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Websites

Creating comics

annals_of_autobiographix
"Join us on our adventure as we dive into researching women creators of comics"
autobiographix.substack.com/p/resolutions-for-comics-lovers

ArtCave (Toronto-based)
"run by professional artists, and certified educators with many years of experience in visual arts and education. Our focus is progressive arts education and community building through art; aiming to create and foster a kind of studio based learning, thinking, and creative freedom in a safe and inclusive environment."

They offer comics classes for kids!

Comics Workshops Archives at The Believer
Wonderful recorded workshops from a variety of creators hosted by the Believer! Started in April 2020, with "Make a Quaranzine with Malaka Gharib"

Blambot
Resources on comics scripting and lettering, logo design, comics grammar and tradition, as well as FREE fonts for Indie cartoonists and non-profits.

Blind Comics Resources
A growing list of resources on comics for blind readers compiled by cartoonist Nick Sousanis

Canadian Comics Publishers
A comprehensive list we've curated on our blog!

The Center for Cartoon Studies' Individual Comics Exercises
"This section contains a list of short exercises. This material has been contributed by various cartoonists and educators. All items are available in printer-friendly adobe .PDF format."

Comic Art Ed!
"Comic Art Ed! is an educational website resource dedicated to bringing comic books into the visual arts classroom. There you will find scholarship work and a reading recommendation list, with more to come!"

Comic Book Script Archive
"Largest collection of pro comic book scripts on the web"
A free educational resource for those interested in comic book scripting. May serve as a resource for blind comics readers as well.

Comic Creator DB
"This a home where Comic Creators can find other Creators.  Writers, Artists, Letterers, Colorists and Editors.  When you create a profile you just share as much info as you want so that other creators can contact you.  Share links to websites or other social media so that other creators can see what you're all about."

The Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund
"was founded in 1987 to raise money for the defense of a Calgary, Alberta comic shop whose owners were charged with selling obscene materials. The CLLDF has since been maintained on an ad hoc basis to provide financial relief for Canadian comics retailers, publishers, professionals, or readers whose right to free speech has been infringed by civil authorities. Largely dormant since the early 1990s, the CLLDF is reforming to provide support for this case, and reorganizing to ensure that help will be readily available for future cases involving Canadian citizens or authorities."

Cartoon Time
"I teach group comics classes virtually and in-person to artists of all ages, locations, and levels, and currently run the youth cartooning program at The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Read below to see some of my offerings for Spring and Summer 2022." - Cartoonist Daryl Seitchik

Comix Launch Pro
Includes resources for crowdfunding comics projects such as vendor recommendations, management tools, fulfillment and shipping resources. Also, Comix Counsel has some resources for small press and creating comics.

Crash Comics
"an intro to mini-comic and zine making for the beginner. It talks about basics like paper, printing types, binding, file set up and also talks briefly about setting up a webcomic. Very DIY focused and meant as a springboard for anyone interested to know how to ask the right questions to make what they want, and has further reading suggestions in the back. A list of zine fairs and comic shows useful to Ontario/South Quebec folks also included!"

Creator Advisor
"Our aim here is to help creators connect with other creators on paid comic book projects. If you’re working in the comic book industry, you can use Creator Advisor to sign up to our database to be considered for any paid projects that you may be a fit for. If you’re a creator looking to hire someone for a project, you can request assistance in finding the right candidate."

Creator Resources
A site dedicated to providing comic book freelancers with as much information about the industry as possible.

The Definitive List of Comic Publisher Submission Guidelines for 2019
"So you want to break into comics but are unsure how and where to submit? Well, you’ve landed on the right page. This latest 2019 update of all of the comic publisher submission guidelines."

Drawing the Inside Out with comics artist Georgia Webber
"Courses to explore creativity and knowing the self through comics."
"When and how we choose to declare ourselves to the world is hard to control in life, but in art, we hold all the power. For those struggling to know themselves, and to feel their own agency and creativity, comics are a powerful tool for reflection, enjoyment, community, and self-discovery. This four-week course offers a range of creative experiences, skills for self-discovery, and tools for making comics."

