Importing the Script

I typically use a desktop word processing application to start the script. Once complete, upload the completed draft to Google Docs. Google Docs provides flexibility in that I can share the document with colleagues easily. I can even assign editing rights to multiple users, allowing them to simultaneously work on the document, collaborating on plot points and refinements. For the latest issue of The Curse for example, the writer and I ended up making last minute changes to the content. Once we’ve completed this back-and-forth and feel comfortable with it, I then begin cutting/pasting it from Google Docs into Comic Life itself.

Customizable Balloon Shapes and Tails

Comic Life provides the opportunity for me to create styles based on the way I want the text to look. Although the program comes with many built-in styles, I prefer to create my own based on the mood I’m trying to capture on the page. One huge advantage over traditional illustration packages is the ability to easily customize the type of word balloon by double clicking on it. You can then quickly modify the shape of the tail, cycle through the types of balloons, and size the balloon dynamically when the content seems to overflow the area.

As you can see from the example, each tail has a Bézier curve (a point in the center with a seesaw-like set of lines). This unique feature allows you to manipulate how the tail of the speech balloon flows around the art. In this example, I was able to bend the tail around another thought balloon. It takes away the tediousness of having to do it by hand and provides the ability to create a more seamless transition in the conversation. In the past, I’ve either had to make due with a straight tail or customize each thought balloon to the particular piece of art. It’s also extremely easy to append another balloon element to an existing balloon by simply dragging the appropriate icon to an existing balloon.

Narration Boxes

Another nice feature is the ability to create narration boxes that can automatically align with the sides of the panels, with other text, or any independent object on the page. While not a unique feature to Comic Life, this provides an elegant way to make sure the elements on the page are harmonious. You’ll find that everything within the interface is designed to help you create a consistent looking page. Even importing images is a breeze with guides that automatically appear in order for you to align them with the edge of the panel or page. Comic Life adds fun sound effects to its interface, making working with the app an enjoyable experience. The sounds vary from a simple balloon stretch noise to drawers sliding open and closed.

Special Effects

The variety of ways in which words can be stretched an pulled is impressive. Unlike complicated enveloping tools in Adobe Illustrator or similar programs costing hundreds of dollars, Comic Life allows me to distort a line of text and still maintain its editability. There’s no need to create your own balloons here as the application comes with just about every type of customizable option you would need for a standard american-style comic. One of the more intriguing features is the ability to make sound effect text. This is the equivalent of “BAM!” or “KABOOM!” in traditional comics. From color styling to changing typefaces, stretching and distorting text has never been easier. In future releases I’d love to see this tool fleshed out to include more stock examples from traditional comics. I occasionally have difficulty creating anything beyond the most basic text distortion. Having a way to warp text around (or behind) a placed image would be a great start. The most useful implementation would be a separate style dialog that includes speed lines, explosion effects, and the like to accompany the text.

As you can see from the illustration to the left, the options are very intuitive with “tool tips” that give specific descriptions of what each item is called. The screen real estate is divided up in a way that makes all options easy to click and organize. Even if you don’t use all of them (I always create my own layouts for example and forgo the provided layout templates), it’s nice to know that the team at Plasq has considered every type of user need.

Final Draft and Prepping for Output

Having the tools available to easily export a draft is a crucial part of my workflow. Once I have the file pretty much the way I want it (including placed hi-res CMYK Tiff images from Photoshop), I export the entire document to PDF format by going to the EXPORT > Export pages to PDF option. From here, I can go directly to print by sending the files via FTP, thumb drive, or CD to my local print shop. Before I do however, I make sure any last minute corrections are made and the writer is fine with his copy.

Comic Life has definitely made my job much easier. The variety and flexibility of options make it worthwhile for any novice, intermediate, or professional level creator. With new features being introduced with every new release (even an iPad version is available), I’m looking forward to seeing how far Plasq can take this title.

Have questions about your comic or would like to follow up on a particular topic in this article? Please feel free to post a comment. I’d be happy to discuss it with you!

