Comic Lab

This week, Brad and Dave talk about the best business model for longform webcomics — and why putting your comic online for free is still the strongest way to build a sustainable career. Also: Kickstarter’s late-pledge and pledge-manager tools, the difference between market research and mirror research, and how to keep going when your first posts get nothing but crickets.

ON THIS WEEK'S SHOW...

Dave’s backyard skunk problem may or may not require Super Soakers

What’s the best business model for longform webcomics?

Why fear of theft can stop creators from building an audience

Why free-to-read comics remain the best foundation for a comics business

“First comes the crowd, then comes the funding”

Why readers who enjoy your work online are often first in line to buy the book

How delayed access and early-access posts fit into a Patreon strategy

Why exclusive side stories can work better than paywalling your main archive

Avoiding physical rewards on Patreon and Substack

Dave will be at San Diego Comic-Con booth 1228 with free ComicLab pins (use the super-easy mnemonic: 1BAT) 

Kickstarter late pledges and Pledge Manager are bringing in real money

Why charging shipping closer to fulfillment can be safer

Market research vs. mirror research

How to estimate Kickstarter shipping more accurately

What to do when you start posting online and get “crickets”

Why seven posts is not enough time to expect traction

Reframing early work as building an archive for future fans

Social-media advice for giving readers a reason to engage

Why success in comics is a marathon, not a sprint

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon
$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.
If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.

Dave Kellett returns from his first-ever college reunion with a full heart — and a renewed appreciation for old friends, running jokes, and the occasional listener washing dishes through the cold open. From there, Brad and Dave dig into one of the trickiest parts of writing comics: how much work should the reader have to do to “get” the punchline?

Using Brad’s motorcycle-jump-over-a-ravine metaphor, they discuss why wider joke “canyons” can create bigger laughs, why shorter jumps can feel merely “technically funny,” and why the best cartoonists learn how to build strong launching ramps while understanding that every reader brings a different landing ramp.

Also in this episode: How to show music in a silent medium, why semi-realistic comics should still embrace comics iconography, a quick San Diego Comic-Con update, Bluesky’s expanded image carousel, and why obsessing over analytics can become a form of creative procrastination.

Topics covered in this episode include:

Writing punchlines that require inference from the reader

Brad’s “motorcycle jumping a ravine” metaphor for humor

Why wider joke gaps can produce bigger laughs

The difference between “funny” and “technically funny”

Why some jokes land for one reader and miss for another

How audience literacy, life experience, and context affect comedy

Why “it took me a second” can be a feature, not a bug

The danger of making every joke too obvious

Why memorable comics often take bigger comedic swings

Why being someone’s “top three cartoonist” matters more than broad mild approval

The difference between newspaper-era comics and webcomics-era audience building

Dave’s San Diego Comic-Con booth update

The free ComicLab pin for listeners at Booth 1228

Bluesky expanding post image limits from 4 images to 10

How the new Bluesky carousel can help sequential artists

How to communicate piano music in comics

Why floating music notes are not “too cartoony” for semi-realistic comics

Using established comics iconography instead of reinventing the wheel

Why comics can suggest music but rarely reproduce the experience of music

How manga and anime use visual language more freely

Using musical notation as a visual “spice,” not the whole dish

Why analytics can become creative avoidance

Whether it matters how quickly a comic reaches its maximum views

Why “magic number” thinking can distract from improving the next comic

Why creators should spend less time dusting bookcases and more time making better comics

What's better? A simple gag or one that requires the audience to think?

UPDATE: Comic-Con International booth 1228

Update: Bluesky update... 10 images per post!

Indicating music in a realistic comic

How long does it take to achieve maximum views?

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon
$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.
If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.

This week, Brad and Dave discuss one of the easiest traps for independent creators to fall into: Outsourcing important business or creative decisions to reader polls. Audience feedback can be useful, but when creators ask readers to steer decisions about Patreon tiers, Kickstarter rewards, publishing strategy, or creative direction, they often get noisy, contradictory advice that can lead them away from their own best judgment.

