Comic Lab

By Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett

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 cartooni... more

4.9

310310 ratings

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FAQs about Comic Lab:

How many episodes does Comic Lab have?

The podcast currently has 421 episodes available.

Comic Lab episodes:

December 20, 2018Why you should be planning a Patreon Special Offer NOW
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!
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.
...more
1h 18min
December 13, 2018Drilling deep on Patreon — and more
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!
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.
...more
1h 6min
December 06, 2018Under the blanket with Brad
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
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.
...more
1h 4min
November 29, 2018PatreCon
Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! Brad flew out to Los Angeles to attend PatreCon with his podcastin' pal Dave. Today, they talk about what they thought of the conference in general, what they learned, and most importantly how their approach to Patreon is going to change in the immediate future. BUT FIRST... Brad took delivery of the print run of his new book, and everything went wrong.
Show notes
00:00 — Brad took delivery of his new book, and everything went wrong
12:48 — Flying Spirit Airlines
19:53 — PatreCon… first impressions
24:10 — PatreCon… good food!
28:38 — SimpleCast has ComicLab considering changing podcast hosts
29:55 — Eyeing the Reddit/Patreon
integration
30:44 — The ComicLab Discord server is bustling with
activity
31:49 — Backerkit is pushing physical rewards… hard. Good
luck with that.
34:43 — PatreCon’s Main Stage… inspirational vs
pragmatic
41:03 — Brad’s major complaint… too many people on stage
with no skin in the game
45:08 — Dave’s note-taking is pretty amazing
48:14 — The biggest A-ha! moments of the conference
54:16 — Re-connecting with old friends
55:40 — The Patreon 3-Month Itch is a
concept you NEED to be aware of
58:27 — Three ways to expand your
Patreon
59:20 — Dave’s to-do list… THIRTY actionable items from PatreCon
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.
...more
1h 13min
November 22, 2018Special Guest Alex Heberling
Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are joined by the wonderful Alex Heberling to talk shop! They talk about handling discouragement and burn-out, staying motivated, and taking time for self-care. Then Alex shares the harrowing story of the trepidatious phone call Brad made when he approached her to work on Evil Inc After Dark. BUT FIRST… Brad questions his own judgement when get gets into a Twitter fight over typography.
Show notes
00:00 — Brad gets into a Twitter fight over typography
07:44 — Introducing Alex Heberling
10:43 — Dave is color blind
14:12 — Handling discouragement
17:19 — The beauty of a quiet readership
23:23 — How to keep motivated
31:03 — Handling burn-out
42:57 — The creative cocoon
44:00 — How to find a good therapist
46:17 — Promoting a new comic with a “Coming Soon” announcement
55:49 — Alex talks about the trepidatious phone call Brad made when he approached her to work on Evil Inc After Dark
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.
...more
1h 5min
November 15, 2018Are you a webcomics hustler?
Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! When a Patreon backer asks for tips on hustling and networking, Brad gets uncomfortable. Then, the guys struggle to make sense of demographic data. And finally, they help a fellow cartoonist navigate book distribution.
BUT FIRST, Dave asks... if you could see one statistic floating over people's heads, what would it be?
Show notes
13:17 — Game show themes for fun and profit
15:27 — Brad thought Graham Chapman did the Monty Python animations — not Terry Gilliam. He is a dunce.
17:12 — Tips on hustling and networking
34:37 — Understanding demographic information
52:34 — Navigating book distribution
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.
...more
1h 18min
November 08, 2018What level of Patreon support denotes success?
Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking shop! This week, they’re talking about avoiding boredom, and they take a deep dive on grappling with self-doubt. THEN they talk about how they adapt their writing processes to address those issues. NEXT, they talk about the dangers of sharing your self-doubt on social media. AND finally, a crucial question for today’s independent creators: What level of Patreon support denotes success?
Show notes
00:00 — The “hi-five retweet”
06:10 — Since you have long-running series, how do you stay interested and not get bored nor riddled with self-doubt?
07:45 — Talking about Brad’s writing process
15:56 — Give yourself the option to switch comics
17:17 — Self doubt
20:12 — Don’t share your self-doubt on social media
24:23 — What level of Patreon support denotes success?
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.
...more
52min
November 01, 2018Special guest Ngozi Ukazu
Webcomics weirdos Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics with Ngozi Ukazu, creator of “Check, Please.” She talks sports comics, art school, self-publishing, and a wide range of creative challenges. BUT FIRST, Raina Telgemeier’s new book, “Guts,” receives a million-book print order, and we’re stoked!
Show notes
00:00 — Raina Telgemeier’s new book, “Guts,” receives a million-book print order
02:34 — Introducing Ngozi Ukazu, creator of “Check, Please.”
03:12 — The comics scene in Austin, Texas
04:48 — The Philadelphia Flyer’s new mascot, Gritty
06:42 — Ngozi’s love of hockey — and sports, in general
10:46 — Sports manga
17:58 — The “Check, Please” website has a design worth swiping.
25:19 — The creative backstory to “Check, Please.”
28:10 — The “Check, Please” book is the highest-funded webcomic project on Kickstarter, and here’s the story behind his that happened
34:56 — Ngozi threads the needle between indie publishing and traditional publishing
37:17 — Getting an MFA at SCAD (with an undergraduate degree at Yale)
41:00 — Ngozi’s early days of self-publishing
43:10 — Being a writer first
43:59 — The best superhero comic: “My Hero Academia”
49:21 — A common thread among successful creators — they’re voracious readers
51:34 — Ngozi’s newest project — a comic about playing softball team from an art school
52:21 — Sports comics
53:32 — Sources for instruction on the topic of character development
58:26 — Building a world-building wiki
01:04:00 — How to stay organized

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.
...more
1h 16min
October 25, 2018“Muaauughhh, the French… champagne…”
Webcomics weirdos Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking comics! When a Patreon backer hits the viral jackpot, they wonder if it wasn’t fool’s gold. This turns into a discussion of smart online marketing, how publishing religious content is like posting NSFW comics, and one overarching theme — social media isn’t about generating Buzz so much as it’s about building Community. Then, the boys talk about getting a publisher excited about comics, and finally, those sentimental things we hold onto that we should probably let go.
BUT FIRST, “Muaauughhh, the French… champagne…”
Show notes
00:00 — Orson Welles stumbles through a Paul Mason wine commercial blitzed off his keister.
09:48 — It’s illegal to run a raffle on Patreon… unless you do it this way.
18:10 — Going viral… is it “fool’s gold”?
22:40 — If your promotion isn’t clickable, it’s useless
24:46 — Frequent/Consistent/Significant still plays a role in today’s webcomics publishing
28:19 — Posting cartoons about divisive topics will have significant consequences
29:35 — Publishers of religious-themed content should pay close attention to how successful publishers of NSFW content operate. The two require a very similar approach
32:23 — Niche publishing
35:37 — Generating BUZZ on social media vs cultivating COMMUNITY
43:43 — Buying advertising is too much money for not enough return
44:28 — Being a guest on a podcast/YouTube channel… is it good promotion?
46:36 — Webcomics growth is usually slow growth
47:31 — How do you go about getting a publisher excited about comics if they're not typically known for it?
56:46 — What are the things you should probably sacrifice practically speaking, but you're just not ready to part with, because they remind you of good times of why you love being a cartoonist?
01:07:54 — When you’re introduced to a cartoonist who is apparently a big deal...but you’ve never heard of them

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.
...more
1h 16min
October 18, 2018Special Guest Jake Parker discusses Inktober
Webcomics watchmen Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar are talking Inktober with Jake Parker, the founder of Inktober. They discuss Inktober, how it started, and where it’s going.
BUT FIRST, Dave’s niece sums up his fashion sense with brutal accuracy.
Show notes
00:00 — Dave’s fashion sense is “Costco New Balance shoes and a single-color polo.”
03:06 — Introducing Jake Parker, founder of Inktober
03:38 — A look inside the Inktober inbox
07:26 — What is Inktober?
10:22 — Inktober is one of many, many equally-good art-related challenges this month
24:14 — Is digital art allowed in Inktober?
28:16 — The psychology of Inktober
29:37 — Now that Dave’s Kickstarter is over, the gang talks about what they’ve done that has worked well on Kickstarter — and what hasn’t worked so well.
48:42 — Brad has officially convinced Dave to try Backerkit!
49:36 — How far do you take a pencil sketch before you start inking?
59:59 — Jake has talked to his podcast co-hosts about having Brad as a guest on their show. That talk, evidently, went very, very bad.
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.
Jake Parker’s websites are MrJakeParker and Inktober.
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.
...more
1h 5min

FAQs about Comic Lab:

How many episodes does Comic Lab have?

The podcast currently has 421 episodes available.

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