Comics Are Great!

For the sort-of anniversary show, I was lucky enough to be joined the old roundtable (plus one) for a follow-up discussion to CAG 48! So, to quote Kermit the Frog, it really makes me happy to introduce to you: From L to R: Dave Roman, Kasey Van Hise, Brandon Dayton, and Tony Cliff Together we […]

This time I’m joined by cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Dan Santat for a discussion on the fear of failure most of us artists face at various times during our careers. Does the fear of failure drive us to do better? Does it prevent us from enjoying where we are? Or worse yet, can it […]

Is writing adventure fiction for girls really all that different than writing for other audiences? If so, can such a story be characterized? Tough questions, so this time I went to the best sources for answers! We’re joined by Dan Mishkin, co-creator of the legendary comics series Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld and Blue Devil (and co-organizer […]

We’re joined by a very special guest on this episode to help us find a new angle to come at the topic of writing characters! Neil Kaplan (Digimon, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Power Rangers) joins us for a discussion on writing characters from the standpoint of a voice actor. How do you find that unique […]

This episode is packed to the gills as I’m joined by a full house of great people who are all eager to talk about comics! First up is a discussion on drawing digitally in Manga Studio with Stephen McCranie, who leads a demonstration of how he draws his comics in the program while Paul Storrie […]

Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I’m joined by Skottie Young and Katie Cook for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist and strategies to stay on top of one’s career, finding time for personal projects, all […]

We’re back with a new “season” of Comics Are Great! recorded live out of the Ann Arbor District Library Netcast Studio! And to kick it off, we’re starting with a discussion of the wild and varied landscape of comics by talking about some of our favorite books. Whatever your tastes, there’s a comic out there […]

It’s a special unscheduled Comics Are Great! discussion with Ryan Estrada, who just happened to be in town during the winter break. He sat down with me for a talk on the various kinds of drama that pop up in comics circles and together we explore why it is that we’re sometimes so eager to […]

As we close out the 2011 season of shows, I’m thrilled to have Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier on to talk about their recent experience at the Quai des Bulles Saint Malo Comics Festival. While watching some video and slideshows from their trip, Raina shares her reflections on how tabling at a French comics festival […]

After a failed attempt at some digital painting, I enlisted the help of Brandon Dayton, celebrated cartoonist behind Green Monk and concept designer for EA Games, for a discussion and demonstration on how to paint with pixels. Lots of great material in the video this time as Brandon shares some terrific tips and tricks! We’re […]

WARNING: If you wish to avoid spoilers or opinions on The Muppets movie, I suggest that you save this episode until after you’ve seen the film. In this special audio-only episode of Comics Are Great! I’m joined by Dave Roman for a talk about the new Muppets film. We discuss some of the unique storytelling […]

This week we’re joined by Paul Storrie and Tony Cliff for a talk on doing your research when making a comic placed in a specific place or time–that is, when Paul and I aren’t too busy gushing over Tony’s Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. We start off with some talk on creating a premise […]

This week we address the time-honored topic of ideas and how a storyteller turns them into something useful. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then how do you know a good one from a bad one? If execution is everything, how do you execute? We’re joined by Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm and local artist Jono […]

We’ve got two super cartoonists in the studio this week for a discussion on digital vs analog tools, with a demonstration on how to draw with what might be the program that perplexes the most cartoonists–Adobe Illustrator! And who better to demo than Jannie Ho, children’s book illustrator and comics artist, widely known for her […]

If you’ve ever wondered about “analog” inking techniques and tools, this is the episode for you! I’m joined this week by Michigan cartoonists Joe Foo and Mike Roll for a talk on why and how they use the brush to ink their comics. You might want to watch the video of this week’s episode, as […]

It’s a discussion on the positive power of fantasy stories on this week’s Comics Are Great! podcast, as I’m joined by Joamette Gil and Brian Denham for a discussion on their new comic, Exile. Gil and Denham’s story features a transgender protagonist who faces cosmic challenges while also dealing with her own gender identity. But […]

It’s a bit of a silly episode with a special surprise topic at the end. I’m joined by Paul Storrie, Alice Hunt, and Tracy Williams for a discussion on the physical hazards of making comics, the Captain America movie, My Little Pony, and finally some talk on writing. Thankfully Eli Neiburger joins us at the […]

In this Comics Are Great “Special,” we have a panel discussion with some local teen cartoonists at the Ann Arbor District Library Mallets Creek Branch. Snow, Olivia, Natalia, and Caleb are all people under the age of 18 who have demonstrated a deep enthusiasm for telling stories through our medium, and they take some time […]

It’s a discussion devoted to using the art of comics to celebrate history and science on this week’s Comics Are Great! But what might be the best part of the episode is how the discussion turns to a general talk about why comics are such an effective medium regardless of topic. I’m joined this week […]

If you believe, as I do, that libraries are the new front lines in broadening the audience for comics, then this episode is for you. This week I talk with Sharon Iverson, Teen Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library, about a variety of hot topics surrounding comics in libraries, including: Getting your self-published comics […]