The Comics Experience Blog - Page 96 of 112

CE alum Rob Anderson writes more “My Little Pony” & “Rex, Zombie Killer”

Posted on February 15, 2014May 16, 2014 by Andy Schmidt

We were happy to see that Rob Anderson, Comics Experience alum and staffer, has TWO books solicited in the February Diamond Previews catalog. Both books will be shipping to comic shops in April of 2014.

First is My Little Pony: Friends Forever #4, written by Rob with art by Amy Mebberson. The book is published by IDW.

According to the solicitation, this story follows Twilight Sparkle as she visits her brother, Shining Armor, in the Crystal Empire. However, when a mysterious ghost starts haunting the castle, the siblings will have to use all their combined monster knowledge to save the day.

This is the first MLP comic book set in the Crystal Empire.

This marks the second MLP comic written by Rob, who had previously penned a MLP Micro-Series issue featuring Spike the baby dragon.

Rob’s other title in this month’s Previews is Rex, Zombie Killer #4, published by Big Dog Ink.

RZK #4 is written by Rob, with art by co-creator and CE alum DaFu Yu, along with interior colors by Juan Romera, lettering and design by E.T. Dollman, cover colors by CE alum Kevin Volo, and edits by CE alum and staffer Paul Allor. There are a lot of CE connections on this book!

This is the final issue of the mini-series which follows the journey of a hyper-intelligent golden retriever named Rex and a small pack of animals (including a gorilla with a baseball bat) as they try to survive the zombie apocalypse.

According to the solicitation on this one, Rex has led his pack of gorillas, pit bulls, and squirrels to the so-called “safe place,” only to find that Rex’s human is a prisoner. Will the animals survive a showdown with the soldiers running the bunker?

Congratulations to Rob on his new MLP gig, and to all the CE alums involved in the completion of the RZK mini-series!

——————————————-
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!

Special Guest Peter David on Episode #61 of the Comics Experience “MAKE COMICS” Podcast!

Posted on February 13, 2014May 16, 2014 by Nicole Boose

A new episode of the Comics Experience Make Comics podcast has been posted! And this episode features a very special guest — legendary comics writer Peter David!

On the podcast, Peter offers some thoughts on how he approaches writing characters for the Big Two, which is somewhat related to the topic of his upcoming Master Seminar with Comics Experience.

This Master Seminar–on writing great characters–will be offered one time only, on Saturday, March 8. However, if you’re unable to make the live session, those who register will have access to a recording of the seminar for two full weeks after the session.

In the meantime, check out this special episode of our free podcast, in which Peter chats with Comics Experience founder and former Marvel and IDW Editor Andy Schmidt and his co-host Joey Groah.

Peter’s comic book resume includes an award-winning twelve-year run on The Incredible Hulk, and he has also worked on such varied and popular titles as X-Factor, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Fallen Angel, Supergirl, and Young Justice.

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

Episode #61, “Peter David’s Approach to Writing Big Two Characters”
Comic book writer Peter David knows how to write great characters–from his decade-long run on Incredible Hulk to the more recent X-Factor. Peter joins Andy and Joey to offer some thoughts on how he approaches writing Big Two / corporate characters.

List of All Episodes

Looking for a comic book script format? Check out the Comics Experience template…

Posted on February 8, 2014May 16, 2014 by Nicole Boose

Unlike the film industry, there is no one accepted format for comic book scripts. Formatting varies by creator, publisher, and editor preference.

Recently, writer Matt O’Keefe wrote an article on The Beat on this topic, and he mentioned that Comics Experience does offer a suggested format for comic book scripts.

The Comics Experience Script Template was created by CE alum and staff member Paul Allor (TMNT, GI Joe), based on the format taught by former Marvel and IDW editor Andy Schmidt.

This is the format Andy suggests in his Introduction to Comic Book Writing course.

The format offers a number of benefits, including:

Clear distinctions between panel descriptions and dialogue, for scanning of one or the other only;
A panel count at the beginning of each page to aid the artist and editor;
Numbering of lines of dialogue, to aid letterers and editors with balloon placement-related tasks;
Brief character notes to aid the creative team;
Ample white space to make reading easy;
Tips on how to handle captions, off-panel dialogue, sound effects and more.

The Comics Experience Script Template is available for download at the top of the Comic Book Script Archive, where visitors can also sample the templates used by many professional comic book writers.

