Thursday, April 25, 2013

STUMPTOWN COMICS FESTIVAL 2013


I'll be at the Stumptown Comics Festival this weekend, April 27th and 28th. I'll be at the booth P09. All of the standard comics from the TRADITIONAL COMICS catalog will be available, plus a few surprise extras. Swing by if your in the Pacific Northwest area.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

THE MARRA METHOD: TRADITIONAL COMICS TECHNIQUES FOR VISUAL STORYTELLING | 1. STORY IS YOUR GOD

An on-going, evolving series collecting my thoughts on the craft of telling stories through comic books. These posts do not document rules; these are the ideas passing through my mind when I'm making comic books.

R. Crumb's depiction of God

1. Story is your God

• Everything serves the story. Your choices, the tone, all decisions, structure, formal aspects, the drawing, all words, page layout, panel composition, every narrative event, everything must serve the story. It rules over everything.

• Art—or in this case, making comic books—must be your religion.

• Deliver the narrative information clearly above all else to serve the story. In the introduction to "Elements of Style" White quotes Strunk. Strunk says the reader is drowning in confusion and it's the writer's responsibility to save them with clarity.

• Anything not needed to advance the narrative should be cut.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

INTERVIEW | TINTA A BOCAJARRO

The Spanish podcast Tinta a Bocajarro recently did a mini-interview with me. I believe they talk about TRADITIONAL COMICS on their podcast. Because it's all in Spanish I'm not sure. Check out the post here. And if you can speak Spanish, listen to the podcast.

MoCCA 2013



I'll be at the MoCCA Festival this weekend, Saturday April 6th and Sunday the 7th, being held at the 69th Armory, 68 Lexington Ave. in New York City. I'll be at table A26 with a few of my Mammal Magazine Bretheren. All of the TRADITIONAL COMICS catalog—that hasn't yet sold out—will be available with a few extra surprises.