A holiday gift From CBLDF -- produced by Comics Experience creators!

For the holiday season, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) released a special treat, and it was produced by Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members!

"A Comics Carol" is written by Joe Sergi (alum & Workshop member), with art by DaFu Yu (art alum), and lettering/design by E.T. Dollman (Workshop member).

In the minicomic -- available for free on the CBLDF site, Messr. Fredric Wertham is visited by the Ghosts of Comics Past, Comics Present, and Comics Yet to Come!

And you might recognize some of those ghosts...

Read it right here: A Comics Carol or click on the image below to go to the CBLDF site...

Congrats to Joe, DaFu, and E.T. -- and Happy Holidays to all!

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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
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"Curse of the Thirteenth Baktun" releases just in time for the 12/21/12 apocalypse!

Comics Experience alum and Creators Workshop member, Marta Tanrikulu is ready for the 12/21/12 apocalypse -- with a special short comics story called Curse of the Thirteenth Baktun!

In addition to Marta's writing, the story also features the artwork of CE alum and Workshop member Jorge Donis, and the lettering of long-time Workshop member, E.T. Dollman!

In the story, two local experts in ancient Mayan scripts are pressed into service by an ambitious archaeologist who locates a lost ruin. But what they uncover in the jungle on December 21, 2012, the date when the 13th Maya baktun ends, is a nightmare.

In light of the impending apocalypse, the story has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish and Japanese, in addition to the English version.

Before time runs out, you can read the story for only 99-cents at the Red Stylo Media website or at Drive-Thru Comics!

Marta is a writer and contributor to Red Stylo Media's anthology series Poe Twisted and Shakespeare Shaken, and you can check out links to all her work on the ViZYON Entertainment website.

Congrats, Marta, Jorge, and E.T. on the release of the story!

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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!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
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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!

Indie Comics Magazine #6 in stores this week!

Indie Comics Magazine #6, the anthology series from Aazurn Publishing, hit comic shops this week and features five stories by Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members!

Indie Comics Magazine is a 64-page black and white comic book featuring eight complete stories in each issue.

The issue on the stands features stories written by the following CE alums and members:

  * Timber Tom (Don McMillan)
  * The Dead and Endless Wastes (Fred Kim)
  * Staying Positive (Glenn Møane)
  * Animal Control SCU (Rob Anderson)
  * The Zombie War of 1812 (Joe Sergi).

The genres range from crime to zombies to sci-fi.

Several of the stories also feature lettering by Workshop member E.T. Dollman. Artists in the issue include Juan Romera, Antonio Bilfuco, Leandro Panganiban, Marc Jameson, and more.

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

Indie Comics Magazine #6 Features FIVE Comics Experience Alums!

Indie Comics Magazine #6, the anthology series from Aazurn Publishing, will include five stories by Comics Experience alums and Creators Workshop members!

Indie Comics Magazine is a 64-page black and white comic book featuring eight complete stories in each issue.

The genres in this issue range from crime to zombies to sci-fi.

Issue #6 is now being solicited for pre-order on page 228 of the June 2012 issue of Diamond PREVIEWS and may be ordered via your local comic shop. (PREVIEWS Order Code: JUN120752)

This issue features stories written by the following CE alums and members:

* Timber Tom written by Don McMillan
* The Dead and Endless Wastes written by Frederick Kim
* Staying Positive written by Glenn Møane
* Animal Control: Special Creatures Unit written by Rob Anderson
* The Zombie War of 1812 by Joe Sergi.

In McMillan's Timber Tom, a space alien is not what it appears to be. In Kim's The Dead and Endless Wastes, a young Teddy Roosevelt battles zombies in the Old West. In Møane's Staying Positive, office sex is far from casual. In Anderson's Animal Control SCU, designer hybrid pets have become the latest fad. And in Sergi's The Zombie War of 1812, the British army joins with the Americans to battle an unexpected -- and undead -- adversary.

Several of the stories also feature lettering by Workshop member E.T. Dollman. Artists in the issue include Juan Romera, Antonio Bilfuco, Leandro Panganiban, Marc Jameson, and more.

