Comic Influx

Perhaps it’s because I’m lucky enough to work nearby a great two-year school for the study of creating visual stories, the Center for Cartoon Studies, that I’ve started to notice the influx of comics and graphic novels in mainstream marketing. I’ve collected just a few examples here, but I’m seeing more and more each day:

• Random House, Macmillian and Dark Horse bring comics to our bookstores.
• Emily the Strange gets her own movie
• Bizarro and Derek Jeter share a SI cover
• Batman’s got a milk mustache & you can get in on the action
• Iron Man, Batman, Hellboy and the Hulk hit the summer big screen
• A movie, based on a graphic novel won the ‘07 Cannes Jury Prize
• The longest running sitcom in the US is a cartoon

Todays graphic designers are incorporating cartoons, comics, graphic novels and visual story telling into more and more of their work. To raise the awareness of this great pairing, and to provide an inside look into the creation and education surrounding this medium today, we’ve asked Alex Bullett, an intern at Center for Cartoon Studies, to blog about his experience attending CCS’s boot camp for cartoonists, Create Comics Summer Workshop. You’ll soon hear from Alex, in his own words, how comics and design go hand-in-hand. Questions for Alex? Leave them in the comments section below. Keep checking back, or use our RSS feed, to learn more about Alex and his day-by-day experiences when the Summer Workshop starts on June 23rd.

Create Comics Workshop!

The Center for Cartoon Studies
Create Comics Workshop

Summer 2008 • June 23-27

Back by popular demand, the Create Comics summer workshop! Considered a ‘boot camp’ for cartoonists, ideal for ages 16+, the 5-day workshop packs in the essentials for producing your own comics. This year faculty includes Steve Bissette (Taboo, Swamp Thing), Robyn Chapman (Hey, 4-Eyes!), Alec Longstreth (Phase 7), Aaron Renier (Spiral-Bound) and Jason Lutes (Berlin).

For more information and to register, visit: http://www.cartoonstudies.org