Howard Wong

Last week I had my first virtual version of my workshop, Writing Comic Books for Beginners , at Richvale Public Library. There were many participants that were made up of local kids and apparently a few from England!  I usually do these in person, but due to the new normal we are in with COVID-19 this was the way to do it.  Before I dove into my first virtual workshop for kids I looked at what changes I had to look into from my live version, to see what new and exciting challenges needed to be addressed that come with doing workshops online. One of the focal points of this workshop is applying what is learned through a hands-on approach. I used many of the techniques I found that worked from trials I picked up from the development work on Unlocking the Secrets of Creating Comic Books.  I'm glad that everything worked out as planned, but there is the aspect of participants having various levels of technology available to them at home; internet speeds, older laptops or...

I am doing an online workshop on how to write comic books for beginners with Richvale Public Library on August 19th from 2pm to 3:30pm. This will be a fun and informative workshop where we will dive into the overall elements you will need to put a comic book together. I may even share some secrets and show some interesting things from home. Can't wait to see you all there! Sign up here:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-to-write-comic-books-for-beginners-tickets-108999424212 Ages 11-14. Teens will learn about the fundamentals of comic book creation including page layouts and how to turn ideas into a script. About this Event Teens will learn about the fundamentals of comic book creation including page layouts and how to turn ideas into a script from presenter Howard Wong, a published comic book creator who has worked for Marvel Comics, Disney, and more. Please note - any participant  under the age of 18  must have a parent register them and give consent. Parent must al...

  Last week and this week are busy times for me, which took away what I had planned for Unlocking the Secrets of Creating Comic Books. I have an announcement coming in a few weeks about something I've been working on for a while now, a live virtual workshops this month and preparing for a webinar for video game industry company (no public access for that one, sorry). The good thing is that these engagements will help further improve the workshops for Unlocking the Secrets of Creating Comic Books.  Here are details for the online comic book workshop I'm doing with the Richvale Public Library on August 19th, 2pm to 3:30pm:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-to-write-comic-books-for-beginners-tickets-108999424212

This week was pretty much what I excepted it to be. Following up with the work that I mentioned I missed last week, but with the added delay with my laptop taking a little longer to get back to running properly. Not much to talk about for progress this week, but have some fun announcements coming up later this month that I will be sharing that is related to this.

Had a few phone calls and implemented the tweaks I mentioned last week. Things are coming together. I did take a much needed break this week to focus on a comic book miniseries I've been working on. Got all the lettered pages in and awaiting for editors to do their thing. We also went over cover ideas and sketches the artist provided that were all outstanding. This made it hard to pick the ones that will ultimately become the covers for this five-issue miniseries. The publisher is happy with what we have done so far, which is always a good thing to hear.  Not a long post this week, as I can't share many details of the miniseries, but I did post another teaser image on my social media accounts (image above), and another one just for you folks here (image on the left). As for next week, I will be continuing what I planned for this week and fix a few things with my laptop. Stay safe and positive out there!

So you may have noticed that I have a  Ko-fi page  from the link I have on this blog. I'm accepting donations there that will help with comic books I am working, as well as for the development and production of Unlocking the Secrets of Comic Books. This will be a series of workshops that will teach kids how to make their own comic books taught by local comic book creators! I have also launched my first ever online shop on my Ko-fi page ! I have trade paperbacks, anthologies, a children's illustrated book and paintings up for sale! Product details, shipping info, suggested age of reader and more are listed there. Click here to head there now and feel free to share the link too:  https://ko-fi.com/howardwong/shop .

I was going over what I have done so far for a progress meeting I had with the York Region Arts Council this week. The meeting was "virtually" great. I had questions that were not just answered, but led to insightful suggestions and comments. I will be applying them to what I've been doing thus far with the workshops I've been working on. One of the parts I'm still in the progress of doing is finding artists, colourist and inkers to be a part of this. So if you are one, message me to start the conversation about the short and long-term plans for Unlocking the Secret of Creating Comic Books will be heading. I will also be preparing to contact local businesses and organizations to see what kind of partnerships can be developed with the intention of helping their businesses out. To be Frank, it has been and continues to be a challenge for everyone, myself included. Helping each other out is one of the best ways for everyone to get through this pandemic. I'...