At the beginning of the year, cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar made their predictions for the coming year — and set goals for themselves. Now, as the year comes to a close, it’s the brutally honest follow-up episode where they grade themselves — and sometimes discover that Past-Brad and Past-Dave were wildly optimistic. Or deluded. Or both.

2025 PREDICTIONS

• DAVE: Business planning for cartoonists is gonna be filled with a lot of anxiety. Trump will be a chaos agent.
• BRAD: the “winners” of 2025 will be the cartoonists and businesses that help people *deal* with anxiety.
• DAVE: Bluesky will be at 50M users by the end of the year (we were at 23M when he made that prediction)
• BRAD: Substack: will gain in prominence. They’re going to have a user base in the same league as Patreon, Kickstarter, or Twitter.
• DAVE: “We will all be playing reactionary, whack-a-mole with our life decisions in the first two years of the Trump administration.”
• BRAD: AI will start to gain a foothold among writers and artists, as an assistant to their writing or their process or their brainstorming. Dave concurred. <— again, not saying we like it or promote it!
• DAVE: Pickstarter and Patreon will continue as market leaders in the next 12 months. (Brad: I concur, provided Patreon doesn’t issue their IPO).
• BRAD: You’re gonna see publishing take a huge contraction. From Random House to the Guigar House, you’ll see it all shrink, due to tariffs. (Note: We didn’t know about the tariff exception to printed matter.) Dave: Agree! My hidden hope is for incompetence.
• DAVE: YA and kids books will continue to dominate cartoonists who have *gone to publishers*.
• DAVE: Webtoons *might* begin to fall apart in the US market. This was more of a “curious” prediction than an “I feel strongly about this” prediction.
• DAVE: I’m gonna have to raise prices or lower features in my books. 
   

2025 GOALS

• BRAD: My big goal is to “just survive” in 2025. It would almost be counterproductive for me to make goals. It’s like writing my goals in the sand at the shoreline.
• DAVE: I also wrote down “survive”!
• DAVE: run ANATOMY OF DOGS Kickstarter.
• BRAD: Kickstarter in the first part of the year…but “I don’t know what it’s gonna be”. Worried about the risk of a NSFW book under Project 2025
• DAVE: gonna triple-down on Bluesky for the next 1-3 years. Gonna focus on it and build it out. Brad co-signs.
• BRAD: will use and pay for Buffer.com
• DAVE: wrongwayshow.com will launch as a project, after a year of planning. It launching is the goal. We did it!
• BRAD: build Spice Rack into an example of what loose collectives can do, and what they can bring to our businesses.
• DAVE: If I get burned on this first book KS in 2025, I will switch to smaller Quickstarters that are more nimble and more financially manageable.
• BRAD: Dave says he’s pulling back from KDP. Brad will lean in on KDP.
• DAVE: second half of 2025: launch on Substack? 
• DAVE: focus on the things that I can control in 2025. Focus on my health, my family, my creativity…and not let them steal my joy, and outlive the fuckers.
• BRAD: show up every week and record ComicLab.

HUION

Our multi-week partnership with Huion is nearing the finish line. Huge thanks to them for supporting the show. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your tablet or dipping your toes into digital art hardware, now’s a great time to check out their lineup.

Huion is sponsoring today’s show, and they’re offering additional discounts on the following products when you use the discount code: COMICLAB

Kamvas 22 Plus — A luxurious large-screen, high-resolution digital pen display with an etched glass surface that simulates the texture of paper while it protects your eyes from harmful glare.

Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) — With a large 13.3-inch screen and an FHD (1920X1080) resolution, this model ensuring seamless collaboration with your laptop. The durable back cover also offers superior protection while ensuring interface stability.

Huion Note — You found your new on-the-go brainstorming tool. With writing synchronizing, offline storage, document management, one-click PDF sharing, and portable A5 size, Huion Note will redefine what a new generation of notebooks can do.

