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?

We first arrived to the Long Center at 7:50, ten minutes before the event was to begin. I was anxious for several reasons; would my spouse be interested in this? I’ve shared my interest in comics with her, but to take her to a graphic novel inspired show with voice and sound effects performed by live actors? That’s a little different. Every step from the parking lot to the auditorium was made with a mix of anticipation and hope that this performance would be something for both of us to remember.

Rewind to March 2010. I was attending Staple! Independent Media Expo in Austin where I first met Jason Neulander, creator of The Intergalactic Nemesis live action graphic novel. Our booths were set up adjacent to one another – diagonally across actually. I could see the full length banners of his “nemesis” characters as we both sat in our respective areas indulging spectators with our wares. Although close in proximity, we didn’t get a chance to speak until that Sunday during a Dragon’s Lair sponsored panel. We shared the table with many other comic creators, learning indie publishing secrets, marketing strategies, and histories. I was first impressed with his unconventional path into the comics industry — a theatre background. I was genuinely interested in his story and we traded info after the panel was over with the hope of interviewing him at some point on our Part-Time Comics podcast.

Back at the Long Center we realized that once you get in, there’s a long line you have to wait through before you can even be seated. Due to demand, they had decided to consolidate the seats. Since we received our tickets in the mail months ago, they reassigned us to seats that were closer to the main stage. Even before the event, the merchandise table was bustling with activity. Many people were buying comics in sets of 7 for $30 in addition to a series of beautifully designed posters that portrayed dynamic scenes from the performance. Sound effect kits and props were also available to attendees who were interested in the audio performance aspect. The tie-in was as brilliant as Jason’s PR prowess prior to the show. He deftly played the roll of carnival barker, getting people excited about the event while telling them where they could purchase his merchandise.

All the Suspense! Twice the Drama!

One of the things that was apparent from the get-go was the strength of his versatile and dynamic cast. Each of the three voice actors moved expertly from one character to another, making the audience believe each was distinctly different. This worked well, especially in scenes where they were required to play the heroes and villains simultaneously. The foley (e.g. special effects guy) was right on with the sound props, from the lightning (for which he shook what looked like a large sheet of plexi-glass), to the wind howling, to the shuffling of feet down a corridor. In true comic fashion, the acting was portrayed in a 30s, over the top style that was reminiscent of early radio broadcasts such as the Shadow. The score melded nicely with the actors and the sound effects. We both found ourselves fully engrossed with the story and by intermission we were hungry for the second half of the performance to begin.

Multimedia Infusion of Intergalactic Proportions

At no point throughout the show did I feel disengaged from the story, characters, sounds, or art. Being a little apprehensive about how this would play to a person not that interested in comics, I was surprised to find that my wife really enjoyed it. It was a nice throwback to the old days of radio with a modenn twist. Many of the people we saw as we were leaving must’ve felt the same as they were lined up to purchase merchandise and get a chance to talk the the person who created it all. I would highly recommend this fun and quirky adventure to anyone who is looking for something more than your typical movie, graphic novel, or podcast. It does an excellent job of keeping the audience interested and drawing them in with timely cliffhangers, dialog, and visuals. Head on over to The Intergalactic Nemesis Blog to find out when you can catch the next show. I know I’ll be looking forward to the next installment.

1. Your writing background is in journalism and advertising, so what’s a nice guy like you doing in the comic world with Brawn?

   The comic book has always been an artists’ medium but, over the past couple of decades, there’s been a lot more meat there for writers. The graphic novels really opened the door with involved storylines that focused less on the characters’ abilities and more on their psychology. What drives them and why? If you’re doing a comic series, you have the chance to reveal a back story to the readers over multiple issues. You can blur the lines between heroes and villains, triumph and tragedy. That’s a writer’s playground.

2. Early feedback from various sources is that people seem to really enjoy the rich/layered approach to your writing. What inspired you to take the story in the direction it’s gone?

