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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Bill Rosemann Offers Advice for Breaking In

Marvel editor Bill Rosemann joined the Comics Experience Creators Workshop recently, and was asked that age-old question:

How do you get a job working at Marvel Comics?


Rosemann offered several pieces of advice for creators hoping to get on Marvel's radar, including:

Publish Great Work

The most important thing, Rosemann said, is to publish great work, and use it to get noticed.

Rosemann used the example of Sam Humphries, who self-published a one-shot called Our Love is Real, and now works regularly for Marvel.

When editors read Our Love is Real, Rosemann said, "It was amazing, and we knew instantly that he had the stuff. And then we sought him out."

And as Humphries' example showed, the size of the publisher is less important than the quality of the work. If it's good, Rosemann said, people will notice, and talk about it.

"Sure, it helps if it's a known publisher like BOOM or IDW or DC or Vertigo or Image," he said. But mainly, "it just matters that you create incredible work."


Do Your Own Thing

But, he added, that incredible work should come from the heart, and not be designed purely as a way to make it into Marvel.

"Don't just chase the brass ring," Rosemann said. Instead, he said creators should follow their own passions, and create stories that mean something to them, even if it's not a genre or style that Marvel traditionally uses. "Do great work and we will find you."

...But be Ready to do Marvel's Thing

Rosemann added that if and when you do get an opportunity at Marvel, realize that you will need to create stories that work for them. And, he said, that includes realizing that publishing is driven by market forces, and most of the company's comics feature their largest, most popular characters.

"Don't work forever and ever on your Power Pack pitch," Rosemann said. "It's not going to happen. But be ready when someone comes to you and says, 'do you have a Spider-Man story?'"

Rosemann noted that many Marvel creators have made this transition, and proved to be equally adept at personal, creator-owned work and large franchise stories.

"If you look at a lot of the big names at Marvel, they started out doing very small, quirky, indie things," Rosemann said. "And now they're working on our biggest heroes."

Be Professional and Dependable

By the time a creator gets his or her first gig at Marvel, Rosemann said, they should already be working at a professional level, both in the quality of their work and in their ability to meet deadlines.

"This isn't the tryout zone," Rosemann said. "I'm not going to say Marvel is the end-all be-all for every creator, but if this is baseball, we're the Yankees. We're the Dodgers. We're not the farm league.

"Hopefully by the time we bring in a creator we'll have seen what they've done through self-publishing or through working for another company. They've sharpened their skills, and built up to that point."

He also noted that professionalism goes beyond just the quality of the work, and also includes the creator's ability to meet deadlines.

"We are starved for great talent," he said. "However it's no good if you're an amazing artist but you can't hit your deadlines on time. You have to be great and you have to be professional."

In conclusion, Rosemann said that he wants to see everyone succeed, and to have the same chance that he had to make his mark in the comics industry.

"The time is now, my friends. There's never been more opportunities. There's never been more chances to get your foot in the door," Rosemann said. "In comics, with every generation a new group comes along and takes control. So, it's your time. Keep plugging away, and don't take no for an answer until you get that yes."

Other topics discussed by Rosemann included:
* Convention etiquette
* The possible future of Marvel's cosmic characters
* What an editor does day-to-day
* The way different books present different editing challenges.
* Marketing comics in the current environment
* Marvel's efforts to bring in new readers
* Matching the right creators to the right characters

As an Editor, Bill has worked on projects such as Avengers Academy, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, New Mutants, Thunderbolts, Hawkeye & Mockingbird, Secret Warriors, The Thanos Imperative, Black Panther: The Man Without Fear, Marvel Zombies, Mystery Men and many others.

Comics Experience Creators Workshop sessions take place every month, giving members real-world knowledge that will help them succeed in their comics career. Additionally, the monthly Creators Workshop Book Club sessions feature guest writers and artists discussing the craft and art of comics, as well as the business side of things.

There's still plenty of time to sign up before the next session. We hope to see you there.

