This one is a little tough for me. I've been reading comics for so long, and have read so many, that I often take it for granted that reading comics isn't an inherent ability. But I get asked a lot "how do you read comics?" This question always takes me by surprise, even though you… Continue reading How to Read Comics
I'm getting ready to start work on the third issue of my auto bio comic Bearded Comic Book Enthusiast and thought that, as such, this week would be a good time to reflect on the genre. This is a vastly different genre than the mainstream super hero comics because, as you might have noticed, most people are… Continue reading Autobiographical Comics
We live in a tough world. But I imagine it's always been that way, just with a different set of circumstances. Because of this reality, from time to time, I find myself wondering just what use it is to make comics. In this world, what is the purpose of putting pen to paper? Drawing scenes… Continue reading Comics Vs. the World
Do you know what's hard? Making comics. Do you know what's even harder than that? Understanding, and thus, correctly using social media for a business. Well, for me it is anyway. I can make comic after comic and slowly get better. But throw me into the world of Twitter and algorithms, and I'm lost. I… Continue reading Comics in the Age of Social Media
Last week for my blog, I took a look at both traditional and digital drawings. This proved to be a little too big for one entry, so I decided that I would split it up and talk about each method separately so I could get a more complete catalog of thoughts about each process. This… Continue reading Traditional Drawing
One of the most frequent questions I ask when meeting other creators at conventions is "do you draw traditionally or digitally?" meaning do you draw on paper, or do you draw on your computer. This usually leads to some pretty interesting discussion (often times the rare kind that doesn't end in debate or argument. Hard… Continue reading Traditional and Digital Drawing
The question I get asked the most, besides "What are you doing with your life?!" and "Why is it called Hot Cakes?" is about where my ideas come from. I think you'll hear that from any writer/artist/creative person who makes stuff. I mean, I think that in almost every interview I've read, this sentiment has… Continue reading The Creative Process
This year I tried to stay away from New Year's Resolutions. You know "I'm going to lose weight!" That kind of stuff. I mean, never before have I followed through with those goals because, frankly, it's all a lot of hogwash. I've never used that word before in writing, either, so I guess new year,… Continue reading Reading Goals in 2018
It's the last Friday Review of 2017, so let's finish up with a bang: Moebius! I've been meaning to dive into the work of Moebius for some time now, but I've had trouble finding some. Then the people of Dark Horse started doing the Lord's work (sorry Fantagraphics), and I found this collected, translated edition… Continue reading Friday Review: the World of Edena
Usually on my blog I like to talk about topics that can be deemed informative in regards to comics. But every now and then I take the road less traveled and talk about ME! And if there's any time to do that, it's now, at the end of the year. I take this time to… Continue reading Year of the Cakes-2017
Hot Cakes Comics 