Dave and Brad brought their podcast to the stage at the annual National Cartoonists Society Conference and Reuben Awards. They were joined by Dee Fish, Terri Libenson, and Jamar Nicholas — three cartoonists with very different creative paths and a wealth of hard-earned advice to share.

Dee Fish

Dee Fish is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer best known for Finding Dee, her semi-autobiographical webcomic about navigating life after coming out as a transgender woman. Dee was nominated for a Reuben Award in the Best Online Shortform category.

Terri Libenson

Terri Libenson is the cartoonist and author behind the New York Times bestselling Emmie & Friends graphic-novel series. Before moving into graphic novels, she created the syndicated comic strip The Pajama Diaries and worked as a writer and illustrator for greeting cards. Her tenth Emmie & Friends book, Seriously, Celia?, arrives in September 2026.

Jamar Nicholas

Jamar Nicholas is an award-winning cartoonist, graphic novelist, and educator whose work includes the Leon series from Scholastic Graphix, beginning with Leon the Extraordinary. He also adapted Geoffrey Canada’s memoir Fist Stick Knife Gun into a graphic novel and has spent much of his career teaching and encouraging young people to tell stories through comics. The third Leon graphic novel, Leon and the Big, Big Problem, is scheduled for January 2027.

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.

Today's show is brought to you by Hogan's Alley, the fantastic magazine devoted to comics history, cartoonists, and the art form we love. Visit HoganMag.com and use the discount code COMICLAB10 for 10% off.

Dave Kellett is back from San Diego Comic-Con 2026, and he brought receipts! After 27 years of exhibiting at the show, Dave just had his best Comic-Con ever — including an absolutely bonkers $6,000 Sunday.

But a big gross number doesn't necessarily mean a big payday. Brad and Dave dig into the actual economics of exhibiting at one of the world's biggest conventions: booth fees, sales tax, travel, merchandise, lost studio time, and the advantages Dave has because he lives within driving distance of San Diego. After roughly $19,600 in gross sales, Dave estimates his actual profit at about $11,000.

Then, they get into the stuff you can actually use at your next convention:

• Track your sales throughout the day
• When sales slow down, get active
• Use drawing as theater
• Pay attention to your product mix
• Think about revenue per square inch
• Let the market prune your merchandise
• Your merchandise should say something about the buyer — not about you

SPONSORED BY HOGAN'S ALLEY

This week's episode is sponsored by Hogan's Alley, the fantastic magazine devoted to comics history, cartoonists, and the art form we love.

Visit HoganMag.com and use the discount code COMICLAB10 for 10% off.

MORE COMIC-CON ADVICE ON PRO TIPS

Dave had another 15–20 Comic-Con topics he wanted to cover, so we're continuing the conversation on ComicLab Pro Tips with a deeper dive into conventions, exhibiting, merchandising, and Dave's approach to making a convention financially worthwhile. To hear those episodes, join us at Patreon.com/ComicLab.

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.

Cartoonist Fran Sundblad, creator of Tiff & Eve, joins Brad for a wide-ranging conversation about creating character-driven comics, finding an audience on Reddit, and learning when not to chase the algorithm.

Fran traces Tiff & Eve from its beginnings in her sketchbook to a comic that regularly reaches thousands of readers. She explains how Tiff and Eve represent two very different impulses — Tiff as the superego and Eve as the id — and shares a terrific character-development exercise: Lock your character in a room and ask what they do next. If you don't know the answer, you probably don't know the character well enough yet.

Fran and Brad also talk about finding humor in the characters themselves rather than building every strip around a traditional punchline. That approach has helped Tiff & Eve explore Fran's experiences as a trans woman while remaining first and foremost a funny comic about two friends.

In this episode:

• How Tiff & Eve grew out of Fran's sketchbook
• Writing two characters as opposing parts of your own personality
• Fran's “locked room” test for determining whether a character is fully developed
• Character-driven humor vs. setup/punchline comedy
• Using comedy to make personal experiences relatable
• What happens when readers interpret your comics differently than you intended
• Why Fran refuses to explain a joke
• Surviving hostile comments, Reddit Cares abuse, and the stranger side of online audiences
• Why cartoonists should post comics to their Reddit profile, not only to individual subreddits
• Learning the culture of each subreddit instead of treating Reddit as one giant audience
• Formatting comics differently for different communities — including designing images so Reddit's mobile crop doesn't hide important information
• Why fewer clicks usually means more readers
• The danger of chasing trends, politics, and viral Reddit “meta” events simply for upvotes
• Why a huge viral hit may produce surprisingly few new followers or Patreon supporters
• Why effort and artistic complexity don't necessarily translate into social-media success
• The value of clarity, brevity, and consistency on Reddit
• Knowing when a topical comic is nevertheless necessary because it's true to the characters
• Sunday Comix, a webcomic collective and email newsletter designed to help cartoonists reach readers without depending entirely on social-media algorithms

Fran's experience offers an especially useful reminder for cartoonists trying to build an audience online: don't confuse attention with audience growth. A trendy comic might earn tens of thousands of upvotes, but the work that builds a lasting readership is the work that gives people a reason to come back for your characters.

