Matt Madden

Come to a free comics-drawing workshop with professional artist Matt Madden. All ages are welcome, and we'll provide the pencils, paper and guidance. Madden began his career self-publishing minicomics in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the early 1990s. His first graphic novel, Black Candy, was published by Black ... (more)Eye Books in 1998. Another graphic novel, Odds Off, was published by Highwater Books, and his periodical series of short works, A Fine Mess, are published by Gainesville company Alternative Comics.

""Drawing Words and Writing Pictures" is a course on comic creation - for college classes or for independent study - that centers on storytelling and concludes with making a finished comic. With chapters on lettering, story structure, and panel layout, the fifteen lessons offered - each complete with ... (more)homework, extra credit activities and supplementary reading suggestions - provide a solid introduction for people interested in making their own comics. Additional resources, lessons, and after-class help are available on the accompanying website, www.dw-wp.com."

---from http://semcoop.booksense.com

Drawing Words & Writing Pictures is a systematic course on that teaches the alchemical art of combining words and pictures to make comics. In it, Jessica and Matt have laid out a complete, structured syllabus that guides students from creating narrative within a single drawing to orchestrating all ... (more)the skills involved in creating a multi-page, complex story.

Life Sucks is the story of Dave Marshall. The girl he’s in love with doesn’t know he exists, he hates his job, and ever since his boss turned him into a vampire, he can’t go out in daylight without starting to charbroil. Undead life in its uncoolest incarnation yet is on display in this cinematic, supernatural drama told with gallons of humor and hemoglobin. In striking, colorful, B-movie style artwork and light-hearted, intelligent writing by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece, Dave Marshall’s story comes alive – in a vampiric kind of way.

La Perdida is the story of Carla, an American estranged from her Mexican father, who heads to Mexico City to “find herself.” Her intense desire to make a connection with Mexico and her unwillingness to see the impact of her own history on her understanding combine to turn an innocent journey down a dark path. A story about the youthful desire to live an authentic life and the consequences of trusting easy answers, La Perdida is a story about finding yourself by getting lost.

Matt Madden and Jessica Abel are the coauthors of Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics from Manga to Graphic Novels (FirstSecond), an important new how-to book on creating comics. Matt Madden’s books include Odds Off, Black Candy, and 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style. Jessica ... (more)Abel’s books include Soundtrack, Mirror/Window, and La Perdida.