Evil Inc Kickstarter — Vol. 9, The Ruby of Ragnoor

Evil Inc Kickstarter

The Evil Inc Kickstarter campaign has begun! I’m really excited to announce the launch of the ninth Evil Inc graphic novel!  If you already know the drill, head over to the Kickstarter page and check out the rewards. There are a couple of Early Bird rewards that offer free shipping to US addresses and reduced shipping prices worldwide — but those are limited, so act fast!

If you haven’t seen an Evil Inc graphic novels, you owe it to yourself to check them out. They’re not the usual comic-strip collections. Instead, I take the individual panels from the daily strip and I lay out graphic-novel pages. I add some panels that you haven’t seen before, and the result is it continuously narrative graphic novel that’s a completely new reading experience —  and to be honest with you, a lot of fun

Evil Inc Kickstarter

  • PDF of the book so you can read it on your tablet
  • Print edition of the book — regular, signed, or Artist Edition (in which I draw something inside the book just for you)
  • The original art from an Evil Inc comic strip
  • Commissioned illustrations
  • You can even get the earlier copies of the Evil Inc graphic novels 1 through 8 that you might not have in your collection yet

Thank you in advance for your pledge — and for your help in spreading the word on social media!

Evil Inc Kickstarter

What’s in store

Artistically, this volume represents a period of time when I think I was starting to hit my stride as an illustrator. I’m really proud of the visual appeal of these pages.

And the stories? The book is peppered with short standalone story arcs — like these moments between Captain Heroic and his son…

…and stories about Cap and Miss Match when they were a young couple…

Plus… longer storylines with driving plots like the heist of the Ruby of Ragnoor

When the mystical Ruby winds up in Miss Match’s hands, a mis-worded wish has unintended results!

And, throughout the 112-page book, my dumb sense of humor.

Bonus content for my Patreon backers from Blooming Faeries!

LiFangFei-01T_LoRez

Patreon_textbug‘Tis the season for giving, so I’m proud to be bringing my Patreon backers some extra special bonus content this week! Jaycee Knight is the proprietor of Blooming Faeries, a very NSFW comic featuring the mischievous and naughty pranks & curses of faeries upon unsuspecting (but always deserving) humans. It’s a bit sexy, a bit funny, and very entertaining. It explores some sexual fantasies, though not in an explicit or pornographic manner.

The site is divided into two parts: the webcomic strip and the blog. The webcomic is updated Monday. The blog entries, updated several times a week, features modern-day situations involving a complete set of real-world characters.

It’s a true favorite of mine.

PLUS, there’s a members-only section that updates with lots of great NSFW comics, including Li Fang Fei, a Faerie Whisperer.

Thanks to Jaycee, you now have access to nine phenomenal pages to introduce you to this world. The art is fantastic, and the story is smokin’ hot.

If you’ve been considering backing my Patreon for NSFW features like Evil Inc After Dark, Uncensored Courting Disaster and NSFW commissions… now you have even more reasons to take the plunge!

Big changes in store for Evil Inc

As you might have guessed, Evil Inc is reaching the end — kind of. Starting in late December / early January, the Evil Inc comic strip will end.

And in 2016, the Evil Inc graphic novel will launch.

Backstory

To understand this better, you need to know about what I’ve been doing with Patreon.

In May, 2015, I announced that I would do a NSFW version of my comic strip for $10+ Patreon supporters. My Patreon campaign, that had been the same amount for 7 months, was tripled by the end of that first month. And I don’t think I posted much more than the announcement itself and a sample four-panel strip.

Needless to say, Patreon became a way for my readers to tell me what they wanted. And I’m listening.

The NSFW content on my Patreon page has taken a life of its own.What was once envisioned as a 4-panel adults-only strip has become a series of full-page stories that update once a week. My Patreon backers requested the ability to purchase commissions, and that content has been added. And Courting Disaster, which started as a compliment to a newspaper sex-advice column, is now a no-holds-barred single-panel cartoon that lets me channel my admiration for Playboy cartoonists like Wally Wood, Jack Cole and Dean Yeagle.

Market Realities

Meanwhile, back at the Evil Inc comic strip, I announced a Tuesday-Thursday schedule over the summer to accommodate this transition. But as the months went on — and the scope of what I was doing continued to change — it became clear that it was going to be harder and harder to justify the amount of time that going back to five-days-a-week was going to entail.

But what really put the nail in the coffin was ad-blockers.

See, I used to make a significant amount of money from ads. So, you, as a reader, were always generating income for me — in the form of ad views. (I’m sorry to break it to you, but this free webcomic was never really “free.”) Even if you never bought a book or ordered a piece of original art, you were always contributing to a business plan that put food on the table for me and my family.

Ad blockers changed that. I started 2015 at roughly one half of the ad revenue that I had earned in the same month the previous year. And the next months were no better. Mind you — this was before I cut back to a two-day-a-week schedule.

The reality is simple — I had to find a new income stream. Ad blockers had made it very difficult to continue offering a “traditional” webcomic.

When I saw the response to the NSFW content on Patreon, I knew I had found an answer.

Re-thinking Evil Inc

And, as I settled into my new role as Gentleman Pornographer*, I was able to take a fresh look at everything that I had built around me.

There’s really no reason that Evil Inc has to be a daily comic strip. I’ve spent fifteen years building an audience and a certain amount of name recognition. I don’t need the daily updates for those reasons anymore. And newspapers are not coming back. My strip never appeared in more than a handful of papers, and although I remain grateful to the one that has run it continuously from the start — The Philadelphia Daily News — self-syndication doesn’t generate a significant amount of revenue.

And, when I see what Scott Kurtz has been able to do with Table Titans, I get really excited. His updates are usually half-a-page of the graphic novel he’s producing. That opens up a whole new world of possibilities in terms of storytelling. When the format doesn’t dictate a joke every four panels, the writing has a chance to flow a lot more naturally.

Moreover, as I have launched this new experiment, I find that I’m planning much further into the future. I’m linking up separate storylines, and dovetailing events.

I think it’s going to be a new Evil Inc that you’re really going to enjoy.

Rebooting Evil Inc

Part of this new approach is going to mean rebooting Evil Inc as well. But rest assured, it’s going to be a pretty soft reboot. Some relationships are going to change. Some characters are going to disappear. (Some already have.) And some new faces are going to be introduced. Heck, the Evil Inc company itself is in for a re-imagining. Some of the characters who are getting phased out will re-appear elsewhere.

Scratching that comic-strip itch

When I feel the need to go back to my comic-strip roots, I’ll have Arch Bros… which will update sporadically until I find my footing. And I haven’t ruled out the off Greystone Inn comic here and there. I kinda enjoyed revisiting those guys last month.

The plan… for now…

So that’s where Evil Inc is headed. I have the first 20-page comic plotted, and much of it is scripted. It’s going to update in half-page bursts on Tuesday and Thursday.

And since I’m no longer constrained by trying to make this newspaper-friendly, you can expect it to get a little more edgy. It won’t be Evil Inc After Dark edgy — I’m saving that for Patreon — but language and situations are going to get a little more… modern.

I’m really excited to be experimenting with this new format. I’m really happy with the results so far, and I think you will be, too. And, most of all, I’m immensely grateful to the people who support me through Patreon for giving me the breathing room to make these decisions.

It’s going to be a much different Evil Inc, but I think it’s going to be a change that you’re going to like.

*I totally stole that from Phil Foglio

The Commission List is open for the holidays!

Capt-Scarr

Original art makes an awesome gift! I am currently accepting commissions — including NSFW requests. You have two great options:

Digital Commission — NSFW and SFW

You can get a full-color digital commission starting at $150. That would be a one-or-two person scene with a standard background. As the scene gets more complicated, we will negotiate the price together. And you can take $20 off your order if you allow me to share the image on my Patreon page. You will receive two files — one hi-res (for printing) and a low-res for your computer screen. These commissions can be NSFW or SFW… your choice.

Inked commission —NSFW and SFW

Inked commissions start at $250. I will mail you a signed, fully-inked 8×10″ illustration using archival inks on sturdy bristol board. That would be a one-or-two person scene with a standard background. As the scene gets more complicated, we will negotiate the price together. And you can take $20 off your order if you allow me to share the image on my Patreon page. The original art will be b&w, but you will also receive two full-color files — one hi-res (for printing) and a low-res for your computer screen. These commissions can be NSFW or SFW.

Please note: I don’t do caricatures.

Get your commission today!

NSFW comics — Evil Inc After Dark

EI_After_Dark_007h_crop

I’ve posted the next page of the Space Pirate story for my Patreon backers, and, as you can see, it is… en fuego. This is the eighth installment of my sexy space opera that features the continuing adventures of Captain Valerie Scarr as she explores outer (and inner) space. Today, Captain Scarr’s hostage is on an involuntary hunger strike, and that’s a problem that the good Captain is all-to-happy to solve.

I’m averaging more than one Patreon-exclusive post for every weekday in the month — including these full-page Evil Inc After Dark updates, NSFW illustrations, uncensored Courting Disaster… and even pin-ups and bonus cartoons! You’ll get all of this plus advance looks at Evil Inc strips and discounts on Evil Inc merchandise (like the 2016 pin-up calendar that my backers can get for only $9.99)

If you’re interested in joining the group, this is an excellent time! Become a backer today, and you’ll instantly have access to all of the great Patreon-exclusive content I’ve been posting since March of last year!

The Evil Inc After Dark Pin-Up Calendar — get yours right now!

Calender cover small

Just in time for the holidays! It’s the Evil Inc calendar for 2016! Due to the jaw-dropping support of Evil Inc After Dark this year, I’ve decided to make this next calendar a pin-up calendar (instead of the collection of stand-out strips that I’ve traditionally offered).

Don’t worry — it’s completely SFW — but I think you’ll agree this calendar brings the heat… even in November and December.

But see it for yourself. Before you order yours, click Preview underneath the calendar cover for a month-by-month look at 2016.

EiAD_calendar_preview

For a limited time, you can get yours for only $19.95 — that’s 30% off the retail price!

You’ll see all of your Evil Inc After Dark favorites — Captain Scarr, Desi, Lightning Lady, Miss Match — even Vespidae gets a little love!

Speaking of showing love — if you’re a Patreon supporter, do NOT click that link above! You are eligible for a calendar at an additional whopping ten-dollar discount! Just go to my Patreon page and scroll down the Creator Posts! You’ll find out how to get your 2016 calendar for only $9.99!

If you’ve been considering becoming a Patreon supporter, I heartily encourage you to sign up and grab your calendar as an extra reward! You’ll find it’s only the tip of the iceberg!

It’s gonna be a fantastic 2016. Let the sultry supervillains of Evil Inc keep you company from month to month.

GET YOUR CALENDAR TODAY!

Lightning Lady 2

 

Miss Match

 

 

 

New Year’s Partycon — Allentown, PA

Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 1.02.53 PM

I’m really excited to be part of the inaugural New Year’s Partycon — at Allentown, Pa this Dec. 31. / Jan. 1.

It’s an excellent idea — a New Year’s Eve party just for us geeks — with comics, steampunk, sci fi, games… a little something for everyone. When they contacted me about attending as a guest, I was only too eager to jump aboard. After all, what could be better than spending New Year’s immersed in some of the best things I love?

So here are the details:

NEW Year’s PartyCon

 

 

You can find out more at their site.

 

 

Special Halloween eComic!

Halloween_DriveThru_cover

Just in time for those crisp fall nights, reading by the light of a fire (a Kindle Fire)… I’ve compiled some of my favorite spooky strips and stories from Evil Inc, Greystone Inn and Phables.

This Halloween eComic is 80 pages of spine-tingling fun — for only $1.99! Get yours now!

Real Housewives

And if you’re a fan of the Real Housewives of Transylvania, be sure to check out these special products featuring the spooky sirens — T-shirts, wall art, phone cases and more! They’re even available as greeting cards — which would be perfect as invitations to your Halloween party!

Real_Housewives+Tshirt

 

24-Hour Comics Day panel: Oct. 3 in Lancaster, Pa.

PCAD_logoI’ll be participating in a panel discussion on the changing role of, and attitude towards, comics in our society to kick off the 24-Hour Comics Day event at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in Lancaster, Pa. It will start at noon, and end with the official start of PCAD’s own 24-Hour Comics Day festivities.

PCA&D is the only regional venue for this year’s Comics Day, and its participation is sponsored by PCA&D’s Illustration Department and PCAD’s  Society of Illustrators Student Group Chapter.

Just before the main event on Saturday, PCA&D will have a panel discussion from 12 – 1:00 p.m.  This event is open to the public during Art Walk weekend in Lancaster. The panel will be discussing the changing role of, and attitude towards, comics in our society. The panel will consist of guest artists Christine Larsen, Brad Guigar and Robert Pruitt,  and PCA&D faculty members and industry artists Bob McLeod and Mike Hawthorne. The panel moderator will be Illustration and Digital Media Department Chairman, Bob Hochgertel.  

At 1 p.m., PCA&D’s version of the 24-hour Comics Day commences. Several faculty members, alumni, and students from all departments – along with some of the guest artists, will comprise PCA&D’s participation for the fourth year. Their challenge: create full-length comics in 24 hours, from front cover to “The End.”

About our artists during the 24-hour Comics Day

• Robert Pruitt is an artist living and working in Houston, TX. He makes drawings and sculptures about the complexity of black identity by combining contrasting signs and imagery of disparate Black influences and aesthetics. He layers Science Fiction, Hip Hop, comic books, and black political and social struggles into layered portraits of his friends and community.

• Brad Guigar has been creating a daily comic strip for over 15 years – “Evil Inc.” runs Monday-through-Saturday on the Web, and it also appears in front of nearly 100,000 newspaper readers every weekday. Guigar is considered by many to be a webcomics pioneer, having self-published his daily strips and other comics on the Web since February 2000. He has been nominated for the highest honor in comics — the Eisner award —  for “Phables,” a year-and-a-half-long weekly series of comics about life in Philadelphia,  He has published over two dozen collections of his comics, and he is the author of three books on the subject of cartooning: “The Everything Cartooning Book,” “How To Make Webcomics,” and “The Webcomics Handbook.” He operates a daily tutorial-and-advice site, Webcomics.com, and he teaches Arts Entrepreneurship and Sequential Art (Comics) at Hussian School of Art.

• Christine Larsen is originally from the Pine Barrens of central Jersey. She is a cartoonist and illustrator by trade, creating art for comics, book covers, stories, posters and websites. She has worked with clients such as Dark Horse, IDW, BOOM Studios, DC Online, Saatchi & Saatchi, Simon & Scheuster, Thrillbent and Cartoon Network.

Bob McLeod is a comic book artist for Marvel and DC, and a children’s book author and illustrator. His picture book “Superhero ABC” was published by HarperCollins. Bob is also an adjunct faculty member in the illustration department at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design.

Michael Hawthorne is an comic book artist for Marvel, DC and Dark horse Comics. He is the creator of the comic book series Hysteria and has provided the artwork for various other comics, including Deadpool,The Un-men, Fear Agent, Umbra, G.I. JOE: Origins, Whiskey Dickel, Three Days in Europe, one story arc of Queen & Country, and Conan: Road of Kings. He also writes and draws a webcomic titled “Raising Crazy” about his experiences raising his son. Mike is also an adjunct faculty member in the illustration department at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design.

Ohio Comic Con — This weekend!

EvilIncFlierColumbus2If you’re in the Columbus (Ohio) area this weekend, be sure to come out to Ohio Comic Con to help me celebrate my last comic convention of the year! I’ll have Evil Inc books on hand, along with other favorites like Phables and The Webcomics Handbook.  And, of course, I’ll be opening a commission list. If you’d like information on commissions (or to reserve a place on the list), please feel free to get in touch!

Plus, this is going to be extra fun because Evil Inc colorist Alex Heberling will be my back-to-back booth buddy. This will be the first time we’ll be appearing at a show together!