--Posted by Paul Allor

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

CE Alum Joe Sergi writes for CBLDF!

Back in April, we wrote about how CE alum, Workshop member -- and attorney -- Joe Sergi had written an article posted up on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF)'s website.

Since that time, Joe has become a regular columnist for the CBLDF, writing about many aspects of the history of censorship!

And the columns have been garnering praise. Most recently, Joe's column on Frederick Wertham vs. Superman prompted none other than @neilhimself -- a.k.a. Neil Gaiman -- to tweet it was a "great article."

We also enjoyed Joe's recent article that showed censored panels from comic books before and after the imposition of the Comics Code. Here's one example from Joe's article:
In the story, entitled “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” a murder suspect explains how his fingerprints came to be found on the murder weapon, a knife. In the post Code reprint, however, there is no knife at the scene at all, creating odd dialogue. Granted the Code forbid “excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play” in General Standards, part A, 7, but I would think the knife was pretty necessary to these scenes.


If you have an interest in the history of comics, or the dangers of censorship, definitely check out Joe's columns and sign up for the CBLDF email newsletter!

You can view all of Joe's articles for the CBLDF right here.

Joe is a life-long comics fan and author who has written short stories, novels, comics, and articles in the horror, science fiction, super-hero, and young adult genres. Most recently, his work has appeared in the Elevator Pitch Press anthologies Aliens Among Us and Don't Be Afraid.

Congrats to Joe on his regular column with CBLDF -- we look forward to reading more!


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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Monday, September 24, 2012

Bill Willingham Joins Creators Workshop Tomorrow Night! (9/25/12)

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 9pm Eastern Time, our special guest on the live, online Creators Workshop will be writer/artist Bill Willingham!

Bill Willingham has been writing, and occasionally drawing, comic books for close to 30 years, and he also writes prose fiction as well.

We'll be chatting with Bill and taking our members' questions about his writing and art career, creator-owned comics (like his mega-hit Fables from DC Vertigo), his upcoming Fabletown & Beyond Convention (aka FablesCon) and more!

Bill has written for both DC Comics and DC Vertigo on titles such as Proposition Player, Day of Vengeance, Shadowpact, Jack of Fables, Fairest and the Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series, Fables.

In addition to Fables, he has also created comic book series such as Elementals, Ironwood, Coventry and Pantheon.

His work has been nominated for a number of other awards in addition to the Eisners including the Harvey and Ignatz comic industry awards as well as the Hugo and International Horror Guild awards.

On March 22-24, 2013, he will be hosting the inaugural Fabletown and Beyond Convention (aka FablesCon) in Rochester, Minnesota.

FablesCon is designed to discuss, promote and celebrate comic books that fall within the Mythic Fiction realm and will include guests such as Fables artist Mark Buckingham, MouseGuard's David Petersen, writers Kurt Busiek, Chris Roberson, Mike Carey and many more.

We're looking forward to a wide-ranging discussion with Bill!

There's still time to join us at the Creators Workshop before our live session! We hope to see you there.


If you want to make comics, write or draw 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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Only 3 Slots Left in September "Intro to Comic Book Writing" Class!

Our next Introduction to Comic Book Writing Class begins September 26, 2012, and we have only 3 open slots left!

The course will be taught by former Marvel and IDW Editor, Andy Schmidt and this will likely be your last chance to take the course in 2012!

Sign up for our Intro class here!

Your instructor, Andy Schmidt, worked on nearly every major character in the Marvel canon during his time there, and edited hit titles such as X-Factor, the Annihilation saga, Alias, and more.

At IDW, he managed major franchises like GI Joe and Transformers. He is also the author of the Eagle Award-winning book, The Insider's Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels, published by Impact Books.

In this six-week course, not only will you learn comic book writing from a pro, but the course will be packed with practical, real-world advice on the industry and "breaking in" to help you pursue your career in comics!

