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Increasing the gutter space will definitely be a huge help.

Also, some of the confusion /u/takvertheseawitch is talking about is due to the fact that in the first two panels, the 'camera' is pointing at one side of the characters, only for it to abruptly switch sides in the third panel. That's a big narrative no-no, as it makes it seem like the characters have suddenly swapped positions, which is quite jarring.

Also, an art question: are you able to draw traditionally and then scan in your work? Because I think it is very, very important to learn to draw with basic pencil/pen & paper before you focus entirely on digital.

Keep in mind that I love good digital art, and have a huge respect for those who are adept at it. In fact, some of my favourite comic artists of all time work all-digital (Brian Bolland being a great example). However, I believe that artists should learn to at least be able to do the basics on paper before they make the jump to digital. Some may disagree with me on that, but the vast majority of those who are great at all-digital learned their craft with analogue tools.

Basically, to use a clichéd adage: you've got to learn to walk before you can run.

Also, I highly (highly) recommend you check out the excellent Scott McCloud book, 'Understanding Comics.' It's an essential read for anyone who wants to get into drawing comics, and will help you understand a large variety of visual storytelling techniques.

Oh, and you'd also be amazed what you can learn just by reading the comic work of others. The next time you sit down to read a comic that you enjoy, pay really close attention to how the panels are laid out, how the art is done in each panel. See what works, what doesn't. Look at the page not only as a series of separate panels, but also consider the page as a whole; how do the various panels work together to create a satisfying whole? I read comics nearly every night before bed and, sometimes without even realising it, I subconsciously pick up new things that help me in my craft.

The best of luck with your work!

EDIT: Also, study Wally Wood's 22 Panels that Work and The Disney Comic Artist Tool Kit like your life depends on it.

I like well-drawn comics, but that doesn't mean they have to be intricate and detailed - just that they match the content very well. For example, I think John Campbell (Pictures for Sad Children) is great because he can get the emotion of scenes across really well with his simple drawings. (Though I equally love artists like David Hellman.)

I like funny comics as well as serious comics. I dislike comics that aren't even remotely funny (but are trying to be). I dislike comics that could have been funny, but they ruined themselves by either going on too long (Ctrl Alt Delete) or by explaining their punchline ((Ctrl Alt Delete) again).

I love comics that are consistently good, or at least only foul occasionally.

I dislike comics that are nothing but essays with pictures added. (I'm looking at you, 50% of Subnormality.) I think the comic form is a unique medium in itself and should not be treated in such a manner.

I like comics that are self-contained to a certain extent, in that either each comic is a unique situation (SMBC) or they only have particular story arcs (Dr. McNinja) and don't just go on forever with no resolution (Megatokyo). This is why, when I go to comics stores, I buy comic books (like Blankets) rather than serials (like X-Men). (There are exceptions to this rule, when a comic book is finished and the entire collection is sold as one, like Watchmen or Marvel 1602.)

I'm sure there's more, these are just my thoughts for now.

I can vouch for the following being amazing:

The Ultimates Omnibus (assuming it doesn't contain the suck that was Ultimates 3, which I don't think it does) was such an amazing story. It got butchered by the wait time, but if you have it all in one collection it is amazing. Get it cheaper though and just get this and this

Red Son was a great alternate reality comic. Well worthy of the time you put into it. A great What If... if I've ever read one.

Fables. You know what, just buy the series. The whole series. It is gold.

Y: The Last Man. Just see what I said for Fables. You can get the whole series in 10 paperback groupings. Check your local library or just steal a read at Borders if you're poor.

Bone. Wait, Bone was from the 2000's? Anyway, yes, it is amazing. The description they give doesn't match the epicness of it, but it does sum it up pretty damn well. Get it in one collective easily, or you could try for the COLORED version in individual books. It didn't make a difference for me.

When I was 11, my first graphic novel series was BONE. It gets a little darker later in the series, which goes along with the macabre, but it's never too bad. There are some great images that are fantastic examples of macabre in graphic novels, while the rest seems to be lighter. The humor is slapstick and visual, but there's some good text jokes in there too. The story is pretty easy to follow. Minimal to no harsh language, and minimal to no sexualization. The art is gorgeous, and the books are very high quality. You might want to read through it first yourself, because it is quite good.
Here's an Amazon link for the big book that has all 9 books in it. I own the individuals because I bought them as they came out in color.

Kill You? okay, how about if I kill you with these great gift ideas:


My book of cartoons on Amazon. ( eisner nominated )


Same book here, but with a free custom sketch.


