The Comics Experience Blog

New Course! Introduction to Writing for Video Games Now Open For Enrollment!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

transformers-devastation-box-art-281x350

Note: This post has been edited to reflect updated course dates.

Beginning April 6, 2016, Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt will lead students in a brand-new course: Introduction to Writing for Video Games! This intensive, five-week session will immerse you in every aspect of video game story development and writing. Newcomers to writing or gaming are welcome!

In this course, you’ll complete fun writing exercises that illustrate each stage of the video game creation process. Each assignment will help develop your practical knowledge of how a video game is made, and sharpen your skills for writing great, playable characters and dialogue!

Andy SchmidtAndy’s background in both video games and teaching guarantees a fun, informative experience. His teaching methods incorporate his extensive expertise in writing, teaching, and video game development! His experience in all three areas ensures you’ll receive quality instruction based on Andy’s real-life, on-the-job training. As Comics Experience’s founder, he also has an outstanding rapport with students, and his one-on-one approach will help each class member play to their own strengths.

This and all Comics Experience courses are offered live, online, so you can attend from wherever you live. You’ll be able to interact directly with your instructor and classmates, and receive access to recorded sessions so you’ll never have to miss a class!

Learn more about Andy, course details and more on our course page here! Enrollment will be restricted to a limited number of students, so sign up now to secure your seat!

Introduction to Writing For Video Games starts April 6, 2016!

——————————————-
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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Tet #1 from Comics Experience Publishing Now Available for Pre-Order!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Tet1varsmComics Experience Publishing is pleased to announce that Tet, a mini-series written by alum Paul Allor, is now available for pre-order! Ordering info for issue #1 is available through Diamond PREVIEWS, in print and online.

Tet is the third series to launch under CE’s publishing alliance with IDW. The story centers on Vietnam veteran Eugene Smith, whose yearning to begin a new, post-war life is disrupted when a fellow Marine is murdered.

The premiere issue will be released in comic stores everywhere on September 9, 2015. You can show your support now by pre-ordering from your favorite comics retailer! Diamond order codes are JUL150526 for the main cover, and JUL1550527 for the variant cover

Tet1regsmPaul Allor is a Comics Experience alum and Creators Workshop member, who began reading comics at age 28, and dove into writing them soon after. His effort and dedication eventually led to both independent and publisher-based work, including Strange Nation, Marvel Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy, and TMNT: Turtles in Time!

Paul has also co-taught CE’s Making Comics course, focusing on self-published and creator-owned work. Read more about Paul at his bio here!

The Tet series artist is Paul Tucker (The Underworld Railroad), who created the regular and variant issue 1 covers.

Tet will be released in four monthly issues. Enjoy a glimpse of Paul Tucker’s cover art here, and request Tet from your retailer today!

Tet #1 is in stores September 9, 2015!

——————————————-
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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

CE Alum Shaun Noel’s “City of Walls” Now Weekly on Webtoon – Free!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Webtoon SwordsmComics Experience alum and Creators Workshop member Shaun Noel has announced that his comic, City of Walls, will now be available on the webcomic platform Webtoon! The series launched its first Webtoon installment on July 12, and new episodes will be updated weekly – all for free!

City of Walls centers on characters Daniel, Jin, and Ariana – three kids determined to escape the confines of Kowloon, a city of conjoined buildings run by gangs. The series was created by Shaun with artist A.K. Lovelace, and features inks by esteemed industry veteran Mark Morales (Amazing Spider-Man, Civil War). Colorists Heather Brekel and Carly Hwang, and letterer Jaymes Reed, complete the creative team.

Writer Shaun’s history with Comics Experience dates back to its early days as live, in-person course sessions led by CE founder Andy Schmidt in New York City. At that time, Shaun became one of CE’s very first students in an inaugural Introduction to Comic Book Writing course. He is also an alum of CE’s Comic Book Lettering and Production, and a member of the Creators Workshop.

Readers can enjoy City of Walls for free by visiting the Webtoon site, where the series is updated with new episodes every Sunday. Regarding the launch, Shaun comments,

“[W]e couldn’t be happier. With more than 648,000 likes and followers on Facebook, Webtoon has a HUGE following in South Korea and all over the world. Word on the street is they have more than 6.2 million daily users since their inception in 2004. [W]eb comic episodes of City of Walls […] are optimized for view on PC’s, Android and IOS phones and tablets. Did we mention they will be FREE!”