The event came about by addressing a need to help local comic creators connect with their audience. The early days of the event included about a dozen so creators and followed the premiere of Batman Begins at the Alamo.

Since then, Comicpalooza has placed a strong emphasis on promoting creators, connecting with the media, and fostering new growth in the fanbase. The success of those early efforts blossomed into the largest comic convention in the past 15 years. Now in its third year at the George R. Brown Convention Center, the content has branched out to include sci-fi and fantasy, horror, steam punk, New Media, movies, film, and gaming of all types.

If you’re in the neighborhood, come check us out!

For those of you unfamiliar with Staple!, it’s an event put on ever year to “promote independent creative media: comics, art, animation, and self-published literature.” Cranium Comics has used this event for the past 5 years to premiere new issues of Brawn, which is on its 4th issue. We’re also using the event to showcase our new black and white title, The Curse. We’re really excited about both and think you will be too.

Doors open at 11am on Saturday, noon on Sunday. $10 for a one-day pass, or $15 for a two-day pass. Tickets can be bought at the door, but remember, it’s cash only, so make sure you hit an ATM before you get there.

Show your support for the small independents by stopping by. We’ll be located in the Exhibit Hall, Booth 14. As is with every year, we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone out there!

We’ve all seen, read, and heard articles that seem to carry with them an importance that cannot be measured in a few sound bites or quotes. This is something that has fascinated the creators of Cranium Comics, even before they started publishing. Take for example The Curse, a new comic being introduced at Staple! Independent Media Expo the first weekend in March. The title takes place in the middle-east and is heavily influenced by news and stories from both the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan. As the reader walks through the character’s life, several key events happen that were influenced by dramatic and often heroic situations.

One scene in particular in which infantry troops are pinned down in the foxhole is inspired by a true story that took place in the village of Ganjgal, Afghanistan. “While the scenario and places are pretty different, I liked the idea of a selfless hero taking it upon himself to save his comrades,” writer Anthony Rezendes explains. The story being referred to is the story of  Dakota Meyer who was spotlighted on 60 Minutes for his acts of Bravery in which he received the medal of honor.

“I knew I wanted to incorporate something like this into the story. The event had such a powerful impact on me that I felt the need to create that same sense of heroism in my character.”

The Curse starts out at the end – the last 52 seconds of the main character’s life. It’s a unique perspective that is told in flashback form in which we see pieces of his past manifest in simple moments that seem to carry the story along. Chapter titles including Birth, Struggle, Love, and Death provide the fence posts from which the story is hung as well as a mechanism to organize the action.

While war and terrorism are the overarching backdrops to the story, the message is one of compassion and tolerance. With so many comics focused on the classic hero archetype, The Curse finds its place as a more introspective and wandering tale. If you’re in Austin, be sure to stop by the Cranium Comics booth at Staple! and pick up a copy.

While conventions such as Staple! Independent Media Expo and others have been the crux of Cranium’s sales for the past few years, the company is looking to branch out into other avenues. With the fourth issue of Brawn™ coming to completion soon, and an entirely new story ready to debut in March called The Curse™, their content offerings seem are peaking at just about the right time.

Products purchased from the Affiliate site can be shipped to any Amazon address or billed directly from credit card information on file, making it a powerful and flexible way to shop. By shopping through the site, the customer is contributing passively to Cranium Comics at no additional cost. This “win-win” helps the company stay afloat, covering such things as time, printing costs, and hosting. What are you waiting for?  Get out there and shop today!

