Comic Lab

Should cartoonists hire a social-media manager? Brad and Dave discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing social media and ultimately argue that most creators should handle it themselves. They explain why social media is an extension of a creator's voice, how direct engagement provides invaluable feedback about audience-building and marketing, and why improving your promotional skills makes you a better cartoonist overall. Along the way, they discuss shyness, self-promotion, audience growth, and the dangers of trying to be everywhere at once online.

Topics Covered

• The ComicLab newsletter and the “Five to Grow On” feature

• Whether cartoonists should hire a social-media manager

• Why social media is part of a creator’s artistic voice

• The value of learning promotion instead of outsourcing it

• Why creative people often resist marketing and business skills

• How marketing skills can improve artistic skills

• The dangers of trying to maintain every social-media platform at once

• Brad’s “2-2-1” approach to social media

• Platform-specific posting strategies and why one-size-fits-all promotion fails

• Social-media feedback as a tool for improving your work

• Shyness and discomfort with self-promotion

• The “lipstick on a pig” problem: when promotion can’t compensate for weak work

• Why making a great comic remains the most important marketing strategy

• Dave’s upcoming Reddit AMA and his Hugo Award nomination

• Using award nominations as promotional opportunities

• Hugo Awards promotional support versus other industry awards

• BlueSky starter packs and audience growth

• Why cartoonists should do more cross-promotion

• Whether creators should put award nominations on book covers

• How long to keep promoting a completed comic project

• Managing inventory and promoting older books

• Long-tail sales and evergreen products

• Using older books as bonuses, stretch goals, and loss leaders

• When it makes sense to retire promotional efforts

• Whether different creative projects need separate Patreons, newsletters, Substacks, and social-media accounts

• The benefits and drawbacks of splitting projects into separate brands

• Cognitive load, burnout, and managing multiple audiences

• Using separate platforms to measure the success of different projects

• When creators should keep projects under one roof and when they should branch out

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.

With both Brad and Dave nominated for awards this year, the guys spiral into a surprisingly deep conversation about awards, marketing, ego, and whether creators should plaster “award nominee” stickers all over their books.

Later, they tackle a listener question about using 3D models, digital sets, and reference material in comics production — leading to a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how both creators actually build comics pages in tools like Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop. Along the way, they discuss why imperfections matter in cartooning, how typography affects visual storytelling, and why “cheating” is often just another word for “working smarter.”

Today's Show

Should you put an award nomination on a book cover?

UPDATE: Hugo Award voter packet "WSFS Membership"

 Using sets and other pre-made background materials

 UPDATE: Patreon Quips is now available on desktop

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.

The newspaper comic strip didn't go extinct — it evolved. But if your work doesn't keep up, your career may be fossilized! From Reddit-ready square comics to vertical-scroll storytelling, they explore how creators are adapting to phones, social media, and changing reading habits while keeping the heart of the comic strip alive.

Topics covered

The evolution of newspaper comic strips

Why horizontal strips existed in the first place

How phones changed comics formatting

Square-format comics on Reddit and social media

Vertical-scroll storytelling

Why readers won’t rotate their phones

Charles Schulz and the flexible-format origins of Peanuts

Newspaper syndication vs. modern web distribution

YA graphic novels as the next evolution for newspaper strips

Lincoln Peirce and the success of Big Nate books

Why comic strips are still thriving online

Modular comic formatting for webcomics

The launch of The Comic Scout 

Dave Kellett's Hugo Award nomination anticipation

Tips for maintaining visual consistency in comics

Workflow advice for newer cartoonists

 

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.

Today’s show is sponsored by Huion, makers of the Huion Kamvas 22 (Gen 3) — a 21.5" pen display with a gorgeous 2.5K screen and really smooth performance. Bottom line: it feels great to draw on — and it punches way above its price.

• Check it out at https://comiclabshop.com

• Use code COMICLAB5 for an exclusive 5% discount! (Valid through June 14th)

Brad and Dave tackle a listener question that gets to the heart of creative careers: Can you make a living telling shorter stories, or does success demand long-form work? As always, the answer is equal parts practical advice and creative philosophy — grounded in real-world experience and delivered with ComicLab’s signature mix of humor and honesty.

TODAY'S SHOW

• Can you build a career on individual short stories?

• Market expectations around story length (comics, film, TV) and perceived value

• Creative problem-solving as a business tool — making unconventional formats work

• Strategies for packaging short stories (genre consistency, shared setting, through-lines)

• Examples of experimental storytelling formats (anthologies, vignette structures)

• PROMO: Huion Kamvas 22 (Gen 3) — features, workflow integration, and discount code ComicLab5 at https://comiclabshop.com

• Estate planning for cartoonists — what happens to your IP after death?

• Debate: Should creative work become public domain sooner?

• Should kids continue your comic… or make their own work?

• The reality of legacy comics vs. modern independent publishing

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.

A listener asks whether some words are inherently funnier than others—and it opens the door to a deep dive on word choice, dialogue, and how to make jokes land harder.

Brad and Dave break down why shorter, punchier words tend to win, how sound and rhythm affect comedy, and why you should always end on the funniest word. They also walk through their real-world writing process—cutting aggressively, reading dialogue out loud, and constantly swapping in better word choices.

From there, the conversation expands into how to write strong dialogue (hint: it’s not about realism—it’s about impact), plus a list of pitfalls to avoid, including gimmicky accents, overstuffed word balloons, and writing that slows the reader down.

They also revisit a past take on political cartoons (turns out, they're thriving on Reddit), talk about the return of Web 1.0 strategies like guest comics, and reinforce a core principle: own your platform and your audience.

TODAY’S SHOW

• Writing funny words: Why word choice makes or breaks a joke

• Psychologist vs. psychiatrist — choosing the funnier word (it's "shrink")

• How to edit your way to stronger, tighter dialogue

• Dialogue pitfalls: accents, gimmicks, and readability traps

• Political cartoons are thriving on Reddit (and what that means)

• The return of Web 1.0 tactics: Guest comics and cross-promotion

• Reclaiming your platform: Why websites still matter

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.