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

I’ve advocated converting your comics into a panel-by-panel scroll for smartphone users for a while. I think it’s a good reading experience for Instagram, and I think it’s a good use of the multi-image post feature on Patreon. If you’ve taken that advice, then you’re already prepping the files, and I have another way for you to use these files. And if not, I will give you another reason you should.

This week, Dave returns from Alaska Comics Camp with a glowing review of what he calls one of the most meaningful experiences of his professional life. He explains how the camp blends education, community, mentorship, and artistic growth in a remote setting that forces attendees to disconnect from technology and reconnect with one another. Along the way, Brad and Dave discuss what makes the camp special, the value of peer-to-peer learning, the recent panic over Kickstarter’s updated NSFW guidelines, Eisner nominations, and the realities of pursuing recognition in comics.

Alaska Comics Camp

• Alaska Robotics Comics Camp is a four-night creative retreat in the southeast Alaska rainforest for comics pros, visual storytellers, and adjacent creators — writers, game devs, filmmakers, journalists, musicians, and more.
• You have to apply to attend. It’s not a standard “buy a badge and show up” event; accepted campers attend after the Alaska Robotics Mini-Con in Juneau. 
• Cost: Camp is listed at $800, which includes four nights of lodging, meals, and transportation to/from downtown Juneau. Financial aid is available, and asking for aid does not affect application review. 
• What to expect: workshops, presentations, peer conversations, campfires, board games, hanging out, and wandering through the woods and nearby ocean beach — basically “a professional development conference for people who don’t like conference rooms.” 
• Comfort level: rustic but not brutal — heated cabins, bunk beds with mattresses, flushing toilets, hot showers, power outlets, meals, snacks, coffee/tea, towels, and comfort items are provided. There’s no regular Wi-Fi or cell service at camp, though service is reachable by hike or ride. 
• How to participate next year: watch the Alaska Robotics Mini-Con / Comics Camp site and their social channels for the next application window. Recent camps have used an application process with deadlines months ahead of the event, so don’t wait until spring to start looking.
• https://minicon.alaskarobotics.com/comics-camp/

Topics Covered

• A complete tour of Alaska Comics Camp and how it evolved from a small Juneau event into an international gathering of cartoonists
• School visits, library presentations, the Alaska Robotics Mini-Con, and the camp experience itself
• Why the lack of cell service is one of the camp’s greatest strengths
• Classes taught by attendees on topics including storytelling, lettering, humor writing, character development, publishing, and business
• An NSFW-comics discussion that impressed Brad with the camp’s openness and professionalism
• The importance of “Comics Rules” (similar to Chatham House Rules) in creating a safe environment for sharing industry information
• Real-world discussions of publishing contracts, agents, income, and career sustainability
• The anonymous income survey that helps attendees understand the wide range of successful cartooning careers
• Why Alaska Comics Camp has become one of Dave’s favorite events in all of comics
• Stories from ComicLab listeners who attended camp after hearing about it on the podcast
• Dave’s observations about Alaska’s landscape, culture, and strong sense of community
• The tale of a failed camp water pump and Pat Race’s MacGyver-level solution involving a distillery, a fire department, and a garden hose
• The viral misinformation claiming Kickstarter had banned pornography
• What Kickstarter’s updated NSFW guidelines actually said
• Why Stripe — not Kickstarter — is the real concern for adult-content creators
• Brad’s emergency solo Pro Tips episode explaining the new guidelines
• How creators can avoid overreacting to social-media panic cycles
• Listener feedback about what Brad and Dave’s voices sound like to non-Americans
• Congratulations to friends of the show, including Ryan North, Glenn Fleishman, Tony Cliff, and Steve Lieber, on their Eisner nominations
• A discussion about award submissions, advocacy, and why creators must nominate themselves
• The realities of comics awards, including Eisners, Ringo Awards, Hugos, Reubens, and Ignatz Awards
• Whether award nominations come from changing your work — or simply years of steady improvement and persistence

If you’re writing a longform comic, you know the challenge all too well. You’re telling a continuous story, but many of your readers are coming in at the middle. Every day, someone is reading your comic for the first time, and that might mean they’re discovering you on Page 12. If you’re going to build an audience successfully, you need to include two things in every update.

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