Gail Simone's ComicsSchool
"#ComicsSchool was started by Professor Gail Simone to help anybody who wanted to write a comic. In her own words: There are a bunch of fantastic books on the techniques of making comics. You should get them. But I wanted to present something that was a little more like the EXPERIENCE we get as freelancers."

 

Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies for Cartoonists
"Hey comic-makers! Looking for funding or short/long term studio space to help you make your comics? I put together a list of grants, fellowships, and residencies with an established, positive track record for accepting cartoonists!" Compiled by cartoonist Melanie Gillman

Hero Initiative
"The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit creators with more than $1 million worth of much-needed aid, fueled by your contributions! It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment."

How Comics Work
Illustrated by Ojibwe comics creator Alice RL. How Comics Work walks students through the basic terms and concepts of comics studies in order to encourage discussion of how This Place works as a visual-verbal text.

The Ins an Outs of Webcomics by Jey Pawlik
As a final art deliverable for their CCOL writing residency, Jey Pawlik has created a wonderful comic to guide you through the ins and outs of creating webcomics. We have made it available as a free pdf you can download on our website.

Literary Agents Who Represent Graphic Novels
Curated by artist and writer Niki Smith

Learn to Draw Cartoons with the (now public domain) ‘Famous Artist Cartoon Course’ Textbook
by Mike O'Brien

Litebox
"illuminating the labor struggles of commercial artists"
Cover and page rate data for artists as well as resources for creating

 

Love Love Hill Resources for Printing Comics

Make a Comic Kickstarter
"Starting a Kickstarter can be scary if you've never done it before and there are a lot of things to consider that you probably don't know about even now! I'm here to make that easier by making you a tailored video to help catch the eye of your readers with smooth motion graphics, crips sound, and eye catching editing using your work and provided footage."

Noah Van Sciver YouTube comics videos
"The video channel of Noah Van Sciver; cartoonist, illustrator, graphic novelist, award and accolade collector." Features really great interviews with cartoonists and insight into making comics.

New York Comics & Picture-story Symposium
"A weekly symposium for artist/writers working in various text-image forms: comics, picture-stories, animation, etc. at which to present and critique current work. The symposium will examine new ideas for the distribution of print and electronic work that move beyond the existing models of publishing and advertising. We will re-examine the relationship between readers and autographic writers. Emphasis will be placed on self-initiated work and the development of a self-sustaining economic model for such work. The symposium will offer an ongoing place to learn and think about the traditions and future of text-image work." All events are free and open to the public.
WordPress

PanelxPanel and Strip Panel Naked
PanelxPanel is "the Eisner Award-winning monthly digital magazine celebrating the comics medium. 100+ pages of deep-dive interviews, craft discussion and essays on the very best comics." (by subscription on gumroad)
Strip Panel Naked is a YouTube channel with resources on creating comics that works to break comics down and analyze the work that's gone into them. Both resources are edited/created by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Paper Cat Press
"a curated collection of opportunities for animators, illustrators, comic creators, and writers. Paper Cat Press is run by Leanna C., a comic artist and illustrator who enjoys sharing opportunities and encouraging creators. You can support her work by joining the Paper Cat Patreonor buying her a coffee."

Prism Comics
"Prism Comics is the leading non-profit, all-volunteer organization supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and LGBTQIA-friendly comic books, comics professionals, readers and educators. In the 80’s and 90’s LGBT comics and creators were often marginalized. In 2003 a small group of comics fans and professionals gathered together to form Prism Comics – an organization and website where LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly comics creators could network and share their comics and readers could find works that spoke directly to their experiences and lives."

Rent-A-Critic!
"Rob Clough has been a critic, editor, and programming organizer for nearly twenty years in the world of comics. Beginning with Savant, he has written for Cicada, Your Chicken Enemy, Sequart, Foxing Quarterly, Poopsheet Foundation, Looper, The Comics Journal, TCJ.com, Sequential, SOLRAD, Studygroup Magazine, and many others. He has been writing for his own High-Low blog since 2009". You can "rent" his services for editing, career advice, portfolio reviews, and criticism!

