Dan Schkade

Dan Schkade

@danschkade.bsky.social

[SHKAH-dee] — Eisner and Ringo award-nominated cartoonist (FLASH GORDON, LAVENDER JACK, THE SPIRIT, etc) He/him, fair condition https://linktr.ee/danschkade

9.5K followers342 following5.7K posts

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I've been seeing some interior samples from artists looking for comic work. A few reminders of things to include: -clear shots of characters' faces at various distances -interior and exterior backgrounds -loose and tight clothing -fast and slow action -vehicles Optional: animals, kids, a kiss

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Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I feel like as long as there's been comics there's been people who can draw five incredible splash pages but struggle to draw the connective tissue in between. Bathroom sinks, putting on jackets, walking up stairs, bicycles. The 3:00 PM kind of stuff.

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

AND make it all visually interesting, I should add. The "boring stuff" doesn't have to be actually boring. 90% of DEATH NOTE is just people sitting on hotel furniture and it feels like you're watching SPEED

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I've been seeing some interior samples from artists looking for comic work. A few reminders of things to include: -clear shots of characters' faces at various distances -interior and exterior backgrounds -loose and tight clothing -fast and slow action -vehicles Optional: animals, kids, a kiss

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

This is all pretty basic stuff, but it's easy to forget that you're not just showing off that special It Factor you have, you're also showing your technical ability to execute general stories. That's an awesome spaceship, can you also draw the crew having lunch

Dan Schkade reposted

Suprdee2
@suprdee2.com

The Funny Pages comic strip exhibition at the Anderson Museum of Art ends this Saturday. There was a front-page newspaper article of the show and included the key art for the exhibition. This has created a full circle moment of curating a museum exhibit about the funny pages IN the funny pages. 🥹

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

The complete MAPS OF MONGO interlude, giving a brief overview of the many lands, peoples, and politics that define the world of FLASH GORDON ⚡

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

Your Sunday summary of the past week in FLASH GORDON, wherein we give you an overview of the many nations of planet Mongo. Come back tomorrow for the first week of our next storyline: THE HEAT. Not to be missed 🔥

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I saw this guy I hate for the first time in a minute. He's been hitting the gym, dressing better, clearly putting a lot of effort in, but it turns out he's one of those guys where it all just makes him look old and tight. Johnny Drama style. Who knows? Maybe he's happy. You can't always tell.

Dan Schkade reposted

Suprdee2
@suprdee2.com

All the Rosebuds Sunday title panels so far. They've been really fun to do as an extra way to do random/semi-related illustrations since I don't have time to do them on my own.

Dan Schkade reposted

ronsalas
@ronsalas.com

Not a textbook page but a textbook example of Chaykin leading the eye through a page

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I think it's down to my decision to pull primarily from those first few Raymond years, which for the most part are VERY much a sword and planet story. Everything tracks back to that for me — we might go higher or lower tech, but it always comes back to a guy with a sword standing on a weird rock.

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Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

It probably also has something to do with me just not being all that much of a science fiction guy — more than the average joe, sure, but not by comics writer standards. I'm mainly a crime, pulp, fantasy, and history guy, so the "Game of Thrones with rockets" approach just plays more to my strengths

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

From the start, I wanted our Ming to be powerful, scary, and evil, and I figured none of that would matter if he was just born with it. Like you say, his origins don't excuse him, they just show the road he chose to walk. Plus, his rise to power seemed like a cool way to unpack the history of Mongo.

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Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

That question pairs well with this one. For me, the difference between Flash and Ming boils down to this: Flash helps you access the best version of yourself, and Ming frees you to be your worst. He makes you ashamed of yourself and then harnesses it. That's how he held onto a planet for 70 years.

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Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

As a matter of fact, I came very close this Summer to pitching King a crossover for a late Winter arc. Drafted up the pitch docs and everything. But ultimately, I decided it would draw focus at a time in the story where we really needed to lock in. I'd like to do a version of it later, but not yet.

Abacus Wizard@abacuswizard.bsky.social

Any more thoughts on the possibility of a crossover with other classic pulp adventure heroes (or villains)?

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I'd LOVE to bring Edda back. She had a really fun chemistry with Flash, I liked drawing her, and people seemed to dig her. I'm sure she'll find her way back into the story somehow.

lilonami.bsky.social@lilonami.bsky.social

Will Edda be back at some point in the future, and also, will you still be around for the strip 100th anniversary?

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

Will I still be around in six years? In the general being alive sense, I'd like to be. In the sense of still writing Flash Gordon, I think it would be an awesome career achievement to spend a full ten years on a strip. We'll see how it plays out, but I wouldn't be mad at it one bit.

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I truly have no idea on either front. I just try to make the story as accessible as possible while still respecting the time and intelligence of whoever we might be lucky enough to have as a reader.

John Ayliff (Space Goblin Games)@spacegoblingames.com

Do you know how many people read online vs in print papers, and does this affect how you approach the strip?

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I love revisiting side characters, as we have with Sulpha, Dova, or Galo. I want to avoid "there's only 20 people in the world" syndrome, so I only do it when I have a solid story in mind That said, if you're a fan of small characters unexpectedly returning, our next storyline is DEFINITELY for you

Nateroyah@nateroyah.bsky.social

I love the way past characters and arcs come back. You said with Hollo you had a vision for him when you first introduced him and it was great. Are there other small characters that you have a vision for that will return?

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

Sparingly, for one thing, a multi-day fight scene takes a big bite out of a ten-week arc. It's all about MOMENTUM. I go with simple geography I don't have to reestablish every day, pace it around daily cliffhangers to keep the action intense, and end it with a wide shot, releasing all that tension.

Marcus@drflam.bsky.social

What is your process for designing action scenes that run through multiple days of strips? I am loving your run so far.

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

An excellent question, for which I have no answer. We're three years into the strip, there's more than enough material, and I've lost count of how many people have asked for it. Maybe some keen publisher could approach King Features directly. Whoever puts this thing out, the payoff could be huge.

Cathy Leamy@metrokitty.bsky.social

Is there an address or a person we should write to to express consumer interest in collected volumes? I want this strip on my bookshelf so much

Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

I do have an ending, which we've been steadily driving towards for my entire run on the strip. It's pretty huge and, the way it's coming together, might be my favorite thing I've ever written. Will the strip continue after me? Whenever that is, it should. Flash thrives in the funny pages, aways has

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Dan Schkade
@danschkade.bsky.social

A few FAQ: - I'm planning on staying on the strip for at least another year - There's no new information to be had about a collected edition - I'm never killing Bok