#534 Oscar’s “Kai”, self-publicity, and book design

Kai

Many of us are good at making our work (comics, podcasts, what have you), but not good at putting it out there, letting people know it exists. Mulele has been advising his friend Oscar, creator of the comic Kai (discussed in Critiquing Comics #100), on using social media and on choosing the best presentation style for a given book. This week, Tim talks with Oscar about his opening foray into comics, and Mulele talks about designing books and finding printers that can produce what he envisions.

#488 Farewell, Alvin; Hello, MoCCA

Alvin BuenaventuraAlvin Buenaventura, who died last month at age 39, was a guy with a great eye for unusual art, and he had a large impact on the comics publishing world. He’s perhaps best known for publishing a $125 comic, the 16” x 21” tome Kramers Ergot 7 (shown)! This week Tom Spurgeon joins Tim to discuss Alvin’s impact.

Also, Tim and Tom discuss the upcoming MoCCA festival in New York!

#459 Yokohama Comics Chat

Chris Taylor, James StaceyThis week Tim travels just south of Tokyo to Yokohama to meet up with Chris Taylor (“Sketchfro”), creator of Relic Hunter: Riven, and James Stacey of Black Hook Press, which publishes Japanese translations of US and UK graphic novels. How do you prepare for conventions? Did you do comics differently back home? What’s different about tabling at German comics events? Why did Chris get in an argument with Archie Comics? That and more!

#354 Expanding comics’ audience, pt 2: Manga

The 2000s have been thought of as a “manga boom” in the US. Well, that’s true in comparison to the ’90s, but North American manga sales have never come close to the numbers in Japan. Sales of manga — and books in general — have dropped the past few years, but there are signs that the market has stabilized.

Deb Aoki, who writes about manga for About.com, joins us again this week to discuss the reasons why publishers hesitate to put out new manga titles, why Jmanga died and Manga Reborn’s business model is imperfect, and what bright spots there are for the future.

#272 Buddy Scalera and the continuum of “Creating Comics”

You’ve probably seen any number of how-to books about writing comics, coloring, etc. Comics industry veteran Buddy Scalera has just published a book that shows how those pieces fit together: “Creating Comics from Start to Finish”. Buddy talks to Tim about his reasons for writing the book, the business side of comics, how looking behind the curtain can increase the magic, and the future of comics.

Then, Tim and guest reviewer Shawn Williams take a close look at Buddy’s book.

#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.

#171 “Blacksad” and the Fibonacci numbers

3/16/09 “Blacksad” and the Fibonacci numbers

Blacksad What are the Fibonacci numbers, and how do they relate to European comic “Blacksad”? Mulele explains it to Tim. Also: the latest on Mulele’s quest to publish a comic in Japan; and what lessons does Tim’s (non-comics) publishing experience have for any creator looking for a publisher?

#162 Mulele’s Kodansha Project

1/12/09 Mulele’s Kodansha Project

MindgatorThis week we’ll get the latest on Mulele’s project with the Japanese publisher Kodansha. This has been cooking for two years now. Will a published comic be the final result?

See more panels from The Mindgator

#115 Chris Staros of Top Shelf Productions

Top Shelf ProductionsChris Staros from Top Shelf Productions comes on to tell us how to go about submitting your project to Top Shelf. He also walks us through some of the publisher’s upcoming offerings.