Topics covered in this episode include:

Why readers are experts in consumption, not creation

The danger of asking your audience to make business decisions for you

Brad’s cautionary tale from his early days as a newspaper designer

Why negative comments carry more psychological weight than positive ones

The difference between listening to readers and asking readers to decide

Why feedback should be treated as a compass, not a steering wheel

How polling readers can create factions and resentment among backers

Why creators should rely first on their own instincts, goals, and judgment

The value of seeking advice from trusted peers and experienced professionals

Why no single expert — including ComicLab — should be treated as the only authority

Dave’s hierarchy of advice: Heart and mind first, peers and pros second, passive reader feedback third

Erika Moen’s thoughtful counterpoint about social-media assistants

How a social-media assistant can protect creators from harassment, criticism, and burnout

The difference between a social-media assistant as a partner versus a replacement

Plans and possibilities for future live ComicLab events

Dave’s San Diego Comic-Con appearance at Booth 1228, including free ComicLab pins for listeners

A listener question about “boomer humor” and whether it should be taken as an insult

The difference between old-fashioned joke structure and out-of-touch subject matter

Why traditional setup-and-punchline comedy still works

How Reddit comments often reflect meme culture more than thoughtful criticism

When repeated criticism might be worth filtering for a useful grain of truth

Why creators should protect their confidence while staying open to thoughtful feedback

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon
$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.
If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.

This week, Brad and Dave discuss what happens after a cartoonist achieves the dream: making a living from comics. They explain why success can create its own time-management problems, how to protect the thing that’s already working, and why adding books, Kickstarter campaigns, merch, newsletters, or conventions should happen gradually. They also talk about practical systems for numbering webcomic pages, naming files, and keeping longform comics organized over time.

Main topics covered

Weird convention-reader encounters, including disputed signatures and free-sketch requests

What to do when your comic and Patreon are working, but there’s no time for anything else

Protecting the “engine” of your business before adding new projects

Avoiding concentration risk when most income comes from one platform

Adding new business layers slowly instead of trying to do everything at once

Using small projects, like enamel pins, as manageable learning experiences

Why side projects can derail your main comic if you’re not careful

Finding extra time without wrecking your life or mental health

Dave’s San Diego Comic-Con booth and the free ComicLab enamel pin

How to number pages for longform webcomics

The difference between website numbering and book-page numbering

Using SEO-friendly titles, focus keyphrases, transcripts, and alt text

File-naming conventions for comics, including dates, chapters, pages, and vertical-scroll segments

Planning ahead for long-running comics so your numbering system doesn’t break later

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon
$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.
If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.

What seems like a simple question about exclamation points opens up a much bigger discussion about the power of comics lettering. Brad and Dave talk about punctuation, word balloons, font choices, and the unique grammar of comics — and why cartoonists have tools that prose writers can only dream of. They also share thoughts on staying creative during major disruptions, from studio moves to home renovations.

On today's show...

Exclamation points in comics: how many is too many?

Whether to use one, two, or three exclamation points

Why comics grammar differs from prose grammar

Using lettering, font size, bolding, and balloon shape instead of extra punctuation

When punctuation becomes unnecessary in comics lettering

Nate Piekos’s The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering

Question marks, exclamation points, and the interrobang

How punctuation order can affect emotional meaning

Writing dialogue for comics: numerals, abbreviations, and natural speech

Jim Davis, Garfield, and simplifying comics language

Meeting readers where they are through visual storytelling

NCS Reuben Awards weekend in Columbus, Ohio

Brad and Dave’s panel: “Actionable Advice in a Time of Change”

Remodeling, moving studios, and creative disruption

Setting up a dedicated creative space during chaos

Managing the cognitive load of unfinished studio/home projects

Why working ahead matters before a move or remodel

The danger of putting fun distractions in your studio

The temptation of arcade cabinets, pool tables, and other creativity killers

You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon
$2 — Early access to episodes
$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.
If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.