The Comics Experience Blog

CE Alum and Staffer Paul Allor Writes for “Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy” #3!

MU Guardians 3From Intro to Writing, to writing for Marvel – CE community member Paul Allor has added another title to his ever-growing list of professional credits: Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy #3, out on April 22, 2015!

Based on the hit animated television series, the Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy comic is appropriate for all ages, and issue 3 will soon be available in comic stores everywhere! The issue can be pre-ordered now through comic retailers.

Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy #3 includes two short stories: an original 10-page piece by Paul, with art by Adam Archer; and a story by Joe Car, adapting an episode of the Guardians TV series.

Paul is a comic writer, editor, and letterer who also holds a day job in economic development. Plus, he has a long-standing role within the CE community!

As a CE alum, Creators Workshop member, and staffer, Paul began his path into the world of professional comic making as a student in Andy Schmidt’s Introduction to Writing course. Since then, Paul has completed multiple CE Advanced Writing courses, Master Seminars, and other writing and art offerings, and played an active role in the Creators Workshop.

Paul eventually came on board as a member of the CE staff, where he now provides professional script critiques to Creators Workshop members. He and fellow community member Rob Anderson also co-developed and taught the CE Making Comics course, which focused on the nuts and bolts of creating self-published and creator-owned comics!

Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy #3 will be on sale at comic shops everywhere beginning April 22! You can pre-order copies from your local retailer through April 8.

Congratulations to Paul and his collaborators!

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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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
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CE Alum and Instructor Joe Sergi Publishes “The Law For Comic Book Creators”!

Joe SergiJoe Sergi is a Comics Experience alum and faculty member whose nonfiction book, The Law for Comic Book Creators, is now available from McFarland Publishing!

Joe comes uniquely qualified to offer a book on this subject: he’s a practicing attorney AND a comic writer whose credits include Indie Comics Horror, Great Zombies In History, and Sky Girl and the Superheroic Legacy!

Joe has also shared his expertise with Comics Experience students as the instructor of our Comic Book Law for Creators course. He discusses the course and his motivation for offering it here.

Like his CE course, Joe’s book offers a comprehensive overview of legal topics that apply directly to comic book writers, artists and other creators – including copyright, contracts, censorship, and more.

Law for Comic Book CreatorsThe book uses real-life case studies from the comic book industry to break down and clarify the complexities of these legal topics – and to illustrate how they apply specifically to making comics.

Joe’s goal in writing the book is to help comic creators at any career stage make informed decisions about a topic that many find intimidating – but that no one can afford to ignore.

He comments, “This book was a lot of work and I hope it shows. It’s a mix of practical advice and the stories behind every major comic book lawsuit in an effort to educate and entertain.”

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out as a comics creator, The Law For Comic Book Creators is designed with your interests in mind. To learn more or to purchase the book, follow these links to the book’s McFarland or Amazon pages!

Congrats to Joe on the book’s publication!

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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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Writer and Editor Marc Sumerak Provides Mentorships and Pro Critiques!

SumerakCE welcomes another comics professional to our community – writer, editor and educator Marc Sumerak! As part of the Comics Experience staff, Marc provides professional critiques to members of our Creators Workshop, and offers one-on-one mentorships.

Marc comes to our community with a diverse range of industry experience. His professional background includes four years on the Marvel editorial staff, where he worked on runs of Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man and others.

As a writer, Marc has authored titles that include Marvel’s Power Pack, the Eisner- and Harvey Award-nominated Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius (with Chris Eliopoulos), several Marvel Adventures titles, and an array of custom comic publications for clients including PBS Kids, Pepperidge Farm, Triple-A Baseball, SEGA and more!

apack002In 2011, he released the all-ages graphic novel All-Ghouls School from IDW Publishing, and he continues to write for comics and in other fields. He’s also an active member of the local comics community in Cleveland, OH, where he established and operates POP! The Comic Culture Club.

Members of our Creators Workshop can get to know Marc on our online forums, where he provides professional script critiques. To find out more about the Creators Workshop, visit our page here!

For more on mentoring opportunities from Marc and other comics pros, check out our mentorship page!

Welcome to the CE staff, Marc!

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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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

New Course: Scripting Your Mini-Series!

Andy SchmidtComics Experience is excited to offer a newly-developed course, taught by CE founder Andy Schmidt: Advanced Comic Book Writing: Scripting Your Mini-Series!

A comic mini-series is a powerful storytelling vehicle. And writing one involves more than just scripting multiple issues – each installment needs to entice readers on its own, and also function as a piece of the larger story. Factors like structure, pacing, and character development are crucial to a successful project.

In this 16-week course, Andy will work closely with a limited number of advanced-level writing students to examine what makes a mini-series successful, and to develop the stories they want to tell. Over the course of 16 weeks, each student will have the opportunity to complete a full set of mini-series scripts!

Seating is extremely limited and filling up fast, so visit our course page today! There you’ll find everything you need to know about what the course offers.

Interested, but haven’t taken the prerequisite Introduction to Comic Book Writing? Check out the course page here for details. It’s a great foundation for the comic writing craft, and the basis for many other CE courses.

Keep watching as we continue to spotlight more upcoming courses and instructors right here on the CE blog!

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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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Episode #88 of the Comics Experience “Make Comics” Podcast Posted!

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 #88, “What Traditional College Courses Help Make Comics?”
Comics 101 is never full: this episode Andy and Joey talk about what traditional college courses impact their comics work and life.

List of All Episodes

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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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Publishing Update: “Creature Cops” is “A Near Perfect First Issue”; Last Days to Pre-Order “Drones” #1!

Creature Cops CoverCreature Cops #1 – the first comic released in our publishing alliance with IDW – has been receiving positive attention in the comics press!

Since its initial release on January 28, Creature Cops #1 has enjoyed several positive reviews and media mentions, and we couldn’t be more pleased for the book or its creative team: writer and CE community member Rob Anderson; penciler Fernando Melek, inker Novo Malgapo, colorist Juan Romera, and letterer ET Dollman, also a CE community member.

Creature Cops #1 is available at your local comic shop now, with digital availability on ComiXology to be announced. To learn more about the series, visit the official site here – and check out some of our press mentions at the links below!

Comic Book Resources (CBR) features a preview of issue #1

Newsarama interviews creator/CE community member Rob Anderson

ICv2 calls Creature Cops #1 a “near perfect first issue”

The Beat writer/CE community member Matt O’Keefe interviews Rob Anderson

More links and information here!

Drones Cover

 

There’s much more to come from our publishing alliance with IDW: Next up is the mini-series Drones, written by CE alum and Creators Workshop member Chris Lewis!

This is the last week to pre-order Drones #1 from comic stores. Visit our publishing page to learn more about the mini-series, and ask your retailer to order it today!

Congrats to our creative teams, and to the comics journalists and supporters helping us spread the word!

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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 Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter