Howard Wong

Want to jumpstart your comic, but have no idea where to begin? Hitting a roadblock with your comic? These workshops are for you!  Join Keith Grachow (Professional Indie Comic Book Illustrator, Creator and Writer) and Howard Wong (Professional Comic Book Creator, Writer and Nat Geo Mentor) for a 3-hour workshop where you will learn how to create a comic book, write stories and/or world-build for animation and video games.  We will teach you some of the basics to get you started in character design, world-building, and comic scripting. Each workshop will be tailored to your experience and skill set. No prior experience necessary.  For : All Ages, Any skill level  Number of Spots : 8  Time : 11 am to 2 pm Dates: April 6th, May 18th and June 15th  Fee: $100 + HST  Location: Wayside Comics & Cocktail, 200 Main St. S, Newmarket, ON Info and Sign-up: Scan QR code or use link:  https://www.jnkimagery.com/form/creating-comic-books-workshop-registration...

I'm hosting a fun comic-making workshop for kids where they'll learn the basics as they start their own comic!  Kids will learn about scripting and making their own comic books. This program is presented by Howard Wong, a published comic book creator. For ages 9-12 Date: February 6, 2021 Time: 1:00PM - 2:00 PM Location: Online Sign-up here: Eventbrite

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'...

Reaching out to people and seeing how they can be a part of this endeavour seems to be the theme of this week, though I planned to do more than just that. I ended up spending time prepping for my first virtual beginner level comic book writer's workshop that is happening in August. Going over what I usually do live and seeing what will work and not on a virtual platform is fascinating. My flow allows for questions and comments to be threaded throughout my workshops and talks, which I think with the virtual setting allows me to not just answer them, but also to pull up visuals on the spot that will enhance the experience. That's something I don't get to do normally since I don't sit in front of a laptop when I do these things. I like to move about when I do talks and workshops. The experience of my August virtual workshop will give me some insight on what I need to discuss with the York Region Arts Council about--virtual workshops. This was not part of the origina...

Week 8 is a bust, unfortunately. Had some unexpected things come up that ate up the week. Though, in the middle of it all, I did find some materials I thought I had lost. I will look at incorporating them into what has been built up. Hope you are all doing well and staying positive!

School's out for summer! Congratulations to all the students out there for all their hard work in these challenging times! Time to relax and maybe read some comics! This week was about looking for materials for the various workshops that could be shared digitally, as well as figuring out what tools could be incorporated that people would have at home, or can easily have access to. This may end up with me creating them with friends. I started to work on some of the visuals for the presentations that will be used in some of the workshops. Some are from past workshops and talks I've done where I needed to update certain things. I got some new ideas from doing this, which I will see about adding to the workshop content later. I've connected to a few local businesses and are in talks about how they can help. No doubt, this will be an ongoing task as I connect with more and more local businesses. With that said, I'm still reaching out to comic book creators and comic...

First Happy Father's Day to all the fellow dads and those who have taken on this incredible role in someone's life! Sorry about the late update. Friday is usually when I post my updates for Unlocking the Secretes of Creating Comic Books, but there were things that needed my attention and the day ran away from me. This past week was for the most part, unproductive with furthering the workshops. However, it reconnected me with many comic book creators out there that I haven't seen for quite a while and with the comic book convention season cancelled we ended up catching up and geeking out over things that we normally would in person. It's an odd time for all of us and sometimes it's difficult to press on and continue to be creative. That was the most common topic we all talked about and in a way, became a much needed supportive encouragement for many to keep doing that they do. The bulk of the week went there with the rest going to finalizing my judging of...

As some of you know, I've started to reach out to York Region based comic book creators. I'm looking at having local comic book creators being involved with Unlocking the Secrets of Creating Comic Book's series of workshops. This will be an ongoing task for me, as one of my goals is to show the diversity found in the comic book industry to the young aspiring creators. Not to mention the inspiration with stories they will come up with by becoming aware of the possibilities with comic books. Not much else was done this week as I'm in the middle of judging the Canadian Consulate General of Hong Kong and Macao's Create a Canadian Superhero Contest. There are so many creative, fun and amazing entries! Next week I will start to discuss with the first group of comic book creators to see what and how they can contribute to workshop series, and go over the syllabus I've drafted up.

I started to put together what will become the syllabus that breaks down what each workshop will contain, which is making the organizing much easier. Many of the fundamentals in our craft come naturally at this point, as it does for artists, colourists, inkers and letterers I've spoken to. This resulted in making more notes in regard to elaborating various parts of the process in creating a comic book. The intention is to make it more clear so that new aspiring comic book creators can pick up the necessary skills easier. Next week will be a busy one, with the judging for the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao's Canada Day's Canadian Superhero contest (details here ), as I continue to work on the workshops. I plan to compile additional books, comics and graphic novels I would like to use, which knowing me, will result in some breaks reading many of my favourites. I will also start to contact comic book creators residing in York Region to get input a...

