Comics Experience helps TMNT writer on his journey

Today we have a Guest Blog from Comics Experience staffer, alum, and Workshop member, Paul Allor.

Paul wrote a new comic book for IDW Publishing which hits comic shops across the country next week. Below he talks about how Comics Experience has helped him in his comics career.

You can also check out an interview Paul did on the book -- where he discussed Comics Experience as well -- over on Comic Book Bin right here.

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Guest Blog by Paul Allor
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Next Wednesday, comic shops across the nation will receive their copies of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro-Series #8, a comic book I wrote. This absolutely would not have happened without Comics Experience.

I've talked a lot in the past about the impact Andy Schmidt and Comics Experience has had on my career; about the industry insight Comics Experience has given me and the writing skills it has helped me develop. But it's given me more than that. It's given me a community.

Since this project was announced I've been talking to a lot of people -- readers, fellow creators, comics media -- and one question keeps coming up, in different forms: "How did you manage to break in?"

It's a question that kind of amuses me, because the answer seems pretty obvious: I didn't. The Turtles book is my first big work-for-hire gig, and an incredible opportunity. But at the same time, it's one of many, many steps along the way (albeit a very big step). These days, making comics isn't a binary proposition. You aren't in or out, a pro or an amateur.

Like most journeys, this isn't one you want to travel alone. And that's where Comics Experience comes in. The Comics Experience classes, and the Creator's Workshop, has given me a community of people -- writers, artist, colorists and letterers -- all on that same journey.

I can not even begin to tell you how much I've learned from the men and women I've met in Comics Experience. Together, we discuss and dissect the craft and art of comics creating. We trade tips on publishers and printers. We discuss legal issues and career developments. We're there for each other when we succeed, and when we fail.

When I was working on my first book, Clockwork, I workshopped several of the stories through Comics Experience, and asked approximately 12 billion questions about printers, paper stock, marketing and distribution.

Two of the artists in the book (Ken Frederick and Carl Peterson) are people I met in the workshop, another (ET Dollman) did my imprint logo, and yet another (Rich Douek) helped design the front cover.

The folks in Comics Experience are my friends, my coworkers and my collaborators. They played a direct role in giving me the skills, the experience and the confidence to pursue and write an issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for IDW Publishing. I absolutely couldn't have done it without them, and I hope they know it.

I look forward to the next step of our journey.

-- Paul Allor

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you'll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!