That's why Comics Experience alum, Nick Spencer, tweeted:
"For all aspiring comic pros asking for advice on craft/breaking in, I once again highly recommend Andy Schmidt's @ComicExperience courses."
A few years ago, Nick had to move to New York City to take Comics Experience classes (check out his guest blog here to read that tale).

But you don't have to move, now that our courses are offered LIVE, online. You can attend from wherever you live. You'll be able to see your instructor and his desktop, interact with your classmates, and discuss your classwork in real time. And you'll be able to communicate with your classmates all week long in a special, dedicated online forum for just you and your class.

Will this be the year you begin to pursue your comic book writing dream?

Introduction to Comic Book Writing with Andy Schmidt
Begins September 26, 2012!


If you want to make comics, write or draw 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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Shakespeare Shaken Anthology Features FOUR Comics Experience Alums!

Shakespeare Shaken, published by Red Stylo Media, is a comic anthology of original graphic works (including short comic stories, short series and vignettes) inspired by the plays, poetry and life of William Shakespeare.

The full-color trade paperback contains over 200 pages and features work from over thirty comic artists and writers, including four Comics Experience alums -- Amber Love, Rich Douek, Shaun Noel, and Marta Tanrikulu!

Each contributor was challenged to take a favorite character or setting from Shakespeare's revered plays or poetry, shake 'em up, and create new works.

With a Foreword by Dirk Manning, creator of Nightmare World, and including short series by 2012 Eisner-nominee Jeremy Whitley (Princeless), Shakespeare Shaken also includes the following stories from Comics Experience alums:

No. 130: For Love, story by Amber Love and Kristen McHugh, art by Jhazmine Ruiz, tells a tragic tale inspired by Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 of a man given the chance to be consort to a goddess if only he will agree to renounce his mortal mate.

In All Our Yesterdays, story by Richard Douek, with art by Jason Strutz, the Star Emperor of Man, Mac Bethad, is on the verge of losing his life and empire to rebel forces when his ship's console is inhabited by sentient artificial intelligence and offers a final solution.

In The Play Is the Thing, by Shaun Noel, with art by Andre Frattino, it's the Sonnets versus the Globes for the Championship, in an all-ages basketball mash-up of characters and plot-twists from William Shakespeare's most famous plays.

In Falstaff’s Arena, by Marta Tanrikulu, art by Michael Reisner, the story continues the tradition of Shakespeare and men in tights, borrowing characters from "Henry IV," tumbled together with Mexican wrestling.

All of the stories are available in a collected trade paperback in print as well as individual digital downloads available at RedStylo.com and other online venues. You can see a complete list of places to purchase right here.

Congrats to Amber, Rich, Shaun, and Marta and all the contributors to Shakespeare Shaken!



If you want to make comics, write or draw 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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Monday, September 17, 2012

Indie Comics Horror #1 Features Six Comics Experience Alums and Workshop Members!

Indie Comics Horror #1, the anthology series from Aazurn Publishing, will include four stories written by Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members. And two of the stories are illustrated and lettered by CE folks as well!

Indie Comics Horror is a 48-page black and white comic book featuring six complete stories in this issue.

The first issue is now being solicited for pre-order on page 228 of the September 2012 issue of Diamond PREVIEWS and may be ordered via your local comic shop. (PREVIEWS Order Code: SEP120728)

This issue features stories written by the following CE alums and members:
* Minister to the Undead written by C.M. Beckett
* The Standard written by Glenn Møane
* Immortal Resistance written by Rob Anderson
* The Belt written by Joe Sergi.
Two of the stories -- The Belt and Immortal Resistance -- also feature artwork by CE alum DaFu Yu, and lettering by Workshop member E.T. Dollman.

In Beckett's Minister to the Undead, a minister has an unusual relationship with his flock. Møane's The Standard, explores dating and guns. In Anderson's Immortal Resistance, the Spartan 300 face an undead horde. And in Sergi's The Belt, a sexy space romp turns deadly.

