Links to other resources
Rather than spend a long time writing essays about every subject, I decided to link to pages with really good information. Suggestions for new links -- or notifications of broken links -- are always welcome.
Articles and columns
- Neil Kleid's Big Pond -- Xeric winner Neil Kleid, in addition to being a hell of a nice guy, has written a series of articles about the nitty-gritty of writing. He draws his own books, but by his own admission considers himself more of a writer. In his columns, he interviews two other artists or writers on a specific topic, from story arcs to writing convincing comic dialogue. Excellent reading.
- The Creators' Bill of Rights -- written in November 1988 for a two day "Summit" of comic book artists held in Northampton, Massachusetts. The meeting had been suggested by Cerebus creator Dave Sim and hosted by local heroes Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Scott McCloud submitted this version to The Comics Journal #137 in 1990. Further reflections on this document, some fifteen years out, from the people who were there, including Denis Kitchen, Dave Sim and Steve Bissette.
- The Comic Pimp -- James Sime's ongoing column about Comics Retailing and Comics Activism. James is one of the most active and forward-thinking retailers in business. Excellent articles about retailing, getting your book into stores, minicomics, and Comics With Monkeys In Them. Oh, and scotch. Lots of scotch.
- Dave Sim's Memorial Notes from the President Archive -- When Dave Sim began publishing his invaluable essays on self-publishing, he publicly stated that they could be circulated copyright-free. Cerebus FanGirl kindly hosts them on her website. They're completely invaluable -- anyone who's even considering making comics on a serious basis should go and read them all, or at least the essays numbered 168-189, which comprise the backbone of the Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing. Dave lays out the hard, true realities of self-publishing far better than I ever could. Required reading. Link Contains strong language.
- The full Come In Alone Archives -- all fifty-two of Warren Ellis' columns on the state of the industry. Written in 2001-2002, but still worth reading. Includes Ellis' unique take on the comic book industry, features first-class interviews with top-flight comic book professionals, and even includes the legendary Old Bastard's Manifesto.
- Silver Bullet Comic Book's "The Panel" -- Eight professional comics creators share their thoughts on Diamond, and comics distribution in general
- Isotope Comics' Virtual Lounge -- the infamous "Self-Publishing" topic, which contains lots of great information on UPC codes and ISBN numbers, including lots of information from retailers themselves
- Fun and Easy Money in Comics -- Part 1 and Part 2 -- Minicomic creator Stan Yan talks about alternate forms of distribution for minicomics
- Doing The Work -- Harris O'Malley wrote a long series of articles about the mechanics of self-publishing -- from the maddening frustrations to the high-sky triumphs. It started out at Savant Magazine, but when that folded, moved to PopImage. Here's all the links I could find, sorted by date:
- Lessons Learned -- Twenty columns by small-presser Chris Gumprich
- The Poor Man's Guide to Self Publishing -- Pretty extensive list of information by Val Staples
- Jordan Crane's Guide to Reproduction -- For you hard-core hand-made DIYers, here's an extensive PDF on Xerography, Silkscreening and Offset Printing
Comics Journalism Sites
Each of these sites, in addition to their constant stream of excellent articles and interviews, also features a message board where creators gather to talk about comics. Each has its own distinct flavor -- visit them all and you may quickly find yourself a member of an online community. (These sites contain language that is not appropriate for readers under the age of sixteen.)
- Comic Book Resources
- The Pulse at Comicon.com
- Sequential Tart
- The Comics Journal
- Savant Magazine -- Savant Magazine folded sometime in 2003, but the archives have over a hundred issues of columns, reviews and articles on comics activism. Definitely worth checking out before it goes offline.
- Scryptic Studios -- The website that hosts Neil Kleid's column (mentioned above) is a treasure-trove of writing advice, articles, and good old-fashioned comics geekery.
Defending Comics
- The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund -- If you make comics, and you're not a member, you should be. was founded in 1986 as non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community.
- The Friends of Lulu -- Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. For all the basic info, check out the FAQ, and their Recommended Reading List. Also, check out this great interview with local hero and former FOL President, Katie Merritt.
- The Hero Initiative -- The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work.
Artists' Sites and Blogs
- Warren Ellis has a new message board, The Engine. The information being passed around there is priceless -- read it frequently while you can.
- Colleen Doran's A Distant Soil website -- Colleen's blog is a constant source of first-hand accounts of today's comics industry. I used to have direct links to specific threads and articles there, but poor Colleen keeps getting her board hacked and losing all her posts. It's still worth visiting to see what she's up to. The two articles she wrote for "The Slush Factory" (which also folded, sadly) are a goldmine of information and insight.
- John Scalzi's blog -- John's a professional writer, of everything from science books to scifi books to Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. He often waxes quite informational about the world of writing. Well worth a weekly read.
- Neil Gaiman's blog is also excellent good reading. He journals frequently and often includes his take on the minutae of getting novels and comic books from manuscript to bookshelf.
- Scott McCloud's blog and his Morning Improv are always worth a read.
- Theresa Nielson Hayden's blog is the daily log of an editor at Tor books. Theresa's whip-smart, and constantly drops tidbits of wisdom from a professional, big-league editor's point of view. Invaluable reading, both for aspiring writers and everyone else.
- Neil Kleid also has a blog that's worth reading.
- Evin Dorkin, author of Dork, Pirate Corp$! and Bill and Ted, has a blog too.
- Derek Kirk Kim -- Eisner-winning author of Same Difference and Other Stories
- Travis Charest -- visit his gallery site
- Jo Chen -- A Japanese artist whose stunning work is best known to American audiences for her gorgeous cover art for Marvel's Runaways
Tutorials and How-To
- Jessica Abel's page on Self-Publishing -- Jessica Abel, award-winning creator of Artbabe, shares her secrets. from inking to printing. Excellent content throughout the site, as well.
- Adam Hughes convention sketch tutorial film -- See a professional comic artist draw a convention sketch from start to finish
- Polykarbon -- Excellent site with manga based tutorials
- EATPOO -- Excellent online art forums, attracts really good art and professionals, despite its somewhat disturbing name
- Comic World News-- home of Comicraft's digital lettering site as well
Other Useful Links
- The Master List contains the contact info for most comic stores in the world.
- The Xeric Foundation gives no-strings-attached grants to selected self-publishers.