Panels

Webcomics 101: Friday, Sept 18th (6p.m.) Room 4

Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start? Brad Guigar, author of “The Webcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work.

Webcomics Roundtable: Saturday, Sept 19th (2:30PM)Room 162 A/B

The world of webcomics has undergone its biggest upheaval since its inception. From the new ComiXology app to Orphan Works, from Kickstarter to Patreon, there’s an awful lot to keep track of. Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar gathers a roundtable of webcomics notables to talk about these questions and much much more! Featuring Alex Heberling, Steve Hamacker and Trever Mueller.

Ohio Comic Con — and one date scratched

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have to cancel my appearance at Wizard World Ft. Lauderdale.

So my next appearance, Ohio Comic Con in Columbus (Sept. 18-20), will be my last of the season. The good news is that we’re going out on a high note! I’ll be exhibiting next-door to the mighty Alex Heberling (who does the beautiful color-work on Evil Inc)!

WW_Columbus

 

Panels

Webcomics 101: Friday, Sept 18th (6p.m.) Room 4

Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start? Brad Guigar, author of “The Webcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work.

Webcomics Roundtable: Saturday, Sept 19th (2:30PM)Room 162 A/B

The world of webcomics has undergone its biggest upheaval since its inception. From the new ComiXology app to Orphan Works, from Kickstarter to Patreon, there’s an awful lot to keep track of. Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar gathers a roundtable of webcomics notables to talk about these questions and much much more! Featuring Alex Heberling, Steve Hamacker and Trever Mueller.

Wizard World Chicago — THIS WEEK!

WizardWorld_ChicagoI know it’s all cool and junk to hate Wizard World. But I gotta tell you, I think they’re awesome. And they treat me super-nice. I’m as excited for Wizard World Chicago as I used to get for Comic Con International.

I’ve got an awesome spot in Artist AlleyTable B-21 — right around the corner from the legendary Neal Adams. I’ll be doing two great panels, and I’ll have all of the Evil Inc books, The Webcomics Handbook, Phables, and original art on hand. Plus, I’ll be opening a commission list at the table for personalized drawings and sketchbook pieces.

EvilIncFlierChicago2

Panels

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

1:00-1:45PM WEBCOMICS 101 (ROOM 2)
Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start? Brad Guigar, author of “The Webcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

11:30-12:15PM PATREON PRIMER (ROOM 2)
Patreon has become the most significant force in comics crowdfunding since Kickstarter. Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar leads a guide to using Patreon successfully to fund your comics business.

’Little help…?

Like I said, Wizard World has been very, very kind to me. The space I have for Artist Alley is waaaay more than I had expected. So much so, I’m a little unprepared for it. My little banner stand is gonna get lost in that 30 square feet of space. So, I’m putting the word out: If you live in the Chicago area and you have a lighting rig I can borrow from Thursday through Sunday, I’ll make it worth your while to deliver it and pick it up. Here’s what I’m looking for (minus the lights, of course).

lighting_rig

I can use something like that to hang my extra-large convention banner from. It’s that big monstrosity the the rear of the booth set-up below. If you have any other ideas (the vinyl banner is gonna be too heavy for PVC pipe), feel free to shoot them my way.

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And more…

Evil-Inc-After-Dark-logo

If you’re a Patreon supporter, be sure to stop by and give me some feedback on Evil Inc After Dark, uncensored Courting Disaster and the other cool stuff going on over there.

jasonPLUS… for the first time ever, EVEN MORE GUIGAR. My youngest brother, Jason, will be driving in from Bad Axe, Michigan, and spending a little time at the booth (when he’s not out drooling over the Knight Rider car, scoping Star Trek panels, and stuff like that).

And, ladies… He’s S-I-N-G-L-E.

New NSFW comic: Evil Inc After Dark — featuring Capt. Scarr, Space Pirate!

EI_After_Dark_007a

Fan support of the NSFW comic, Evil Inc After Dark (available exclusively through Patreon) has been so strong that it’s challenging me to make each new story bigger and better! To that end, the EiAD story that I just started is going to be longer and more developed than any of the NSFW features I’ve posted since beginning this whole thing in May.

If you’re a fan of Phil Foglio’s XXXenophile, then you know the mark I’m trying to hit. Longer stories, scenes that unfold with a little more detail, jaw-dropping scenes… that’s what I’m aiming for.

And Capt. Valerie Scarr is the perfect candidate for a longer adventure. Expect her to take charge in an adventure that will bring her in contact with strange beings and alien customs as she treks across space in search of… booty. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.)

If you’ve been considering backing me on Patreon, there’s a lot of content uploaded already, and more stuff coming every week.

Upcoming conventions

Here’s my comic convention schedule for the rest of the year. I’m super-thrilled to announce that I’ll be exhibiting next-door to the mighty Alex Heberling (who does the beautiful color-work on Evil Inc) for Wizard World Ohio in Columbus.

WW_Chicago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WW_Columbus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WW_Florida

 

 

 

Goodreads

How cool was it to find out that you guys have been reading and rating my books on Goodreads.com?! Heck, I’m even seeing the monthly comics rated over there! (You can find those on ComiXology and DriveThruComics.) Thank you so much! To that end, I’ve spiffed up my author page. If you’re a regular reader at Goodreads, please take a moment and rate/review your favorite books in my library. Goodread comics. Whodathunkit!

Brad Guigar’s books on Goodreads

How To Make Webcomics
How To Make Webcomics

reviews: 22

ratings: 326 (avg rating 4.06)

 

Evil Inc Annual Report Volume 1
Evil Inc Annual Report Volume 1

reviews: 1

ratings: 14 (avg rating 4.00)

 

Evil Inc Annual Report Volume 2
Evil Inc Annual Report Volume 2

reviews: 2

ratings: 10 (avg rating 4.10)

 

The Webcomics Handbook
The Webcomics Handbook

reviews: 2

ratings: 8 (avg rating 4.25)

 

Evil Inc After Dark #5 (NSFW comic)

EI_After_Dark_005_cropIf you’re a Patreon backer at the $10 level, you now have access to the latest NSFW comic: Evil Inc After Dark #5. This full-page story introduces Catnip, a new character who will be exclusive to the EiAD universe. She’s Evil Inc’s equivalent to characters like Catwoman and Black Cat. But, as you’ll soon see, she really has no equal.

It’s all a part of what my Patreon supporters get for a ten-dollar monthly pledge — weekly NSFW comic updates (including Evil Inc After Dark and uncensored Courting Disaster), previews of upcoming strips, monthly eComics, behind the scenes blog posts and images, and much more!

“Will Reed change Emerald City?” More like the other way around

SEnycWhen Emerald City Comicon announced that it was merging with ReedPop, everyone who knows and loves the Seattle-based convention had the same question:

“Will ReedPop change Emerald City Comicon?”

I mean, after all, exhibitors and attendees alike have loved this show — run by Jim Demonakos and an amazing staff of dedicated comics-lovers — for years.

Ask anyone who has ever exhibited there. and they’ll tell you that they’ve never been treated better. Ask the attendees. They’ll tell you the show is a highlight in their year. This show was special. And there’s more than a few people who felt a little worried that this Good Thing had come to an end earlier this year when the merger was announced.

Scott, Cory and I wondered it on a recent episode of Surviving Creativity. We got both Jim and ReedPop VP Lance Festerman on the line to assuage our fears.

They told us that Emerald City was going to continue unchanged.

We crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

So imagine my surprise — my downright elation — when I walked into the ReedPop-run Special Edition; NYC convention this weekend. This was the first Reed show since incorporating the Emerald City staff, and it was — for all intents and purposes — Emerald City East.

Better! It was like one of the old Emerald City shows. Remember being in the bottom of Mariner’s stadium? Remember those old comics-centric Seattle shows — those shows where the hardcore love of comics was as palpable as the smell of Silver Age quarter bins?

That’s what happened at Pier 94 in Manhattan last weekend.

Exhibitors got all the one-on-one attention, the shuttles to and from the show, the care, and the respect that they thought only happened once-a-year in Seattle.

ReedPop may not change Emerald City, but from what I saw this weekend, Emerald City is changing ReedPop.

And that’s good news for people like me who love those old-school comic-book comic conventions.

I asked the former-ECCC staffers who stopped by my booth in their new roles with ReedPop the same question: “With this show proving such a success, what are the chances for Special Edition: Chicago… Special Edition: Oakland… Special Edition: Boston… and so on?”

All I got were smiles.

Wide smiles.

There was a lot of that going around last weekend.

NSFW comics — Evil Inc and Courting Disaster

Patreon_textbug So I pitched something to my Patreon supporters, and they’ve responded in a big way. Exclusive to supporters at the $10/month level (and higher), I’ve started doing NSFW comics — featuring both Evil Inc and Courting Disaster.

The response has been very encouraging. So I wanted to give you a little peek into what Ive got planned.

The uncensored Courting Disaster cartoons have been a blast! It’s actually quite liberating to take the gloves off and do that kind of humor without any restrictions. The stuff I’ve posted for my Patreon supporters has been really well-received. If you’re one of the folks who have requested the return of CD, this is it. And, in my opinion, it’s better than ever!

But it’s the NSFW Evil Inc comics — dubbed “Evil Inc After Dark” — that I’m really excited about. They’ve turned into longer-form stories (like Phables used to be). They’re little vignettes that explore some of the topics that I could never put into the daily comic. For starters, Evil Inc still has a dedicated newspaper following. But besides that, these are stories that just deserve to go further than four panels.

I’ll be posting the first of these extended Evil Inc After Dark stories later this week. Here’s a sneak peek…

EI_After_Dark_002

And I have another full-page story slated for after that….

EI_After_Dark_003

As you can see, many of these start off with something that happened in the daily strip, and then go veering off into a completely different direction.

And, along with those, I’ve got more uncensored CD.

All for my Patreon backers at the $10/month level (and higher), along with everything else offered at those levels — like monthly digital comics, desktop wallpapers, behind-the-scenes sketches and more! Signing up is easy. You’ll never get charged for more than you agree to, and you can maintain your privacy. Plus, you’ll be helping support one of your favorite cartoonists in a significant way!*

*It’s true. I can stop asking Scott Kurtz for coffee money.

Special Edition: New York City!

SEnycI’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be a guest at Special Edition: New York City (June 6-7)! This is an innovative kind of convention launched by ReedPop that focuses heavily on comics creators. I’ll be there with Evil Inc books, copies of The Webcomics Handbook, original art and more! I haven’t been to NYC for a little while, so I’m super-stoked to get back to the Big Apple! I hope to see you there!

Wizard World Philadelphia 2015

Wizard World Philadelphia 2015 map

Hard to believe, but Wizard World Philadelphia (May 7-10) is upon us once again! This show has been outstanding in the past, and, having talked to some of the Wizard folks over the past few months, I have nothing but excitement and anticipation for the upcoming few days. This crew has some fantastic stuff in store! So here’s a look at what you can expect from me this week.

Evil Inc: Booth 227

I’ll be just down the aisle from Burt Reynolds (try not to get confused).

The one on the left is Burt Reynolds

Wizard-World-PhiladelphiaI have a long list of great stuff scheduled for the weekend. Over at the Evil Inc booth, I’ll have Evil Inc graphic novels — as well as copies of the Phables collection. Plus… original art, commissions, prints and more! Stop by and say hello.

Philadelphia Daily News Keepsake Edition

My friends at the Philadelphia Daily News have a metric ton of awesome planned this week. Their coverage of the event is going to be second-to-none . The centerpiece is a tremendous Keepsake Edition planned for Wizard World, and it features a cover illustration by Your Favorite Webcartoonist — plus a beautifully written profile. If you like the illustration, stop by my booth and pick up a limited-edition glossy print. The Wizard World Special Section is in TODAY’S Daily News! (Wednesday, May 6)

Panels

Hoo boy! I’ll be offering a gangbusters panel every day of the convention. We’ll talk webcomics, workshop a few participants’ work, and even meet a couple of pint-sized podcasters. Read on…

Webcomics 101

THURS., 5 p.m.: Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start. Brad Guigar, author of “TheWebcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work. ROOM 103A

Webcomics Roundtable

FRI., 2:30 p.m.: The world of webcomics has undergone its biggest upheaval since its inception. From ComiXology to Google’s new mobile-friendly criteria, and from Kickstarter to Patreon, there’s an awful lot to keep track of! Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar gathers a roundtable of webcomics notables to talk about these questions and much much more! ROOM 111

Webcomics Workshop —> starring… you?

SAT., 5:30 p.m.: Want to get some honest feedback on your webcomic? Webcomics.com’s Brad Guigar has been doing a daily advice-and-tutorial Web site since 2009 — in addition to teaching Sequential Art at Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia. He’ll look at your site and give you solid advice on improving it that you can use right now. To secure a spot, contact brad with your name and the URL of your comic. If time allows, we will be taking participants from the audience and projecting the sites on the big screen. ROOM 105

Kids podcast the darndest things

SUN., 12:30 p.m.: Got a wise-cracking elementary-schooler with a laundry list of opinions on everything from Pokemon to Age of Ultron? Cartoonist Brad Guigar has two of them. So he turned their morning drive to school into a recording session. The HEY COMICS… KIDS podcast has a five-star rating on iTunes and regularly updates with topics ranging from the Marvel cinematic universe to deep-catalog DragonBall Z episodes. Join Brad and junior ‘casters Alex (12) and Max (9) as they talk about what they do and how they do it. ROOM 107

Hussian School of Art

As you might know, I teach Arts Entrepreneurship and Sequential Art at Hussian School of Art — a fantastic art school in the heart of Philadelphia. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that they’ll be there to talk about their offerings at Booth 2313 — just across from the 1966 Batmobile. Stop and find out about getting a BFA degree at a high-quality, high-attention institution. And tell them that I sent you. 😉

Wizard World Philadelphia — Panels

Wizard-World-PhiladelphiaWizard World Philadelphia is right around the corner (May 7-10), and I have a long list of great stuff scheduled for the weekend. Here’s a list of panel discussions that I’ll be hosting throughout the week.

Webcomics 101

THURS., 5 p.m.: Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start. Brad Guigar, author of “TheWebcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work. ROOM 103A

Webcomics Roundtable

FRI., 2:30 p.m.: The world of webcomics has undergone its biggest upheaval since its inception. From ComiXology to Google’s new mobile-friendly criteria, and from Kickstarter to Patreon, there’s an awful lot to keep track of! Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar gathers a roundtable of webcomics notables to talk about these questions and much much more! ROOM 111

Webcomics Workshop

SAT., 5:30 p.m.: Want to get some honest feedback on your webcomic? Webcomics.com’s Brad Guigar has been doing a daily advice-and-tutorial Web site since 2009 — in addition to teaching Sequential Art at Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia. He’ll look at your site and give you solid advice on improving it that you can use right now. To secure a spot, contact brad with your name and the URL of your comic. If time allows, we will be taking participants from the audience and projecting the sites on the big screen. ROOM 105

Kids podcast the darndest things

SUN., 12:30 p.m.: Got a wise-cracking elementary-schooler with a laundry list of opinions on everything from Pokemon to Age of Ultron? Cartoonist Brad Guigar has two of them. So he turned their morning drive to school into a recording session. The HEY COMICS… KIDS podcast has a five-star rating on iTunes and regularly updates with topics ranging from the Marvel cinematic universe to deep-catalog DragonBall Z episodes. Join Brad and junior ‘casters Alex (12) and Max (9) as they talk about what they do and how they do it. ROOM 107

Comics Consultation

Wizard-World-PhiladelphiaIf you’d like to talk shop about improving your webcomic in the coming year, I’m booking a limited number of one-on-one consultations during Wizard World Philadelphia (May 7-10).

Once you book a consult, we’ll schedule some time during the show to sit down and talk about your work. I’ll give you a free copy of The Webcomics Handbook — the limited-edition hardcover not available in stores or online. We’ll discuss your comic, your site, social media, merchandizing, self-publishing and anything else that’s on your mind.