You can view a trailer of the issue right here:


If you'd like to get a copy, make sure to pre-order it, to ensure that your local comic shop carries the book!

Congrats to all our alums and members appearing in this issue of Indie Comics Horror!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Baltimore Comic Con 2012 - Comics Experience Report

Baltimore Comic Con 2012 was another big success for Comics Experience alums and Workshop members, and a great time as well.

Our second annual Baltimore "Comics Experience Meet-Up" happened Saturday night at Tír Na nóg.

More than twenty people showed up to talk comics (and more) including alums/Workshop members Chris Lewis, Elizabeth-Amber Love, Gannon Beck, George O'Connor, James Babbo, Janine & Ken Frederick, Joe Sergi, Joey Groah, Neil Fisher, Nick Dedual, Rich Douek, Rob Anderson, Ryan Murray, and Scott Dubin.

After the meet-up, some folks headed to other locations, including the Hyatt Bar. CE alum Amy Chu was there, post-Harvey Awards ceremony, and even filed her own "Convention Bar Report" after the fact on The Beat. You can read her report right here: On the Scene: Baltimore Comic-Con Night -- Part I.

Another highlight of the convention for many members was Tom Brevoort's Marvel Boot Camp panel.

For two hours, Tom shared the presentation he gives to new Marvel Editors each year. This was the first time the session had ever been given outside of Marvel, and attendees were asked to purchase tickets to benefit the Hero Initiative.

It was a very informative session and more than ten pages of comprehensive notes on the session are now available to our Creators Workshop members in our "Convention Panel Notes" thread. (You can see a screen capture from our forums of that topic and a few others below.)

Finally, the convention was a success for our members exhibiting at the show, with heavy crowds through most of the weekend. Some members were exhibiting at a con for the first time, while others are old pros at the convention circuit. One member, Chris Lewis, travelled all the way from Germany to debut his new comic, Drones!

Other Comics Experience-related exhibitors included Comics Experience coloring instructor Chris Sotomayor, Joe Sergi (Aliens Among Us), George O'Connor (Healed), Joey Groah and Gannon Beck (both of Space Corps), Amy Chu (Girls' Night Out), and James Babbo (The Moses Militia).

To check out more information on all these projects, including trailers and cover art, check out our pre-convention blog right here!

Thanks to all our members who attended the meet-up. It was great seeing everyone!

Hope to see you at our next Meet-Up at NYCC 2012...



If you want to make comics, write or draw 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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Monday, September 10, 2012

Remembering Joe Kubert

(Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt shares his thoughts on the passing of a legend in comics.)

It's been a few weeks now since comics legend Joe Kubert passed away. And I have to admit the shock to me, and I didn't know him personally, is only now starting to fade. And I'm only now sorting out some of my thoughts about Mr. Kubert. So, for those wondering, this is one comics professional's opinion of the man, coming only from his work and getting to know two of his sons.

Let's get the obvious out of the way. Kubert's work speaks for itself. His work defined a generation of artists both in terms of style, as well as function. Kubert's work was simply unparalleled.

Neal Adams once told me that Joe Kubert was the artist he most admired. Because his work is so well documented, I'd like to talk about a few things that don't get quite as much lip service.

Professionalism

He never missed a deadline, he always did phenomenal work, and he worked every day of his life until he passed away. And the work he was generating in the last few years was every bit as good as the work 10, 15, 30 years ago.

Commitment to Comics

I run a Comics Education Institution. I "compete" with Joe Kubert. He started and ran the first accredited comics education institution with his Kubert School. And his success with it is immense. No other school has accomplished what his has for artists. He was the trailblazer. Comics Experience exists because Mr. Kubert paved a road for me to drive down. I built a car and started driving, Kubert dug the trench, paved the road, and built the town around it. For that, I owe him my deepest thanks.