Find Fran Sundblad and Tiff & Eve:

• Website: FranSundblad.com
• Bluesky / Instagram: @TiffAndEveComics
• Reddit: u/CrazyGnomenclature
• Sunday Comix: https://sundaycomix.com/

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.

Although we typically focus on the bright side of being independent cartoonists, a listener asks us to address the downside of webcomics. We'll talk about time management, burnout, financial insecurity, and reader interactions. Then we realize that all those drawbacks have one very important thing in common — and it's not what you'd expect!

TODAY’S SHOW

• ComicLab gets someone engaged!
• The worst parts of being a webcartoonist.
• Creativity isn’t always consistent.
• Success doesn’t eliminate insecurity.
• The business work never disappears.
• Webcomics demand interaction.
• The drawbacks are the flip side of the benefits!
• Is the direct market disappearing?
• Grieve the comic-shop dream—and move forward.
• Getting outside your comfort zone.
• Comedy can strengthen dramatic storytelling.
• Beware the shiny object.

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.

Patreon backers have access to an exclusive ComicLab Churn Rate spreadsheet — it does the math for you!

Is your Patreon actually growing—or are new members disguising a retention problem? Brad walks Dave through the process of calculating churn rate and shows how one number can unlock a much clearer understanding of a membership business. They discuss subscriber retention, lifetime value, onboarding, well-timed interventions, and how to determine whether advertising or convention appearances are truly worth the investment. Then, Dave asks whether publishing a children’s book page by page on his existing webcomic could finally help him finish it.

Topics include:

• Skunk Watch 2026
• What churn rate means for a Patreon creator
• Why total membership and revenue can give you an incomplete picture
• Finding the necessary numbers in Patreon Insights
• Two methods for calculating churn rate
• What constitutes a healthy churn rate
• Why one month of data isn’t enough
• Calculating your average churn rate over time
• Calculating your retention rate
• Estimating average subscriber lifetime
• Calculating average monthly revenue per member
• Determining the lifetime value of a Patreon backer
• Why retaining a current member is cheaper than acquiring a new one
• Using Patreon Autopilot to reduce cancellations
• Evaluating the quality and value of your Patreon rewards
• Improving the onboarding experience for new members
• Welcome messages, digital gifts, and personalized Bonjoro videos
• Brad’s one-week Patreon check-in
• Helping new backers navigate a complicated archive
• Using average subscriber lifetime to schedule a retention intervention
• Brad’s 18-month check-in and longtime-backer gift
• Repackaging older work into valuable digital rewards
• Rewarding and recognizing your longest-serving supporters
• Exclusive livestreams, previews, and “inner circle” benefits
• Calculating an acceptable customer-acquisition cost
• Evaluating paid advertising with lifetime-value data
• Tracking whether a comic convention was financially worthwhile
• Why free webcomics may still be the best customer-acquisition strategy
• Dave’s productivity tip: drawing to Brazilian Carnival music
• Using a webcomic schedule to force yourself to complete a children’s book
• Why serialized children’s-book pages may not satisfy online readers
• Publishing complete thematic sections instead of individual pages
• Building a new project into an established comic’s schedule
• The difficulty of building an audience for an independent children’s book
• When a traditional children’s-book publisher may be helpful
• Creative control, editorial notes, and refusing unwanted revisions
• Breaking publishing rules and trusting your own experience
• Releasing a finished independent book before seeking wider distribution
• Why experienced cartoonists may resist redrawing or revising completed work
• ComicLab LIVE at the National Cartoonists Society 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.

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.

What belongs at the beginning of your book? Brad and Dave discuss whether an anti-AI statement offers creators any meaningful protection, break down the information that belongs on a copyright page, and explore the many ways cartoonists can approach the first page of a story or chapter. The best opening isn’t determined by a universal rule—it should establish the right expectations, reflect the story you’re telling, and give readers a reason to keep going.