My author page on Amazon for the kids in your life—some award winners and NY times bestsellers.


Happy Holidays, friend.

There's not much here that I've read that hasn't already been listed.

Taiyō Matsumoto's manga Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White was excellent, and I dare say, even better the fantastic animated adaptation.

Pretty much anything by Jamie and Gilbert Hernandez under the Love and Rockets title. I'd personally recommend the Education of Hopey Glass, but then I'm partial to Jamie's work, especially.

I'll honestly say I haven't read much of it, but I've really enjoyed what little I have read of Paul Chadwick's Concrete.

BONE. Seriously, read it.

I don't think I'm alone when I say Civil War wasn't actually that good of a story. It was kind of cool from the perspective of being a big event, but lots of characters acted out of character, and there was some characters dieing just for the sake of shock moments. Yes, it's where the next Captain America movie seems to be going, but the Avengers seem to be heading towards Guardians of the Galaxy into a Thanos: Infinity Gauntlet story.

Regardless, there's nothing that's so bad that it's not worth reading.

I'd actually recommend you check out Ultimates. As the Marvel universe has decades of convoluted history behind every word, they started a new series in 2002 sort of rebooting the core products in a fresh setting. Much of the cinematic adaptations have drawn from the Ultimates version of the characters. It's a good place to start for a new reader.

This book in particular is where I'd point you: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimates-Vol-1-Super-Human/dp/0785109609

Then you can sort of follow your nose through the other Ultimate titles.

BTW, I think I recognize your username, you might be local to me. chch nz? I might have some books I could lend you, or local libraries that carry comics to recommend.

That's awesome... I had few interesting books assigned in HS. I think Beowulf and Slaughterhouse Five were the two that I really enjoyed. I had a 20th Century Lit class in college that assigned the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus. That's a great choice for a literary graphic novel, too, if you ever seek to mix it up.

You'll probably have better luck asking at /r/comicbooks

Actually, someone asked about this very recently: http://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/20co3r/what_are_some_of_the_best_all_ages_superhero_books/

I know Bone is pretty popular for kids.

I work in cancer research, and haven't read this book but I've heard quite positive things about it. It seem to be ideally suited for an interested non-scientific audience.

Try taking a look at Scott McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' (or the more in depth 'Making Comics'). It probably covers a lot of the same things as the textbook you mentioned, only it's laid out in actual comic form. It's easy to digest, explains the importance of a lot of the different visual aspects of comics, and how they relate to the goal of telling a story.

Good luck!

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-Mccloud/dp/006097625X

hardcover 11 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches 224 pages of Robert Crumb goodness. $14.58 at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Genesis-Illustrated-R-Crumb/dp/0393061027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255995575&sr=8-1

I bought it immediately of course. If you don't know Crumb then you have a wonderful surprise waiting.

> I on't know about him but I personally can't commit to longer storylines because I think life is too short to stick with a single story for weeks or months, when you can come up with something new every other day.

I appreciate your honest comment, but I can't help but think that some - of - the - best - stories simply need a longer effort to be narrated, or you're stuck in a much more shallow world of storytelling

I heard he was working on this about two years ago, glad to know its already out, judging by the comments on Amazon its also worth the money... I'm buying it :)

Announced (hinted at?) last night on her twitter with spiders. Awesome spiders.

Edit: Link to her pre-order page on Amazon from the main website. Kind of weird that the big picture doesn't take you there.

I would certainly hope he wouldn't protest. Readings this comic makes me want to buy the complete collection.

Bone is just about my favorite graphic novel of all time, though it is not dystopian at all. More of a whimsical fantasy epic. But so so good.

If anyone wants to reach through the interwebs and give her a hug, why not pre-order her book?

Only 13 bucks, and Prime eligible! And they'll deliver it to you as soon as it comes out, so you will be the cool kid who has it first.

Go order it now. I'll wait here in this thread.

you guys should read the dark knight returns... Batman and Superman get into a pretty awesome battle

Sandman is one of the greats, although bits drift close to 'superhero' the vast majority if far, far from it. Lots of mythology, cosmic ideas, big questions, life & death, nature-of-man type stuff.

On the more personal side Blankets is an absolutely amazing coming-of-age/first love story.

And of course there's always Maus. Won a Pulitzer and oh boy did it deserve it.

I recommend the 10th Anniversary Book, because it has author commentary beneath most of the comics that really adds to the experience of reading it now that we're old enough to appreciate getting a real glimpse into the mind of Bill Watterson.