Congratulations to Shaun and the City of Walls team!

——————————————-
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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Introduction to Perspective & Environments With Robert Atkins Open For Enrollment – Limited Seats!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Spider-Man_smCreating compelling, believable settings is one of the most valuable skills to have in your artist’s “toolbox” – and can mark the difference between an amateur and a pro!

Now, Comics Experience is offering a course that will teach you to develop these skills to their fullest: Introduction to Perspective & Environments, beginning August 5, 2015!

Taught by pro artist and Comics Experience teaching veteran Robert Atkins, this 5-week course will provide the practical know-how to bring real and imagined environments to life on the page. Every week, students work on a study of environments or props. Each assignment builds on the last, leading to a final illustration piece that brings all the lessons together!

The course welcomes students at any level. The focus is on creating believable settings in your work, and the one-on-one attention each student receives will cater to his or her own skills and experience.

Robert AtkinsRobert Atkins has taught multiple art courses with Comics Experience and Savannah College of Art & Design, where he also earned an MFA in Sequential Art. His comics credits have included G.I. Joe, Amazing Spider-Man, Venom, and Heroes for Hire. He has also done extensive product packaging design, and drawn comics for the U.S. military, as seen in this video profile!

Past students have praised Robert’s talents as both an artist and a teacher, with testimonials like this from CE alum Gannon Beck:

I never had a really good illustration teacher before Robert. From the very first assignment, my storytelling abilities began to unlock. Robert has a way of teaching principles clearly and helping students apply the principles to their work.

Please join us for Introduction to Perspective & Environments – and let your own talents unlock!

This course session is enrolling right now, with limited seats available. Visit our course page here, and sign up to secure your spot!

Class begins August 5, 2015!

——————————————-
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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Episode #95 of the Comics Experience “Make Comics” Podcast Posted!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

CE_podcast_logoA new episode of the Comics Experience Make Comics podcast has been posted! Each episode provides ~15 minutes of advice on all aspects of creating comics and breaking in to the industry.

Join Comics Experience founder and former Marvel and IDW Editor Andy Schmidt and his co-host Joey Groah as they discuss making comics!

Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes! Or check out the latest episode below or on our Podcast page!

Episode Episode #95 – “Bad Reviews”
Andy and Joey talk about bad reviews, including what a reviewer may really be addressing, looking for constructive criticism, and learning from your mistakes.

List of All Episodes

——————————————-
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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

CE Alum Rob Anderson’s “Creature Cops” On Amazon’s “Best Books” List!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Creature-Cops-TPBCE alum Rob Anderson’s Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit has been named one of Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month” in the Comics & Graphic Novels category for July 2015!

Each month, the Amazon staff selects a hand-picked list of books in various categories for their Best Books pages. Rob and the CE community are honored to see Creature Cops on the list!

Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit is available as a trade paperback from Amazon, and in comic shops everywhere. The trade collects all three issues of the limited series, which was released in monthly format earlier in 2015. It also contains three bonus stories from the original “Preview” issue of the series.

The story follows a ragtag group of investigators, tasked with cases that involve gene-spliced animals with both real-life and mythical features. Their adventures combine fantasy with character-driven police procedural elements, and the series has enjoyed positive media attention from outlets including CBR, Newsarama, and others. It also earned a “Certified Cool” designation from Diamond Previews!

Creature Cops is published by IDW, in alliance with Comics Experience. Along with Rob, the creative team includes penciler Fernando Melek, inker Novo Malgapo, colorist Juan Romera, and letterer/CE Creators Workshop member E.T. Dollman.

The series editors include CE founder Andy Schmidt, and CE alums Paul Allor and Bobby Curnow. The collection cover art was created by Leandro Panganiban, Steve Bird, and Coleen Allen.

Congratulations to the creative team!

For more about Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit, check out these posts:

Details on the IDW/Comics Experience Publishing Alliance
Creature Cops featured in Diamond Previews
Creature Cops series debut
Creature Cops reviews and mentions

——————————————-
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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter