I often say on the ComicLab podcast: ”It’s hard to drive towards an art style that you want. Usually, it’s something you see in the rearview mirror.”
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Get out your calendar and start circling dates. It’s time to do a little webcomics planning.
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An online publisher has become the center of some genuinely alarming stories. Brad and Dave break down five hard lessons comic creators can learn when a publisher shows signs of instability, mismanagement, or collapse.
Today’s Show
Summary
Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett explore the importance of owning and controlling one’s career in the comic industry. They discuss the need for business acumen among cartoonists and the risks of signing contracts. The conversation emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes in self-publishing, the power of transparency among creators, and the benefits of submitting work for awards. Ultimately, they stress that the goal is not independence at all costs, but informed consent in business relationships.
Takeaways
Every year, I hear from cartoonists who say, “This is the year I finally start my webcomic.” And every year, I also see a lot of people make the same avoidable mistakes — mistakes that slow them down, burn them out, or scare them away before they’ve even really begun.
So let’s talk about how to start a webcomic the right way in 2026 — based on decades of experience, thousands of conversations with creators, and a front-row seat to what actually works (and what absolutely doesn’t).
This isn’t theory. This is field-tested advice.
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Many cartoonists are familiar with Wally Wood’s indelible contribution to comics theory: The 22 Panels That Always Work!
After I wrote the first in my three-part series on publishing collectives, I received a question that deserves a much longer answer than I’d be able to do in the comments section.
Q.: Do you think that [publishing] collectives focused on a certain theme or aesthetic orientation are more effective than collectives that might not have that shared theme or orientation, but are collectives of cartoonists who want the autonomy with the motivation to also promote each other? (Not knocking collectives like that – just wondering what makes for an effective collective and what your views are.)
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.A listener asks: “Should you judge a book by its cover?” Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar say… YES! Next, a cartoonist who is too embarrassed to promote his own work gets some encouragement and words of advice from the veteran comic creators.
TODAY’S SHOW
Takeaways
Originally, a halftone screen was the only way a newspaper or magazine could print an image with a continuous tone — like a photograph. A halftone converts grey tones into little black dots. Unless you’re looking very closely, your eye reads these dots as shades of grey. Manga has made halftone screens cool again. However, navigating halftone screens requires a fair amount of printing savvy.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.A few days ago, I published some thoughts on rethinking comics collectives. Since then, I’ve received an outpouring of questions — mostly about building a strong collective. What are the ingredients? Who should be invited to join and why? How should the responsibilities be divided? Here are some thoughts.
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Offering commissions can be a great way to add an income stream to your business. It can also be an effective Patreon reward. However, managing expectations and communicating clearly with clients and backers can be delicate. Here’s how to get off on the right foot.
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