There are two options…

Analysis and consultation

This is the $200 level. I will review your comic/site/etc. beforehand and provide a top-down analysis, based on my experience, of what I see working and what could be improved. And I’ll give you some actionable strategies for maximizing the good and fixing the areas that need it. We’ll open the discussion based on the analysis, and we’ll leave room at the end for you questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. The session will last for one hour, and you will get a complimentary copy of The Webcomics Handbook.

Consultation only

This is the $100 level. At this level, we sit down and start talking. I will not have looked at your site beforehand. Rather, I will look at whatever you bring — portfolio, your Web site on a digital tablet, etc. — and we will discuss your comic, your site, social media, merchandizing, self-publishing and anything else that’s on your mind. This discussion will be lead by you. It is much more a “question/answer” kind of discussion. The session will last for one hour, and you will get a complimentary copy of The Webcomics Handbook.

BOOK YOUR CONSULT NOW!

ECCC – Comics Consultation

emerald_city_logoI haven’t done this in a while, but I thought I’d throw it out there in case anyone was interested. If you’re interested in doing a one-on-one consultation on your webcomic — and if you’ll be attending Emerald City Comicon (March 27-29 in Seattle) — feel free to book a consult, and we’ll schedule some time during the show to sit down and talk about your work. I’ll give you a free copy of The Webcomics Handbook and we’ll discuss your comic, your site, social media, merchandizing, self-publishing and anything else that’s on your mind.

There are two options…

Analysis and consultation

This is the $200 level. I will review your comic/site/etc. beforehand and provide a top-down analysis, based on my experience, of what I see working and what could be improved. And I’ll give you some actionable strategies for maximizing the good and fixing the areas that need it. We’ll open the discussion based on the analysis, and we’ll leave room at the end for you questions, concerns, thoughts, etc. The session will last for one hour, and you will get a complimentary copy of The Webcomics Handbook.

Consultation only

This is the $100 level. At this level, we sit down and start talking. I will not have looked at your site beforehand. Rather, I will look at whatever you bring — portfolio, your Web site on a digital tablet, etc. — and we will discuss your comic, your site, social media, merchandizing, self-publishing and anything else that’s on your mind. This discussion will be lead by you. It is much more a “question/answer” kind of discussion. The session will last for one hour, and you will get a complimentary copy of The Webcomics Handbook.

BOOK YOUR CONSULT NOW!

2015 Comic Convention Schedule

emerald_city_logoWith Emerald City Comicon just around the corner (March 27-29 in Seattle), I figured now would be a good time to post my list of scheduled comic convention appearances for this year. Here’s all the deets on that show.

Wizard World Philadelphia

May 7-10. I’ll be in the main exhibitor area of Wizard World Philadelphia, with all my usual fun stuff — Evil Inc graphic novels, original art, commission list, etc. But the thing I’m really looking forward to is the panel discussion we’ve got planned in which my two sons and I will talk about podcasting with your kids. We do a podcast called Hey Comics, Kids! during our morning drive to school, and we’ll show you how you can, too — and more importantly — why.

Wizard World Chicago

Aug. 20-23. I’m so excited to be adding three more Wizard-run shows to my convention calendar this year, and the first up is Chicago. I’ve done Wizard World Chicago before, and it has always been amazing. I’ll be in Artists’ Alley for this one, and I’ll post a map of the show floor as soon as I’m able.

Wizard World Columbus

Sept. 18-20. This will be my first time at Wizard World Columbus (Ohio), and I’m really looking forward to it because I’ll be in Artists’ Alley exhibiting next to Alex Heberling, whose coloring of Evil Inc has been outstanding since she began in January.

Wizard World Ft. Lauderdale

Oct. 2-4. I’ll also be doing my first Florida convention this year with Wizard World Ft. Lauderdale. I’ll be in Artists’ Alley with all my books and art.

And then…?

I’ve exhibited at Baltimore Comic Con for many years in the past — and I love their show — but as of right now, I don’t have anything scheduled with them.

If you like the kind of news, info and tutorials I post at Webcomics.com — and if you live near Philadelphia — you may be interested in the 3-day workshops I’m doing in conjunction with Hussian School of Art. I’ll be doing one on Arts Entrepreneurship and another on Creating Comics. If you’re interested in both, you can get a significant discount for signing up for both.

ARTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP, APRIL 7-9, 6-9 p.m.

If you’d like to learn more about running a business as a creative professional, I’m offering a 3-evening workshop in Philadelphia next month. This class will be offered through Hussian School of Art — in Philadelphia’s  historic Bourse Building at 5th and Market streets — April 7-9, 6-9 p.m.

The Arts Entrepreneurship class will be a three-day crash course on running a business as a creative professional. Based on the same class I teach at Hussian, this will be a condensed guide to everything from sales tax to promotion. We’ll talk Web commerce, advertising, merchandising and more.

Click here to register. There are a limited number of spaces available! Use coupon code “BradGuigar” to get a free copy of the “Webcomics Handbook” when you show up for class! (And remember… you can give a huge discount for signing up for both seminars.)

SEQUENTIAL ART / COMICS, MAY 5-7, 6-9 p.m.

In the Comics class, we’ll be covering comics from the basics to the fine-tuning, with plenty of hands-on exercises. If you always want to learn to do comics, this will be a great place to start. And if you’re already doing comics, I know we work together to take your craft to the next level.

This class will be offered through Hussian School of Art — in Philadelphia’s  historic Bourse Building at 5th and Market streets — May 5-7, 6-9 p.m.

Click here to register. There are a limited number of spaces available! Use coupon code “BradGuigar” to get a free copy of the “Webcomics Handbook” when you show up for class! (And remember… you can give a huge discount for signing up for both seminars.)

New Arch Bros today!

ArchBros_20150317

I posted a new Arch Bros comic for you over at Arch-Bros.com! I’m going to try to update that site with a new comic every Tuesday. If you’re enjoying them, please help that fledgling site get off the ground by sharing it on social media!

And if you like having extra cartoons, be sure to visit Guigar.com, where I’ve been posting a new single-panel comic three-times-a-week. I also post other stuff there, such as Artist Edition illos and news announcements (like my upcoming Arts Entrepreneurship workshop next month in Philly).

Emerald City Comicon 2015

emerald_city_logoEvery year for as far back as I can remember, the amazing folks at Emerald City Comicon have been kind enough to bring me out to Seattle to exhibit at their show. It’s the First Rite of Spring for me. So you can imagine how excited I am to be making the trip one more time to exhibit at a show that I consider to be second-to none.

This year, I’ll be exhibiting in the Skybridge — that walkway between the two parts of the main exhibition hall. And I’ll be in terrific company. I’ll be side-by-side with my friends at WeLoveFine, Scott Kurtz and Tavis Maiden. And right across from us will be Dazzling Dave Kellett and fine folks of Topatoco.

I’ll have the Evil Inc graphic novels there, along with copies of The Webcomics Handbook and original art. And if you’ve got a copy of the new Tales From the Con comic book, I’ll happily sign it!

I’m opening a Commission List early. If you’d like to get an original drawing from me, I’ll do it before the show and have it on hand to present to you when you arrive. All commissioned illos are 8×10″ (suitable for framing), done with archival ink on sturdy bristol board! Of course, I’ll be happy to put a headshot sketch in any book you buy, and I’m always happy to do commissions during the show, but this way, I can take my time and do a really polished illustration for you!

And clear your schedule on Friday so you can join me and a few of my friends for a screening of Stripped, The Comics Documentary. It’s in Hall A at 6 p.m. After the screening, Dave Kellett will moderate a discussion among Dylan Meconis, Danielle Corsetto, Kris Straub and me!

I’ve got a handy guide for you below. Click on the image to get a printable PDF that you can use to navigate your way to a firm, warm handshake and a gentle pat on the shoulder, as between old friends. I’ll see you there!

ECCC2015_map

Arts Entrepreneurship – 3-night workshop in Philadelphia

If you’d like to learn more about running a business as a creative professional, I’m offering a 3-evening workshop in Philadelphia next month. This class will be offered through Hussian School of Art — in Philadelphia’s  historic Bourse Building at 5th and Market streets — April 7-9, 6-9 p.m.

The Arts Entrepreneurship class will be a three-day crash course on running a business as a creative professional. Based on the same class I teach at Hussian, this will be a condensed guide to everything from sales tax to promotion. We’ll talk Web commerce, advertising, merchandising and more.

Click here to register. There are a limited number of spaces available! Use coupon code “BradGuigar” to get a free copy of the “Webcomics Handbook” when you show up for class!

 

Patreon, so far this year…

I was just browsing my Patreon Activity feed, and it struck me how much I’ve uploaded there since the beginning of the year. If you are considering supporting my Patreon campaign, please have a look at everything that’s waiting for you — much of which is accessible for as little as $1 a month! (I’ve obscured some of the punchlines and comments.)

What’s cool about Patreon is that you have the ability to get notifications every time I upload something new. So you don’t have to worry about following Evil-Inc.com and Guigar.com and Arch-Bros.com, etc. You get first look at all comics for Guigar.com and Arch Bros long before they post on their respective Web sites. And, if you’re a $5/month supporter, you get the Evil Inc comic with the upcoming months’ comics (plus a bonus in every issue)!

If not to support one of your favorite independent cartoonists, consider this a small investment in your own time management!
Patreon_sample

Two 3-night workshops in Philly

I’m offering two 3-night workshops this spring — one in comics and one in arts entrepreneurship.

  • Comics – March 10-12, 6-9 p.m.
  • Entrepreneurship – April 7-9, 6-9 p.m.

These will be offered through Hussian School of Art — in Philadelphia’s  historic Bourse Building at 5th and Market streets.

In the Comics class, we’ll be covering comics from the basics to the fine-tuning, with plenty of hands-on exercises. If you always want to learn to do comics, this will be a great place to start. And if you’re already doing comics, I know we work together to take your craft to the next level.

The Arts Entrepreneurship class will be a three-day crash course on running a business as a creative professional. Based on the same class I teach at Hussian, this will be a condensed guide to everything from sales tax to promotion. We’ll take Web commerce, advertising, merchandising and more.

Click here to register. There are a limited number of spaces available! Use coupon code “BradGuigar” to get a free copy of the “Webcomics Handbook” when you show up for class!

New comics

archbros_20150303_color_cropped

Along with your daily dose of Evil, I wanted to make sure you’re keeping up with the two new sites I launched last month.

Arch Bros

There’s a new Arch Bros strip planned for every Tuesday. The latest on just posted today, as a matter of fact.

This weekly comic follows the lives of the Arch family, a perfectly normal family with two sons — one who thinks he’s a superhero and the other who thinks he’s a villain.

For those of you in the Philly area, Arch Bros will begin appearing in the Philadelphia Daily News on Saturdays.

mantis_lockerroom_croppedGuigar.com

Meanwhile, over at Guigar.com, I’m posting three single-panel comics a week — plus a bunch of Evil Inc Artist Edition sketches.

It’s a Tumblr site, and I’d sure appreciate it if you helped spread the word about the site by reblogging.

My goal is to keep to a M-W-F schedule on Guigar.com.

Patreon

And, of course, all of these comics have been seen in advance by my Patreon supporters. If you’d like to help support all of these comics — and keep it so I’m able to continue — please consider supporting for as little as $1 a month!

15 Years

Last Saturday, as with many February 14ths in the past, I got to celebrate two loves. The first, and more important by far, is my wife of 16 years (and partner for much longer), Caroline. To say that I’d be nowhere without her is putting it lightly.

And the second is my life-long love of comics.

On Feb. 14, 2000, I posted my first comic strip on the Web. Greystone Inn would update six days a week for the next five-and-a-half years. The week after closing down Greystone for good, Evil Inc was launched. And I’ve been doing daily comics ever since.

So… how do you celebrate 15 years of doing the thing you love?

By doing it more.

I’m launching two new comics sites. If you support my work in comics through Patreon, neither of these new projects will be surprises. You’ve seen this coming for months now. If you don’t support me yet, please consider it. For as little as a buck a month, it’s a tremendous help to me and my family!

Arch Bros

ArchBros_site

The Arch family has a problem. Their older son thinks he’s a super hero, and their younger son thinks he’s a super villain. Those Evil Inc fans who enjoyed seeing Oscar and Oliver are going to like this strip immediately. Those Evil Inc fans who complained every time the two boys made an appearance can take solace that they will probably appear much less often now that there’s a new home for these ideas.

For the fans of the podcast I record with my two sons on our drive to school, Hey Comics — Kids, you’ll be happy to know that, yes, the humor is loosely based on them. For those of you who are concerned over their mental well-being, no, neither one thinks that I consider him a super villain. (Although one of them wishes I did.)

As you’ll see when you visit the site, this comic is an opportunity for me to draw in a much looser style and experiment with some different techniques I don’t feel comfortable doing in Evil Inc. I’m really excited to hear what you think.

Arch Bros will update once a week, for starters.

By the way, the Arch Bros Web site was developed with a brand new webcomics engine called Grawlix. I’m going to be talking about this more in a little bit, but for now, if you’d like an alternative to the usual WordPress webcomics site, I encourage you to get in touch with them. The official Grawlix email is [email protected]. You can find them on Twitter as @grawlixcomix. It’s still in beta, but I can tell you my experience with it was been amazing. You can also support their Patreon campaign

 

Guigar.com

Guigar-dot-com

Another part of the exclusive material available to my Patreon supporters has been the single-panel “bonus cartoons” I’ve been posting. I’m going to start sharing these publicly on the newly re-designed Guigar.com. It’s here that I’ll be posting more single-panel comics — as well as sketches, pin-ups, Artist Edition illustrations and more.

Guigar.com will not have an update schedule. It has an RSS feed, however, and it’s a Tumblr site, so please be sure to follow the site on your Tumblr so you don’t miss a thing.

Patreon

By the way… what does this mean for Patreon supporters who have had all of this stuff to themselves for the past several months? No change. You’ll still get to see this stuff before it goes live.

One more thing…

I’ve got another announcement, but I’ll be sharing that a little later in the week.

Looking back over 15 years…

It has been a rare privilege to do comics for you every day for 15 years. As I said before, it has been the only thing I really wanted to do. And doing Greystone Inn — and, later, Evil Inc, has brought me to some amazing relationships and opportunities.

Besides my two daily strips, I’ve done a weekly comic for a sex-advice column and a weekly comic about living in Philadelphia.

All told, that’s 1,471 Greystone Inn comic strips, 2,943* Evil Incs 410 Courting Disasters and 95 Phables(And 163* Tales from the Con comics, which I write for Emerald City Comicon.)

There’s been an Eisner Award nomination — that I lost to an ad for a video game. (I’m not bitter.) But Phables has to be the only comic to ever have been named the Best Newspaper Column in Philadelphia by the Society of Professional Journalists. And my Comic Creator of the Year award from Geekadelphia sits in a place of honor in my studio.

I’ve self-published more than 2 dozen collections of my work, and I have written three books on the subject of cartooning — “The Everything Cartooning Book,” “How To Make Webcomics,” and “The Webcomics Handbook.”

I teach Arts Entrepreneurship and Sequential Art (Comics) at Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia, and my Web site, Webcomics.com, offers guidance and tutorials to other cartoonists publishing their work on the Web.

I’ve been honored to have had one of the best colourists in comics, Ed Ryzowski, toil on my comics for several years. And when Ed moved on to his own creator-owned work, I was amazed to have found a talent like Alex Heberling to take on the duties. (Her Kickstarter is hours from wrapping up, so if you’re one of those readers raving about her work in the Comments, you’d better take this opportunity to show your support!)

Plus, I’ve had the honor of co-hosting Webcomics Weekly with my friends Scott Kurtz, Dave Kellett and Kris Straub. And although Webcomics Weekly has come to its end, Scott, Cory Casoni, and I have launched a new podcast, Surviving Creativity, which discusses the challenges of making a living as a creative professional. And don’t forget the podcast I record with my sons Alex (12) and Max (9) during our drive to school. That podcast, “Hey Comics — Kids!”, discusses comics, movies and video games from the perspective of kids and their parents.