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 Magazine!

CE Staffer Rob Anderson Talks Comics Experience with Decapitated Dan

Comics Experience General Manager and writer Rob Anderson recently appeared on the Discussions with Decapitated Dan podcast, Episode #90, and discussed Comics Experience, in addition to his recently released comic book, Rex, Zombie Killer.

During the show, Rob discusses how he got involved in creating comics, joined Comics Experience as a student, and eventually became part of the staff. He also gives an overview of the history of Comics Experience, talks about Andy Schmidt's background in the industry, and the Comics Experience curriculum.

Plus, if you've ever wanted to know more about the Creators Workshop community -- how it works, the professionals involved -- Rob gives a run-down of that as well.

The interview begins with Rob talking about his new comic book, Rex, Zombie Killer. Published by Big Dog Ink, the comic hit shops yesterday, May 2, 2012.

In addition to Rob, the creative team includes artist DaFu Yu (CE alum), colorist Kevin Volo (CE alum), letterer/designer ET Dollman (CE Workshop member) and editor Paul Allor (CE staffer and alum).

Although Comics Experience members' books appear in comic shops on a regular basis, Rex, ZK marks the first time that a creative team on a book solicited in Diamond Previews (and available to comic shops) is made up entirely of Comics Experience Workshop members, alumni and staff.

Listen to the podcast interview with Rob right here.

Discussions with Decapitated Dan is a weekly podcast where host Dan Royer interviews horror comic creators, publishers and fans. His recent guests have included creators such as Terry Moore (Rachel Rising), Kurtis Wiebe (Green Wake), and Creators Workshop member Brandon Seifert (Witch Doctor).

Dan's podcast is available on iTunes, and is also syndicated through other comics news sites such as Comic Related, Comic Attack, Chicago Comic Vault, Drive Thru Comics, and more.

Dan is also the founder of the Chicago-area DanCon convention, as well as the founder of the Ghastly Awards, which recognizes outstanding achievements in Horror Comics over a range of 15 different categories. Ghastly Awards nominees are chosen by other horror comic book professionals and winners are chosen by a panel of judges.

Workshop Members Take On the Eagle/MCM Challenge!

On January 27, 2012, the Eagle Awards and MCM London Comic Con announced a new competition for comic artists and writers.

The "Huntsman's Challenge" competition called on comic creators to submit a completed five page story, in color, with a plot relevant to a dark fantasy setting. The catch? All submissions -- of finished stories -- had to be submitted in a month, with a deadline of February 29th.

Despite the short deadline, members of the Comics Experience Creators Workshop community were up to the challenge, with no less than FOUR members submitting completed stories!

Since the winners haven't been announced, we're only going to share quick peeks at early character designs or panels representing each story, but it looks like a very interesting range of dark fantasy stories were submitted!

Here are the entries from Workshop members (in alphabetical order by title):

Bonita and the Creature Writer: Joe Sergi Artist: DaFu Yu Colorist: John Hunt Letterer: ET Dollman
Edge of the Village Writer/Letterer: Paul Allor Artist: Dwa Colorist: Donna Gregory
Long Live the Emperor Writer/Letterer: Amy Chu Artist/Colorist: Cabral
The Time of Reflection Writer/Letterer: Alex Wilson Artist/Colorist: Silvio dB

The competition is to be judged by Titan Publishing senior editor Steve White, bestselling writer Tony Lee and Eisner-winning artist Mark Buckingham.

The Judges will select two winners: one for best design and art, and another for best writing. Both winning teams will be nominated for a new Eagle Award, the MCM Expo Award For New Visionaries and have their story included in the MCM London Comic Con show program. Both winners will also be invited to the 2012 Eagle Awards ceremony and after-party, along with industry passes to the full London Comic Con weekend.

We wish everyone the best of luck in the competition!

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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
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COMMUNITY NEWS: Rich Douek Discusses Gutter Magic

Comics Experience Writing alum and Creators Workshop member, Rich Douek, recently penned a column for ComixTribe about writing comics and the winding path to his first comic book, Gutter Magic.