   I was drawn to the idea that the lead character in Brawn is not what you’d describe as a good soul. There was nothing heroic about him, he was an ordinary, troubled man who wakes up to find he’s changed in extraordinary ways. On some level, it’s like Kafka’s Metamorphosis. At its core, Brawn is not about being powerful, it’s the opposite, it’s about losing control.

3. You’ve recently published a book of children’s short stories. Do you see any similarities between writing for comic panels and writing children’s stories?

   I knew my immaturity would pay off one of these days. You’re right, there is a connection and it’s the fantasy aspect, the fact that you’re creating a world where anything can happen. Mainstream literature has boundaries in that part of the art is to write realistic characters that behave in recognizable ways. With a comic book or a children’s book, you’re going for the fantastic—remarkable characters and circumstances that activate the imagination. In both cases, you’re not so much telling a story as creating a world and inviting your readers to visit. That’s one reason pictures are such a critical part of both comics and children’s books.

4. In Brawn 2, you’ve given Sam more confidence in his power, yet he retains many of the insecurities/carelessness we remember from the first issue. Was this a strong component you felt could be played up in the second issue?

   He’s definitely made a leap. To be honest, it’s a leap that goes a little beyond my comfort level for a second issue. Hopefully, what the reader will pick up on is that time has passed since me met him in issue one. And one of the driving themes of Brawn is that the alterations didn’t just affect Sam physically, they changed him in other ways. Before, he was powerless. That’s not the case anymore and he knows it. So we definitely want to see Sam to change, but these appear to have happened quickly because they took place in that unseen period between issue one and issue two. But remember, a lot of Sam’s story is told in flashbacks, it’s not always a linear progression. In upcoming issues, the reader will see glimpses of what happened to Sam in that hidden period and I think his transition will seem very organic. That’s the plan, anyway.

5. There’s a lot more action in the second issue and quite a few surprising scenarios, especially the cliffhanger at the end. Do you feel keeping mechanisms that lead into the next story are crucial components of the comic format?

   Not necessarily. I think there are times when it’s very satisfying to see a story completed and then the reader, along with the characters, can just go on with life. But Brawn is a new character and we know very little about him and there are several layers to the story, so it’s clear that there is a lot more to tell. It is a cliffhanger ending but that cliffhanger ending is also one of the mysteries that we’re putting out there. The search for answers pushes Brawn, and the reader should get that same feeling. If you’re asking yourself “What is going to happen next?” then you have a pretty good insight into what Sam is going through.

6. What can we expect to see in future issues? Anything else that you’re working on that you’d like to share?

   I can tell you that Sam’s world is going to expand dramatically and it’s going to bring up a lot of issues from his past. He’s carrying emotional baggage that has made him a loner. Because of what’s happened to him, he won’t be able to isolate himself as he has before. And for the first time he’ll be given a motivation and a purpose instead of just being in survival mode. The love/hate relationship he has with his newly equipped body is going to take some surprising turns, too.

7. How do you think media plays into people’s perception of the comic format? What are your thoughts on it being a viable medium to convey ideas?

   Comics are a form of mythology. Hercules and Mercury and Atlas were super heroes. There are few mediums that do a better job of portraying concepts like duty, temptation, redemption and perseverance. And if you look at works like Maus or Blankets, you’re seeing some amazingly innovative ways to portray complex issues in the comic format. I think the multitude of movies based on comic characters has completely changed the perception of what a comic is. People see it as a unique artform now rather than a juvenile pastime or something you see in the funny papers.

8. What are the more challenging aspects of writing in the comic format? Do you feel it translates well from short stories?

   For the writer, the challenge is to learn to trust the artist. The writer’s natural tendency is to describe the scene or to convey a state of mind. A comic can do that without words. As you know, it’s not my nature to be silent but if I sit back and let the reader see what’s happening rather than “narrating” every action, it’s so much more effective. Short stories are a different medium but they’re similar to comics in that both boil a story down to its essence and try to convey the message without a lot of extraneous information.