Resources for creating comics by Jim Zub
Many helpful tutorial resources created by cartoonist Jim Zub including writing, pacing, scripting, dialogue, action, pitching comics, rates, and so much more!

Sequential Artists Workshop
(YouTube videos)
"The Sequential Artists Workshop is a grassroots, non-profit comics school and creative community. We teach people how to tell stories and make comics in Gainesville, Florida, USA… and around the world via our online courses and resources."

Story Planet (Toronto-based)
"is a non profit organization dedicated to amplifying voices and improving literacy skills through non-traditional creative learning experiences with children and youth in under-resourced schools and communities."

Story Planet also runs a workshop focused on "drawing, writing, and sharing our stories through the medium of comics. Beginner-focused and facilitated by a professional comic artist, participants learn the basics of visual communication, and how to tell a story through pictures."

Summer Cartoon Club and Cartoon Collective with Daryl Seitchik
CCS’s Summer Cartoon Club is all the fun of our Saturday Cartoon Club, plus summer, multiplied by five! If you’re at least 9 years old and want to spend a week or two drawing comics. The Summer Cartoon Collective is designed to reach developing middle and high school cartoonists who find themselves falling between our Cartoon Club and College-aged programs. Both online classes are led by none other than CCS’s Daryl Seitchik, whose work has been featured in The New Yorker and nominated for the Eisner and Ignatz awards, Daryl leads students through a week of cartooning theory with a focus on narrative and illustration.

 

Teaching resources by Jillian Tamaki
Wonderful resources on topics such as sketchbooking, generating ideas, zine making, and kids cartooning workshops! If you are a teacher, you can use the concepts, but remember to credit Jillian Tamaki.

Tips for Mom and Dad: How to Read Comics with Kids
"Kids LOVE comics. The details in the pictures make them want to read the words. Comics beg for repeated readings and let both emerging and reluctant readers enjoy stories with a rich vocabulary. TOON Books, the first high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up, are vetted by educators and leveled to be just right for beginning readers. Pick up a Level OneLevel Two, or Level Three book today. Here are the top ten tips for reading comics with kids..."

You, Me and Comic Art Therapy with art therapist and comic artist Chantal Fraizinger
"My practice is client-centred, using techniques and theories which suit each individual's specific journey, rooted in an inclusive, anti-oppressive and anti-racist perspective. My approach is grounded in self-empathetic listening and the art-making process, not on art technique, as the primary channel to self-awareness and transformation. In conjunction with the art-making process, I employ comic art therapy which combines theories and techniques from narrative therapy and visual journaling. Although my practice has focused primarily on grief, bereavement, depression and emotional regulation, I have an overall desire to work with any individual across this diverse and expansive globe to bring about holistic healing through art therapy and/or comic art therapy."

Comics news

Comic Book Coverage: Press List
"One of the many areas we’re trying to help creators understand better is the marketing and PR side of things, which is often their responsibility to handle."

 

 

Doug Wright Awards
"founded in May 2005 as a means of casting light on the wide range of cartoonists and comic artists working across Canada...named after Doug Wright (1917-1983) a cartoonist whose strip Doug Wrights Family (also known as Nipper) ran for more than 30 years across Canada and several other countries."

The Joe Shuster Awards
Canadian Comics Awards, News, & Links

 

 

Rogues Portal
"an entertainment website to cover all your geeky interests. The Rogues Portal team is here to tell you all about what’s out there in the geek world with reviews, podcasts, columns and more. Our content is written by fans, for fans."

Sequential
Canadian comix news and culture. "Sequential exists to give Canadian creators and the Canadian comics industry a stronger independent voice in the greater North American market. Creators of Sequential Magazine.