Topics include:

• Skunk Watch 2026
• Do anti-AI statements offer creators legal protection?
• Why a standard copyright notice may already cover AI training
• The difference between creating, declaring, and registering a copyright
• What information belongs on a copyright page
• Copyright and trademark ownership
• When to use ™ and when to use ®
• Print location, printing numbers, and edition information
• ISBNs and Library of Congress numbers
• Combining copyright, title, credit, and dedication pages
• Should a comic begin with a splash page?
• Does the main character need to appear on page one?
• Using the opening page to establish tone and make a promise to the reader
• Why different stories require different kinds of openings
• Brad’s two-page system for beginning a new Evil Inc chapter
• Creating separate covers for SFW and NSFW editions
• Using chapter openers as archive markers, promotional art, and production buffers
• Dave’s approach to prologues, chapter openings, and world-building vignettes
• The difference between the first page and the first chapter
• ComicLab LIVE at the National Cartoonists Society 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.

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.

Cartoonist and author Dylan Meconis joins Dave Kellett to discuss marketing middle-grade webcomics, working with fans who offer to translate your work, and finding the right balance between control and accessibility. They also share practical advice for cartoonists creating an autobiographical avatar — including how simplification, posture, clothing, line quality, and tone can make a character feel unmistakably like you.

Topics include:

• Marketing and monetizing middle-grade webcomics
• Reaching young readers through parents, newsletters, libraries, and local events
• Using print editions, zines, and snail-mail clubs to complement online comics
• Deciding whether to permit fan translations
• Maintaining quality control with beta readers and creator-hosted translations
• Balancing copyright concerns with the desire to reach new audiences
• Designing a cartoon version of yourself for memoir and autobiographical 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.

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.

This week, Brad and Dave talk about the best business model for longform webcomics — and why putting your comic online for free is still the strongest way to build a sustainable career. Also: Kickstarter’s late-pledge and pledge-manager tools, the difference between market research and mirror research, and how to keep going when your first posts get nothing but crickets.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

• Dave’s backyard skunk problem may or may not require Super Soakers
• What’s the best business model for longform webcomics?
• Why fear of theft can stop creators from building an audience
• Why free-to-read comics remain the best foundation for a comics business
• “First comes the crowd, then comes the funding”
• Why readers who enjoy your work online are often first in line to buy the book
• How delayed access and early-access posts fit into a Patreon strategy
• Why exclusive side stories can work better than paywalling your main archive
• Avoiding physical rewards on Patreon and Substack
• Dave will be at San Diego Comic-Con booth 1228 with free ComicLab pins (use the super-easy mnemonic: 1BAT)
• Kickstarter late pledges and Pledge Manager are bringing in real money
• Why charging shipping closer to fulfillment can be safer
• Market research vs. mirror research
• How to estimate Kickstarter shipping more accurately
• What to do when you start posting online and get “crickets”
• Why seven posts is not enough time to expect traction
• Reframing early work as building an archive for future fans
• Social-media advice for giving readers a reason to engage
• Why success in comics is a marathon, not a sprint

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.

Dave Kellett returns from his first-ever college reunion with a full heart — and a renewed appreciation for old friends, running jokes, and the occasional listener washing dishes through the cold open. From there, Brad and Dave dig into one of the trickiest parts of writing comics: how much work should the reader have to do to “get” the punchline?

Using Brad’s motorcycle-jump-over-a-ravine metaphor, they discuss why wider joke “canyons” can create bigger laughs, why shorter jumps can feel merely “technically funny,” and why the best cartoonists learn how to build strong launching ramps while understanding that every reader brings a different landing ramp.

Also in this episode: How to show music in a silent medium, why semi-realistic comics should still embrace comics iconography, a quick San Diego Comic-Con update, Bluesky’s expanded image carousel, and why obsessing over analytics can become a form of creative procrastination.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• Writing punchlines that require inference from the reader
• Brad’s “motorcycle jumping a ravine” metaphor for humor
• Why wider joke gaps can produce bigger laughs
• The difference between “funny” and “technically funny”
• Why some jokes land for one reader and miss for another
• How audience literacy, life experience, and context affect comedy
• Why “it took me a second” can be a feature, not a bug
• The danger of making every joke too obvious
• Why memorable comics often take bigger comedic swings
• Why being someone’s “top three cartoonist” matters more than broad mild approval
• The difference between newspaper-era comics and webcomics-era audience building
• Dave’s San Diego Comic-Con booth update
• The free ComicLab pin for listeners at Booth 1228
• Bluesky expanding post image limits from 4 images to 10
• How the new Bluesky carousel can help sequential artists
• How to communicate piano music in comics
• Why floating music notes are not “too cartoony” for semi-realistic comics
• Using established comics iconography instead of reinventing the wheel
• Why comics can suggest music but rarely reproduce the experience of music
• How manga and anime use visual language more freely
• Using musical notation as a visual “spice,” not the whole dish
• Why analytics can become creative avoidance
• Whether it matters how quickly a comic reaches its maximum views
• Why “magic number” thinking can distract from improving the next comic
• Why creators should spend less time dusting bookcases and more time making better comics
• What's better? A simple gag or one that requires the audience to think?
• UPDATE: Comic-Con International booth 1228
• Update: Bluesky update... 10 images per post!
• Indicating music in a realistic comic
• How long does it take to achieve maximum views?

