#259 Jarrett Williams and “Super Pro K.O.”!

When last we checked in with Jarrett Williams, he was a student at Savannah College of Art & Design, and creator of the Web comic “Lunar Boy”. Since then, he’s graduated from SCAD and signed with Oni Press to publish a pro wrestling graphic novel series, “Super Pro K.O.”!  Tim talks with Jarret about his take on the wrestling business, how he deals with criticism, his work process, and more.

#251 Greg Hinkle and “Parasomnia”

A horror anthology? Some may advise against it, but artist Greg Hinkle and several of our San Francisco friends in Writer’s Old Fashioned decided to boldly go there anyway! The result is Parasomnia, now available without a prescription. Greg talks to Tim about preparing the comic for the Alternative Press Expo, and then Mulele and Tim critique the work.

#250 Kickstarter.com

Kickstarter.comYou have the details all ironed out and the project is well under way. But you don’t have money to publish it when you’re done, or some other financial barrier exists. What to do? One option: kickstarter.com. Tim talks to two people who have managed successful comics-related Kickstarter projects: Thomas Negovan, publisher of Jeremy Bastion’s “Cursed Pirate Girl“; and Kenny Keil, creator of “Tales to Suffice“.

#248 AmeComi Artists

Cassey's JokerYou’ve heard Tim talk about the American Comics Exhibition; now hear the viewpoints of some of the other artists. Cassey Bradley talks about her take on the Joker; Jim Reddy discusses his influences; and Patrick Gannon, our favorite cut-paper artist, explains the differences between galleries in Japan and galleries in the U.S.

#239 Comixology

Comixology.com, which first appeared as a comics information site with pull lists, surprised a lot of people when it branched into selling major-publisher comics for the iPhone. Says CEO David Steinberger: “A lot of people see this as transforming; we see it as following our business plan.” This week Steinberger talks to Tim about formatting print comics for electronic viewing, why electronic comics are not a threat to print, and the possibility of e-rotic e-comics.

#165 Mo Willems’ Dirty Little Secret

PigeonFLASHBACK! Children’s book writer Mo Willems has been found out: he’s actually a comics creator! He talks to Tim about the state of American comics for kids, the effect of his animation background on his approach to creating books, and… just why does that pigeon want to drive a bus, anyway?! (Originally published Feb 2, 2009)

#231 Comics Translation

Thinking of looking for work as a comics translator? What issues are you likely to face in doing the work? Our very own Kumar, translator of dozens of Japanese comics for Dark Horse, talks to Tim about translating puns, accents, sound effects, song lyrics, and more.

Plus: Farewell to Frank Frazetta.

#228 Ruben Bolling

Ruben Bolling is a comic strip creator who admits that he’s less interested in drawing than he used to be. Known as the brains behind the hilarious, and sometimes absurd, weekly strip “Tom the Dancing Bug,” Bolling does want to continue the strip, but also concentrate more effort on writing, and to move into other types of creative pursuits. One such pursuit may be a movie project with New Line Cinema. In an interview with Tim, Bolling talks about the movie, his influences, his tools, and his characters, as well as answering questions from listeners!

Interview in Tufts Magazine

Also in this episode, Tim, Mulele, and Kumar discuss the upcoming WeirdCrimeTheater.com and Tim’s ongoing paid drawing gig (see his finished works below the break).

Continue reading #228 Ruben Bolling

#227 dharbin.com, and Developing Your Own Style

Tim and Mulele set out to review dharbin.com, but “the gold of the site” is hidden. Mulele explains where to find Dustin Harbin’s best work.

Then an interview with (former) Tokyo resident Ed Siemienkowicz and a discussion of how to develop your own style. Tim continues to struggle with this as he is paid (!) (by an English school) to do some illustrations.

Finally, Mulele has a few words about WordPress plugin ComicPress, and why he’s switching to InkBlot — er, no, sorry, Webcomic 2.1

#226 Hey, Managers! Comics!

Comics are being used increasingly to get messages across visually, even those aimed at the business world.

Doug Jackson, a Tokyo-based business consultant, was involved in adapting Patrick Lencioni’s “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” into a “manga version.” He talks to Tim about the challenges he faced in turning  Lencioni’s “business fable” into a comics script, and the potential for using sequential art as a teaching tool.

Grant Brownrigg of Grantland.net sells usage rights to his business-themed comic strips and one-panel cartoons through the site, for use in everything from newsletters to presentations. He tells Tim about how the business started in 1984 and how it has evolved.