All in all, these last 15 years have been chock-full of excitement for a guy who’s only real dream was to draw cartoons for a living.

As I do every year around this time, I want to extend my heartfelt thank-you for helping to support that dream. Whether it’s by buying a book or an eComic, coming out to see me at a comic convention, supporting me on Patreon — or just by being here to read my comics — you’ve been a crucial part of this whole thing. Thank you!

* …and counting

Merry Christmas! Here’s a gift.

If you’re a fan of Webcomics Weekly, here’s a little Christmas gift for you. This is the fourth (and final) episode of the popular podcast that is brought to you by the campaign to fund my book, The Webcomics Handbook. In it, Dave Kellett, Kris Straub and Brad Guigar look back on the year that was — and make plans for next year. Plus we debate which is the better crowdfunding option — Kickstarter or Patreon. That turns into a discussion of the effects of doing the same comic for more than a decade. New projects are beckoning… but how to return the call? Finally, we wonder aloud… Have we become the old men we used to laugh about? The answer ain’t pretty.

You can listen to Webcomics Weekly using the player above…

…on the Webcomics Weekly Libsyn site…

…or download it on iTunes.

Coloring Evil Inc

I’m happysad to announce that I’m looking for a new colorist for Evil Inc.

I’m sad because Evil Inc’s original colourist, Ed Ryzowski, has been an integral part of my comic for seven years. His work has been nothing short of routinely amazing.

I’m happy because Ed is moving on to do exciting, rewarding work — a creator-owned property (Season of the S.H.A.R.K.S.) that has tons of potential. And if working on Evil Inc helped to speed along that process, then I’m extremely proud to see him launch something like this.

So, starting in January, I’m going to be looking for a new colorist for Evil Inc. If you’re interested, you can scroll down. But first, allow me a little nostalgia.

Ed Ryzowski

Our story starts in January 2008. During a recording of  Episode 22 of the Webcomics Weekly podcast, each of us expressed how we’d love to see our comics in color — although none of us felt we had the extra time (nor, in some cases, the expertise) to do it well.

Shortly, after that episode aired, I recieved an e-mail from Ed Ryzowski offering to color the strips. He was looking to establish himself as a comics colorist, and working on a daily strip seemed like a good way to hone his skills quickly. We worked out a pay scale, and on February 18, 2008, Evil Inc appeared for the first time in color.

[randcomic slug=new-evil-inc-hq size=large]

Ed has been adding his masterful touch to my work every day ever since.

And, after working on my strip for a while, he started to add other credits to his name — he became the colourist for The Gutters,  Looking for Group, Captain Ultimate and others. And this month, he clinched a successful Kickstarter for his own creator-owned title, Season of the S.H.A.R.K.S.

My favorite thing about working with Ed? Besides his proficiency as a colourist and his overall professionalism, I’d have to say this: I never had to write the guy a note. He knew what had to be done, and he did it — expertly. I’d sneak a freaking deep-catalog mainstream comics cameo into a background and he’d catch it every time — nailing the colors perfectly. It wasn’t a test, mind you. Ed and I established a relationship early on in which I gave him complete ownership over the colors of my strip. (How complete? I found out that Desdemona had green hair after he colored her. And her hair’s been green ever since.) If he had chosen different colors for that background cameo, I’d have been just as happy. It was like an unspoken game that we played. And Ed never lost. Take this for example…

[randcomic slug=with-this-ring-green-lantern-3 size=large]

Anybody could have spotted Sinestro and Romat Ru (Tomar-Re’s fellow Xudarian). But Ed nailed the Lyssa Drak cameo in the background. That’s a sign of a dedicated comics colourist.

Or a misspent childhood.

Or both. 🙂

My only complain about Ed? I always run out of superlatives when I try to describe him.

The new Evil Inc colorist

I realize it’s short notice. And I’m perfectly comfortable with the fact that some (or all) of January’s strips may appear at first in black-and-white on the site. I didn’t want to announce this during Ed’s Kickstarter for fear of stealing the focus away from Ed’s new project.

If you think you’re qualified to color Evil Inc, please get in touch. (You can also e-mail me using brad (at) evil-inc (dot) com.) My preference would be someone who is familiar with preparing images for print publication (since the comics appear in newspapers as well as the printed graphic novels). This is a paid position.

Evil Inc 2015 Calendar

The new Evil Inc 2015 calendar is now available! This 14-month wall calendar features some of the best moments from this year’s Evil Inc comics! Since the calendar starts with December 2014, you can get yours now and start using it right away!

The page-size of the calendar is 11 x 8½ inches. So, once you’ve hung it on the wall, opened up, it will be 11 x 16 inches.

The calendar lists all major US holidays as well as special dates in Evil Inc history — like the (gulp) 10 year anniversary in February!

2015 calendar

Season of the SHARK!

If you’re a regular reader of Evil Inc, then you’re already intimately familiar with the potent creative powers of Ed Ryzowski. He has been doing the colouring of my daily strip since waaaaay back in 2008, when he first approached me after hearing me talk about how badly I’d like to add color to my strip on an episode of Webcomics Weekly.

Well, Ed has a new project that was launched last night that you’re going to be eager to sink your teeth into. Season of the SHARK is a new creator-owned title that he’s introducing along with collaborator Jeff Dabu. I mean… just LOOK at it!

47e9a7e2fd6794f95bae4d6ee4968a33_largeGorgeous, right? And, let’s be honest, you didn’t expect any less from the likes of Ed.

So, it’s a forgone conclusion that this comic is going to be a non-stop thrill-ride for your eyes. And you’re going to want to tell all your friends that you were on long before all the band-wagoneers.

So here’s what you do. Support their Kickstarter campaign to launch this bad boy. They’ve got some truly awesome rewards to make you glad you did. But the biggest reward is going to be your opportunity to read this tremendous comic  and support a couple of worthy creators.

Why are you still reading?

Go!

Hussian School of Art – Open House this Saturday

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As you may know, I’ve been teaching an Arts Entrepreneurship class at Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia. And starting next semester, I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be teaching a class in Sequential Arts / Comics!

If you’re doing college planning, Hussian is offering an Open House this Saturday (10-2) and I’ll be there to answer any questions you might have — about the school or about my involvement in the curriculum. I’ve done these Open House days in the past, and it’s an excellent opportunity to sit down and get a great deal of important information in a relax, unrushed setting.

Hussian offers BFA degrees in Graphic Design, Visual Communication and Digital Media. The instructors are tremendous, and the tuition is reasonable (particularly compared to other art schools).

I’ve become quite a fan of Hussian. If you have any questions and you can’t show up on Saturday, feel free to get in touch. I’ll be happy to extend any information I can.


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Halloween comics — The Real Housewives of Transylvania

No roundup of Evil Inc Halloween comics would be complete without mentioning the Real Housewives of Transylvania. This was an oddball idea that struck me during a brainstorming session one afternoon — and it turned into so much fun, I’ve done two complete storylines featuring these sexy, spooky ladies.

Real Housewives

2012-10-15-Real-Housewives-Of-TransylvaniaThe first storyline was in Oct. 2012, and it introduced readers to the sultry sextet of scary sirens.

2013-07-15

Comics-adI enjoyed it so much that I brought them back in 2013 — this time anchored by a story about the werewolf woman (Vera Wolf)  dating a younger man.

All week I will be highlighting Halloween comics from years past.

I’ll also take just a moment to tell you about my special Halloween comic that collects the best Halloween-themed stories from 13 — thirteen — years of my comics.

You’ll get spooky specials for Greystone Inn, Evil Inc and Phables — 80 pages of chuckles and chills!

And all for only $1.99 at DriveThruComics.

Patreon_textbugOR… you could support my ongoing work in comics through Patreon. It doesn’t take a huge commitment. You can become a Patreon supporter for as little as $1 a month.

But if you sign up to back me at the five dollar level, you’ll get this Halloween comic — and every past and upcoming Evil Inc monthly eComic — for FREE.

One more Halloween treat…

Inkster-mockup-nicole-2I decided to upload my Real Housewives of Transylvania illustration and make it available as a T-shirt and posters! InksterInc has a great price on T-shirts ($20), and at Redbubble, you can get the design on a wide variety of styles — from hoodies to scoop necks and V-necks (which should make the Dracula in your life very happy).

Halloween comics – Vampires

I love vampires. Always have; always will.

So it’s no surprise that the bloodsuckers have turned up more-than-occasionally in the halls of Evil Inc.

Here are a few of my favorites.

The very first week of Evil Inc

2005-06-09-Thursday1In a storyline that started alllll the way back in May of 2005, Lightning Lady, former Greystone Inn secretary, goes to Evil Inc to get a job. During the interview, she discovers (above) that the company’s Marketing Department is largely staffed by vampires.

Blood drives and other parties

Since then, the fangs have been bared at Evil Inc fairly often.

2011-03-08-Blood-drive-vampiresFor example, there was a blood drive at the office. You can probably guess who that attracted…

2010-10-18-VLADAnd, of course, there was the meeting of V.L.A.D. — the Vampire League for Anti-Defamation.

2009-07-10-breakroomAnd this standalone — one of my favorites for its subtle darkness.

Comics-adAll week I will be highlighting Halloween comics from years past.

I’ll also take just a moment to tell you about my special Halloween comic that collects the best Halloween-themed stories from 13 — thirteen — years of my comics. You’ll get spooky specials for Greystone Inn, Evil Inc and Phables — 80 pages of chuckles and chills!

And all for only $1.99 at DriveThruComics.

Patreon_textbugOR… you could support my ongoing work in comics through Patreon. It doesn’t take a huge commitment. You can become a Patreon supporter for as little as $1 a month.

But if you sign up to back me at the five dollar level, you’ll get this Halloween comic — and every past and upcoming Evil Inc monthly eComic — for FREE.

Halloween Songs for your Kids’ Party

As usual, the Guigar family is hosting its annual Halloween bash for the boys and their/our friends.  I’ve been working on priming the Evil Inc Halloween Hits Pandora channel by thumbs-upping and thumbs-downing a bunch of Halloween songs. Here is my Top-13 —thirteen! — list of the best.

10. “Dinner With Drac,” John “The Cool Ghoul” Zacherle

Philly-born John Zacherle was a TV horror-show host, and if you remember from my Greystone Inn days, I have a soft spot in my heart for those guys. This rock novelty ditty was recorded near the height of his popularity.

PNP20020314

9. “Purple People Eater,” Sheb Wooley

Few people know of the great Sheb Wooley. He was the “Weird” Al Yankovich for classic country music back in the 70s. And, like most of the breakout Country stars of that era, he had a crossover hit — “Purple People Eater.” I first got this song as part of an album called “Dumb Ditties” that our family got on (get this) 8-track tape! I never did quite figure out whether this was a People-Eater that was purple or if this was a creature that sustained itself on devouring purple people.

8. “Witch Doctor,” Dave Seville and the Chipmunks

Ooo Eee, Ooo Ah-Ah

Ting tang

Walla walla bing bang.

Ooo Eee, Ooo Ah-Ah

Ting tang

Walla walla bing bang.

The finest free verse of Ross Bagdasarian, the Fresno-born genius behind Alvin and the Chipmunks. This hit was Bagdasarian’s first experiment with altering the speed of the recording to achieve the trademark voices of his alter egos.

7. Theme from “The Munsters” and theme from “The Addams Family” (tie)

Both iconic musical intros to two fantastic, iconic TV sitcoms, I have to include these on my playlist even if most of the kids are familiar with the shows behind the tunes. Musically, the “Munsters” theme has serious earworm appeal, and I’ve yet to find a kind who didn’t want to snap along with the “Addams Family” tune.

6. “The Blob” by … Burt Bacharach?

Did you know Burt Bacharach wrote the theme song to the Steve McQueen sci-fi horror classic “The Blob”? Me neither. Recording as “The Five Blobs,” the Bacharach-led group of studio musicians performed this swanky cha-cha.

While you’re in a Blobby mood, read this classic Phable, intro-ed below…

Phables_blob

5. “Grim Grinning Ghosts”

Composed by Buddy Baker, with lyrics written by X Atencio, this is the song that ushers you through Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride. During our trip to Disneyworld last this summer my eight-year-old and I rode that ride about a dozen times. I know the words by heart.

4. “Ghostbusters”, Ray Parker Jr.

Who ya gonna call? Well, if your name is Huey Lewis, the answer is “my lawyer.” According to this law suit, Huey felt that the spooky smash hit stole from his own “I Want a New Drug.” They settled out of court. And amicably so. Lewis has stated that working through the process with “Ghostbusters” producers laid the groundwork to his working on “Back To The Future” — another 80s movie hit.

3. “Thriller” Michael Jackson

The Gloved One’s “Thriller” album made music history. The video for the song was the first music video to be selected by the Library of Congress for the National film Registry. Danceable (if not singable), this is the perfect song to crank up to drown out the din of sugared-up goblins.

2. “This is Halloween,” Danny Elfman

Let’s face it, any of the music from The Nightmare Before Christmas is going to be the perfect compliment to your Halloween party. But this one is the most upbeat and Halloween-y. And if you thumbs-up this one on your own Pandora channel, you’ll get the rest offered in your mix as well.

1. The Monster Mash, Bobby “Boris” Picket

Was there ever any question? There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the all-time best Halloween hit. Everybody knows the words and most of us can do a decent Boris Karloff impersonation to sing along. It’s a graveyard smash.

Black Tribbles podcast

285>_10021431Last night, I had the amazing experience of being a guest on the Black Tribbles podcast. If you’re familiar with the Philadelphia Geek Awards (and you should be) then you know these folks as the winners of the Streaming Project of the Year Award.

I met Len “Bat Tribble” Webb a while back when he interviewed me on the floor of Wizard World Philadelphia.

Last night, I was invited out to the G-town Radio studio, where Black Tribbles is recorded Thursday nights at 9 p.m., and got to spend two hours talking comics with three of the finest geeks in Philly — Len, Randy Green and Erik Mack.

We opened with a slate of superhero-movie news — DC’s announcement of movies through 2020 — and dissected both Gotham and Agents of SHIELD on TV. And, of course, we talked a bunch about me… including Evil Inc, the new Hey Comics — Kids! podcast I’m doing with my boys, and the Top 5 Halloween costumes I’d like to see my wife in.

Although you can catch their show live every Thursday night at nine (eastern), they release every episode (including this one) as a podcast.

Other Stuff I Do — the Guigar comics empire

Last week, the hosting for two of my other comics went toes-up, and I had to do a quick down-n-dirty WordPress site for both of them. (Don’t judge the sites too harshly if you go… it’s a work in progress!) And, as I was doing so, it occurred to me that new readers of Evil Inc may be completely unaware of some of the other things that I do (or that I’ve done) in comics. So, here’s a quick overview for anybody who is interested:

Patreon bonus comics

4ebf54bcd9285144fbbb35d5e3d73e7aMy Patreon supporters get to see bonus cartoons and other behind-the-scenes content that no one else has access to. Please consider signing up — even if it’s the $1 level. All of those dollar-pledges help me keep working on comics!

Phables

Phables ran from 2006-2008 in the Philadelphia Daily News. Each week, they’d give me a full tabloid-sized page in the paper to tell a story about everyday life in Philadelphia through a comic. Some of these were my stories, and some of them were stories that readers wrote in with.

I’m still tweaking the site, but go check out the comics. They’re bigger and crisper than I was ever able to display them back in 2006. It’s work that I’m tremendously proud of.

In 2006, it was named the best newspaper column in Philadelphia by the Society of Professional Journalists. That was kind of huge. It wasn’t awarded best cartoon or best infographic. It was acknowledged as a newspaper column — one of the posts with the highest prestige in the newsroom. In 2007, it was nominated for the Eisner Award. Here’s one of my favorites, introduced below…

2006-10-02_PhablesPen

All of the Phables cartoons are collected into a swell book that you can buy from me (or on Amazon.com).

