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Comic Lab

Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett

The podcast about making comics — and making a living from comics! It's half shop talk, half how-to, and half friendship. WE SQUEEZED IN THREE HALVES. It's tips and tricks and all the joys of cartooning as a pro. So pull up your drawing chair, put on some headphones, and join us while you draw! And if you like what you hear, join our community at patreon.com/comiclab (For sponsorship inquiries: comiclabpodcast@gmail.com)

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22 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 6 min
English

Episodes 22

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#454
Thursday · 1 hr 2 min
How to Succeed at San Diego Comic-Con
Dave Kellett is back from San Diego Comic-Con 2026, and he brought receipts! After 27 years of exhibiting at the show, Dave just had his best Comic-Con ever — and he's going to share his thoughts on how he made that happen.
#453
August 20 · 1 hr 13 min
Special Guest Fran Sundblad, creator of "Tiff & Eve"
Cartoonist Fran Sundblad, creator of Tiff & Eve, joins Brad for a wide-ranging conversation about creating character-driven comics, finding an audience on Reddit, and learning when not to chase the algorithm.
#452
August 13 · 1 hr 7 min
The Worst Thing About Webcomics
A listener asks us to address the downside of webcomics. We'll talk about time management, burnout, financial insecurity, and reader interactions. Then we realize that all those drawbacks have one very important thing in common — and it's not what you'd expect!
#451
August 6 · 1 hr 17 min
How to Calculate Churn — and Why
Is your Patreon actually growing — or are new members disguising a retention problem? Brad walks Dave through the process of calculating churn rate and shows how one number can unlock a much clearer understanding of a membership business. They discuss subscriber retention, lifetime value, onboarding, well-timed interventions, and how to determine whether advertising or convention appearances are truly worth the investment. Then, Dave asks whether publishing a children’s book page by page on his
#450
July 30 · 1 hr 8 min
First Pages First
What belongs at the beginning of your book? Brad and Dave discuss whether an anti-AI statement offers creators any meaningful protection, break down the information that belongs on a copyright page, and explore the many ways cartoonists can approach the first page of a story or chapter. The best opening isn’t determined by a universal rule—it should establish the right expectations, reflect the story you’re telling, and give readers a reason to keep going.
#449
July 23 · 1 hr 26 min
Special Guest Dylan Meconis
Cartoonist and author Dylan Meconis joins Dave Kellett to discuss marketing middle-grade webcomics, working with fans who offer to translate your work, and finding the right balance between control and accessibility. They also share practical advice for cartoonists creating an autobiographical avatar—including how simplification, posture, clothing, line quality, and tone can make a character feel unmistakably like you.
#448
July 16 · 1 hr 2 min
What's the Best Business Model for Comics?
Brad and Dave discuss why putting your comic online for free is still the strongest way to build a sustainable career.
#447
July 9 · 1 hr 8 min
Why Some Punchlines Don’t Land
Using Brad’s motorcycle-jump-over-a-ravine metaphor, the ComicLab guys discuss why wider joke “canyons” can create bigger laughs, why shorter jumps can feel merely “technically funny,” and why the best cartoonists learn how to build strong launching ramps while understanding that every reader brings a different landing ramp.
#446
July 2 · 1 hr 4 min
Never Outsource Your Vision
It's one of the easiest traps for independent creators to fall into: Outsourcing important business or creative decisions to reader polls. Audience feedback can be useful, but when creators ask readers to steer decisions about Patreon tiers, Kickstarter rewards, publishing strategy, or creative direction, they often get noisy, contradictory advice that can lead them away from their own best judgment.
#445
June 25 · 1 hr 2 min
Surviving Your Own Success
Brad and Dave discuss what happens after a cartoonist achieves the dream: Making a living from comics. They explain why success can create its own time-management problems, how to protect the thing that’s already working, and why adding books, Kickstarter campaigns, merch, newsletters, or conventions should happen gradually.
#444
June 18 · 1 hr 1 min
Exclamation points!!!
What seems like a simple question about exclamation points opens up a much bigger discussion about the power of comics lettering. Brad and Dave talk about punctuation, word balloons, font choices, and the unique grammar of comics.
#443
June 11 · 1 hr 17 min
Alaska Comics Camp 2026
Today’s show is sponsored by Huion, makers of the Huion Kamvas 22 (Gen 3)! Dave returns from Alaska Comics Camp with a glowing review of what he calls one of the most meaningful experiences of his professional life. He explains how the camp blends education, community, mentorship, and artistic growth in a remote setting that forces attendees to disconnect from technology and reconnect with one another.
#442
June 4 · 1 hr 12 min
Hiring a Social Media Manager
Brad and Dave discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing social media and ultimately argue that most creators should handle it themselves.
#441
May 28 · 1 hr
Quiet on the set!
With both Brad and Dave nominated for awards this year, the guys spiral into a surprisingly deep conversation about awards, marketing, ego, and whether creators should plaster “award nominee” stickers all over their books. Later, they tackle a listener question about using 3D models, digital sets, and reference material in comics production
#440
May 21 · 1 hr 5 min
Is the comic strip dead?
The newspaper comic strip didn't go extinct — it evolved. But if your work doesn't keep up, your career may be fossilized! From Reddit-ready square comics to vertical-scroll storytelling, they explore how creators are adapting to phones, social media, and changing reading habits while keeping the heart of the comic strip alive.
#439
May 14 · 54 min
Keeping it Short — Making a Living 40 Pages at a Time
Today's episode is sponsored by Huion! Go to https://comiclabshop.com and use code COMICLAB5 for an exclusive 5% discount! (Valid through June 14th.) Brad and Dave tackle a listener question that gets to the heart of creative careers: Can you make a living telling shorter stories, or does success demand long-form work? As always, the answer is equal parts practical advice and creative philosophy — grounded in real-world experience and delivered with ComicLab’s signature mix of humor and honesty.
#438
May 7 · 1 hr 5 min
Writing Funny Words Funnily
A listener asks whether some words are inherently funnier than others — and it opens the door to a deep dive on word choice, dialogue, and how to make jokes land harder. Brad and Dave also revisit a past take on political cartoons (turns out, they're thriving on Reddit), talk about the return of Web 1.0 strategies like guest comics, and reinforce a core principle: Own your platform and your audience.
#437
April 30 · 1 hr 2 min
Nobody Has Ever Made a Living in Comics
A Bluesky thread where cartoonists shared their financial realities unintentionally became an echo chamber of discouragement. Brad and Dave explain that self-selection bias skews these conversations negative, since many successful creators don’t participate. The result is a distorted picture that makes it seem like no one is succeeding, even when plenty are.
#436
April 23 · 1 hr
I've got an audience... now what do I DO with them??
Today’s show is sponsored by Huion — go to https://comiclabshop.com and use the code COMICLAB5 to unlock an exclusive 5% discount! On Today's Show: Your comic is gaining traction — but now readers want answers faster than you can tell the story. Brad and Dave explain why that’s actually a great sign — and how to turn audience curiosity into a powerful engine that keeps readers hooked instead of overwhelming your narrative. PLUS — CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVE KELLETT FOR HIS HUGO AWARD NOMINATION!
#435
April 16 · 1 hr 9 min
Reclaiming Our Power
Today’s show is sponsored by Huion, makers of the Huion Kamvas 22 (Gen 3). The platforms we trusted to grow our audience have pulled the rug out from under us, and it’s time to take that control back. Brad and Dave explore how creators are reclaiming their power by ditching platform dependence, rebuilding direct connections through newsletters, webrings, and other community tools.

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