In Supergods, we get a walk-through of each age of comics from the Golden age, Silver Age, the Dark Age, into the Renaissance. Throughout his explanations, he interweaves his own experiences as a nerdy comic and sci-fi writer, punk rocker, and chaos magician. We read of his struggles with his first girlfriend, his travels around the world, touring with his band (the Mixers) and his experimentations in chaos magic. Grant’s insightful storytelling puts the history lesson in context, tying everything in to give the reader a better overall sense of the rich tapestry that make up their origin. Based on my limited knowledge of comic history, I found this to be refreshing and extremely informative. Each period in comics seemed to be fueled by certain societal attitudes, general perceptions in the comics industry itself, and other global influences. From post-war America to the civil rights movement to the trippy sixties and seventies, comics reflected the essence of societal convention and in some cases outcry. Some of the more interesting aspects for me were reading about the Comic Code Authority’s influence on EC comics, how titles and characters are often reborn/revived based on a new way to tell stories, and the British invasion into the American comics scene. Another aspect was the need for superheroes as relatable, real-world gods. This can be summed up by the way Grant describes two of DCs most popular characters, Superman and Batman. “Superman was of the day; Batman was of the night and the shadows. Superman was rational, Apollonian; Batman was Dionysian. Superman’s mission was the measured allotment of justice. Batman’s an emotive two-fisted ask-questions-later vendetta.”

The book left me with the desire to pursue many of the titles he references in his “Suggested Further Reading” section. I was particularly interested in the mid 70s Green Lantern / Green Arrow stories by Denny O’neil and Neal Adams, so I picked up a few copies on a recent trip. I appreciated the way in which Supergods captured the struggle between the Comic Code Authority and what was happening in these issues. Topics such as drug addiction, cults, and bigotry were all referenced, which represented a substantial challenge to my conventional wisdom of what comics were all about.

All-in-all, Supergods is packed with enough obscure information to keep any comics fan interested. If you’re like me and could use a good history lesson on the comics you’ve read or heard about, this is the book for you.

An Introduction

The class was made up of 17 children and lasted for two hours. Because there was a heavier dose of girls than boys, I decided to focus my first drawing on creating something more suited to their sensibilities. Hello Kitty came to mind as it fit well within the age range I was targeting. So as not to bore the older boys in the room, the next sketch was a depiction of Captain America. The day started with a basic introduction. I shared with the class who I was and what I do as the creator of Cranium Comics, then showed examples of my work. From there, I made sure to show examples of other comics, graphic novels, and Manga. I wanted these kids to know that comics are accessible at just about every local library, book store, or comic shop. I made sure to share fliers announcing Yomicon, a local manga/cosplay event happening at a library not too far from the daycare. After they were familiar with everything I presented, I answered questions before moving on.

Developing a Character

Beyond the final product I produce, we talked about the process I use to create my art, which includes the story, artwork, and coloring. That helped frame the hands-on part of the workshop. I outlined three things they were going to do: 1) Draw a character 2) Create a story, then 3) Build their very own comic.

Drawing each character involved step-by-step artwork I had generated the night before (3 each for Hello Kitty and Captain America). The first step was essentially the basic shapes and lines – essentially the underlying structure of the character. The second step involved adding weight and/or shape to the basic sketch. The final step was to darken the lines (inking), then coloring the final product. Because we were limited by the supplies available on hand, we used pencils, crayon and water soluble markers. Once the children were comfortable with the basic building blocks of creating a character, I moved onto having them come up with their own story.

Creating a Unique Comic

I provided printouts of comic layouts for them to use as a starting point. These were basic 8.5″ x 11″ sheets of paper printed front and back with comic panels for the kids to fill in themselves. The cover of the mini-comic consisted of the title “Amazing Comics” whereas the back had a variant cover with a somewhat more whimsicle title. The class really enjoyed developing their own stories and creating their own art. Some of the students actually decided to share the responsibility of writing and drawing, swapping ideas & artwork between two and sometimes three people. Ideas ranged from fire-breathing lizards with special powers to fairy princesses and giant polar bears.

Coloring Their Work

We then moved on to coloring the comics. Many of the kids dove right in, using the trays of crayons the daycare provided before migrating to colored pencils. Although there were a variety of skill levels in the group, all showcased great, expressive designs. Each had their own personal story to tell and I found that allowing them to share and articulate their vision with me was a great exercise.

Summary

I was impressed with how well the kids followed along with my rendering both the Captain America and Hello Kitty artwork. It was really neat to see how their imaginations took over to form their own ideas. We all had a lot of fun and the kids were able to take something away with them about creating their own stories and art.