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.

This week, Brad and Dave discuss one of the easiest traps for independent creators to fall into: Outsourcing important business or creative decisions to reader polls. Audience feedback can be useful, but when creators ask readers to steer decisions about Patreon tiers, Kickstarter rewards, publishing strategy, or creative direction, they often get noisy, contradictory advice that can lead them away from their own best judgment.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• Why readers are experts in consumption, not creation
• The danger of asking your audience to make business decisions for you
• Brad’s cautionary tale from his early days as a newspaper designer
• Why negative comments carry more psychological weight than positive ones
• The difference between listening to readers and asking readers to decide
• Why feedback should be treated as a compass, not a steering wheel
• How polling readers can create factions and resentment among backers
• Why creators should rely first on their own instincts, goals, and judgment
• The value of seeking advice from trusted peers and experienced professionals
• Why no single expert — including ComicLab — should be treated as the only authority
• Dave’s hierarchy of advice: Heart and mind first, peers and pros second, passive reader feedback third
• Erika Moen’s thoughtful counterpoint about social-media assistants
• How a social-media assistant can protect creators from harassment, criticism, and burnout
• The difference between a social-media assistant as a partner versus a replacement
• Plans and possibilities for future live ComicLab events
• Dave’s San Diego Comic-Con appearance at Booth 1228, including free ComicLab pins for listeners
• A listener question about “boomer humor” and whether it should be taken as an insult
• The difference between old-fashioned joke structure and out-of-touch subject matter
• Why traditional setup-and-punchline comedy still works
• How Reddit comments often reflect meme culture more than thoughtful criticism
• When repeated criticism might be worth filtering for a useful grain of truth
• Why creators should protect their confidence while staying open to thoughtful feedback

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.

This week, Brad and Dave discuss what happens after a cartoonist achieves the dream: making a living from comics. They explain why success can create its own time-management problems, how to protect the thing that’s already working, and why adding books, Kickstarter campaigns, merch, newsletters, or conventions should happen gradually. They also talk about practical systems for numbering webcomic pages, naming files, and keeping longform comics organized over time.

Main topics covered

• Weird convention-reader encounters, including disputed signatures and free-sketch requests
• What to do when your comic and Patreon are working, but there’s no time for anything else
• Protecting the “engine” of your business before adding new projects
• Avoiding concentration risk when most income comes from one platform
• Adding new business layers slowly instead of trying to do everything at once
• Using small projects, like enamel pins, as manageable learning experiences
• Why side projects can derail your main comic if you’re not careful
• Finding extra time without wrecking your life or mental health
• Dave’s San Diego Comic-Con booth and the free ComicLab enamel pin
• How to number pages for longform webcomics
• The difference between website numbering and book-page numbering
• Using SEO-friendly titles, focus keyphrases, transcripts, and alt text
• File-naming conventions for comics, including dates, chapters, pages, and vertical-scroll segments
• Planning ahead for long-running comics so your numbering system doesn’t break later

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.

What seems like a simple question about exclamation points opens up a much bigger discussion about the power of comics lettering. Brad and Dave talk about punctuation, word balloons, font choices, and the unique grammar of comics — and why cartoonists have tools that prose writers can only dream of. They also share thoughts on staying creative during major disruptions, from studio moves to home renovations.

On today's show...

• Exclamation points in comics: how many is too many?
• Whether to use one, two, or three exclamation points
• Why comics grammar differs from prose grammar
• Using lettering, font size, bolding, and balloon shape instead of extra punctuation
• When punctuation becomes unnecessary in comics lettering
• Nate Piekos’s The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering
• Question marks, exclamation points, and the interrobang
• How punctuation order can affect emotional meaning
• Writing dialogue for comics: numerals, abbreviations, and natural speech
• Jim Davis, Garfield, and simplifying comics language
• Meeting readers where they are through visual storytelling
• NCS Reuben Awards weekend in Columbus, Ohio
• Brad and Dave’s panel: “Actionable Advice in a Time of Change”
• Remodeling, moving studios, and creative disruption
• Setting up a dedicated creative space during chaos
• Managing the cognitive load of unfinished studio/home projects
• Why working ahead matters before a move or remodel
• The danger of putting fun distractions in your studio
• The temptation of arcade cabinets, pool tables, and other creativity killers

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.