Webcomics.com

Here’s another project I rarely talk about here. Webcomics.com is a site that I run that features daily posts offering advice, information, tutorials and support for cartoonists working on the Web. It’s a subscription site — $30 for 12 months of access or a special one-month Trial Membership for $5. I post four times a week with something new of relevance to cartoonists, and I do a dive into the archive on Fridays to bring up something valuable that members may have missed. This is an archive of information that I’ve been building day-by-day since 2009. It’s got answers to virtually any question you might have on topics that vary from the craft of cartooning to expanding your business.

Plus you get access to a private forum of serious professional cartoonists where you can talk frankly about issues — and get intelligent, valuable feedback.

The How To Make Webcomics book launched the site, and my writing there formed the basis of The Webcomics Handbook.

Courting Disaster

x2013-01-11_courting-disaster.jpg.pagespeed.ic.mMFNX00yy0Courting Disaster was another Daily News project that found its own life on the Web. When the paper started a sex-advice column, I offered to do a weekly cartoon to accompany it. They would respond to two letters from readers every week, and I’d do a cartoon based on one of them. My goal was to a smart, sexy Playboy-style cartoon — while maintaining the content restrictions of a daily newspaper.

Courting Disaster was a blast! You can still find the books for sale on Lulu.com. And the eBook can be downloaded here, at DriveThru and at Amazon.

Greystone Inn

This one is badly in need of a new Web site. Those strips hold up remarkably well, and if they were displayed bigger on that old site, I think people would tear through that archive. Greystone Inn was my first comic strip — running from Feb. 2000 – June 2005 (when I launched Evil Inc). It was a comic strip about the fictional cast and crew of… a comic strip. But, like Roger Rabbit, the cartoons were living, breathing creatures. Many Evil Inc characters, like Lightning Lady, got their start in Greystone. Heck, that’s where the Evil Inc concept was born! (And if you want to read that storyline, it’s a special bonus in this month’s Evil Inc eComic!

20031031

You can get the entire four-and-a-half-year run of Greystone Inn in a beautiful hardcover book. And you can also get your copy as a downloadable PDF for your digital device.

Podcasts

Had enough? I didn’t think so. You can also catch me on the several different podcasts I host! (and a few I don’t!)

• Webcomics Weekly: We’re not doing this regularly anymore, but in its day, this was THE webcomics podcast. Featuring Scott Kurtz, Kris Straub, Dave Kellett and me, this show was the best when we just fired up the microphones and started talking.

Surviving Creativity: Scott and I are joined by Scott’s business manager, Cory Casoni, as we talk about trying to make a living as a creative professional.

Hey Comics — Kids!: Perhaps the podcast that is closest to my heart, my sons and I started recording our drives to school. We talk video games, TV, movies, superheroes and more. If you follow the podcast, you get frequent updates — plus supplemental mini-casts from each individual kid. You can even subscribe to the show on iTunes. And if you do, be sure to rate the show and leave a friendly comment!

Ten Halloween Movies to Watch With Your Kids

Once again, my boys (12 and 8) and I have decided to make a list of Halloween movies to watch together in October. We have a bunch of old stand-bys like “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” and some that I’ve been waiting for them to be old enough to watch without getting nightmares later on. Here’s my list of the best age-appropriate* Halloween fare to watch with your kids.

10. Plan 9 From Outer Space

p94I told the boys we were going to watch one of the worst movies ever made, and man-oh-man, this one did not disappoint. From the over-the-top intro by Criswell to the wooden acting… all tied together in a knot by a meandering script with absolutely indecipherable dialogue.

This movie is so bad it’s good, and that’s why it’s perfect for a list like this. Now, being huge Dracula fans, it was worth pointing out that this was Bela Lugosi’s last film appearance. He died while it was still being filmed.

If there’s still time, we may even grab the Tim Burton epic, Ed Wood, and enjoy the backstory in all its campy goodness.

9. Hotel Transylvania

hotel-transylvania-3d-1680x1050-660x412This movie was a consistent charmer that kept both me and the boys entertained throughout. For me, it was listening to Adam Sandler ham it up with a forced Dracula impression. For the kids, it was the steady gags and fast-paced script. You could do worse — especially if your kids are younger.

8. Young Frankenstein

The boys were introduced to Mel Brooks a while ago when we watched Spaceballs together. So I was pretty confident in putting “Young Frankenstein” on. But I have to tell you, this wasn’t their favorite Brooks flick. Although there are flashes of screwball comedy (“FRAHNKensteen” and, of course “Abby Normal”)… there’s a lot about Young Frankenstein that was either too cerebral — or too mature — for my kids to grasp.

To be fair, you almost have to watch the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein to truly appreciate Brooks’ parody chops, and we hadn’t yet. Nevertheless, this was a decent Halloween choice with several standout moments.

7. Ghostbusters

The recent announcement of a new Ghostbusters movie featuring an all-female cast has brought the spotlight back on this 80s classic. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are at their hilarious peaks. The ghosts are scary, but not overwhelmingly so. And, hey, who doesn’t love that theme song?

6. Bride of Frankenstein

Halloween Movies Bride of Frankenstein

If you watch one movie on this list that you haven’t seen before, it should be this unsung classic of Universal Studios horror. It’s got comedy, tragedy, message, romance and chills.

And it’s a good chance to tell your kids the story about this woman named Mary Shelley. She, her future husband (and famous poet) Percy Shelley, Lord Byron (considered to be one of Britain’s greatest poets) and John Polidori (who is considered by some to be the creator of the vampire genre of fiction) decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror novel.

And, um, it’s pretty clear that Mary kicked their butts. (Although, I never have found out what the others put up against it.)

“Bride” starts with a fictional social gathering among the Shelleys and Byron in which they recount the wager. And the story is introduced as they convince Mary to tell them more of her stories.

The theme of the Frankenstein monster wandering the countryside searching for acceptance — and finding only revulsion and contempt — is a powerful one. The bizarre sequence in which Dr. Pretorius shows Baron Frankenstein the lilliputian people he’s created (and keeps in glass jars) will mesmerize you. And the sequence in which the Bride is brought to life has some of the most striking and beautiful photography I’ve ever seen in black-and-white movies. This movie absolutely clips along from scene to scene. And it leaves you a little spellbound at the end.

5. Monster Squad

Halloween Movies Monster SquadYou can have your Goonies. Give me the Monster Squad any day.

See… here’s the thing. We all love the Universal Studios monsters. They’re classics of American pop culture. And this movie is an absolutely wonderful tribute to those characters. Count Dracula assembles a team of the Earth’s most powerful evil monsters (including the Wolf Man, the Frankenstein monster, the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon called Gill-Man). We’re a comic-book family and that, my friends, is a comic-book premise. A group of misfit kids find the diary of Dr. VanHelsing that details how to defeat the monsters, but they’ll have to rely on their wits — and each other — if they’re going to succeed.

Now, if you do watch this movie with your kids, do me a favor and take a little bit of an active roll. Times have changed a lot. Evidently, it was OK to throw words like “faggot” around back then(?) If that ever was the case, it certainly isn’t now. And a couple other themes (like the ol’ making-fun-of-the-fat-kid trope) show the age of this flick.

Make sure you take a second to point out that that stuff isn’t OK, OK?

4. Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterwork has been the highlight of my October ever since it was first released on VHS. When I had kids, I realized that the characters and the creepy music was a little overwhelming for my little guys. But this year, they were both eager to give it a shot. And I’m happy to report that I can look forward to resuming my annual tradition of watching this flick ever October once again.

There is nothing not to like about this movie. It has a great story, excellent pacing, absolutely mesmerizing music, and captivating characters.

Here’s a tip. At one point, the denizens of Halloweentown sing “it’s our job, but we’re not mean, in this town of Halloween.” At that point, I paused the movie and pointed it out, explaining that these guys weren’t malicious… it was just their duty to come out and give everybody a good scare on Halloween. I’m telling you, that went a long way to taking out the creep factor for my younger son.

It was also a good opportunity to answer his comment, “what’s with all the singing?!” with a little discussion of the tradition of American musical theater.

3. Dracula – Dead and Loving It

Halloween Movies Leslie Nielson as Dracula

I know, I  know… the cool thing would have been to put Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein higher on this list — and probably to ignore this one completely.

But you wanna know what? This is an underrated, under-appreciated gem of a movie.

Like I said, The boys were already big fans of Mr. Brooks’ sense of humor from watching Spaceballs, so they were primed for this spoof of Bram Stoker’s classic tale. And even though I knew they’d dig the humor, I wasn’t quite prepared for how much they’d love Leslie Nielson.

But from the moment when Nielson’s “Count” smacks his lips over Renfield’s ridiculously spurting papercut (right around 11:00), they were enthralled by Neilson’s comic brilliance.

OK, it got a little inappropriate once or twice, but mostly this is a Brooks movie you can watch with your kids. (We’re still waiting for them to be old enough to see “Blazing Saddles.”) And, like “Spaceballs,” this is a Brooks film your kids are going to want to watch repeatedly.

And that’s fine with me.

2. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

“I got a rock.”

‘Nuff said.

1. (The best Halloween Movie ever): Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

This is the all-time best Halloween movie for kids, and I’ll tell you why.

First: It’s Abbott and Costello. You will not find funnier people on screen before or after these guys. They’re comedy gods among men. And you get tons of classic Bud ‘n’ Lou bits like the sliding candlestick.

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-chiiiiicccckkk!”

Second, you get a true gathering of Universal Studios  monsters by some of their most famous actors. Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr as the Wolf Man. Karloff declined playing the monster because he thought the slapstick comedy would demean horror flicks. His loss. Glen Strange did a fantastic monster.

Third, this is the only time (other than the original Dracula) that Bela reprised his famous role. I remember reading somewhere that the character that shows up in American pop culture more than any other isn’t Santa Claus or Superman. It’s Dracula. And, more often than not, it’s a characterization based on Lugosi’s Count. That makes this movie appearance an important event.

Fourth, you have a last-minute cameo (of sorts) by one of the creepiest voices of them all as the unbeatable Vincent Price voices the Invisible Man.

* Mostly. Everyone draws the line a little differently.

On sixteen years of Wedded Bliss

Reposted from my Facebook page over the weekend:

On sixteen years of Wedded Bliss…

So, last night, my wonderful in-laws took the boys on a sleepover, and Caroline and I celebrated our anniversary with a date night. She found an incredible Mexican restaurant in South Philly, Plaza Garibaldi, and we toasted 16 fantastic years over margaritas.

When I think about what I’m most thankful for, I’d have to say it’s Doctor Who on the BBC.

In 1998, I was a guy with an upwardly mobile newspaper job. I left for work wearing a tie and suspenders every day. And, sure, I worked a night shift then, but I was going to be the Assistant Graphic Editor. And, then, the Graphics Editor. And after that… who knows? But it looked pretty damn sweet.

Fast forward to Now. I go to work in jeans and a T-shirt. I call myself a cartoonist, for chrissakes. I self-publish books, sweat over stuff like shipping and Internet stats. I still work the night shift. And the day shift. And any other shift I can fit in there.

When I’ve written something I think is funny, I’m insufferable. And when that doesn’t happen, I’m worse.

And since the kids came along, we live in a frat house. My wife lives in fervent hope of getting through one meal — just one — without poop jokes. Or farts. Or fart jokes. Or a quote from Teen Titans Go. Or a round of 20 Questions — Which Marvel Villain Am I.

Life is a whirlwind of school, homework, swimming lessons, choir, judo, did-we-pay-that-bill, did you remember to schedule this, what do you want from the grocery store, and when are we gonna find time for that. It’s questions like “do you think that’s pink eye?” and “does this look like mouse poop?

And that’s why I’m thankful for Doctor Who on the BBC.

Because, if he were real… and if he showed up before she walked down the aisle 16 years ago… there’s nobody in their right mind who could fault her from stepping into the Tardis and getting the hell out. She’d still have time to build a life that would look more like the one she had in mind.

But the good Doctor is on a sound stage in Wales. And we’re here in Philadelphia. Together. Happy. Healthy. Parents of a couple of beautiful kids. And as nuts about each other as we were 16 years ago.

Maybe more.

Hey Comics — Kids! Superman vs Batman

Consider this another proof-of-concept podcast. We recorded this one on the drive to school using my new Simple Lav microphone plugged into my iPhone (running the 99¢ Audio Memos app). I tell you this because I’m hoping one of you audiophiles can help me dampen the background noise in future podcast — if we decide to keep doing these this way.

Superman vs Batman

My two sons (ages 12 and 8) take the debate beyond the lame “who would win in a fight” potboiler. We get down to the nitty gritty… which is the better superhero? And the answers they come up with are way more complex than I was prepared for.

The boys are really enjoying recording the podcast — and reading the reactions on Twitter, Facebook, etc. So if you’d like to hear them address a specific topic or if you have a show idea, please hit the comments below.

To hear the previous episodes of Hey Comics — Kids, click here. And, of course, 15 Minutes Max, where my 8yo pontificates for a quarter hour on whatever’s on his busy little mind.

Hey Comics Kids podcast logo

Hey Comics — Kids! Episode 3: Walt Disney World vacation

It’s a new episode of my boys’ podcast, “Hey Comics — Kids!” We’ve just returned from a truly phenomenal stay at Disney’s Pop Century resort, where we had a chance to take in the Walt Disney World theme parks. We hit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios — and had a freaking blast. Now that the dust has settled, I corralled the boys into the studio to get their thoughts on the best rides and attractions they experienced.

20120210220838!68_-_mr.increadableOne of the attractions that enticed both boys was Disney’s new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. It’s a deck-building game that features interactive video-gaming. You start with a deck of cards that feature magic spells based on the heroes of Disney features (Aladdin, Robin Hood, etc.), and you’re plunged into a story — told through several hidden portals to be found throughout Disney’s Magic Kindgom park. In the story, Merlin (from the Sword in the Stone*) entreats you to help him thwart Hades (Hercules), who is on a quest to capture the crystals of the Magic Kingdom. Moving from portal to portal, you face Disney villains and defeat them using the cards to cast spells. You hold up the card, a hidden camera reads it, and the video displays the appropriate spell and effect on the villain.

My two sons were entranced by Sorcerers. In fact, we canceled our one scheduled visit to Animal Kingdom so we could spend a third day in the Magic Kingdom, playing this game. My 12yo defeated the entire first level. My 8yo would have too, but his adrenaline-junkie ways kept pulling him to the rides. Both had their first real experiences with deck-building — and trading with other players.

2014-08-17 20.15.32Me, I got to ride Haunted Mansion several times. I’m a happy guy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Edited, thanks to a kind heads-up!

 

Hey Comics — Kids! Should Disney Buy DC Comics?

In the latest episode of “Hey Comics — Kids!” my two boys discuss the news that Disney is considering purchasing Time-Warner. And that, of course, means that Disney would own DC Comics. Since the House of Mouse already bought Marvel Comics back in ’09, that would bring both major comics publishers under one roof. It would open the door to crossover TV shows and movies, an increased budget for DC franchises — and maybe even a superhero-themed theme park to rank with the Star Wars park that Disney is currently imagineering.

But should they? The view from a 12yo and an 8yo might surprise you. Listen: Hey Comics — Kids! Episode 2.

 

Hey Comics — KIDS!

My younger son had so much fun with his podcast, 15 Minutes Max, that his older brother decided he wanted to give it a try. If you ever wanted to know what our 13-hour car trip to Michigan sounded like this summer, this is your chance! It’s an eight-year-old and a 12-year-old debating one of the defining questions of a generation: “Who was the best Robin?!” Listen: Hey Comics — Kids! Episode 1.

15 Minutes Max, Episode Two

Well, we had so much fun last week, we had to give it another spin. Here’s my 8 year old hosting his own podcast, talking about the top 5 Marvel Studios movies (that he’s seen). In the time remaining, he covers the best Stan Lee cameo and, like a regular chip-off-the-old-block, teases a new podcast that you’ll hear tomorrow. Listen: 15 Minutes Max, Episode 2.

Patreon — By The Numbers

Since launching my Patreon page in March, I’ve posted a metric ton of coupons, free merchandise and bonus cartoons. Here’s a quick “by-the-numbers” recap:

217

Members at the $5 level and higher have received a free copy of the Evil Inc digital comic at the beginning of every month. This monthly eComic releases all of the upcoming strips for the month in one, tablet-friendly PDF — a total of six eComics since March. Including bonus content, that’s a total of 217 pages of comics!

19

I’ve posted nineteen bonus cartoons since June. This includes three prototype strips from a spin-off to Evil Inc that I’ve been considering.

Here’s one of the more recent bonus cartoons:

ash8

Members at different pledge levels have received a total of eight offers for free merchandise* including free copies of the Tales from the Con comic book; digital copies of Evil Inc Annual Report volumes 1, 2 and 3; a poster (Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Supervillains); The Complete Greystone Inn (digital edition); Courting Disaster Vol. 4 (digital edition).

* In some cases, members were asked to cover a small Shipping & Handling fee.

8

Eight pieces of original art have been awarded. (In some cases, the recipients are in the process of choosing their art.)

7

I’ve posted seven sketches and/or scans from my sketchbook. These have included special sneak previews of upcoming strips with the lettering removed to avoid spoilers.

2

In cases in which I offered free merchandise to higher tiers, I made sure backers at lower tiers got a discount on the same merchandise. This has happened twice, so far.

All in all, I’m super proud of what my backers are getting in return for supporting my work through Patreon. And for as little as one dollar a month, you can help me build that support even further — and get some really cool stuff in the process.

15 Minutes Max

I took my two boys to see Guardians of the Galaxy over the weekend. Needless to say, we all loved it.

So last night, while we were driving home from taking one of my 8yo’s friends home at the end of a playdate, I did something I always toyed with. I hit the record button on my iPhone while my younger son pontificated on the movie.

It was a phenomenal conversation. When we got home, I realized that my phone’s battery had died. All we recorded was the first 12 seconds.

So, we were hanging out at the house today, and I decided to sit the kid in front of a proper microphone and record the conversation right.

Here’s the result. A 15-minute mini-podcast I’m tentatively titling 15 Minutes Max: Enjoy (mp3)

In case you missed me in Philly…

A number of the items that were at my table during Philadelphia Comic Con are now in my online store.

Screen Shot 2014-06-23 at 7.57.21 AMFor example, if you want a signed copy of one of the issues of the Philadelphia Daily News that featured my superhero illustration on the front page (as well as on the cover for the special section they produced to cover the event). You’ll also see the half-page ad touting my appearance there. And if you ever wondered what Evil Inc looks like on a newspaper comics page, you’ll get that, too.

And the “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Supervillains” poster is now available online. If you’re a Patreon backer, you can get this for free (just cover shipping).

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PowerGirl_1Finally, I did a convention sketch of Power Girl that I’m really proud of. I was using it as an example of a commissioned sketch during the show, but forgot to offer it for sale on Sunday. It’s on eBay right now, with a very low Buy It Now price.

Unshelved covers The Webcomics Handbook

Although I was sharing many thank-yous yesterday, I wanted to save this one for its own post.

Last week, the popular comic Unshelved, by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, reviewed my new webcomics tutorial, The Webcomics Handbook on their site.

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You can read the entire thing at their site.

Needless to say, getting such warm praise by people whose work I respect a great deal is the best kind of honor I could hope for. Thanks, guys!

A lot of thank-yous

First of all, thank you so much to everybody who supported the Kickstarter campaign for the eighth Evil Inc book! We unlocked some awesome Stretch Goals — including free Tales from The Con comics, Guigar Laugh ringtones and a 416-page PDF of The Complete Greystone Inn. I’m finishing up illustrations for the book, doing last-minute edits and compiling the List of Supporters. Then it’s off to the printer! So thank you for your support — whether it was a pledge or simply spreading the word on social media!

Screen Shot 2014-06-23 at 7.57.21 AMAlso, I want to thank everyone who came out to see me at Philadelphia Comic Con. It was a tremendous four-day show, and it was great to be able to reconnect with many of my Philly-based readers. I have a few extras from that show — including signed copies of the issue of the Philadelphia Daily News which features my illustration on both the front cover and the cover of the special section promoting the event. I’ll put those up on my store later this week if you’d like a copy for yourself.

Screen Shot 2014-06-23 at 7.57.40 AMI also want to thank everyone who came out to one of my three panel discussions. We had a raucous panel to kick-off the series, with some really fine webcartoonists representing the field — Christian Patchell, Jason Thomas, Dawn Griffin and Chris Flick. They displayed a wide breadth of approaches to independent publishing on the Web, and I know everyone who showed up to that panel left a little wiser and a lot inspired. Hopefully the same can be said of the people who attended my other two solo panels — Webcomics Start-Up and Patreon Primer.

I want to include a special thank-you to Wizard World’s Director of Programming Christopher Jansen, who has supported my doing these panels for a long time. If you’ve ever been to a Wizard convention, you know that their programming is world-class Awesome. If you’re like me, the programming is a major deciding factor in attending a convention. That being said, your attending a Wizard show was a direct result of the Herculean effort that Chris and his dedicated crew exert at — count ’em — 18 shows per year. That’s more than once a month. It’s mind-boggling.

Finally, I want to thank the kind Evil Inc henchpeople who helped me out at my booth this year — Jonah, Jeffrey, Tara, Jeff, Dianna and Isabelle. During the show, if you were handed an iPad queued up with the Evil Inc monthly comic, that was the Littlest Henchman, and he was indispensable. When he wasn’t assisting sales, his persistent “Shouldn’t you be drawing more?” kept me on-task where my Commission List was concerned.

 

 

Webcomics Start-Up

Wizard-World-Philly-LogoIf you’re coming out to Philadelphia Comic Con today — and you’re interested in starting-up a webcomic (or improving the one you already started), you’re going to want to attend my panel:

Webcomics Star-Up
Saturday
1:30-2:15PM
Room 105

Webcomics_Handbook_GumroadI’m going to demystify the process of setting up a webcomics Web site. We’ll walk through all the steps you’ll need to get a basic site up and running. Then, I’m going to go through 10 ways you can make your webcomics better — right now. In other words, these are ten mistakes I see constantly in reviews, consultations and critiques. Chances are, you fall into one of the categories. The good news is that the fixes are easy, and the results are significant.

Plus, one lucky person attending the panel is going  to get a free copy of my new book, The Webcomics Handbook. This sequel to How To Make Webcomics covers webcomics — art, business and beyond — from the top down.

I’ll have copies for sale at my booth, #734, in the softcover AND the limited-edition hardcovers that aren’t sold in stores or online.

 

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Plus… if you stop by my booth, you can check out my Evil Inc graphic novels, the Pahbles collection and more…

Comics Consultation

As I’ve done in the past, I’ll take a small number of scheduled consultation sessions. This is similar to the Skype sessions that I offer. In fact, I’ll have you use the very same online form to pay for and schedule the session. You will receive a complimentary copy of The Webcomics Handbook (the limited-edition hardcover that sells for $50) when you show up for your consultation. Once you’ve signed up, I’ll get in touch and we’ll schedule the best time for you to come over for your one-on-one consultation. I usually host these sessions at my booth — since we’ll have a little elbow room there — but I’m more than happy to accommodate any special requests you might have.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Original Art

I’ll have a bunch of Evil Inc originals on hand as well. If you have a favorite strip, please drop me a line and let me know so I can have it available for you to look at. These originals are done with black archival ink on heavy bristol board, and the blue pencil sketch is still visible under the final art. They really do look good when people mat-and-frame them. Many an outhouse wall have been significantly spruced, I’m telling ya.

Commissions

If you’ve seen me at conventions, you know the deal. You can get on my commission list at the show and I’ll do a personalized piece of art just for you. $20 for a single figure (little or no background), and $40 for a completed piece. However, if you buy a book, I’ll do a headshot sketch inside the book at no charge whatsoever.

Panels

I’ll be hosting one more tremendous panel on Sunday…

Patreon Primer
Sunday, June 22
3:00-3:45PM
Room 109

Patreon has become the most significant force in comics crowdfunding since Kickstarter. Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar leads a guide to using Patreon successfully to fund your comics business.

Two Days Left

The Kickstarter campaign for the eighth Evil Inc graphic novel will be over in two days. That means that you have a very limited time to preorder the new book, get some great rewards and support this comic in a big way — all at the same time!

The book itself is going to be awesome. It’s clocking in at about 128 full-color pages. I’ve been feverishly finishing the extra never-before-seen panels to polish up the graphic-novelized presentation of the strip. It’s really gonna be great. If you’ve never seen one of my graphic novels, it’s more than a collection of the strips — it’s an entirely new reading experience. Scroll down this page for a little introduction to what I’m doing.

Rewards!

Let’s not forget the rewards. Each pledge level comes packed with its own rewards — digital downloads of this book and previous ones, original art, discounted pricing on packages — but the simple act of participating in this Kickstarter brings additional goodies!

For example, all of my backers are going to get my ridiculous laugh as a ringtone. And if we cross the $15K mark, I’ve got something extra special that you can’t get anywhere else — a complete beginning-to-end collection of my previous webcomic, Greystone Inn. Much of what you like about Evil Inc was initially created, experimented with, and developed in Greystone Inn. This DRM-free PDF is a 416-page collection of the entire run. PLUS it has a special 30-page introduction that shows some rare comics from my high school, college and pre-webcomics years. Here’s a little sample PDF of what you can expect from The Complete Greystone Inn.

AND, at the $15K mark, all backers who are eligible for physical rewards will get a free signed copy of the Tales from the Con comic book. This is a collection of comics that I wrote (illustrated by the mighty Chris Giarrusso) that lampoon comic conventions, fans and culture. It’s a great read, and if you’ve ever thrown a convention lanyard around your neck, you’re bound so find some stuff in there that hit ya.

EIv8_Kickstarter_stretch-goals-2

How can you get involved?

If you haven’t pledged to support the comic and get excellent rewards in return, click this link and go see what you’re eligible to receive. If you have pledged, jump on your social media (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.) and give me a shout-out! There’s no advertising as powerful as that, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

Philadelphia Comic Con

Wizard-World-Philly-LogoIt’s hard to believe, but the kids are almost out of school and Philadelphia Comic Con is just around the corner! It kicks off Thursday, June 19, and goes through Sunday, June 22. That’s the weekend after this one!

As you may have noticed, I’ve cut waaaaay back on my convention appearances. Aside from Emerald City Comicon in Seattle and (possibly) Baltimore Comic Con, this is the only convention I have on my schedule at this point.

If you’re coming out to the show, here’s how you can find me. I’ll be directly across from one of my all-time heroes, Neal Adams!

WizWorld_Phila_map_2014_detail

The good news is that I’ve got a ton of great stuff lined up for that weekend — books, panels, consultation opportunities, and more!

Books

Webcomics_Handbook_GumroadUnfortunately, the eighth Evil Inc graphic novel will not be available in time for the show (in fact, the Kickstarter to fund the book will be wrapping up right around the start of the convention). However, this is a great chance to pick up my new tutorial, The Webcomics Handbook. In fact, you can get your hands on one of the limited-edition hardcovers that aren’t available in stores or online.

Either way, it’s a great opportunity to pick up a book that covers webcomics — art, business and beyond — from the top down.

And, of course, if you don’t have the earlier Evil Inc graphic novels, this is a good time to pick them up, have me sign ’em and do a personalized sketch for you.

I’ll also have copies of some of my other books there — like Phables, a collection of comics about everyday life in Philadelphia.

Original Art

I’ll have a bunch of Evil Inc originals on hand as well. If you have a favorite strip, please drop me a line and let me know so I can have it available for you to look at. These originals are done with black archival ink on heavy bristol board, and the blue pencil sketch is still visible under the final art. They really do look good when people mat-and-frame them. Many an outhouse wall have been significantly spruced, I’m telling ya.

Commissions

If you’ve seen me at conventions, you know the deal. You can get on my commission list at the show and I’ll do a personalized piece of art just for you. $20 for a single figure (little or no background), and $40 for a completed piece. However, if you buy a book, I’ll do a headshot sketch inside the book at no charge whatsoever.

Comics Consultation

As I’ve done in the past, I’ll take a small number of scheduled consultation sessions. This is similar to the Skype sessions that I offer. In fact, I’ll have you use the very same online form to pay for and schedule the session. You will receive a complimentary copy of The Webcomics Handbook (the limited-edition hardcover that sells for $50) when you show up for your consultation. Once you’ve signed up, I’ll get in touch and we’ll schedule the best time for you to come over for your one-on-one consultation. I usually host these sessions at my booth — since we’ll have a little elbow room there — but I’m more than happy to accommodate any special requests you might have.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Panels

I’ll be hosting three tremendous panels during the convention.

Webcomics Roundtable
Friday, June 20
5:30-6:15PM
Room 109

The world of webcomics has undergone its biggest upheaval since its inception. From the new ComiXology app to Net Neutrality, from Kickstarter to Patreon, there’s an awful lot to keep track of. Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar gathers a roundtable of webcomics notables to talk about these questions and much much more!

Webcomics 101
Saturday,June 21
1:30-2:15PM
Room 105

Wanna start a webcomic? Sure. We all do. But where to start. Brad Guigar, author of “The Webcomics Handbook,” — the popular sequel to “How To Make Webcomics” — takes you on a step-by-step tutorial of setting up a site, using social media for promotion, and making money from your work.

Patreon Primer
Sunday, June 22
3:00-3:45PM
Room 109

Patreon has become the most significant force in comics crowdfunding since Kickstarter. Webcomics veteran Brad Guigar leads a guide to using Patreon successfully to fund your comics business.

Stretch goal announced!

I’ve announced the first Stretch Goal for the 8th Evil Inc graphic novel! The best part about it is this — you don’t need to spend a dime to help us push past this goal! Every tweet, share, like, Tumblr post, etc. gets us that much closer! So warm those clicking fingers up, henchpeople!
Stretch_01

If we cross $11K, all of the backers for the new Evil Inc graphic novel will get free Guigar laugh ringtones! PLUS all backers who earned original art will be able to pick the strip they want (based on availability).

Two of the ringtones are pulled directly from the infamous “Laugh Track” episode of Webcomics Weekly in which a computer glitch caused my laugh to loop infinitely — nearly killing co-hosts Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub. These ringtones can be easily downloaded to iPhones and Android smartphones.

If you haven’t signed up to support this graphic novel, you’ve only got a few more days, so go over to the site, check out all of the cool swag you could get, and help us reach this goal!

Godzilla!

With all of the Godzilla-mania sweeping the nation this past couple weeks, I wanted to share a little of my Godzilla fandom with you.

The first is an infographic I did for the Philadelphia Daily News back in ’99. It’s badly in need of update by now, but it’s still pretty cool.

Click on the thumbnail below for a full-size, readable PDF:

Godzilla_2

And, from my first comic-strip series, Greystone Inn, here’s a weeklong Godzilla storyline:

Click on the thumbnail below for a full-size, readable PDF:

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13_2

13_3

13_4

13_5

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I seem to remember doing a comic that featured a who group of Godzilla kaiju in a roast setting, but I’ll be darned if I can find it! If you remember it, too, maybe you could give me a shout!

EIv8_cover-KS_bug

Patreon news

Earlier this month, I launched a Patreon page for this comic. It’s a way for me to offer cool rewards to the people who support my work on this comic.

The response has been great, and I want to keep that ball rolling by reminding you of some cool opportunities — a few of which won’t be offered after a few days.

Free copies of all the 2013 Evil Inc Monthly eComics

 Up through April 30, everyone who signs up to be a Patreon supporter of Evil Inc will get access to download all of the 2013 Evil Inc eComics. This is a great way to read the daily comic on your tablet. And it includes all of the monthly bonus material, too.

More original art

Originally, the plan was to offer a monthly lottery for original art (your choice — based on availability), but it’s been such a popular feature that I decided to make it a weekly lottery for original art! That’s for anybody who pledges at the $20/month (or more) level! (Pssst… now’s the time to join… your odds are very good!) I pull the winner’s name during the live video hangout (available at the $10/month and higher levels).

More free stuff

At and above the $20 level, you get a free copy of any new Evil Inc merchandise. I realize that the Tales From The Con that I write for Emerald City Comicon isn’t Evil Inc merchandise, but I got my hands on a bunch of copies of the exclusive variant-cover edition of the comic book that collects the first batch of those comics in print, so I made sure my Patreon backers at those levels got coupon codes to get their copies for free! All they have to do is cover shipping!

More Evil Inc content

I’m working on crushing the bugs on this, but my plan is to turn that weekly Evil Inc hangout into a weekly podcast/vidcast. I want to do a kind of weekly talk show featuring my readers/supporters. Sign up at the $10 level (or higher) and help shape this thing. I think it could be loads of fun. Plus, if you’re doing something cool on the Web, we’ll even plug it!

More visibility

Patreon-LeagueSpeaking of people doing cool things on the Web, be sure to check out the $50 level. At that level, you’ll get a special button at the top of this blog that identifies you as a Patreon supporter of the highest degree — and links to your own site/social media/etc. (based on approval, of course). At the right is a quick look at how it’s going to be positioned on the site.

Buy “Stripped” today!

feature-posterMy friends Dave Kellett and Fred Schroeder have an event today (no foolin’), and I want you to participate. Go to http://www.strippedfilm.com/ for details, but here are the highlights:

We’re going to do a big push to tell people to make their purchase today. We want to give this movie a big push to get it wide recognition. We’re going to try to get as much notoriety for the movie as possible by making it #1 on iTunes. And we can do it if we act together. Here’s the link to get it from iTunes.

Here’s the first five minutes of the film.

Folks, Kellett and Schroeder have made what will undoubtedly become the finest documentary on the art of cartooning ever. This goes waaaaaaay beyond “Print vs. Web.” This is a sensitive, moving, endearing, warm all-encompassing look at cartooning from several different perspectives. Heck, I’m even in it! It shows people who couldn’t possibly have anything at all in common all telling remarkably similar stories about their passion for the craft. It talks about the very nature of creativity. It talks about thunderous successes and heartbreaking failures.

But mostly, it talks about cartoonists and their burning need to make comics.

But, listen… don’t take my word for it. All you need to know is this: Bill Watterson drew his first public cartoon since the last Calvin and Hobbes to promote this movie. Can you imagine how many offers he’s had in all those (almost 20) years?! — how many good causes… fun projects… deserving people? He quietly said no to them.

And he said Yes to “Stripped.”

If that doesn’t make you ache to own this film, then I got nothing.

You’re going to watch this movie once and then sit there in quiet awe as the credits roll.

And then you’re going to listen to it over and over and over in the background as you pencil or ink or sketch or wash dishes or… well, you get the point.

This movie goes beyond good… it’s important.

You’ll never look at your drawing board / Cintiq / sketchbook the same again.

Support Evil Inc on Patreon!

In case you don’t follow me on Twitter (or if you haven’t Liked the Facebook page for Evil Inc), you may have missed that I helped launch the first-ever Patreon-exclusive podcast, Surviving Creativity, with Scott Kurtz and business manager Cory Casoni. In fact, we just uploaded our second episode and it’s a doozy.

Patreon-backer-panelIn our first episode, we spoke with Patreon creator Jack Conte. And hearing him speak so passionately about this project made me want to jump in and see if I could apply what he was talking about to my own comic.

So here’s the deal. First off, absolutely nothing is changing about Evil Inc. I’ll still be doing a daily comic strip, and you’ll still be able to read it at evil-inc.com.

But, now you’ll be able to sign up to support the comic directly through Patreon.

It works like this: You set a pledge level, and every month I create daily comics, your account is charged at the amount you set. You can even set a cap amount to ensure you never get charged for more than what you expect.*

Patreon-bonusAnd the more you pledge, the more rewards you’ll receive. Here’s a breakdown:

  • $1/month: Cool backers-only activity feed with behind-the-scenes photos, work in progress and coupon codes.
  • $5/month: Everything above PLUS a free subscription to the monthly Evil Inc digital comic.
  • $10/month: Everything above PLUS access to a weekly, exclusive hour-long video hangout.
  • $20/month: Everything above PLUS you get entered to win a monthly raffle for the original art to an Evil Inc comic strip — your choice, based on availability! AND every time I print a new graphic novel, you get one free (plus shipping charges outside the U.S.).

Sound interesting? Go sign up now!

This is a work in progress so if you want higher reward levels — or is you have any ideas for cool rewards, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

—–

* The Pledge Cap is really for creators who don’t do daily content. For example, at Surviving Creativity, our backers are charged every time we post a new podcast. It’s a weekly show but we could conceivable post more than that. Your donation cap would prevent you from getting charged more than you’re comfortable with in that scenario.

 

Brad Guigar — a stand-up guy?

plus2logoWell, after my sophomore attempt at stand-up comedy (you can hear it detailed on this episode of Plus-Two Comedy), I finally steeled myself for another trip to the microphone. And since I didn’t stink too badly, I’m happy to share it with you.

This was a nice event — put on by a couple of really excellent comedians. It was a comedy showcase stage in the back of a gaming room at Jester’s Playhouse, an awesome comic shop in Northfield, N.J. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling mix-up, there was a gaming event taking place in the same room that caused a constant background murmur throughout the show. That wasn’t optimal. And the audience was… intimate. But the comedians were top-notch, and the experience was one that I’d gladly do all over again.

So here it is, an expanded 10-minute monologue from Your Favorite Cartoonist. If you’re a longtime reader of Courting Disaster and/or Tales from the Con, you just might hear some familiar phrases.

 

Emerald City Comicon!

emerald_city_logoI can’t remember being this excited about prepping for a comic convention in a long time! Emerald City Comicon (in Seattle) kicks off at the end of the month (March 28-30) and there’s going to be a lot of stuff going on. Here’s a handy PDF to print out and bring with you. It will lead you to all the cool stuff.

First and foremost, I get to spend the weekend with a guy I consider to be my brother, Scott Kurtz. Any chance I get to hang out with him is a reason to be happy, and I’m going to be sharing a table with him and Tavis Maiden. Tavis’ recently launched Tenko King is destined to become your Next Favorite Thing. We’re going to be at Booth 1320.

Emerald City Comicon has gotten huge, so here’s what you wanna do: Once you walk into the main entrance, continue straight on. Take a moment to tip your cap to Dave Kellett at Booth 112 along the way and express your excitement over his upcoming webcomics documentary, Stripped. Then keep walking towards the Sky Bridge over Pike Street. Keep walking straight in until you hit Artist’s Alley and then hang a hard left turn. We’ll be there, waiting patiently for you, at Booth 1320. We’ll be right between What Pumpkin and the awesome folks from Periscope Studios (and directly behind the National Cartoonist Society).

TFTC_year1_cover_directAnother reason I’m so excited is that I’ll have two brand new things for you to peruse. The first is the brand-new Tales from the Con comic book, collecting the series of weekly comics written by me and illustrated by the formidable Chris Giarrusso. This is a series that looks at comic conventions, comic culture and comics fans. And let’s face it, anything drawn by Chris is gonna be terrific.

You can pick up your copy at the Emerald City Comicon Merchandise Booth (over by the South Lobby).

Then bring it over so I can commend you on your good taste and sign it for you. Then take it to Chris in Artist’s Alley (Table HH-09) and get his sexy scrawl. Finally, if you can manage to flag down Emerald City’s head honcho Jim Demonakos, you’ll score the trifecta. This whole thing was his brainchild.

Webcomics_Handbook_GumroadThe other reason I’m excited is that I get to show off The Webcomics Handbook for the first time anywhere! I’m super-proud of this book, and I can’t wait to get it into as many hands as possible. Plus, I will have a small supply of the limited-edition hardcover versions of the book. Those won’t be available for sale anywhere other than personal appearances. You either have to be a Kickstarter supporter or you have to catch me in person to snag one of these.

Finally, I’m doing to panel discussions that should be lots of fun. They are:

Challenge of the Super Friends
Room: HALL B (608-609)
Time: 12:10PM – 1:00PM

Gregg Schigiel hosts as his comics pro friends Jay Faerber, Chris Giarusso, Maris Wicks, Joe Quinones and me play a series of superhero-centric games — “Alphabet Superheroes”, “Name that Story Arc”, & “Super Suit Celebrity” – and 1 lucky audience member wins prizes! Expect laughs, fun & superhero talk! ALL-AGES

and…

History of Webcomics
Room: HALL C (610)
Time: 4:20PM – 5:10PM

The art form of webcomics is now twenty years old, and has gone through many changes. Some creators have been around long enough to see them all. In this panel, we’ll discuss the different platforms and revenue streams we’ve explored during these decades. What’s worked and what hasn’t? Find out in this informative panel including Shaenon Garrity, Phil Foglio, Bill Holbrook and me.

Whew. That’s a lot to look forward to. Plus I’ll have Evil Inc graphic novels, some great original art, I’ll open up a commissions list… we’re going to do it all. Just me and you. Together.

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14 years and counting…

Today marks 14 years of my doing a daily comic strip on the Web — and the beginning of the second full year since I left my day job to fulfill my lifelong goal of being a full-time professional cartoonist.

I couldn’t be more thrilled than I am today. It’s been an amazing year.

And I couldn’t have done it without you. It may not seem like much, but every time you visit my site, you help contribute to advertising revenue that helps keep my family afloat. I’ve come to really rely on that advertising revenue over the past year, and I want you to know — I really appreciate that you come here for a few minutes every day. Your support means the world to me.

So, thank you.

I’ve got some exciting things planned for this year. Stick around!

On the event of my ten-year anniversary, I wrote a seven-part series about my personal history in webcomics. If you’re interested, It starts here.

Custom LEGO minifig kit

Custom LEGO minifig kit
This is our custom LEGO minifig kit. It includes a clear gloss primer (to help the paint adhere to the plastic figures), acrylic paint, a paint well, small brushes, and several minifig parts I found on eBay. I also included a soldering stand to help with the detail work.

So, my younger son turns eight this week. He’s been after me for a while to help him make custom LEGO minifigures for the characters that are unavailable from LEGO (or hard to find). This is what I came up with.

I found out that I could buy a bunch of random LEGO minifig parts on eBay for a really good price. So bought a bunch of heads, torsos, hands, arms and legs. Then, I picked up some acrylic paint, a paint well and some small brushes. I’m using a clear paint primer to try to get the acrylic to stick to the plastic (and then protect it when it’s dry). I organized them in a crafter’s box with adjustable compartments.

Finally, since I have no illusions as to who’s going to be working alongside him during this, I picked up a soldering stand. It’s a weighted stand with a magnifying glass, a small LED light, and two adjutable alligator clips. I figure this will make it easier to hold the small parts steady while we paint those teeny tiny details.

I don’t think we’re going to give Evil Inc arch-henchman David Oakes a run for his money anytime soon, but I’m really looking forward to the time I get to spend with my kid letting out imaginations run wild. I’ll be sure to post some of the results here as soon as we get our first attempts done.

Handmade D&D invitations

My wife and I are rarely “crafty” people, but when the mood hits us, we can really do some cool stuff. And the mood hit us last weekend.

As I’ve shared in the past, a fellow geek-dad and me have started a D&D campaign among our sons — all under the age of 11. He’s the DM, and I’m a character, playing along with the boys. We’ve had a lot of fun sharing our love for the game with the kids — and they’ve really taken to it.

So when one of the friends of my 11yo said that he wanted a D&D starter set for his birthday, we decided to do not only that, but invite him to our regular D&D group. And that’s where it all started… with my wife saying, “Y’know, we could fake-age some paper with tea and then make the invitation look all archaic and junk.”

And we were off to the races. We stained some drawing paper, and then we dried it on a sheet of tin foil with a hair dryer. Then I did a little fake calligraphy and burned the edges to make it look like it had a run-in with a dragon. We sealed with with candle wax. Next we faux-distressed some more paper to act as wrapping paper, wrapped the book up and assembled the entire gift which included all of this plus some dice and a dice bag.

We were both pretty proud of how it turned out.

Plus-2 Comedy podcast

A few weeks back,  I was invited to be a guest on the Plus-2 Comedy podcast. What made the invitation particularly attractive was the fact that Plus-2 is recorded in front of a live audience. Better yet, the live audience is at a tremendous comic shop, Jester’s Playhouse, in Northfield, NJ.

As I expected, the drive out to Northfield was well worth it. The podcast was fantastic. We talked about Thor 2, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, Dragonball Z, and my sometimes-successful brushes with stand-up comedy. They guys are very good behind a microphone, and it was a real treat to do a show with them. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Professor Guigar…? Brad Guigar to teach Arts Entrepreneurship at Hussian School of Art

Bourse Building
The Hussian School of Art is located on the second floor of Philadelphia’s historic Bourse Building.

When I transitioned to full-time cartooning in April of 2012, I mentioned that one of the things I wanted to do that I didn’t previously have the time to pursue was teaching at the college level. Eighteen months later, I have some very good news to share.

In January, I will be teaching a senior-level course on Arts Entrepreneurship at Hussian School of Art. Located in Philadelphia’s historic Bourse Building, Hussian is a private vocational school for graphic design and commercial art.

For a long time now, I’ve argued (sometimes loudly on Webcomics Weekly) that art schools need to do a better job of preparing their students for the Real World they’re being thrust into. And that means an overwhelming probability of freelance work and running a small business centered around one’s craft — not the studio jobs and staff positions that were prevalent decades ago. In short, it’s not enough to teach a student to draw or design. To really serve the students, an art school needs to teach them entrepreneurship.

Now I get to back up those words with action. And I’m super excited to have the chance to do exactly that at Hussian.Hussian School of Art

Gumroad presents a look inside the Guigar studio

As some of you know, I recently launched a new how-to book, The Webcomics Handbook, which I released in digital edition through Gumroad. (The print edition will hit shelves early next year!)

Recently, Gumroad’s Travis Nichols, on his way through Philadelphia, stopped by the Guigar studio for a brief chat. He’s posted the video on the Gumroad Blog, which features footage from inside my studio of me talking about my favorite subjects: Me, webcomics, and me.

Enjoy!

TV Horror Hosts… for the geezer-impaired

In Friday’s post, I referenced a topic — TV Horror Hosts — that I was told some of you weren’t familiar with. I guess I’m getting old…

For you non-geezer-types… back in the day, they used to have late-night TV shows that would present re-runs of old sci-fi or horror movies. This American pop-culture craze was spawned in 1957, when Screen Gems released a bunch of old Universal Studios horror movies to  television stations and encouraged the concept of having hosts for the presentations.

As the concept evolved, these TV horror hosts would begin doing short sketches and bits as “bumpers” to the TV commercials. Pretty soon, people were tuning in to watch the hosts — not so much the movies these characters were hosting.

And keep in mind, this was the Golden Age of TV. Pre cable. So every major media market had its own TV horror host. For example, in Cleveland, it was the cult-favorite Ghoulardi…

… and there was Philly’s own Roland, who morphed into Zacherle. (He took his show to a national audience as Zacherley at WABC-TV in New York)…

The very first TV horror host was Vampira. You remember her from her role in the Ed Wood classic, Plan 9 from Outer Space.

…and her spiritual successor, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark…

For The Munsters star, “Grampa” Al Lewis, it was a chance to revive (resurrect?) his career…

And who could forget the brilliant send-up of TV horror hosts by Joe Flaherty as SCTV’s Count Floyd. “Ooooh! That’s scarey!”

Me? I was a faithful fan of Commander USA’s Groovy Movies in the 1980s. He is one of my all-time favorite TV Horror hosts.

In fact, the starburst design on Commander Heroic’s costume — heck, the name itself — is a direct homage to the good Commander.