The archive, founded by Tim Simmons, is an educational resource showcasing more than 100 comic book scripts written by some of the biggest names in the comics industry. Comics Experience and Tim Simmons are working together to continue building this free resource.

We hope you find the template useful. And for additional discussion, check out Matt O’Keefe’s article on The Beat right here.

THREE CE alums featured in SCAM Ultimate Collection Kickstarter!

Posted on February 6, 2014May 16, 2014 by Nicole Boose

Joe Mulvey’s SCAM, published by ComixTribe, is seeking the deluxe hardcover treatment via Kickstarter–and the collection includes stories written by THREE Comics Experience alums: Paul Allor, Amy Chu, and Rich Douek.

SCAM has been described as “X-Men meets Ocean’s Eleven.” It follows a team of super-powered grifters on the biggest con of their lives…taking down a Vegas casino and getting revenge on a former teammate who double-crossed them.

The Kickstarter campaign is to collect the ComixTribe mini-series into a deluxe over-sized 256-page hardcover collection, which also contains the never-before-released SCAMthology – 15 brand new SCAM stories by a handpicked crew of outstanding comic creators!

Regarding SCAMthology, Joe wrote on the Kickstarter page that he’s “assembled some of the most talented writers and artists making waves in creator-owned comics today, and asked them to play in the SCAM sandbox.”

The stories written by CE alums include:

“The Big Lie” written by CE alum Paul Allor (Strange Nation, TMNT, GI Joe), with art by Aaron Houston (Clockwork, Oxymoron) and color by Ryan Lee.

“Let’s Get This Party Started” written by CE alum Amy Chu (Girls Night Out), with art by Brian Shearer (GI Joe, William the Last) and color by Arsia Rozegar.

“A SCAM Fairy Tale” also written by Amy Chu, with art by CP Wilson, III (The Stuff of Legend, Wraith), Joe Mulvey (SCAM) and color by Ryan Lee.

“Guy Trouble” written by CE alum Rich Douek (Gutter Magic), with art by Joe Eisma (Morning Glories), and color by Hugo Froes.

The Kickstarter offers PDF and print versions, including a deluxe edition with a sketch by Joe. There’s also “high roller” and VIP packages that include bonus items like t-shirts, pint glasses, and even original art from the series! Plus, meeting stetch goals will unlock additional incentives.

There’s still time to back the SCAM Ultimate Collection Hardcover Graphic Novel!

Congrats to Paul, Amy, and Rich and good luck to Joe and everyone on the Kickstarter!

Comic Book Script Archive adds new script from Brandon Seifert

Posted on February 3, 2014May 16, 2014 by Nicole Boose

A new script has been added to the Comic Book Script Archive, presented by Comics Experience–

Witch Doctor: The Resuscitation by writer and pro Creators Workshop member Brandon Seifert.

Witch Doctor has been described as House M.D. meets Fringe and follows the trials and tribulations of Dr. Vincent Morrow.

Brandon Seifert is a comics writer based in Portland, Oregon. Witch Doctor, his writing debut co-created with artist Lukas Ketner, was turning heads as a self-published comic even before becoming a sales success for Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment imprint at Image Comics. Seifert also co-created Spirit of the Law (MonkeyBrain Comics).

In addition to his creator-owned work, he has written Seekers of the Weird for Marvel Comics, Doctor Who for IDW Publishing, and Hellraiser: The Road Below and Hellraiser: The Dark Watch (co-written with Clive Barker) for BOOM! Studios.

Brandon is also an active pro member of the Comics Experience Creators Workshop, where he discusses craft and the business in an “Ask Brandon Seifert” thread as well as on the forums in general.

Our thanks to Brandon for providing this script!

The archive, founded by Tim Simmons, is an educational resource showcasing more than 100 comic book scripts written by some of the biggest names in the comics industry.

Comics Experience and Tim Simmons are working together to continue building this free resource. If you are a pro writer for one of the top comics publishers and you’d like to donate a script, please contact Tim at citizentim@gmail.com or Comics Experience at info@comicsexperience.com.

The Comic Book Script Archive may be accessed right here or via the “Scripts” menu item on ComicsExperience.com.

Episode #60 of the Comics Experience “MAKE COMICS” Podcast posted!

Posted on January 30, 2014May 16, 2014 by Nicole Boose

A 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 #60, “Follow-Through & Following Up”
You hit the jackpot! The big editor at the convention said you could send in your pitch. And you did so. And it’s now weeks later. When do you follow up? And what’s the etiquette around solicited submissions in general?

List of All Episodes