MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

The Gutter Talk syndicate moves forward into its eighth month and yeah, we also feel like this thing just started yesterday, too. And in those eight months, we’ve had a mind-blowing array of guests, from artists to writers to editors to publishers. Still, there’s one area of making comics that we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about, marketing and printing your comic. Even if your main avenue is webcomics, there’s something in here for you. How so? Listen and find out.

Adam takes the podcast on the road and heads to the site of Haichris Inc., a local San Diego marketing and print shop, to talk to the president of the company, Dan Mashburn. Listen in as Dan discusses building relationships with the Comic Making Guys (CMGs) and even defines happiness.

Haichris Inc.

[email protected]

More Links:

Intro & Outro Song:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro Song Behind Vocals:

“Backed Vibes (clean)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Transitions:

InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

Old Fashion Radio Jingle 2.wav: club sound / www.freesound.org

Comic-Con 2014 was a blast! (If you were unable to attend, my sympathies. That’s why we do these wrap-up posts.) Make sure to check out the audio link below.

The local Making Comics crew—Patrick, Adam, Kevin, Devin, Evan—were there to rep the “revolution” and generally brag about our community and future plans. We’re really excited by the enthusiasm readers have shown in response to our “Get A Grasp” MOOC and daily challenges, not to mention my own (hi!) #FAQDevin column and Adam’s (in)famous Gutter Talk podcast. You guys have been awesome, and your creativity sustains us.

We hosted a panel on Saturday called Uniting the Worldwide #makecomics Community. It was, without exaggeration, one of the best panels at the convention (at least amongst those discussing actual comics). The lineup was crazy: we had Rachel Beck representing our friends over at Storyforge, Mark Waid (of Daredevil fame) and Christina Blanch (writer of Damnation of Charlie Wormwood) from Thrillbent, Andy Schmidt from Comics Experience, Jim Zub (writes Skullkickers, Wayward), and Palle Schmidt (artist on Thomas Alsop) from Comics For Beginners. Patrick ran the panel while the rest of us listened intensely.

After a brief rundown of Making Comics (dotCom) participation stats (number of MOOC students, worldwide readership breakdown), Patrick previewed some of the things we’ve been working on for the future. I’ll let him determine what announcements are made public, but suffice it to say some neat stuff is coming. Then the discussion kicked off, and boy, was it glorious.

The Web has enabled one of the biggest paradigm shifts [for] breaking into the industry. Webcomics let me see your work ethic. @MarkWaid

Webcomics are no longer a vanity project for artists. They’ve become a legitimate option for breaking in. @JimZub

Showing you already have an audience lends a kind of gravitas to your work for publishers. @Palle_Schmidt

Much of the discussion concerned the changing landscape for comics in the last decade. Many on the panel have been working in/around comics for a while, and have observed this change firsthand. There used to only be one real way to “break in” to comics, as Andy points out:

The question used to be “How do I write for Marvel or DC?” and now the majority of people want to know how to make their own stuff. – Andy Schmidt @ComicExperience

The internet has democratized this process. Webcomics are a perfectly commercial form of comic that anyone can create and consume. People without access to a physical comic shop can still read comics online, which removes barriers and brings in more readers.

Comic books are now available to everyone regardless of age or race or location. And that for me is the most exciting thing! @JimZub

Many echoed this sentiment. Christy (@christyblanch) talked about the promising increase in the number of women who make comics, as well as the success she’s had in reaching aspiring creators through her (juggernaut) SuperMOOC 2. Rachel discussed the ways in which creators of webcomics can bypass traditional gatekeepers—like publishers—and form mutually beneficial relationships with their audience:

There is now a rise in patronage again, only now the niche market isn’t the wealthy, it is the many. -Rachel Beck @Storyforgers

Old paradigms of distribution no longer apply.

People now trust friends and personal interactions more than blaring advertisements that we’ve learned to ignore. @JimZub 

People are now interested in genuine people, genuine passion, genuine projects. -Andy Schmidt @ComicExperience 

Everything that used to be the non-professional route is now just another option to use. @JimZub

There was a lot of excitement and optimism on the panel, and why not? Access to comics is expanding. The tools for making comics are widely available, so anyone can make whatever type of story they like. The future is bright!

I could continue, but this post is running long as it is. If only we had recorded the audio from the panel…

Thanks again to everyone on the panel, those in the audience, and all of you out there in internet land. Can’t wait for the next one!

The Legal Stuff:

Intro Song:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Akashic (Instrumental)” with permission from Spike & Reggie Music Licensing and Publishing (www.spikeandreggie.com)

Outro Song:

“Come to Me” Texas Musicforge (freesound.org) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0

Transitions:

InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

record_scratch.wav: nixphoeni / www.freesound.org

Today’s episode is the 5th re-issue of Jason Brubaker’s old Making Comics podcast and the guests are Maritza Campos and Bachan, the creators of the amazing webcomic, Powernap. But first, Adam and Kevin Cullen sit down to talk Making Comics Worldwide business, from what’s coming up to Comic Con.

Links:

Kevin Cullen (@colorthebooks)

Entropy

Jason Brubaker (Sithra)

Bachan & Maritza Campos

Powernap

More Links:

Intro & Outro Song:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Transition:

InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

It’s Comic Con weekend and you know what that means. Panels, large crowds, and strange smells. It’s also Friday and of course we all know what that means, too. It’s time for another Gutter Talk podcast. Today, Adam is joined by Sabrina Cotugno, a budding young artist with a preference in digital more than print. She has a real knack for character design and if you ask nicely, she may even draw you some vegetation.

Her Links:

Sabrina’s website (@arythusa)

Animation reel

Gobelins, school in Paris

Our Links:

Intro & Outro Song:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro Song Behind Vocals:

“Backed Vibes (clean)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Transitions:

InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

Old Fashion Radio Jingle 2.wav: club sound / www.freesound.org

We’re back to artist interviews this week and today’s episode hits the ground running. Adam sits down one-on-one in his “home studio” with artist-extraordinaire Ted Washington to talk about everything from St. Louis to the Zen of stipple work. And if you’re ever worried your path is an unconventional one, stop worrying. You’re actually in the norm.

Ted’s Links:

Twitter: @tedwa

Puna Press

YouTube videos (lotekted)

Pruitt Igoe

Saatchi

Our Links:

Intro & Outro Song:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro Song Behind Vocals:

“Backed Vibes (clean)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Transitions:

InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

Old Fashion Radio Jingle 2.wav: club sound / www.freesound.org

We make no claim to know everything. But what we do know is there is change happening in the education system, both good and bad, and the options are limited but simple: You can either fight it or you can figure out a way to positively affect that change. Adam and Patrick sit down to discuss not just some of the changes that are currently happening and why, but also to discuss how and why we here at Making Comics Worldwide plan on being part of that change.

To some our goals may seem lofty. To us, it’s an opportunity to assist in making a difference and learning in an artistic and creative manner. Click play or download this week’s Gutter Talk episode to understand why we feel that is so important and worth the effort.

Patrick Yurick‘s Portfolio (Follow him @patrickyurick)

Broken Airplane

A Nation at Risk, article Patrick mentioned

Adam Greenfield (@SDGreeny)

The artist Chikle

Tabula Rasa

“Beautiful Brain” an article on updates to neuroscience on the evolution of the teenage brain put out by National Geographic Magazine

Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs:

“We Make the Road By Walking: Conversations On Education And Social Change” by Myles Horton & Paulo Friere

“Pedagogy Of The Oppressed” by Paulo Friere

“No More Secondhand Art: Awakening The Artist Within” by Peter London

“Deschooling Society” Ivan Illich

“The Tribes We Lead” by Seth Godin

“Did You Know?” by Karl Fisch & Scott McCloud

Intro & Outro Song:

“RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro Song Behind Vocals:

“Backed Vibes (clean)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Transitions:

InceptionBrassHitMedium.wav: Herbert Boland / www.freesound.org

Old Fashion Radio Jingle 2.wav: club sound / www.freesound.org