In the column, First Steps, Rich discusses how he had almost given up on writing comics, even though he had a story in mind -- one that began life as a prose story.

"Writing comics was one of those things I had always wanted to do, but was always finding excuses not to," Rich wrote.

But after coming across Andy Schmidt's appendix in the Peter David book, Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels, Rich looked up the Comics Experience online courses and signed up. In the column, Rich continues:

"In terms of creating comics, taking the Intro to Writing course was definitely a good move for me.

The course was equal parts learning how to write a proper script and construct a story, and how to maneuver and network within the comics industry. I picked up a lot of great tips, but the most valuable thing to me was the fact that I had homework. I had a project! A deadline! Concrete goals I could work towards completing. It was electrifying..."

Rich has since gone on to create Gutter Magic, and just this week he released the second story in the series, currently available for free on his website.

The story, entitled "Nice Work," is written by Rich Douek, with artwork by J.C. Grande, and letters by Creators Workshop member E.T. Dollman.

Congrats, Rich, and keep making comics!

Read Rich's Column, First Steps

Read Gutter Magic: "Nice Work" on SixGunComics.com

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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
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COMMUNITY NEWS: Amy Chu Writes About a Difficult Topic

Comics Experience Writing alum, Amy Chu, has released a comic book short story, titled Closure, which was written as part of a 9/11-related writing challenge on the Creators Workshop several months ago.

In a blog post, Writing About a Difficult Subject, Amy wrote:

I was surprised at how emotional I became during the writing process. During 9/11 I lived in lower Manhattan and watched the towers fall outside my window.

All I could think about at the time were the people in the building, and how my husband had turned down an offer from a firm on the 103rd floor, and ever since I have avoided revisiting the coverage of those events, especially around this time of year. So I suppose the title of this story “Closure” has meaning for me personally as well.

With story by Amy Chu, art by Silvio DB and lettering by Creators Workshop member E.T. Dollman, Closure is currently available on Amy's website, NerdyGal.com.

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Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
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Comics Experience Community News 7/12/2011

It's been a great month for Comics Experience alumni and Workshop members -- from a Harvey Award nomination to free online comics, our community of creators has been on the move!

Congratulations to Nick Spencer (Comics Experience Writing alum) who received a 2011 Harvey Award nomination in the category of "Most Promising New Talent," for his work on his hit title from Image, Morning Glories. The Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art, and are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by fellow comic book professionals.

Brandon Seifert (Comics Experience Creators Workshop member) had his new book from Image, Witch Doctor, appear as a flipbook in the back of Walking Dead #85, and followed that up with the release of the #1 issue on June 29th. Described as House M.D. meets Fringe, the book looks to be a runaway hit! Witch Doctor is the first original title from Robert Kirkman’s new Image imprint, Skybound, which will also be launching a new title, Thief of Thieves, written by Nick Spencer!

A new anthology comic book, The December Project, was just released recently, and it was created by a group of Comics Experience Writing alums! The book features stories written by Marta Tanrikulu, Chris Lewis, Monika Smyczek, and Elizabeth Amber Love, plus three of the stories were lettered by Comics Experience Workshop member, E.T. Dollman. The book contains a wide variety of stories, from science fiction to magic, and from trippy to heart-wrenching. Pick up your copy of The December Project via IndyPlanet right here.

Comics Experience Writing alum Rich Douek, is offering a free, online preview story from his forthcoming book, Gutter Magic. Rich collaborated on the preview with Jason Baroody, Paul Little and E.T. Dollman, and the zero issue, coming this Fall, will feature art by Renae De Liz (Womanthology, Servant of the Bones), Craig S. Yeung (Runaways, X-Factor) and JC Grande (Johnny Monster, Necessary Evil). Download a PDF of the preview story at SixGunComics.com right here.

Congrats to all the members of the Comics Experience community, and keep making comics!

If you have Comics Experience-related alumni news, drop me a note!

Posted by Rob Anderson
rob@ComicsExperience.com
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