Yeah, I would guess that that one is your most popular comic, as well.

Also, I had no idea that you had a new book out. I'll have to pick it up.

Link if anyone else is interested.

Big Deadpool fan here. Almost everything I've read is amazing:

• Classic Volumes I - VI (the first is meh but it's somewhere to start)
  
• The newest series they started with him (someone mentioned Secret Invasion, that's what started this new series, so far there's 52 issues)
  
• Cable and Deadpool (which are mentioned elsewhere), there are 10 8 volumes (50 issues with this as the 8th volume)
  
• Merc with a Mouth
  
  Ones I didn't really get into:
  
  
• Deadpool MAX
  
• Teamup (didn't last very long)
  
• Deadpool Corps was alright
  
  There's obviously a few others I didn't mention but as far as I can tell, I hit all of the big ones except for a few stray issues when he's featured in other comics (like X-Force, he really doesn't have a huge role in that).
  
  Edit: Cleaned up a few things and added a new link for C&D vol. 8 (for those trying to search for volume 8).

Check out Bone, it's a classic and really fun read!
Edit - fixed link

True. But you can buy the book on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Perry-Bible-Fellowship-Almanack/dp/1593079885

This book:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-Mccloud/dp/006097625X

And the rest of the series are better!

I liked:
Watchmen
V for Vendetta both of which are by Alan Moore.
I have just started to read Hellblazer: Original Sins I am really enjoying it so far.
All of these have dark elements, Watchmen is base on superheros are illegal, V for Vendetta is about anarcky in a faciest government and Hellblazer is about John Constantine who fights demons. All of these have been made into movies with the same name exept for Hellblazer it was named Constantine.

"Dream" is part of the book "The World of Quino"

In Wikipedia: Quino

An interview: Quino, On The Funny Side Of Freedom

Website: http://www.quino.com.ar/eng-index.html

This might be a good start.

Just in case you've got a thousand hours of spare time on your hands, here's all the Calvin and Hobbes comics ever published (legal, Bill Watterson approved version)

I highly recommend this one

Make sure you get the entire series!

Sott McCloud would like to give you a hand

This one is in the bonus at the end of The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack. Along with the note :
> Still unsure about this one.


It's really one of his bests.

Just finished reading Black Glove, RIP, Final Crisis, Battle for the Cowl and Return of Bruce Wayne. These are from Return of Bruce Wayne. I dunno how big of a fan I was because of all the multi-verse stuff going on. I definitely think Joseph Loeb's books are better (Long Halloween, Dark Victory) but here is a link to amazon for Return of Bruce Wayne

I don't want to sound like a Sales Rep here but if you haven't bought the complete collection you should do so immediately.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Calvin-Hobbes-v/dp/0740748475

That's Quino (Joaquín Salvador Lavado), an Argentine cartoonist. You can find most of his books in Amazon, though mostly in Spanish (you might find about 30% "mute" cartoons in them, the rest contains dialogue). Here seems to be a compilation in English, although I don't know how good the translations are.

http://www.amazon.com/V-Vendetta-Alan-Moore/dp/140120841X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254211371&sr=8-5

This one --> Understanding Comics

http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Marvel-Universe-Fabian-Nicieza/dp/0785125248

they already did. Is it like... some sort of rehash?

http://www.amazon.com/Perry-Bible-Fellowship-Almanack/dp/1593079885/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269486400&sr=8-1

12 issues, source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen

Collected in this: http://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/0930289234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342979007&sr=8-1&keywords=watchmen

Even better

I just bought this.

Job done.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Calvin-Hobbes-v/dp/0740748475/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325109568&sr=8-1

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

About $90 from amazon-> http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Calvin-Hobbes-v/dp/0740748475

It's really more than one arc to get the whole story. It starts with Batman & Son, then The Black Glove, then Batman RIP and Final Crisis. The aftermath is The Return of Bruce Wayne and The first volumes of Batman & Robin and now Batman Inc..

Maus

Here's the book

Wikipedia's ISBN search page and Amazon's product page.

It's less expensive here, and anyway printing them out would cost WAY more in printer ink & paper.

God damn it, Amazon!

If you miss it so much why don't you just buy it?

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Far-Side-1980-1994-vol/dp/0740721135/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293553749&sr=8-2

well shit, you should have told me that before i bought YOUR BOOK on amazon.

^(also how about a doodle instead of a check? :P)