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.)
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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.
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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.
Starting a webcomic in 2026 isn’t about chasing algorithms or copying what’s popular — it’s about building something sustainable, creative, and yours. In this episode, Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett break down what new cartoonists actually need to focus on in their first years: writing first, consistency over hype, owning your work, and building an audience the right way.
You’ll learn why you don’t need Webtoon or Tapas, why monetizing too early can derail your career, how social media really fits into comics growth today, and why a website and mailing list are non-negotiable. This is a marathon mindset episode for creators who want to do comics for the long haul — and do them for love.
It’s time to nominate work for the Eisner Awards! Here’s what you need to know…
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.Yesterday, I shared thoughts on rethinking a concept from the early days of webcomics — the collective. Today, I have some advice on what you should consider if you’re thinking of forming one of your own.
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.In the first decade of webcomics, collectives were king. Pseudo-syndicates like Keenspot and Modern Tales helped to kick off the webcomics movement. Even after that business model faltered, independent cartoonists continued to work in groups, forming collectives like Blank Label Comics, Dumbrella, Girlamatic, Webcomics Nation, Spider Forest, and Boxcar Comics. After the rise of social media and the decline of ad revenue, collectives lost their two major strengths — audience building and monetization. Now, as social media enters a period of significant decline, it may be time to rethink comics collectives.
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