Which side of the table are you on? Dan, Shawn, and Nick discuss being comics creators vs. being comics fans.
Dan never wants to lose his passion as a fan, no matter what. Shawn has always approached comics with creation in mind, and for him being a fan has always been a secondary role. Nick was once a rabid fan, but as his passion to create comics increased, his passion to read comic books decreased.
ALSO: When is it inappropriate for creators to act like cranky fans? Where does the line begin and end? Have JMS and Dave Johnson both crossed the line?
Also, sandwiched between the theme songs (at around 25 mins in), Shawn and Nick discuss the idea of releasing webcomics in chapters. They each have their own ideas about what it means to use a chapters format, but the goals are the same -- create a more engrossing reading experience.
What do comics creators deserve? Shawn and Nick discuss the question, from unknown webcomics creators to the most famous and successful creators in comic books.
Do webcomics creators deserve compensation from their fans? Should it be money, gifts, or just a constant stream of feedback?
Does the Jack Kirby estate deserve compensation from Marvel? Did Siegel and Shuster finally get a fair deal?
What should creators expect from corporate publishers? And what should they expect from creator-owned properties?
Two artists with two very different paths... similar passions but opposing pursuits...
Katie Henderson's first love was animation. She recounts the desires and experiences that led her to follow her current path, living in Los Angeles and working hard to break into the animation business. While Katie's done comics in the past (see below, from Stick Cats #8), she doesn't necessarily feel it's the medium for her.
Shawn Atkins' first love was also animation. He tells of his journey that took him to the animation program at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. And he explains how comics have become his second love, dominating his professional focus and becoming his primary medium (see below, from Time Log #47). He loves the autonomy of creating comics and now he can't imagine ever stopping.
Join Nick Marino as he cross-examines these two creators, grilling them on their illustration inspirations and goals as cartoonists.
Dan, Shawn, Juan, and Nick talk about shows! Conventions, expos, festivals, fairs.
We're talking about SMALL SHOWS (for example, PIX)...
...versus BIG SHOWS (for example, NYCC).
What makes a comic book show "small" or "big"? Is it scale? Is it theme?
What makes more sense for an indie comics creator? We discuss table cost, freebies, making personal connections, and tons more. Shows covered include: PIX, SPACE, Pittsburgh Comicon, SPX, NYCC, and more.
We're live at Kiva Han in Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Earth, Milky Way with our...
PIX (Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo) 2011 recap!!!
We're talking about everything PIX, from comics to attendance to events and more.
Shoutouts to Pierce Johnson, Paige Shoemaker, Joe Wos, and Bill Boichel. Thx for making the show extra awesome!
This episode's hosts: Dan, Shawn, Justique, and Nick.
PLUS: Our suggestions for next year's PIX.
Sorry for all the AudioShocker delays lately! I've been traveling a lot, and that's made it tough to keep up with our rigorous schedule.
The Sequential Underground podcast recap of PIX 2011 will be airing... but it might be another day or so until it's ready to go. Check back soon because it'll be up before the end of the week!
FIRST: A call-in from Justin Rivers of the Distro1 podcast. He talks about his scrapped comics project (a topic we discussed on the show back in SU #22).
THEN: What's a bindlestiff? WAIT... WHO CARES? Shawn Atkins and Nick Marino recap their 24-Hour Comics Day 12-Hour Comics Day experience at the Toonseum. Shawn showed up 45 minutes late... but Dan Greenwald showed up 11 hours late!
Shawn and Nick toiling away at 24HCD (photo by Barry Linck)
Shawn did an artistic Gello Apocalypse story, while Nick drew a dramatic Stick Cats tail tale. Dan talks about past 24HCDs, including his 2010 story, Spacebase 01.
PLUS: It's time for PIX! Everybody's excited about the second year of Pittsburgh's fledgling indie comics show. Dan'll have more copies of Spacebase 01, Blue Wraith minicomics, and more. Shawn'll have this year's and last year's 24-hour comics, Phoenix 9, Explorers of the Unknown, Gello Apocalypse, and hopefully some prints.
Nick will have tons of comics both old and new (see above) including Zombie Palin, Super Haters, Time Log, Stick Cats, Passage, XLK, and more!
NEXT: A PIX and NYCC Recap!
The podcast by indie comics creators for indie comics creators gets historical!
Writer/artist Wayne Wise joins Nick (a.k.a. me) and Shawn to discuss his history of self-publishing comics and prose fiction.
(Above: A delicious Wayne sandwich.)
From the black and white boom of the mid 80s to the direct market bust of the late 90s to the proliferation of webcomics in the early 00s to the e-publishing boom of today, we talk about the past 25 years of self-publishing.
TOPICS: Xeric Grant, minicomics, Factsheet 5, printing and distributing your own comics, PublishAmerica, King of Summer, vanity press, submitting manuscripts, Grey Legacy, Chaos Punks, Grey Legacy Tales, e-publishing, and more.
Wayne's e-books:
Unrelated side note: Four years ago today, Neal and I launched the AudioShocker!!!
The podcast by indie comics creators for indie comics creators diversifies!
First up, a few announcements -- Nick and the AudioShocker will be in the Podcast Arena at NYCC 2011! Dan's gonna be there too, using his glorious Comic Book Pitt press pass to get the latest scoops from the con floor!!!
BUT WAIT! There's more! This Friday, Sept 9th, will be the first monthly B-Movie Craft Night at Assemble in Pittsburgh. It's the brainchild of Shawn and Nina Barbuto. Also, shoutout to the upcoming PodCamp Pittsburgh event.
TODAY'S TOPIC: Representing different kinds of characters in your comics. Our discussion is inspired by Pierce Johnson, who asked us to tackle this topic.
It's an in depth discussion about displaying diversity on the page without resorting to stereotypes or character cliches. We discuss character development, dialogue, depiction, features, coloring, and taking inspiration from real life.
NEXT: Our friend Wayne Wise joins us to discuss his new novels and his body of comics work!
The podcast by indie comics creators for indie comics creators gets unconventional!
Today we're talking unusual influences, from magazines to music to misreadings and more. And we're joined a special surprise guest: Nils-Petter Norlin a.k.a. Colonel Panic, artist of the Yamagato webcomic and the YIBR podcast title cards... and an upcoming Super Haters Guest Week in September:
Shawn was influenced by a billboard for one of his upcoming stories. Nils is often influenced by science magazines. Nick tends to be inspired by music -- he once plotted an entire mini series to Weezer's Pinkerton. Shawn is influenced by astronomy. Nils likes to listen to soundtracks -- Tron Legacy, for example -- while drawing action and podcasts (like the AudioShocker!) while drawing comedy.
Then Dan joins in on the call and he discusses an interesting influence -- family. His dad introduced him to the tools of the trade at a young age. Nils says that alternate history has been a big influence on him and Nick agrees. Nick was also inspired by Siegfried & Roy to come up with a concept for an unreleased comic called Abracadabra. Dan was inspired by a Rolling Stone article to write his upcoming secret story. And Nick has been recently influenced by Louis Johnson.
After the end theme, Nils mentions how misreading stuff has influenced him... and everyone agrees! Misreading stuff leads to awesome new ideas.
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