A PDF of the comic worksheet used during the class can be downloaded by right-clicking and saving comic_pages_final.pdf

1. How did the idea of Part-Time comics come to fruition? Why did you feel that it was necessary?

   I listen to a handful of podcasts. Some relate to comics, others to tech and web design, and one or two center on general interest topics. In my spare time, I like switching around from project to project, and I started thinking a podcast might be a fun project to work on. A fun experiment that could help me become a better comics creator.

   The podcast needed a theme and a purpose beyond just simply doing it. I decided focusing on part-time comic creation. There were already “how to” comics podcasts, but they focused on helping you reach the “big time.” There weren’t any to help you manage a part-time comics career alongside your day job, and that was something I knew a little about and was hoping such a podcast would help me refine my process.

   This new podcast felt like a project I would enjoy better when working with someone else. I felt the free Talkshoe.com service would also be helpful, especially if the podcast didn’t work out. Within Talkshoe’s live broadcasting environment, we could learn from each other’s successes and mistakes, create and refine processes, even chit-chat with our audience.

   The thought that the podcast might not work out, or that we would run out of topics, stuck with me. From lessons learned in previous day-job experiences, I decided that the podcast would have an end-goal purpose. My co-host and I would select a months-distant event and focus many of our conversations and short-term goals on that target. It would be great if the podcast continued after that, but if not then at least we had a nice self-contained series of part-time comic creation exploration.

   Asking Anthony Rezendes to be my co-host was a no-brainer. We lived in the same city, went to some of the same comic functions together, had similar personal goals for our comic projects, and already shared comics tips and tricks with each other.

   Once Anthony was on board, we realized there was another benefit to our podcast. We would share our respective goals for our projects and, since we would be podcasting about them in public, we would use peer pressure to commit to those goals.

   It seemed a win-win situation from both sides. Anthony and I would be declaring and pursuing our own part-time comics goals, while the public could benefit from hearing about the lessons we learned.

2. How has the show changed from a technical standpoint and what have you learned about producing the podcast?

   We recorded the first couple of episodes together in an office with one mic. The recording was fine, but we made a lot of side noises. We try to not make any unnecessary noises now, and to be quieter when the other one is talking. After those first recordings, we switched to using Talkshoe so as to live broadcast all future podcasts. The Talkshoe system works pretty well, but the quality is a bit lower than pre-recording in a studio environment.

   Recently, something changed with the sound system on my computer. I can only broadcast loudly and with a lot of electronic noise. In earlier months, we dabbled with using Skype, so I decided to use that service until I can figure out my chat issues. It seems to work out okay, although I have a bit of a “home caller” sound when I speak. One thing I wish I did differently was to not have iTunes pull updates right from the Talkshoe RSS feed. I don’t get a lot of data from Talkshoe regarding downloads. Someday, I may switch the feed location to some system that gives me better download/user data.


3. Do you have any podcasts that inspire you in doing what you do? If so, what are they and why?

   I love the comic-related Art & Story podcast, and all its spin-offs. Another favorite of mine is Boagworld, which focuses on creating websites and managing websites created by others. The recently returned Webcomics Weekly is great for both learning and being entertained by the Halfpixel crew.


4. Talk a little bit about how the podcast has evolved over the years.

   As I mentioned above, the first couple of podcasts we pre-recorded in an office. So far, nearly all the following ones were live conversations between Anthony and me. After achieving our original target goal, we moved the focus off of the two of us and now interview fellow part-time comics creators and chat about the lesson’s they have learned.


5. What’s the future for PT-Comics? How do you see it growing? Have you accomplished everything you’ve set out to accomplish with it?

   For the forseeable future, we’ll be continuing with the occasional interview of our part-time comics peers and keeping the operation small. Because we both like and want to keep our day jobs, this level of commitment works well for both of us.

   I think it would be nice to have a reoccurring guest or even a third host. Because Anthony focuses on a long-form print comic and I’m all about my story-based webcomic, it would be interesting to team up with a joke-a-day cartoonist, or maybe someone who had great ideas regarding the production and marketing angle.