True North Country Comics
Goal to "promote Canadian comic book creators and supporters so that in turn I can pass along some of my discoveries."Includes a calendar of upcoming Canadian comics events.

 

Writing on comics, journalism, and culture

Broken Frontier
Broken Frontier is a web-magazine which publishes news, interviews, and essays about the comic book industry, with a focus on the British small press scene. It was founded by Editor-in-Chief Frederik Hautain in 2002. In 2017 the site came under the ownership of long-term contributor and Editor-in-Chief Andy Oliver.

The Comics Journal
"An American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels."

The Comics Reporter
Tom Spurgeon's Web site of comics news, reviews, interviews and commentary

Graphic Policy
"Where comic books and politics meet."

High-Low
 "This is the blog of comics critic Rob Clough, who also has a column of the same name over at The Comics Journal website (TCJ.com)."

The Mary Sue
Promotes and celebrates diversity and women’s representation in geek culture, comic book movies, genre television, space exploration, emerging technologies, the coolest video games, and the weirdest finds on the internet.

The Nib
"The Nib is a daily comics publication that is part of First Look Media. We run political cartoons, journalism, essays and memoir about what is going down in the world, all in comics form, the best medium."

Ryan C's Four Color Apocolypse
 "is creating a psychogeographic map of modern culture (popular & otherwise)." Comics and pop-culture review site.

Sequential State
Independent comics criticism, interviews, reviews, and commentary

Soda and Telepaths
"Entertainment website complete with a Fortnightly Podcast, Video Channel and Daily Articles on Pop Culture."

Solrad
"comics journalism hub on the web, focused on original content ranging from comics criticism, original comics, essays, interviews, and the promotion of small-press events and releases."

A Tribe Called Geek
A Tribe Called Geek is an award-winning media platform for Indigenous Geek Culture and STEM.

Women Write About Comics
"Eisner Award-nominated online journal that employs a diverse group of intersectional, international feminists to provide an equally diverse insight into the world of comic book culture and the comic book industry at large."

Your Chicken Enemy
A Site Dedicated to Small Press and Self-Published Comics Reviews and News, run by Daniel Elkin.

Scholarship and Education

Bonn Online Bibliography of Comics Research
"The Bonn Online Bibliography of Comics Research is an international bibliographic database for scholarly literature about comics, graphic novels, manga and related fields. Not included so far (with a few exceptions) are articles from fan magazines, newspapers and blogs."

The Canadian Society for the Study of Comics
Conferences for comics scholarship.

Comic Art Ed!
"Comic Art Ed! is an educational website resource dedicated to bringing comic books into the visual arts classroom. There you will find scholarship work and a reading recommendation list, with more to come!"

Comics as Scholarship & Alternatives
"This page is a mix of Comics as scholarship, and examples of alternative scholarship more generally. Also, for general examples of comics being used as research (not specifically as scholarly theses/dissertations) please see this collection of links here."

The Comics Grid- Journal of Comics Scholarship
The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship is an open access, open peer review academic journal dedicated to comics scholarship. The journal aims to make original contributions to the field of comics studies and to advance the appreciation of graphic narrative.

The Comics Studies Society (CSS)
"An interdisciplinary society open to all who share the goals of promoting the critical study of comics, improving comics teaching, and engaging in open and ongoing conversations about the comics world."

Comics Research Bibliography
This is an international bibliography of comic books, comic strips, animation, caricature, cartoons, bandes dessinees, and related topics. We have divided the bibliography into four sections, arranged alphabetically by author, for ease of use. We welcome any additions or comments.

ComicsResearch.org
"Primarily covers book-length works about comic books and comic strips, from "fannish" histories to academic monographs, providing detailed information and guidance on further research. Each entry will include the book's Table of Contents as well as (if applicable) a list of comics works reprinted in it (and their sources, sometimes undocumented), other general notes on content and organization, ISBN numbers, and reviews--either included on these pages, listed from print sources, or linked to from on-line sources. Books in any language, about comics from any country, are included."

