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Submitted by dubaym on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 4:40pm

Comics Are Great! 66 – The Difference Between Story and Backstory

What’s the difference between story and backsory? It’s a tricky question, so I was lucky to assemble a rather impressive roundtable of comics people to help sort this one out. Brandon Dayton, Dave Roman, and Paul Storrie all return to the show to help determine how to know what information belongs within and supports your story, and what information is world building material to inform the choices you make when constructing your story.

Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library shows up later to share some more book recommendations and comics events happening in the Southeast Michigan area.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics Recommendations (some affiliate links):

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG66HQ.mp4 343.2 MB
CAG66AUDIO.mp3 68 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 4:37pm

Comics Are Great! 65 – Behind the Scenes of Publishing with Gina Gagliano

Some of us have come face-to-face with the grim reality of getting our work published. It’s not quite as glamorous and easy as the fantasy we might have constructed as a kid. But Gina Gagliano of First Second Books stops by the show to lend a bunch of great insights on what happens behind the scenes at one of the top-flight comics publishers in order to better equip those of us who wish to see our books shelved along side of graphic novels like Laika, Vampire Love, Koko Be Good, and Feynman.

Check out Gina’s Behind the Scenes blog for even more terrific and useful info!

Erin Helmrich of the Ann Arbor District Library shows up later to share some more book recommendations and comics events happening in the Southeast Michigan area.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations (some are affiliate links):

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG65HQ.mp4 327.3 MB
CAG65AUDIO.mp3 65.7 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 4:34pm

Comics Are Great! 64 – SPX 2012 Wrap-Up

I’m back from the Small Press Expo and ready to share some of the exciting things that happened while I was there. I’m joined by two other SPX 2012 exhibitors, Chad Sell and Sally Carson. Together we talk about the unique tone the convention has, offer some tips on tabling at conventions, and take a brief look at setting up your table from a User Experience Designer’s point of view.

Erin Helmrich of the Ann Arbor District Library shows up later to share some more book recommendations and comics events happening in the Southeast Michigan area.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations (some are affiliate links):

Upcoming Comics Events in Southeast Michigan:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG64HQ.mp4 331.6 MB
CAG64AUDIO.mp3 65.7 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 4:30pm

Comics Are Great! 63 – The KRC LIVE Show!

It’s the never-before-seen-on-the-Internet live CAG show recorded at the Ann Arbor District Library during Kids Read Comics 2012!

I’m joined by a live studio audience and a panel of excellent guests of KRC including:

We start out with some reflections and stories from KRC 2012 as it was happening, then take on some questions from the audience.

Links mentioned (affiliate links):

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG63HQ.mp4 303.4 MB
CAG63AUDIO.mp3 59.2 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 4:24pm

Comics Are Great! 62 – Writing Visually with Dan Santat

As counter-intuitive as it may seem, illustration is only one small part of the overall effort in making comics. What really defines what a graphic novelist, cartoonist, or comics artist does happens at the thumbnail level. It’s there that you decide on the panel sizes, compositions, moment choices, character acting, and pacing of your story. A lot of visual writing happens when you’re thumbnailing! We’re lucky to be joined by Dan Santat this week, who offers some of his process and thinking that happens during this trying part of the comics-making procedure.

Erin Helmrich of the Ann Arbor District Library shows up later to share some more book recommendations and comics events happening in the Southeast Michigan area.

And we announce a CAG contest! You can enter to be a guest on an upcoming episode by participating in the #dramaday event happening September 1 and running through September 8. Details on Raina Telgemeier’s website.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations (affiliate links):

Upcoming Comics Events in Southeast Michigan:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG62HQ.mp4 310.5 MB
CAG62AUDIO.mp3 61.4 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 4:00pm

Comics Are Great! 61 – Talking Korra, Pt 2 with Gene Yang and Kevin Coppa

Spoiler alert! If you haven’t finished watching the first season of The Legend of Korra, you might want to do so before enjoying this episode. But even if you’re not a Korra fan, there’s some fun storytelling talk and analysis on this edition of CAG, as I’m joined by Gene Yang (Prime Baby, The Eternal Smile, Level Up, American Born Chinese and more) and Kevin Coppa of the Puppetbenders YouTube series. Together we evaluate how the first season of Korra turned out, focusing on the great character writing, terrific world development, and some of the problems that can arise when you try to fit too much into too little a package.

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library for another round of book recommendations.

And if you haven’t yet, check out our first discussion on this series held right after the launch of the season.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Tom Smith and Kevin Coppa for collecting them!):

Comics and book recommendations (affiliate links):

Upcoming Comics Events at AADL:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG61HQ.mp4 326.2 MB
CAG61AUDIO.mp3 64.5 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 1:08pm

Comics Are Great! 60 – Getting Your Comics into Libraries with Erin Helmrich

Many of us agree that web publishing is a terrific way to build an audience for your comic, graphic novel, or comic strip. It’s an easy, low-risk way for audiences to try before they buy. And the same is true for getting your books into libraries! But how does one do it? Do you just walk in and toss your book across the information desk? And even once your book is in the library’s collection, how can you take steps to let the library’s patrons know that it’s there?

We’re joined by Erin Helmrich, Teen Librarian and Comics Selector for the Ann Arbor District Library, who drops a ton of great advice for cartoonists who hope to get their work into library collections.

And as usual, we close with some great comics recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG60HQ.mp4 321 MB
CAG60AUDIO.mp3 63.6 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 1:05pm

Comics Are Great! 59 – Speed Comicking

Making comics takes a lot of time. We all understand this. But Ryan Estrada shows us that it doesn’t have to take as much time as we think it does! This time we’re treated to what is essentially an online workshop in automating much of the comics process to speed things along and maximize our time behind the desk. You might want to watch the video for this one to see how Ryan uses the Photoshop Actions Palette, Layer Groups, and the Mac program Automator in order to get lots more work done.

We’re joined later by Erin Helmrich of the Ann Arbor District Library for another great round of book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG59HQ.mp4 336 MB
CAG59AUDIO.mp3 66.5 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 1:01pm

Comics Are Great! 58 – Writing for Kids

Whether or not one should make any special considerations when writing for kids is a topic that goes round and round on the twitters. Is it better to shield young people from the difficulties and terrors of adulthood, or should we be preparing kids for this? Are there advantages to both?

It’s a philosophical episode with a packed house of panelists as we’re joined by Dave Carter, Paul Storrie, Sharon Iverson, and Brandon Dayton. Brandon helps frame the discussion by presenting two popular models in kids’ storytelling: the Disney Model and the Pixar Model. Pinocchio gets his wish, while Buzz Lightyear learns to reconcile with a disappointing truth. Together we evaluate the differences between these models and what their strengths and weaknesses are, with plenty of interaction in the chat client!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations:

Upcoming Events and Appearances:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG58HQ.mp4 327.3 MB
CAG58AUDIO.mp3 64.8 MB
Submitted by dubaym on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 12:59pm

Comics Are Great! 57 – Eric Orchard and Scary Comics for Kids

This time we’re joined by Eric Orchard for a talk about his new kids’ horror comic Marrowbones. What are the special parameters one must consider when making a scary story for kids? How do you walk that line in a visual medium like comics? Also, a contest! For the folks who tuned in during the live stream at http://comicsaregreat.tv we gave away a free advance copy of Raina Telgemeier’s new book Drama (available for preorder now).

We’re once again joined by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library for some more book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations:

Upcoming Events and Appearances:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG57HQ.mp4 318.6 MB
CAG57AUDIO.mp3 63.1 MB
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