A few of the classic horror hosts have tried to reproduce their early success by self-broadcasting on the Web. (Sound familiar webcomics fans?) I’m not sure how successful they’ve been, but I do know that pop culture’s cyclical nature promises a return… someday… somehow. So in true 1950s sci-fi fashion, I’ll just wrap this up like so:

THE END . . . ?

Halloween in Manayunk — and a sci fi/horror double feature

Los bros Guigar, in a pre-trick-or-treat photo session at Grandma's house. Notice the 11yo's Method-Acting aherence to the "no-arms-for-Creepers" aspect of his character.
Los bros Guigar, in a pre-trick-or-treat photo session at Grandma’s house. Notice the 11yo’s Method-Acting aherence to the “no-arms-for-Creepers” aspect of his character.

Since the in-laws moved to Manayunk, I’ve kinda fallen in love with its Main Street district. With cool bars like Kildare’s Irish Pub and awesome eateries like Han Dynasty, Laxmi’s Indian Grille and (who am I kidding) Whirled Peace… there’s always a reason to walk to Main Street.

So when my in-laws invited us to bring the kids down to Halloween in Manayunk, I jumped at the chance. The kids got a ton of early Halloween candy, and I got a trip to Kildares. That’s called a win-win, if you’re scoring at home.

Plus, the boys got their first taste of cosplay glory, as they were repeatedly complimented and stopped for photos in their Minecraft gear. A bunch of the downtown merchants were offering candy to kids who stopped in, and although I was too distracted by the festivities, there was a nice-sized flea market going on towards the end of the street.

We missed the Zombie Thriller Dance-Off in favor of a much needed lunch. Then it was back to the in-laws’ apartment for a movie marathon (while my wife had a well-deserved Moms’ Night Out to see “Emma” at the Lantern Theater).

She says you should go. It was very good, and they’re holding it over for another week.

Me, I was more than happy to drink red wine with my in-laws and watch “It Came From Outer Space” and a lesser known Karloff creeper, “Isle of Death.” (Especially since a particularly cold weather forecast made us chicken out on “The Blob” at the Eakins Oval pop-up drive-in theater the day before.)

It Came From Outer Space” delivered everything it promised: Campy 50s sci-fi thrills, movie-with-a-message chills… and the Professor from Gilligan’s Island(!) This was based on a Ray Bradbury story. When it was optioned by Universal, the studio wanted the aliens to be portrayed as malicious, but Bradbury wanted them to be benign. He offered to write to version and let the studio pick — with the caveat that if Universal picked the “benign” version, Bradbury would stay on to write the screenplay (his first attempt at writing for a movie). Unfortunately, the studio took the treatment and hired Harry Essex to do the final screenplay.

“Isle of Death,” on the other hand, promised vampires, but instead delivered a steely performance by a curly-haired(!) Boris Karloff and a psychological thriller/suspense drama. It examines the conflict between religion and science in the context of a group of strangers under an unplanned quarantine caused by a plague outbreak. But no bloodsuckers. Oh, sure, there was a woman buried before she was quite dead, and a mass of murders and painful deaths, but it certainly wasn’t the kind of horror flick we’d anticipated. Nonetheless, you get to see Karloff flex his formidable acting muscles. And perhaps better yet, it offers a vibrant, young Alan Napier (who you know better as Alfred the butler in the 60s Batman TV series).

Comic Chameleon

Comic ChameleonGreat news for those of you who like to read Evil Inc on your mobile device: You can now get Your Favorite Strip on the Comic Chameleon app!

Here’s why this is important news.

As you may know, this comic is my full-time job. And as such, I have to be very careful of the revenue that’s created from people reading the strip. If you read it on my Web site, I’m getting paid through the ads that appear on the site. If you download the monthly comic book, I get paid directly through that transaction. If you buy a book… well, you get the picture.

There are several “comic readers,” sites and apps that swipe my comic from the RSS feed and deliver it to their readers — and sometimes these folks run ads on their sites (which get traffic by using my work).

Comic Chameleon is one of the few apps that offers a revenue share to the creators of the comics it runs on its service. In other words, they’re one of the Good Guys. And if you read comics by app, you should be using an app like Comic Chameleon — which you can get as a free download from the App Store.

And here’s another reason to love Comic Chameleon: The reading experience on a small screen is excellent. It’s a panel-by-panel interface that plays perfectly for a strip like mine. It’s just a great way to read comics on a smartphone. Oh… and you’ll find some of the very best webcomics on the app as well — Chainsawsuit, Girls With Slingshots… the whole nine yards.

I would humbly ask that  you’d only read Evil Inc through approved sites and apps.  It’s really the only way we webcartoonists have to compete. Every last reader counts. So do your part. Be a conscientious consumer.

And for my part of the bargain, I promise to continue to bring you a site that updates consistently with engaging storylines, good art, fun discussion and an interesting blog. The bad puns I throw in for free.

Comic Chameleon screens

Eakins Oval Pop-Up Drive-In Theater

Awesome Fest's Drive-In Theater
The pop-up drive-in movie theater screen. (That’s the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the background.)

Here’s yet another reason why I freaking love Philadelphia: The Eakins Oval Pop-Up Drive-In Theater.

So here’s the deal: Eakins Oval is a traffic circle on the northeast end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. And, usually, it’s a pretty busy thoroughfare. It’s right in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the steps of which were the setting for one of the training montages in “Rocky”). It’s also a small park area anchored by the gorgeous Washington Monument fountain. The southeast portion of the oval is a parking lot (which is good to know if you plan on visiting the museum. This is what it usually looks like (as seen from the Art Museum steps.

This fall, The Awesome Fest arranged to take over Eakins Oval and convert it to a drive-in movie theater on a series of Friday nights. Double-features are planned, and high-end food trucks come in to handle concessions. They even have the Philly Roller Girls roller derby team doing car-service concessions. Tickets are $20 apiece if you come by car, but lawn-seating is free.

Last Friday night, the double-feature was “King Kong vs. Godzilla” and “Pacific Rim.” The former holds a soft spot in my heart as a childhood favorite, and all of us were looking forward to seeing the latter for the first time.

We walked to the Oval with out lawn chairs and blankets, bought some hot chocolate and tater tots from the Tot Cart, and settled in for the movie. Awesome Fest’s Josh Goldbloom came out to welcome the sizeable crowd with the brief introduction to the drive-in movie theater concept itself, as well as a short talk-up on both movies.

Then a guy dressed as Godzilla came from behind the movie screen and fought with a guy dressed as an ape.

Eakins_Drive_in_3
You’ve got to love an organization that plans pre-movie entertainment like this.

Then, “King Kong vs Godzilla” flickered to life on the screen. I’ve seen this dozens of times, but it was a special thrill to watch it in this setting with my two boys. This is definitely a movie-watching experience that is enhanced by watching it as pert of an audience. Kids thrilled at Godzilla’s first on-screen appearance, and adults guffawed at the unintentional campiness that lies at the heart of the movie’s charm.

And “Pacific Rim”? All four of us were captivated by that one. We hadn’t seen it yet, and that movie had us riveted from the very first scene. It just came out on DVD and Blu Ray, and I strongly recommend it. The female lead () was particularly noticeable as a rare occurrence in action flicks — a character that has integral importance in the story, rather than being eye candy. The plot was tight. The action sequences were unbelievably well done, and the moments of comic relief were added at just the right moment (and in just the right doses).

It was well past midnight by the time the Guigars walked home — chattering all the way about the movies and what a great experience it was to see them together on the lawn of Eakins Oval on a brisk October night.

Awesome Fest has several more Friday nights lined up (shows start at 7:30 p.m.):

• October 25: Grease & The Blob
• November 1: The Car & Christine
• November 8: Arachnophobia & Big Ass Spider!
• November 22: Planes, Trains & Automobiles & Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

… and all because a group of creative Philadelphians looked at Eakins Oval and said “what if…”

On furloughs and clutter

No one — no one — is happier than I am to see our federal employees going back to work this week.

As some of you know, my wife was one of those furloughed as our nation’s “leaders” whipped out their genitals and reached for their rulers.

She was off work for about two-and-a-half weeks.

On the first day home, she took her nervous energy and cleaned-and-decluttered the boys’ bedroom.

On the next day, she tackled our bedroom.

By the end of the week, she had cleaned and decluttered every room in the house.

Last weekend we attacked the basement. Now it’s cleaner and holds less junk than it did on the day we moved into the house.

On Tuesday, I came home and she had gone from cleaning rooms to something she called “deep-cleaning.” There was a new mop in the corner.

“That’s for walls only,” she glowered, “…only.”

I’m not sure what “deep clean” is, but I’m pretty sure it involves me not being able to find a god-damned thing.

I asked her — tentatively — what was next on her list, and she really didn’t have an answer for me.

But she kept looking at me… with a strange look in her eye… for the rest of the evening.

So there’s no one.

No. One.

Happier to see the federal government employees go back to work than I am.

 

Top Ten Halloween Movies for Kids

My boys (11 and 7) and I have decided to make a list of Halloween-related movies to watch together in October. We have a bunch of old stand-bys like “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” and some that I’ve been waiting for them to be old enough to watch without getting nightmares later on (like “Nosferatu“). Here’s my list of the best age-appropriate* Halloween fare to watch with your kids.

10. Dracula

Bela_Lugosi

OK, we didn’t make it all the way through this one. But I really wanted to expose my kids to two things with this movie.

First, there was a time when we’d take our time telling a story. And this movie is an excellent example of that concept. You really get a feel for how our instant-gratification society has influenced storytelling when you watch a flick like this that luxuriates in things like mood and building suspense.

Second, I wanted them to know about this guy named Bela Lugosi – how the Hungarian came to America to be an actor and wanted it so bad that he learned his lines phonetically because he hadn’t learned English yet. I told them how he was so great as Dracula on the Broadway stage that Universal tapped him to play the part in the movies. And I told them about how he turned down the role of the Frankenstein monster (my boys know better than to call the monster “Frankenstein” — that’s the name of the scientist, not the monster) because it was all “make-up and grunting.”

9. Nosferatu

NosferatuAgain, we didn’t make it all the way through this film, but I wanted the boys to see a classic silent movie — to know what that kind of storytelling was like. And, of equal importance, I wanted them to see one of the creepiest screen vampires of all time, Max Schreck.

8. Young Frankenstein

The boys were introduced to Mel Brooks a while ago when we watched Spaceballs together. So I was pretty confident in putting “Young Frankenstein” on. But I have to tell you, this wasn’t their favorite Brooks flick. Although there are flashes of screwball comedy (“FRAHNKensteen” and, of course “Abby Normal”)… there’s a lot about Young Frankenstein that was either too cerebral — or too mature — for my kids to grasp.

To be fair, you almost have to watch the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein to truly appreciate Brooks’ parody chops, and we hadn’t yet. Nevertheless, this was a decent Halloween choice with several standout moments.

7. Ghostbusters

The absolute apex of Big 80s comedy charm. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are at their hilarious peaks. The ghosts are scary, but not overwhelmingly so. And, hey, who doesn’t love that theme song?

6. Bride of Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein

If you watch one movie on this list that you haven’t seen before, it should be this unsung classic of Universal Studios horror. It’s got comedy, tragedy, message, romance and chills.

And it’s a good chance to tell your kids the story about this woman named Mary Shelley. She, her future husband (and famous poet) Percy Shelley, Lord Byron (considered to be one of Britain’s greatest poets) and John Polidori (who is considered by some to be the creator of the vampire genre of fiction) decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror novel.

And, um, it’s pretty clear that Mary kicked their butts. (Although, I never have found out what the others put up against it.)

“Bride” starts with a fictional social gathering among the Shelleys and Byron in which they recount the wager. And the story is introduced as they convince Mary to tell them more of her stories.

The theme of the Frankenstein monster wandering the countryside searching for acceptance — and finding only revulsion and contempt — is a powerful one. The bizarre sequence in which Dr. Pretorius shows Baron Frankenstein the lilliputian people he’s created (and keeps in glass jars) will mesmerize you. And the sequence in which the Bride is brought to life has some of the most striking and beautiful photography I’ve ever seen in black-and-white movies. This movie absolutely clips along from scene to scene. And it leaves you a little spellbound at the end.

5. Monster Squad

gimage.phpYou can have your Goonies. Give me the Monster Squad any day.

See… here’s the thing. We all love the Universal Studios monsters. They’re classics of American pop culture. And this movie is an absolutely wonderful tribute to those characters. Count Dracula assembles a team of the Earth’s most powerful evil monsters (including the Wolf Man, the Frankenstein monster, the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon called Gill-Man). We’re a comic-book family and that, my friends, is a comic-book premise. A group of misfit kids find the diary of Dr. VanHelsing that details how to defeat the monsters, but they’ll have to rely on their wits — and each other — if they’re going to succeed.

Now, if you do watch this movie with your kids, do me a favor and take a little bit of an active roll. Times have changed a lot. Evidently, it was OK to throw words like “faggot” around back then. If that ever was the case, it certainly isn’t now. And a couple other themes (like the old making fun of the fat kid trope) show the age of this flick. Make sure you take a second to point that out, OK?

4. Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterwork has been the highlight of my October ever since it was first released on VHS. When I had kids, I realized that the characters and the creepy music was a little overwhelming for my little guys. But this year, they were both eager to give it a shot. And I’m happy to report that I can look forward to resuming my annual tradition of watching this flick ever October once again.

There is nothing not to like about this movie. It has a great story, excellent pacing, absolutely mesmerizing music, and captivating characters.

Here’s a tip. At one point, the denizens of Halloweentown sing “it’s our job, but we’re not mean, in this town of Halloween.” At that point, I paused the movie and pointed it out, explaining that these guys weren’t malicious… it was just their duty to come out and give everybody a good scare on Halloween. I’m telling you, that went a long way to taking out the creep factor for my younger son.

It was also a good opportunity to answer his comment, “what’s with all the singing?!” with a little discussion of the tradition of American musical theater.

3. Dracula – Dead and Loving It

Leslie Nielson as Dracula

I know, I  know… the cool thing would have been to put Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein higher on this list — and probably to ignore this one completely.

But you wanna know what? This is an underrated, under-appreciated gem of a movie. 

Like I said, The boys were already big fans of Mr. Brooks’ sense of humor from watching Spaceballs, so they were primed for this spoof of Bram Stoker’s classic tale. And even though I knew they’d dig the humor, I wasn’t quite prepared for how much they’d love Leslie Nielson.

But from the moment when Nielson’s “Count” smacks his lips over Renfield’s ridiculously spurting papercut (right around 11:00), they were enthralled by Neilson’s comic brilliance.

OK, it got a little inappropriate once or twice, but mostly this is a Brooks movie you can watch with your kids. (We’re still waiting for them to be old enough to see “Blazing Saddles.”) And, like “Spaceballs,” this is a Brooks film your kids are going to want to watch repeatedly.

And that’s fine with me.

2. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

“I got a rock.”

‘Nuff said.

1. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

This is the all-time best Halloween movie for kids, and I’ll tell you why.

First: It’s Abbott and Costello. You will not find funnier people on screen before or after these guys. They’re comedy gods among men. And you get tons of classic Bud ‘n’ Lou bits like the sliding candlestick.

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-chiiiiicccckkk!”

Second, you get a true gathering of Universal Studios  monsters by some of their most famous actors. Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr as the Wolf Man. Karloff declined playing the monster because he thought the slapstick comedy would demean horror flicks. His loss. Glen Strange did a fantastic monster.

Third, this is the only time (other than the original Dracula) that Bela reprised his famous role. I remember reading somewhere that the character that shows up in American pop culture more than any other isn’t Santa Claus or Superman. It’s Dracula. And, more often than not, it’s a characterization based on Lugosi’s Count. That makes this movie appearance an important event.

Fourth, you have a last-minute cameo (of sorts) by one of the creepiest voices of them all as the unbeatable Vincent Price voices the Invisible Man.

* Mostly. Everyone draws the line a little differently.