Comic Book Editing & Project Management Course Taught by Nicole Boose – Enrollment Now Open!

ComicsExperience_logoStarting October 26, 2015, Comics Experience will offer a new session of our Comic Book Editing & Project Management course!

First developed and taught by Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt, the course will now feature editor and CE staffer Nicole Boose in the instructor role. Details about the course and instructor are available right here on the course page. Enrollment is now open!

Here, Nicole answers some questions about Comic Book Editing & Project Management, her own background, and what she’ll bring to the course!

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What aspects of comic book editing do you think are least understood?

First and foremost, knowing what a comic book editor does!

Going by my own experience, I’ve encountered people outside the comics industry who think it involves correcting mistakes. Within the industry, I think some early-career editors see it as an auteur position, where they’re eager to put their own creative stamp on the projects they work on.

Maybe there’s some accuracy to both those perceptions, but I don’t think it gives a complete view of the editor’s role.

On the whole, I believe the editor is there to make the best product possible – and in this course, we’re going to get into details about what that really means. It involves a lot of nuanced judgment calls that vary from one project to the next. In class, we’ll talk about the kinds of decisions an editor confronts, and the factors that weigh into those decisions.

nicole-bioWhere do you look for inspiration and instruction in your field?

I’ve been very, very fortunate to learn from some of the best people working in this field by working directly under their supervision – especially Tom Brevoort, Ralph Macchio, David Bogart, and Joe Quesada at Marvel.

When it comes to learning principles of visual storytelling, I had two sources that were very influential: one was the Theatre department at Barnard College, where I studied stage directing. Later when I became a comic book editor, I realized how much of what I learned there translated to storytelling in comics.

Second was attending the storytelling seminars that artist Klaus Janson offered Marvel staffers. His insights taught us to identify how and why an artist’s choices affect the reader’s experience. And more importantly, how to articulate that in a way that benefits the creative team.

Currently, I learn an enormous amount from working with writer Mark Millar and the artists he collaborates with. Looking analytically at a page by Goran Parlov or Sean Gordon Murphy is like a master class in how to tell a story effectively through art.

I’m always learning. Sometimes just following the editors and creators I admire on social media will lead to these very illuminating flashes of insight, too.

What will students be able to do after taking your course that they couldn’t do before?

After taking this course, you should be able to give creators usable, well-reasoned feedback on comic book scripts and art. You’ll learn how to manage a creative team effectively, and to prioritize time and resources, all with the end goal of making great comics!

You’ll know what questions to address in order to make comics that are as impactful as they can be. The answers will be different with every project – but we’ll know what to consider consistently in order to arrive at the best solutions.

And if that all sounds too serious and academic, then consider this – we’re going to look at lots of cool comics and have fun!

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For more from Nicole about editing comics, visit:

Comic Book Editing & Project Management starts October 26, 2015!

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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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