Shows / Comic Lab
Comic Lab
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 cartooning as a pro. So pull up your drawing chair, put on some headphones, and join us while you draw! And if you like what you hear, join our community at patreon.com/comiclab (For sponsorship inquiries: comiclabpodcast@gmail.com)
Episodes
- Comic Lab
Shouts and whispers
After discussing the best lettering techniques for shouts and whispers, Brad and Dave talk about plateaus. Is it possible to plateau for too long? Can they…
- Comic Lab
Dave Kellett's Comic-Con Report
Today's show is brought to you by Dreamhost! It's the first step in owning and controlling your own work. Check out the special offers at…
- Comic Lab
Special Guests Greg and Karen Evans Celebrate 40 Years of Luann
This episode is sponsored by Dreamhost — your first step in owning and controlling your own work! Visit them at https://www.dreamhost.com/comiclab . This week…
- Comic Lab
ComicLab Celebrates 400 Episodes
Today, YOU are the star of the show. We asked ComicLab listeners to help us celebrate our 400th episode by calling in with favorite memories from our seven…
- Comic Lab
What if You Won the Lottery?
This week's show is brought to you by Dreamhost — your first step in owning and controlling your own work. This week, the fellas wonder what it would be like…
- Comic Lab
I Need an Art Style — Quick!
The episode is sponsored by Dreamhost —the first step in owning and controlling your own work! Today, a listener asks how he can develop an art style as…
- Comic Lab
Perfecting Your Perfectionism
How do you stop polishing and start publishing? Our strategies for overcoming perfectionism! Also — Dave has a little good news about the tariffs on imported…
- Comic Lab
Whose House Are You In?
The episode is sponsored by Dreamhost —the first step in owning and controlling your own work! Are you a shameless self-promoter? Brad thinks a little bit of…
- Comic Lab
I Met My Hero and They're a Zero
What do you do when someone you looked up to turns out to be a jerk? Also, over a hundred years of comics history reveal a great deal about the importance of…
- Comic Lab
Special Guests Ryan North and Gillian Goerz
While Dave was at Alaska Comics Camp, he had the opportunity to talk with Ryan North Gillian Goerz! Ryan North is the creator and author of Dinosaur Comics…
- Comic Lab
Special Guest Lucy Knisley
While at Alaska Comic Camp, Dave Kellett had the opportunity to speak with cartoonist Lucy Knisley, a critically acclaimed and award-winning comic creator. She…
- Comic Lab
Special Guest: Jarad Greene
The episode is sponsored by Dreamhost —the first step in owning and controlling your own work! While Dave Kellett was at Alaska Comics Camp, he had the…
- Comic Lab
Alaska Comics Camp
Dave Kellet returns from Alaska Comics Camp once more rejuvinated, recharged, and reinvigorated! He shares his joy-filled experiences from a week in Juno…
- Comic Lab
How to fight loneliness all by yourself
Today's episode is sponsored by Dreamhost. The first step in owning and controlling your own work is building a website, and Dreamhost is there to make that…
- Comic Lab
How to improve SEO for webcomics
Now that comic creators are returning to websites, SEO (search engine optimization) is once again a hot topic. We'll talk about methods to help search engines…
- Comic Lab
The Eyes Have It
Today's show is sponsored by Dreamhost. The first step in owning and controlling your own work is creating a website, and Brad and Dave have relied on…
- Comic Lab
Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care?
Today's show is sponsored by Dreamhost. The first step in owning and controlling your own work is creating a website, and Brad and Dave have relied on…
- Comic Lab
Special Guest Scott C
Cartoonist Scott C joins us to discuss his artistic journey. He discusses his beginnings, including art directing Psychonauts and Brutal Legend for Double Fine…
- Comic Lab
Pixels aren't permanent
Is it OK to change your comic after you've already sent it to your audience? The guys also tackle tariffs, ISBNs, bar codes, and offering comics to charity…
- Comic Lab
Narration or Dialogue?
It's a jam-packed show this week! Brad and Dave argue over the better delivery for story exposition — dialogue or narration. Dave is discontinuing…
- Comic Lab
Paint the Wall Red: Conjuring Creativity
In a recent interview for the National Cartoonists Society, Greg Evans (the creator of the newspaper comic strip "Luanne") spoke about painting a single wall…
- Comic Lab
Autobiohazard: Drawing the Line Between Fact and Fiction
Where's the line between an autobiographical comic and a semi-autobiographical one — between "based upon" and "inspired by"? And when does the whole thing veer…
- Comic Lab
"I have a useless degree... and I love it!"
As they attempt to save the marriage of one of their listeners, Brad and Dave consider the best path for a cartoonist who wishes to pursue a master's degree…
- Comic Lab
Running gag ... or running out of steam?
When does a running gag stop being funny — and where does it start, for that matter? Cartoonists Brad and Dave must first agree on what a running gag is! Next…
- Comic Lab
Big Number Thinking
Social media has convinced an entire generation of creators to focus on numbers — followers, subscribers, likes, shares, and other engagement metrics. However…
- Comic Lab
Verbal vs. Visual
Brad and Dave discuss finding the right balance between visual and verbal. Dave asks if too much worldbuilding is an excuse to avoid actually writing the…
- Comic Lab
Happily Writing Tragedy
A listener seeks writing advice. How can you motivate readers to engage with a story that has an unhappy ending? Additionally, Dave's new DogKickstarter.com…
- Comic Lab
Webcomics Revenue Streams Ranked Best to Worst
What are independent comic creators' most reliable revenue streams — and which are the worst? Brad ranks them from top to bottom, and Dave shares his own…
- Comic Lab
The Information We Share — And Why We Shouldn't
Brad Guigar has categorized the information shared by creative individuals into three groups. Dave Kellett has a couple of his own to contribute. Of the five…
- Comic Lab
"F*** me! That actually worked!"
This week's episode is sponsored by Hogan's Alley magazine! We'll discuss those moments in our careers when we said, "F*** me! That actually worked!" Also, a…
- Comic Lab
Business Advice: Embrace Discomfort
We're heading into a year promising significant upheaval — in business, social media, publishing, and more. But, after twenty-five years of self-publishing…
- Comic Lab
How to start a webcomic in 2025
Start your webcomic using the latest platforms, monetization methods, and social media strategies. If you're launching a new comic in 2025, this episode has…
- Comic Lab
Introducing: The Wrong Way!
Cartoonists Brad Guigar, Dave Kellett and Kevin McShane are teaming up on a new show — The Wrong Way! We'll teach you how to draw your favorite cartoon…
- Comic Lab
Social Media: Business or Pleasure?
A ComicLab member complained about following too many people on Bluesky. It was too difficult for them to cultivate a feed that suited their interests! This…
- Comic Lab
Predictions and goals for 2025
As we begin a new year, cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar make their predictions for 2025 and share their goals for the next twelve months. Predictions…
- Comic Lab
2024 in Review
At the beginning of the year, Dave and Brad made a series of predictions and set some personal goals for the year. The year is over, and it's time to see how…
- Comic Lab
How can comics reach kids?
A father is concerned that comics no longer reach kids, suggesting that video games are the better value measured by engagement time. What can we do to reverse…
Comic LabMaybe You're Not Funny
Writing humor takes a lot of time and patience. We'll discuss ways to persevere. Summary In this episode, Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett share insights on the…
- Comic Lab
In over my head
What happens when your story gets too big for you to handle? Are you the right person for the job? (And if not you, then who??) On Today's Show: In over your…
- Comic Lab
A minor problem with a comics major
Does an aspiring comics artist/writer need a college degree? And, if so, which degree is best? Next, a listener asks why Brad publishes his weekly comics page…
- Comic Lab
Nobody believes I'm a cartoonist
How do you explain to someone that you're a professional cartoonist? More importantly — should you even try?! Also, Dave and Brad share details about the…
- Comic Lab
Your content is not your community
When comic creators try to market their comics, they often confuse what their comic is about with who it's for. Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar offer…
- Comic Lab
Let's talk about your bits and pieces
When a listener asks about Kickstarter strategy, the ComicLab guys are divided! Dave favors the traditional webcomics approach. Build your audience by posting…
- Comic Lab
New ways to make an old mistake
After years of listening to Brad and Dave extoll the virtues of self-publishing, a ComicLab listener signed with a corporate publisher. Poor sales and paltry…
- Comic Lab
Should your readers be your writers?
BlueSky is beginning to feel like Twitter did ten years ago! Engagement is up, conversations are happening, and follower counts are rising — with actual…
- Comic Lab
"Help! I'm not funny anymore!"
Cartoonists Dave and Brad share some thoughts with a young humor writer trying to find their Funny. Also: Is BlueSky pulling ahead in the social-media race?…
- Comic Lab
Innovation fascination
Having wrapped up his 16th Kickstarter, cartoonist Dave Kellett shares some insights about setting realistic expectations, avoiding paid advertising, and the…
- Comic Lab
Dave's New Bucket List
Attending this year's National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards has changed Dave's bucket list. He wants one of those danged trophies! (And so…
- Comic Lab
Our Review of the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards
In the final installment of a three-part series on the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards celebration, cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad…
- Comic Lab
ComicLab LIVE at the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards, Part Two
Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar take their podcast on the road, recording this episode live at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego as part of the National…
- Comic Lab
ComicLab LIVE at the National Cartoonists Society conference and Reuben Awards, Part One
Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar take their podcast on the road, recording this episode live at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego as part of the National…
- Comic Lab
Make it work, make it right, make it fast
Dave Kellett discusses the three phases of art. First, you're just trying to make it work. Then, you try to make it right. And after you've mastered those, you…
- Comic Lab
Patreon and the iOS app
Apple has initiated a plan to take 30% of all transactions made through the Patreon iOS app. That has caused creators to panic, spreading misinformation and…
- Comic Lab
Kickstarter mistake — confusing rewards with add-ons
Brad and Dave discuss using rewards and add-ons in a Kickstarter campaign. Then, they tackle the problem of whether your dialogue should feature proper English…
- Comic Lab
Special Guest Co-Host Kevin McShane
As Brad Guigar travels to Bad Axe, Michigan, to spend a fun-filled week with his family, Kevin McShane steps in to talk comics with Dave Kellett. In this…
- Comic Lab
Special Guest Co-Host Scott Kurtz — How to make a graphic novel
Show note: Unfortunately, we had some daunting technical difficulties during this recording session, so we had to switch to Zoom to record half of the show. As…
- Comic Lab
How to use a sketchbook
SHOW NOTE: Brad's microphone had some technical difficulties this week. Please excuse the momentary dip in sound quality. This week, we're talking about the…
- Comic Lab
How to get better faster and faster better
Sometimes, it seems as if the more your skills improve, the longer it takes to get something done! Shouldn't it be the other way around?! Also... what's the…
- Comic Lab
How to get subscribers on Substack
Dave and Brad share proven strategies for building your audience on Substack. Also: What are the best approaches for dummy lettering — lettering that's…
- Comic Lab
When to throw in the towel
Have you ever wanted to just quit? When all seems lost... when you're all out of hope... when you're about to give up, just remember... it can always get…