6. How long do your podcasts typically run?

   The times vary from ½ hour to over an hour in some cases. We don’t cut off the podcast at a specific time to allow the conversations to stay organic and natural. It felt awkward to impose a time limit on our conversations. We have a general time frame, but everyone should feel free to finish their thoughts before the show ends.

   On the other hand, we didn’t want the conversations to go on forever. I listen to a lot of podcasts. They were anywhere from 10 minutes long to almost two hours. To me, the sweet spot felt like it should be between 30 and 45 minutes. Short enough that we felt compelled to stay on topic, but long enough that we can drill down a bit and get to the core of things.


7. How has working in a team benefited the show, and have your two distinctly different approaches added a level of variety that has opened the doors for more recent podcasts?

   In general, working with someone else always helps energize my creative process. I feel the need to do a top notch job because I know the other person is counting on me.

   Working with Anthony specifically is great because we approach our comics in two very different ways. I am the sole-creator of my mostly-weekly webcomic while Anthony is both creator and third-party staff manager. Those perspectives on their own generate interesting conversations, and Anthony personally is a bright guy who is great to bounce new ideas off of.


8. In addition to the podcasts that get posted through iTunes and Talkshoe, you also maintain the show notes on the PT Comics website. Do you find the maintenance of the site beneficial with regard to your site metrics/return visitors?

   As I mentioned above, we don’t have a great method of tracking listener interest. But I feel the show notes absolutely help with our search engine ranking, however meager it might currently be. Search engines can’t track the content of a podcast, and summarizing the podcasts in text helps in both search engine optimization as well as allowing the user to peruse the PartTimeComics.com site more effectively.


9. You’ve had some pretty big names such as Jason Neulander of Intergalactic Nemesis and Jason Hendersen of the Van Helsing series. Who’s on your list as the next “Must Land” comic personality and are there any people you simply won’t interview? How do you choose?

   I don’t have a specific list, but I will say I’ve been extremely happy to have guests with diverse backgrounds. It would have been easy to invite interviewees into the show that were all artists, or do-it-all creators, but we’ve been lucky to get people who could focus on writing, marketing, and even theatrical production perspectives.


In addition to Part-Time Comics, Keith Quinn produces his own webcomic Local Heroes, a weekly strip about a powerless sidekick who struggles to keep up with his super-powered mentors.

For those of you who don’t know, Staple! is an event to “promote independent creative media” including comics, animation, art, and literature. It takes place at the Marchesa Hall and Theater in the Lincoln Village Shopping Center at the corner of 2222 and I-35. If you’ve never been there, it’s right across from Highland Mall. Hours for the event are Saturday, March 5 from 11-6 and Sunday March 6 from 12-7. For more information, call (512) 454-2000.

In addition to getting our third book printed, I went ahead and got reprints of issue 2 as we had run dangerously low toward the end of last year. A stash of limited edition Brawn first issues were unearthed recently and will be included in a boxed set that will contain issues 1 through 3 and will be sold exclusively at Staple. In addition to the usual comic faire, we will be offering buttons, pins, t-shirts, and a variety of other items for purchase. Be sure to stop by and check us out!

Along with on-demand printing, astute indie comic creators realize that a direct path to customers provides a level playing field against such industry giants as DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and others. Content can now be circulated and distributed in a manner that affords them little overhead. Small shops have been using sites like Comixpress and Kablam for years, with profit margins being minimal at best. Digital distribution brings the costs of actually publishing and distributing down close to zero. While independent creators will never have the marketing budgets that industry leaders do, it does take us one step further to a level playing field. After experimenting with a few of the free options, I figured I’d share my experiences.

Graphic.ly

Graphic.ly quickly drew me in with its iPad app. Upon creating and logging into your account you are presented with a live stream of who’s reading what on their site. This is interesting in that it acts as a quick zeitgeist of popular titles being downloaded and viewed. From there, you can go to the store, view your collection, or chat with friend. The video on their website emphasizes the conversations many people have around their favorite titles and allows for users to comment on a variety of topics including individual pages. Despite this, the app seems focused on selling content through the store, and at $1.99 per title, provides a substantial savings the cover price. I was disappointed to find that the application doesn’t support dynamic readjusting of the page when I turn my iPad to portrait mode and I wasn’t able to view the comic panel by panel (only page by page). Additionally, it was difficult to find free titles, but I soon realized that the website offered much more than what was available on the mobile app. With desktop software for multiple operating systems, smart phones and iPad compatibility, this site will appeal to collectors who are looking to maintain a dialog with like minded enthusiasts while saving a few bucks. They even offer an indie publishers section, however it wasn’t obvious to me how one would go about getting listed as a publisher.

