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Make comics, it’s what Prince would want us to do

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I’m sitting here in my office in Chicago, thinking as to what I’m going to write about comics. I’ve been publishing comic books for over six months now, as the co-publisher at Z2 Comics. In that time I’ve met incredible artists, discussed stories and characters, gone through sleepless nights peppered with nightmares of cash flow, and had these brief, fleeting moments of joy as I held a new issue of a book we just made in my hands. I’m wondering how to describe that feeling, as it would be the core of this piece, and for some reason I’m having a hard time putting it together in my mind.

And then Prince died.

ECCC ’16: How Do Comic Books Belong in Higher Education?

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Comic books continue to reach mainstream audiences and have stretched into academia. At the Panels and Pedagogy: Teaching Comics panel, panelists aimed to help answer questions that arise about—teaching comic books, formal instruction for creators, and establishing the academic discipline of comics. Where do comic books fit in your academic life?

Wondercon’16: Chris Hardwick and Nerdist News Speak About Community and Nerdiness

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By Nicholas Eskey If you label yourself a “nerd” and wear it with pride, undoubtedly you already follow Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist News. The quick witted comedian and mega-nerd took heads the podcast driven news network for nerds with a wonderful collection of colleagues and special guests, discussing everything from the current state of all things […]

Pages, Sunny Singh and The Kickstarter Underdog: How I plan to fund my first comic

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Who am I? Nobody important. Well, as far as the Independent Comic Book scene is concerned. Go ahead. Google Sunny Singh. You won’t see a thing about Comics. Maybe some banging Punjabi music. But that’s as far as your search for me goes.

Commentary: BATMAN: The Uncomfortable Conversation

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When Heidi offered her forum to me to discuss issues of diversity, I was hesitant. I admire activism, but I’m a writer and my passion is talking storytelling and character. The opportunity made me feel unsafe, like somehow I would put storytelling in danger by raising the issue of diversity within it. I realized, during a long play session of FALLOUT 4 (my chosen tool for meditation), that my safety wasn’t at stake.

I was protecting my comfort.

Diversity is an uncomfortable conversation, especially on the internet. Writing popular fiction is kin to walking barefoot on hot coals. If you ignore the heat, you can make it to the other side. The moment you think about what’s underneath you, the flame takes you forever.

The Retailer’s View // Rebirthing Pains

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It’s been quite a while since the last edition of The Retailer’s View, and there are several reasons for that. Almost all of them can be grouped under the heading “year one of a business is tricky as hell”, though a bit can be attributed to the emotional drop I encountered at the end of […]

Elite Beat Roundtable: Is CBS’s new SUPERGIRL show hot or not?

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The Supergirl pilot that debuted last night on CBS a lot of weight on its shoulders. The show tells the story of Kara Zor-El, played by Melissa Benoist, as she escapes Superman’s shadow and comes into her own as National City’s first superhero. It is the network’s first major superhero endeavor, the first superhero show led be a solo female in more than 40 years and the pilot had a lot of ground to cover, attempting to endear characters to new viewers while also trying to re-envision elements of the mythos without alienating established comics fans. Does it succeed? The Beat is here to tell you with a hard hitting roundtable. We’ve always wanted to have one of those.

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