Commitment to Students

Mr. Kubert, through his school, has shown such a passion for comics and for his students that almost all of them credit him as a major influence in their work. You may go into the school for a few years, but it's clear you're a Kubert student for life.

And I think this is the aspect of his loss that makes me the most sad. That he won't have that personal connection to the next generation of artists -- and because of that -- they'll feel the lack.

I'm not making the claim that I'm great friends with either Adam or Andy, his two sons that I do know. But what I've seen of them and heard them talk about with their own families and growing up with Mr. Kubert, it sounds to me like very compelling evidence that Mr. Kubert was a great family man and just a wonderful human being.

Mr. Kubert was not just a man of three worlds -- comics, education, family -- he was a legend of three worlds. I'd venture to say no one has balanced these three things as well and certainly not for as long as Mr. Kubert did. Comics lost a legend, education lost a shining star, and his community and family lost a tremendous human being.

For me, I'm sad that he ever had to depart. I wish I'd gotten to know him personally. But I'm very glad to have gotten to know him through his work and through his children. I wish I had met him, and of course, now that I can't, I know exactly what I'd say. Two simple words that would have meant the world to me: "Thank you."

-- Andy Schmidt
Comics Experience Founder
September 4th, 2012


Mr. Kubert' legacy carries on at The Kubert School, with his children and grandchildren, and with his comics yet to be released.

Creators of "Petrograd" Join Creators Workshop Live Tomorrow Night!

On September 11, 2012 at 8:30pm Eastern Time, we'll be having a Creators Workshop Book Club discussion of Petrograd with writer Phil Gelatt, artist Tyler Crook, and editor Jill Beaton.

Petrograd tells the tale of a reluctant British spy stationed in the heart of the Russian empire during first World War who is handed the assignment of orchestrating the death of the mad monk -- the Tsarina's most trusted adviser and the surrogate ruler of the nation.

In selecting Petrograd as its Book of the Year for 2011, iFanboy said: "Petrograd is impressive in every way, from the research and characterizations, to its excitement and action, to the wonderful cartooning, to the package itself. In these ways, Petrograd stands above every other book we read this year, and most from years prior."

Writer Philip Gelatt's first published comic work was Indiana Jones Adventures Volume One for Dark Horse, followed by Labor Days published by Oni Press. He has worked in the film industry in various desk-related capacities, including as a script reader and researcher.

Tyler Crook, in addition to being the artist on Petrograd, is the regular artist on B.P.R.D. for Dark Horse Comics. He was also awarded the 2012 Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award at the 24th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards earlier this year.

Jill Beaton began at Oni Press as an intern, moving to assistant editor in early 2008, and promoted to full editor in 2011. She has edited numerous titles at Oni including The Sixth Gun, Wasteland, The Secret History of D.B. Cooper, and many more.

There's still time to join us at the Creators Workshop before this discussions! We hope to see you there.


If you want to make comics, write or draw 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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Thursday, September 6, 2012

CE Alums Exhibiting at Baltimore Comic Con 2012!

Baltimore Comic Con 2012 is this weekend, September 8-9, 2012, and a bunch of Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members will be attending and exhibiting!

In addition, we'll be holding a Comics Experience Meet-Up on Saturday night. If you're an alum and don't have the details, drop an email to rob@ComicsExperience.com.

Here's a run-down of some of the CE folks exhibiting at Baltimore!



Comics Experience Coloring Instructor, Chris "Soto" Sotomayor will be exhibiting at Artists Alley table A231.

Stop by to watch Soto coloring before your eyes (that guy is always working) or chat him up about his Intro to Comic Book Coloring and Advanced Comic Book Coloring courses!



CE alum and Workshop member, Chris Lewis, will be flying in all the way from Germany for the convention to premiere his new comic book Drones.

Drones is described as "The War on Terror - Now Playing in Las Vegas!"

Chris was recently interviewed on Liberation Frequency, where he discussed Drones and the impact of Comics Experience on his work.

Check out the comic book trailer below or visit www.epigamics.com for more info.

Chris will be exhibiting at the Epigamics table -- A5 -- in Artists Alley.


CE alum and Workshop member Joe Sergi will be exhibiting, showing off the latest Elevator Pitch Press anthology, Aliens Among Us.

Joe was a writing contributor as well as editor of the book, along with numerous other Comics Experience writing, art, and lettering alums and Workshop members -- including the cover shown by CE art alum, DaFu Yu.

You can read more about Joe and his work (including his regular column for the CBLDF) on his website: www.joesergi.net.

Joe will be exhibiting in Artists Alley at table A105.


CE alum and Workshop member George O'Connor will be exhibiting, showing off his now-completed 5-issue miniseries Healed. In Healed, when all life-threatening diseases and illnesses are suddenly cured, it leaves confusion and chaos in its wake.

Reviewer Blair Butler of Fresh Ink Online and G4TV wrote it's "Fun, West Wing-type dialogue and I love the stories at play here."

An 8-page preview is available at www.homelesscomics.com and here's a brand new video preview:

You can find George at the Homeless Comics table -- A92 in Artists Alley.


CE alums and Workshop members Joey Groah and Gannon Beck (also on our staff as our new Art Moderator!) will be premiering the zero issue of the book Space Corps.

Gannon publishes and provides all interior art (as well as some stories), while Joey has also written a story inside. Space Corps is an ongoing comic series which gives the account of a platoon of Space Marines fighting in a planet-hopping campaign in an intergalactic war.

You can get more information on the website: www.spacecorpscomic.com

You can find Gannon and Joey at table A253 in Artists Alley.



CE alum and Workshop member Amy Chu will be offering her short story collection Girls' Night Out as well as CE alum Georgia Lee's scifi thriller Meridien.

Girls' Night Out is a collection of short stories written by Amy, each with different artistic teams. Georgia’s Meridien City follows a space detective in a world where the upper class dominates the only habitable living space on the planet.

You can read more about all their projects at http://alphagirlcomics.wordpress.com/


You can find Amy at table A253 in Artists Alley with Gannon and Joey!


CE alum and Workshop member James Babbo will be debuting his new comic, The Moses Militia.

The Moses Militia is set during World War II, where four Jewish soldiers are determined to stop a Nazi alchemist’s plan to kill Winston Churchill with the undead. And it's set in Nazi occupied Casablanca!

The cover features work by Bill Wylie, Mark McKenna and our coloring instructor Chris Sotomayor. You can read more about the project right here!

You can find James at table A-56 in Artists Alley!


Best of luck to all our alums attending and/or exhibiting at Baltimore Comic Con!



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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

CE Alum Paul Allor's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro-Series Hits Stores Today!

Writer Paul Allor's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro-Series #8 featuring Fugitoid hits comic shops across the country today!

Paul's story introduces the popular Fugitoid character into IDW's turtles continuity and features a cool mix of action-packed fun and compelling drama!

Paul is a Comics Experience alum, Creators Workshop member, and on staff at Comics Experience as the CE Book Club Manager. He recently wrote a Guest Blog on the book and Comics Experience which you can read right here.

There's already been a lot of coverage of Paul's IDW debut book -- check out the following sampling of the coverage for more!


Comic Book Resources (CBR) interviews Paul and shows preview pages from the book!
Read Interview


iFanboy's Don't Miss podcast features an interview with Paul!
Listen to the Podcast

Talking Comics interviews Paul!
Read Interview

The book features artwork by Paul McCaffrey, colors by John Paul Bove, and covers by McCaffrey and David Petersen (Mouse Guard).

Each issue of the Micro-Series spotlights another character in the TMNT universe. Other Micro-Series issues are written by Brian Lynch, Erik Burnham, Mike Costa and Barbara Kesel.

The series is edited by Bobby Curnow, a fellow CE alum and a professional member of the Creators Workshop.