TAKEAWAYS

• The hosts reflect on their goals for 2025 and the importance of survival in the creative industry.
• Anxiety has been a significant factor in business planning for cartoonists this year.
• Dog humor has provided a universal joy amidst the chaos of the world.
• AI tools are becoming more accepted in creative processes, even if not openly discussed.
• Substack is rapidly growing and may surpass Patreon in user numbers.
• Competition among platforms like Substack and Patreon is beneficial for creators.
• The publishing industry may have experienced a contraction, but anecdotal evidence suggests a strong demand for printing services. Tariffs impacted smaller publishers more than larger ones.
• Young adult graphic novels are a strong market for cartoonists.
• Webtoons’ business model may face challenges in the US market.
• Creators should prioritize owning their careers for long-term success.
• Sponsorships can provide valuable tools for creators.
• Setting realistic goals can lead to unexpected successes.
• Social media scheduling tools can enhance productivity.
• Collaborative projects can be rewarding but require careful planning.
• Evaluating different publishing platforms is crucial for profitability.
• Moral dilemmas in business are complex and often unavoidable.

As we head into December, you may be considering a 2026 calendar to sell to your audience. We’ll talk about whether this is a smart business move. (Here’s a hint: It’s probably not.)

Cartoonists Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett discuss the nuances of print-on-demand services. As Brad says, “It’s a good place to start, but a bad place to stay.” They delve into the importance of advanced planning for holiday sales. Finally, they share strategies for engaging audiences at comic conventions, covering pricing strategies and the psychology of sales, and emphasizing the importance of understanding costs and audience engagement.

Today’s Show

• Print on Demand
• How to “Let Time Be Your Editor”
• Convention Pricing

Huion

Huion is sponsoring today’s show, and they’re offering additional discounts on the following products when you use the discount code: ComicLab

Kamvas 22 Plus — A luxurious large-screen, high-resolution digital pen display with an etched glass surface that simulates the texture of paper while it protects your eyes from harmful glare.

Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) — With a large 13.3-inch screen and an FHD (1920X1080) resolution, this model ensuring seamless collaboration with your laptop. The durable back cover also offers superior protection while ensuring interface stability.

Huion Note — You found your new on-the-go brainstorming tool. With writing synchronizing, offline storage, document management, one-click PDF sharing, and portable A5 size, Huion Note will redefine what a new generation of notebooks can do.

Takeaways

• Patience is key in daily struggles.
• Print on demand can be a good starting point but not a long-term solution.
• Planning for holiday sales should start well in advance.
• Engaging with audiences at conventions is crucial for building a network.
• Clear pricing and signage can significantly boost sales at conventions.
• Using loss leaders can attract customers but should be carefully calculated.
• Understanding your costs is essential for pricing strategies.
• Round numbers simplify transactions and reduce friction in sales.
• Time away from your work can provide valuable perspective for editing.
• Building a strong online presence is important for comic creators.

Beginning cartoonists often ask what size they should make their comic. Many are looking for “standard” sizes. The answer is a little more complicated than you’d expect — and it means focusing on what’s important about the comic you’re doing.

Syndicated cartoonists Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman share their journey of collaboration that spans over 35 years, focusing on their iconic comic strip, “Baby Blues.” They discuss their initial meeting, the challenges of working together, the creative process behind their gags, and the evolution of their work. The dialogue highlights the joys and conflicts of collaboration, the importance of humor in parenting, and the unique dynamics of their partnership. They discuss their early encounters with legendary cartoonists, the challenges and joys of taking over legacy strips, the impact of awards on their careers, and the importance of authenticity in parenting comics.

You can read “Baby Blues” at Gocomics.com/babyblues

Huion

Huion is sponsoring today’s show, and they’re offering additional discounts on the following products when you use the discount code: ComicLab

Kamvas 22 Plus — A luxurious large-screen, high-resolution digital pen display with an etched glass surface that simulates the texture of paper while it protects your eyes from harmful glare.

Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) — With a large 13.3-inch screen and an FHD (1920X1080) resolution, this model ensuring seamless collaboration with your laptop. The durable back cover also offers superior protection while ensuring interface stability.

Huion Note — You found your new on-the-go brainstorming tool. With writing synchronizing, offline storage, document management, one-click PDF sharing, and portable A5 size, Huion Note will redefine what a new generation of notebooks can do.