9. If there’s anything you could share with aspiring writers out there looking to break into the comics scene, what would you suggest?

   Try to do something different. There are some great, great characters out there with amazing abilities or self-destructive flaws and that’s the point—they’re already out there. The wonderful thing about the comic artform is that there are no boundaries and no rules. There’s a whole universe just waiting for you to add to it. Create something that stands out whether it’s funny or tragic or exciting or weird. The important thing is that it be compelling and original. Don’t try to be the next anybody. Try to be the first you.

10. How important is story arc in setting the stage for what you are doing in a series like Brawn? One off’s are nice, but do you feel that they really take advantage of the serial nature of comics?

    That’s a great point, the strength of a serial format is that you can build the story over time. That gives you the chance to develop the characters naturally and set a rich, multi-layered stage. That’s not to say that you can drag your feet. Every issue has to move the story ahead and offer some reward for the reader’s investment of time. So in a sense, every individual issue is a self-contained story, but each one is a piece that fits in a larger puzzle. If you’re a fan of the TV series LOST—and you should be—then you’re seeing a prime example of how that’s accomplished. Each episode has its own story arc but it’s also leading to a larger arc within the mythology of the series. It’s not easy but when it’s done well, it’s a thing of beauty.

The show started late at approximately 8:20. I arrived close to 8:00 which made the wait less excruciating. My original ticket had me on the second balcony, but due to the size of Bass Concert Hall they had me sitting on the first floor in the very back of the theater. I snapped a quick pic with by digital camera of the stage, but was promptly told that no flash photography was allowed. According to the program and the people around me, the show was scheduled for an hour with a half hour for questions.

From the announcer’s voice, R. Crumb’s work “shattered boundaries, high, low, and in between.” To me, the eloquent way in which the voice pitched him was an interesting contrast to the trippy, exaggerated style Crumb seems to be depicting in the majority of his work. It was obvious he was promoting his new work at the talk. His latest piece, “The book of Genesis” faithfully renders the entire peice of the bible in his now familiar style.

Both Art and Robert were asked many questions about their early work, their experiences working for Tops Bubble Gum company (Art) and American Greetings (Robert), then ventured into topics ranging from early influences to where they saw their work headed in the future.

A man in the audience asked what Crumb’s favorite music was, and he responded by saying jazz vocalist Geeshie Wiley, who produced two records in the twenties. Another visitor shared with the crowd that he drove five hours to get an autograph and pressured both of them into signing his comic by standing up during the entire Q&A section. Crumb was the first to cave, then Art followed. Art was asked about what he thought about the idea of doing comics on the web. His answer was that he loves paper and the process of printing.

“The same way comics were strips printed in the newspaper then brought over to the traditinal comic format, the comics on screen will eventially lead to their own grammer that will eventually take over on the web.” – Art Spiegelman

Crumb revealed that he is a self-taught musician. He started playing ukulele at an early age. Someone commented that Noah’s sons look like Moe, Larry, and Curly in his most recent work and asked if was that intentional. His response was that he didn’t want people looking for little jokes in his work, therefore no, he didn’t intend for there to be any hidden meaning. He went on to say that his goal was to not alter or edit the language from the original in the comic, which made for a longer than expected piece.

The talk went on past the allotted time. It was very interesting to hear each artist convey their take on the power of comics as a medium. I learned quite a bit about each artist’s influences and how forbidden images can open the eyes of the viewer. Upon reflection, I was pleased I chose to attend the event and felt there were some good lessons learned from these two that can be applied to my current work.

“Failing Successfully” touches on the idea of having some contingency plans in place should your lofty goals fall short, whereas Producing “Local Heroes” focuses on Kieth Quinn’s process of creating his comic, website, and artwork. Listen to the latest podcast here: