What happens when you want to tell a story that no one has ever told before in your medium?
This fall, comic strip writer Tom Batiuk will kill one of his characters in his comic strip, Funky Winkerbean. That's right, a character in the work-safe, family-safe, and some might say sanitized, world of daily comic strips, is going to die.
The Cleveland Free Times has a fascinating profile of this comic strip storyteller, who has already broken daily cartoon taboos by talking about breast cancer, high school pregnancy, and the Iraq War. His story will give any freelancer hope that someday they can support themselves by writing what they want to write.
As long as you're reading the funny pages, check out our exclusive interview with Woody Wilson, another comic strip writer who writes some of the most famous soap opera-style funnies. After that, spend some time exploring the Daily Cartoonist blog, a tremendous resource for writers of all stripes.
Read this Marshall Ramsey live-blogged cartoon process post for some inspiration. Finally, read The Comics Curmudgeon. The site is often misaligned as a comic-strip-hating, but really, it's the largest funnies-loving community site I've ever seen.
Comment Preview