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?

It may sound counterintuitive, but clear communication beats cute and clever every time when it comes to branding. Your social media profile is no place for jokey talk and ambiguous phrases. Your profile needs to answer three questions…

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

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

It was an innocent enough comment. A beginner cartoonist was lamenting their social media results: “Now that I’m publishing my comic, I’m a little restless between the weekly updates, wondering if there’s more I can do to market it. I don’t think there’s much I can do at the moment largely, beyond sharing on social media on update day and responding to comments.”