Wowio

Wowio.com isn’t just about comics. This becomes abundantly clear once you peruse the content of their website. They offer a variety of books, articles, and essays in numerous genres and categories. Their standard prices for comics are similar to other offerings ($1.99) but offer additional perks. Sending (e.g. “gifting”) a book to a friend along with providing donation services to many popular charities are just some of them. I found myself appreciating the philanthropic side of knowing part of my purchase could go to a good cause. I was a bit frustrated after discovering there is no iPad or iPhone app of their services. Instead, you must connect via your browser and view online. Your downloaded books appear in the “Library” link which resides on the main page of the site. The interface for viewing comics is very intuitive and packed with features. Everything from double-page spread viewing to three levels of zoom make the experience a pleasant one. One of the things Wowio does is keep the metaphor of the traditional book. Advances other comic readers have made in providing the option of panel by panel reading make this format feel slightly antiquated. As with other services, there is a good selection of free content to peruse before you decide to buy. Finding publisher resources was as straightforward as following a link on the main page of the website. The company provides detailed explanations of how they work and it was gratifying to see such support for the DIY community.

Comixology

Comixology is the engine that Marvel has built their application around. And after experimenting with its easy to navigate interface it is no wonder why. This is another shopping focused site and application. Specifically, the iPad app provides immediate access to categories such as Featured, DC Store, New, Popular and Free options. Prices range from $.99 to $2.99. You can peruse all issues and even select a few before the program prompts you to set up an account to start saving your collection. Doing so is a painless process and allows you to start saving your selections immediately. Comixology forgoes the Apple inspired bookshelf for something a little more reminiscent of the itunes music selection experience wherein you horizontally scroll covers of your selected comics while the details are presented below. Options are kept to a minimum, instead allowing the reader to focus on reading, searching, or purchasing. The “browse” option in the upper-left provides a few options such as Series, Genre, Creator, Publisher, and even offers a Storyline search. Despite this, I found that the options here were less robust than Wowio’s. The site seems to be geared to the major publishers, as I didn’t notice any smaller press titles available, although there were several great free options.

Comics +

Comics +is more of an aggregator than a stand-alone web app, which was refreshing to see upon downloading and syncing the mobile software. It provides iTunes style purchasing of comics in addition to relevant news about the comic industry in RSS-style format. While largely based around its store, I found the interface at once appealing and easy to navigate. This is the firs app I used that felt like it was an all-in-one place for me to get my comics and relevant news about them. Featured titles are easy to navigate and offer viewing by genre or publisher. As with the other offerings, there are free titles available. While not as many as some of the other sites, viewing your downloaded comics is easy. They appear in a layout similar to Apple’s iBooks, no doubt inspired by the ease of use and direct access of that particular application. They offer a nice mix of indie publishers along with more common titles. Overall, I felt comfortable with the comic viewing interface. Although minimal, the slide page effect and the tap to zoom feature felt natural.

Summary

It’s not easy to define any of the options as definitively better as it depends on your taste. All things considered, I found that Wowio provides great benefit to both creators and viewers through its diverse offerings and community outreach. For mobile devices, I really like Comics +’s approach to combining news with your purchasing experience. Then of course if you like the social aspect of purchasing comics, you can’t go wrong with Graphic.ly. I’d be curious to see what these new innovations are doing to the culture, cache, and collectibility of comics in general. Has the impact of online comics over the past 3-5 years detracted from sales at your local comic shop? I believe the jury is still out on those answers. What cannot be denied however, is that a new distribution model has taken major steps forward. What do you think?