HOW TO BREAK IN TO COMICS

Shelly Bond

08 Jan 2026 — 3 min read

Happy Thursday! Since this is the launch week of F&G dot com, I've decided to make the second post of the week FREE. It's normally reserved for the Deluxe Subscribers, but it's important to see what you'll be getting if you reconsider your membership level.

As of later today, all Deluxe Subscribers will find the digital version of the 3rd edition of Filth & Grammar: The Comic Book Editor's (Secret) Handbook in the LIBRARY. We finally added a new cover quote by artist Michael Allred, edited out most of the Neil Gaiman appearances, updated the resources section, and fixed a few odds, ends, and awkward bits. There's always room for improvement and sometimes it's necessary. The physical edition of F&G will be available in the offregister.press store in the coming days.

Here are a few more insights into what you get for becoming a Deluxe subscriber:

Riding Shotgun

In my F&G 102 class that I taught in 2024, my students met writer Oliver Mertz, an indie creator who was working on a comic called A Ghost Arm Made of Angry Ghosts with artist Alex Diotto and letterer Taylor Esposito. The students contributed to my overall edits of the pitch and first issue. The project was quickly acquired by Oni Press and will be published later in the year.

Oliver has agreed to be an integral part of this website tier. He's pitched me a 4-pager called E.A.T. Records, which we'll edit together, and you can contribute to making a good pitch into a fantastic 4-page story ...and beyond? Don't expect a cover credit, but possibly a special thanks. The best way to learn how to edit is by editing. In the coming months, we'll follow the process of the entire comic from pitch to printer stage.

Bonus Video Deep Dives

We'll get 15-30 minute conversations with artists and writers starting with David Lapham, who sheds more light onto his storytelling process in Stray Bullets, Young Liars, that Skate The Night Away story and more.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Troubleshooting and triage at every stage of making comics. Expect lots of examples.

Second Saturday Zoom Hour

Deluxe Subscribers can expect an email about this Saturday's Zoom hour which will be an AMA. We'll talk shop and tailor the subject matter for the live Second Saturdays in months ahead, including but not limited to crowdfunding, curating anthologies, and my personal favorite, Finish the Bloody Thing Already!

How to Break In To Comics

Oh yeah. You came here for the answer to the loaded question...

When I teach Comics Editing at Portland State University, many of my students are English majors with little experience in making comics. From the first day of class, I remind them that to pass the class they each need to write, letter, draw, color, edit, and proofread a one page Hey, Amateur! story. We assemble and art direct and send the finished book out for print.

Of course, it only makes sense for me to practice what I preach. Below is my response to everyone who ever asked the contentious chestnut.