Thunder Punch Daily

Audio journals on making and teaching comics.

Thunder Punch Daily 136 – Spine Up, Spine Down

Today I share a simplified way of thinking about approaching gestures and body language in your stories. Breaking emotions into two categories and corresponding them to “spine up” and “spine down” is a slick little way to get some good acting moments out of your characters.

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Thunder Punch Daily 135 – You + Content

In an attempt to not talk about G+ in order to get links, I share a few thoughts that have occurred to me after a few weeks of using the service and watching success stories like Ryan Estrada’s experience there. You can add me to your circle by clicking here!

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Thunder Punch Daily 133 – How is Transformer Babby Formed?

Inspired by a recent Twitter conversation I had with Kasey Van Hise, today I share a few thoughts about the difference between real world logic, internal story logic, and story idea logic. Focusing too much on the minute details of the logic of details in a story (such as wondering about the necessity of gender in The Transformers franchise), can distract you from what the story is meant to convey. I suspect that it can also influence your writing, which could be good or bad, depending on what you want to achieve in your work.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Thunder Punch Daily 132 – Knitting Scenes Together

I was asked an interesting question in my Comic Book Academy class about how to figure out an order or sequence of scenes for a comics story. Today I share the answer I gave in class.

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Thunder Punch Daily 131 – Other Lives

Today I give a sort of book review of a comic I finished recently–Peter Bagge’s excellent Other Lives, published by DC’s Vertigo imprint. I break it down by plot and theme, but as you might have guessed, I also talk about how this book demonstrates the things that only comics can do.

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Thunder Punch Daily 130 – Characterizing Successful Cartoonists

Today I share a Non-List (™Rob Stenzinger) of qualities I find in most of the cartoonists you might define as “successful”. Do successful cartoonists think differently than others? If so, can we learn to think that way? Do I answer these questions in a prioritized, recipe-style manner? Can you guess the answer to that?
Links mentioned in this episode:
Gemma Bovery, by Posey Simmons
And Comics Are Great! Episode 14:

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Thunder Punch Daily 129 – Analytic Eye

Today I share an exercise I’ve used in my classrooms to help develop that “Analytic Eye” we talk about so much on the Art & Story shows. Learning how to stop and ask “how did the author [delight/terrify/disgust/amuse] me?” is a terrific skill to develop as a storyteller.

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Thunder Punch Daily 128 – Funding for Sustainability

Inspired by the latest Kickstarter campaign launched by Jamie Gambell and Jonathan Rector, I share a few thoughts I’ve been kicking around in regards to fundraising. Are services like Kickstarter and Indiegogo a new publishing platform, as Publishers Weekly suggests? Are they the one-stop panacea we’ve been waiting for? Or have they just removed yet another excuse indie creators have had not to be successful?

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Thunder Punch Daily 127 – Hunting for Tribes

Today I share a thought planted in my brain by Brandon Dayton during our time at Kids Read Comics. If you’re in a creative tribe, what is the chief taboo of your group? Are you in a tribe at all? Is a tribe worth searching for, or is the thrill of the hunt the real satisfaction of our field? I chew on these questions for a bit and share my own answers on the subject.

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