Paul Allor is also the author of the Clockwork anthology, which contained 12 original stories on cross-genre characters such as space-faring gorilla pirates, heart-broken robots, a beautiful gunfighter, and even a man on death row.

Clockwork contained artwork by Comics Experience art alums and workshop members Ken Frederick and Carl Peterson, alongside well-known artists including JM Ken Niimura (I Kill Giants), Brett Weldele (Surrogates) and Nikki Cook (Memoir).

Paul has previous experience as a journalist, and one of his articles inspired the death row story in Clockwork entitled X-Row, illustrated by Aaron Houston.

Paul also works as a comics editor on upcoming or released projects such as Girls' Night Out, Gutter Magic, Deluge, and Rex, Zombie Killer

Congratulations to Paul on the release of his book!



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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Bill Willingham, plus the Creators of "Petrograd" - Upcoming Guests on the Creators Workshop!

In September, we'll have two great live, online sessions at the Creators Workshop: a Book Club discussion of Petrograd with writer Phil Gelatt, artist Tyler Crook, and editor Jill Beaton...

AND a Workshop session with writer/artist Bill Willingham on his writing and art career, creator-owned comics (like his mega-hit Fables from DC Vertigo), his upcoming Fabletown & Beyond Convention (aka FablesCon) and more!

On September 11, 2012 at 8:30pm Eastern Time, we'll be discussing Petrograd with writer Phil Gelatt, artist Tyler Crook, and editor Jill Beaton.

Petrograd tells the tale of a reluctant British spy stationed in the heart of the Russian empire during first World War who is handed the assignment of orchestrating the death of the mad monk -- the Tsarina's most trusted adviser and the surrogate ruler of the nation.

In selecting Petrograd as its Book of the Year for 2011, iFanboy said: "Petrograd is impressive in every way, from the research and characterizations, to its excitement and action, to the wonderful cartooning, to the package itself. In these ways, Petrograd stands above every other book we read this year, and most from years prior."

Writer Philip Gelatt's first published comic work was Indiana Jones Adventures Volume One for Dark Horse, followed by Labor Days published by Oni Press. He has worked in the film industry in various desk-related capacities, including as a script reader and researcher.

Tyler Crook, in addition to being the artist on Petrograd, is the regular artist on B.P.R.D. for Dark Horse Comics. He was also awarded the 2012 Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award at the 24th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards earlier this year.

Jill Beaton began at Oni Press as an intern, moving to assistant editor in early 2008, and promoted to full editor in 2011. She has edited numerous titles at Oni including The Sixth Gun, Wasteland, The Secret History of D.B. Cooper, and many more.

Then, on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 9pm Eastern Time, we'll be joined by writer/artist Bill Willingham!

Bill Willingham has been writing, and occasionally drawing, comic books for close to 30 years, and he also writes prose fiction as well.

He has written for both DC Comics and DC Vertigo on titles such as Proposition Player, Day of Vengeance, Shadowpact, Jack of Fables, Fairest and the Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series, Fables.

In addition to Fables, he has also created comic book series such as Elementals, Ironwood, Coventry and Pantheon.

His work has been nominated for a number of other awards in addition to the Eisners including the Harvey and Ignatz comic industry awards as well as the Hugo and International Horror Guild awards.

On March 22-24, 2013, he will be hosting the inaugural Fabletown and Beyond Convention (aka FablesCon) in Rochester, Minnesota.

FablesCon is designed to discuss, promote and celebrate comic books that fall within the Mythic Fiction realm and will include guests such as Fables artist Mark Buckingham, MouseGuard's David Petersen, writers Kurt Busiek, Chris Roberson, Mike Carey and many more.

We're looking forward to a wide-ranging discussion with Bill, and a lively discussion earlier this month with the creators of Petrograd!

There's still time to join us at the Creators Workshop before these two great discussions! We hope to see you there.


If you want to make comics, write or draw 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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter / Facebook


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