Graphic Medicine
Explores the interface between the medium of Comics and the discourse of Medicine. Organizers of Comics and Medicine Conferences, creators of Graphic Medicine book series. Website includes blog, podcast, and comics reviews.

The Guardians of the North: The National Superhero in Canadian Comic-Book Art
"Website is based on an archival exhibition of the same title that was originally mounted at the National Archives' Canadian Museum of Caricature in 1992. Curated by Canadian comics scholar and archivist John Bell"

Image [&] Narrative
"Image [&] Narrative is a peer-reviewed e-journal on visual narratology and word and image studies in the broadest sense of the term. It does not focus on a narrowly defined corpus or theoretical framework, but questions the mutual shaping of literary and visual cultures." (In French and English)

ImageTexT
"The objective of ImageTexT is to advance the academic study of an emerging and diverse canon of imagetexts. Chief among these are comic books, comic strips, and animations, but also represented are illustrated fiction, children's picture books, digital-concrete poetic forms, visual rhetoric, etc."

Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: An Annotated Bibliography
Comics by self-identified Indigenous creators and publishers working in Canada and the United States,

inkt l art
"
We hope to foster a community of readers and contributors who can appreciate and examine critically the medium of text & image as represented by women currently working in the field."

 

International Comic Arts Forum
Annual academic conference dedicated to promoting the scholarly study and appreciation of comic art, including comic strips, comic books, comics albums and graphic novels, magazine and newspaper cartooning, caricature, and comics in electronic media. Link is to their annual Comics Scholarship Bibliography.

International Graphic Novel and Comics Conference
2022: "This conference examines how contemporary challenges to conscience, ethics, morality, and responsibility prompt us to think about texts, examples, and representation, or to approach or rethink debates and conflicts in comics studies."

Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics
Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics covers all aspects of the graphic novel, comic strip and comic book focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. The emphasis is on the production and consumption of comics in their cultural, institutional and creative contexts.

The Journal of Popular Culture (TJPC)
"The Journal of Popular Culture (TJPC) is a peer-reviewed journal and the official publication of the Popular Culture Association. The popular culture movement was founded on the principle that the perspectives and experiences of common folk offer compelling insights into the social world."

Project GraphicBio
"This project focuses on contemporary graphic biographies (biographies in comic book form) about well-known people from all walks of life...The project includes academic and community presentations and publications, a GraphicBio book club in Fall-Winter 2016, and social media posts and discussion."

SANE journal- Sequential Art Narrative in Education
 "publishes research and practitioner-based articles covering all intersections of comics and education, from pre-k to post-secondary studies, from a variety of disciplines."

General resources

The Beguiling Library Services
If you are a librarian or educator thinking of integrating comics into your collection—  get in touch with Beguiling Library Services here!

Black Speculative Arts Movement
"a network of creatives, intellectuals, and artists representing different positions or basis of inquiry including: Afrofuturism, Astro Blackness, Afro-Surrealism, Ethno Gothic, Black Digital Humanities, Black (Afro-future female or African Centered) Science Fiction, The Black Fantastic, Magical Realism, and The Esoteric."

Black Speculative Arts Movement Canada (on Facebook)

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
A non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics medium. Website includes plenty of resources on the history of comics censorship and many tools for librarians and educators!

Comics Empower
"Online comic book shop that makes comics accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired through audio format. Comics are translated to audio in a way that gives the listeners the feeling of reading a comic book (+Blind Panels podcast!)"

Digital Comics from the Toronto Public Library
A fantastic resource for print comics as well! Be sure to check out your local public library's online catalogue for comics!

The Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table
"The Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table of the American Library Association is dedicated to supporting library staff in all aspects of engaging with graphic novels and comics, including collection development, programming, and advocacy." You can also find comics resources on their website here.

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Attributions

Website created and maintained by Rotem Diamant

Technical development & consultation by Brandon Haworth.

CCOL logo designed by Scott A. Ford.

Address

Toronto Branch
Canada Comics Open Library
267 College St 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON
M5T 1R6
Canada

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