Episodes
Conventions - Part 2
Today is the 2nd part of our CONVENTIONS 2-PARTER! This time we answer common questions about participating in conventions as a webcomic creator - tabling, traveling, pricing, budgeting, and a whole lot more!
Conventions - Part 1
Hello and welcome to the Screen Tones, where we talk anything and everything webcomics! Today we’re going to be talking about these crazy events that happen sometimes when webcomic artists can meet each other and their readers…. in real life??? Wild! That’s right, we’re talking about Conventions!
Pens
Today's episode, our hosts discuss one of the many ways your comic can get done: with PENS! The gang nerds out about what the best pens are, what to look for when choosing how to ink your comic, and some fun stories from the land of digital tablet pens!
Magitek
If you’ve ever played a JRPG, you’re probably already familiar with the concept of magitech, even if this is your first time hearing the term. Magitech refers to the interesection between magic and technology. Does a fictional world have airships powered by mystic crystals linked to the deities that founded all of reality a millennia ago? Or do the people wear steampunk-looking bracelets that let them throw fire or move things with their mind? That’s magitech, baby, and we’re gonna talk about it!
Pitching
If you’ve spent time in the comics world, you’ve probably heard people talking about pitching their comics to publishers, awards, review sites, collectives, and so on. But what are pitches? And should YOU be thinking about them?
Lore
LORE! We all love it, we all have it. It’s that cool secret sauce that makes sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, or other speculative fiction so much fun to make theories about. How does this funky world you made up work? How do you keep it all consistent, and make it an interesting part of the story? Today we’re gonna talk about it!
Making Money
It’s time to talk about the dreaded subject of THE HUSTLE. These days, it seems the subject of monetization is on a lot of webcomic creators’ minds. If it’s not on yours, we envy your calm and your liberation from the oppressive weight that is modern western capitalism, and you should listen to another episode, please, you can escape the contagion, it’s not too late!!!
Plot vs Characters
You’re working on your comic and you’ve put together some sort of plan to figure out your story’s plot when suddenly: A DILEMMA! You find yourself with both a plot and characters that need to be fleshed out. How do you tackle this challenge and make your comic the best it can be? Join us as we discuss.
Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint is a art program with a lot to offer to webcomic creators. It was once known as Manga Studio before being rebranded a few years back. It’s available on Windows, Mac, and iOS, has a few different tiers with varying features available, and goes on sale very often. Today we're going to dive into what we love about this great application.
Green Tones
Something strange has come over the Screen Tones team!! They're looking pretty green in the face! I wonder what they could be discussing in this episode?
Exposition
Your comic has some cool worldbuilding lore that ties into your plot and characters in some fun ways and you’re excited to show it off to readers. But how do you explain these things without putting everything else in the story on hold? How do you use prologues, how do you explain the gods/creation myths, how do you set up the custom jargon? And how do you avoid scaring readers away with a big infodump? Let’s get into all the different techniques you can use!
Tropes
So, Tropes. The term gets a bad rap in media criticism sometimes, but a “trope” is just the word for a storytelling device or theme that recurs across multiple works. If you have a favourite kind of scene, character archetype, or relationship dynamic in storytelling, chances are many other stories out there have contained similar moments. And today we’re gonna talk about them!
Marketing
So, MARKETING. You’ve got a cool new comic, and you’ve put it online, and now all you gotta do is… get people to read it! Easy, right? ….Right?
Retcons and Reboots
Say you’re making a comic (which I assume many of you listening are), and say some time goes by after you launch, and you discover “Uh oh! I dont like X anymore” or “Oh no! This doesn’t work with the canon of the story!” What are you to do?
Reader Spaces vs. Creator Spaces
Communities take a couple forms in webcomics. Finding a community to support you on your journey as a creator is important, and sometimes they’re going to be your proofreaders, your cheerleaders, and recommend printers or conventions. There’s also the communities we make for our readers to discuss your comic and meet each other! So we’re going to be talking about those things, and where they live, and what the differences and expectations are for both!
The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/