I continued working on building up the content for each workshop looking back at my experiences working in mobile games, toys and an animation studio. There are so many shared elements between all of that, which is fascinating when you pause and look at them as a whole. World building, character and story development to plot development and more use the same foundation to create a story. Albeit with slight differences due to the medium the story is being told with. Digging through materials from past projects and figuring out which parts would work for the workshops was a fun walk down memory lane. I ended up reconnecting with past colleagues and reminiscing about the "fun" times we spent working long hours on projects to the joy when we got it done.  I will be continuing to work on the topics and refining them next week for the most part. I want to make sure I get the essentials locked in, but also throw in things that really helped me ...

It has been an interesting week. Since the announcement of being a recipient of the York Region Arts Council's Mirco Grant Program, I've been digging into all the workshops and talks I've done at conventions to festivals to consolidate all the materials and topics I have covered. I found myself having mixed feelings over particular topics on story development I've covered. This is the first time that I'm looking over everything as a whole. Fascinating looking back at all the particular topics I have covered, and thinking back to what worked and what needs improvements. Kind of like finding pieces to a puzzle you're not sure what it will really look like until you get closer to completing it. This also made me think of my own story development process and how I could improve it. In any creative endeavour, there are always challenges you have to meet and overcome. For some, it's seeking inspiration to create, while for others it's the act...

It was an adventurous two weeks doing talks and workshops at 12 (local and international) schools across Hong Kong with students aged 5 to 17. Being able to share my passion for crafting stories, behind-the-scenes experiences working in different industries, writing techniques I've developed over the years with over 2000 students made it very memorable. Some fun memories I had with my time with the students from all the different schools were of some asking me fun geeky questions to very thought-provoking ones like the one about how one overcomes adversity, to those about armpit farts (yes, really). There were also a few future artists who shared some of their artwork with me that they did during my talks. There were many more memorable moments that involved Star Wars to a pop singer and Stan Lee I had a lot of fun doing two workshops at the public event at Lee Gardens 2, where I met many aspiring future authors! Not to mention amazing futu...

I will be back in Hong Kong for the 2019 Hong Kong International Young Reader's Festival this March 4th to 15th! I'll be doing workshops and talks along with some of your favourite authors at schools and public events! Click the links below for more details! For details about which authours will be attending,  click here . For details of the workshops and talks, click here . About The Hong Kong International Young Readers Festival (HKIYRF): Founded in 2012, is an annual event held over 10 days each spring, featuring established and emerging writers from around the world in an extensive programme designed for young adults that include discussions, workshops, lectures, book signings, and readings. We are proud to host writers from all over the world, in a variety of genres, and at all stages of their careers, from Nobel laureates to first-time authors.

Had a fun time speaking with John Swinimer from Toronto North Country Comics about things I've done, food and things I'd like to get back into.  Here's the link to the podcast:  https://truenorthcountrycomics.com/2019/01/07/howard-wong-chats-about-his-love-for-comics-travel-and-food/

On October 13th I will be joining authors at libraries all around North American for Indie Author Day ! Come celebrate with me and some of your favorite authors at Richmond Hill Public Library from 1 pm to 3 pm. I will have comics, anthologies and trade paperbacks with me as well. See you there! Location: Richmond Hill Library 1 Atkinson Street Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada L4C 0H5 Date: October 13, 2018 Time: 1 pm to 3pm Admission: Free

Toronto Comics Anthology Vol. 3 is nominated for a Joe Shuster Awards' Gene Day Award ! So many talented creators involved in this, I'm p roud to be among them with a story called S nowblind  with Keith Grachow ! He's nominated for another Gene Day Award for Saltwater! Congratulations to all the creators, editors and to our fellow nominated comic friends!

When they told us that they would be making big posters of Iron Man Experience: Hong Kong Heroes for Harbour City's Marvel Superhero Summer exhitbit, we never imagined they would be doing this: That is a 4-meter high, 3D version of our cover! On the other side, this: A 1:1 ratio Iron Man doing his thing. Justice and I were floored. This was way, way beyond what we thought they were going to do.  Right before the opening of the exhibit, we took a quick shot. This is an exhibit at Harbour City promoting the Marvel Superhero Summer event at Hong Kong Disneyland using pages from the Iron Man Experience: Hong Kong Heroes comic Justice and I worked on for Marvel and HKDL. Besides the giant 3D cover, they supersized preview pages! It was great meeting more Hong Kong Marvel fans who didn't know we would be there. We happily signed more Iron Man Experience: Hong Kong Heroes and got to chat with them between the rain. Typical Hong Kong weather with the rain coming ...