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A character study: Mark Waid, Howard Chaykin use decades in writing to create Comic Book U
Howard Chaykin and Mark Waid know their way around comic books.
Each has an accomplished career of creating in the industry 鈥� and they are taking it on the road.
Chaykin and Waid created Comic Book U, which is a traveling workshop to help aspiring comic book writers learn about the industry.
Comic Book U will make a stop in Albuquerque from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19.
鈥淲e plan tours around comic conventions,鈥� says Waid. 鈥淲e get down to the basics that one needs to get into this industry. Then I talk for an hour about storytelling and how to use the comic book medium in telling the stories.鈥�
A character study: Mark Waid, Howard Chaykin use decades in writing to create Comic Book U
Waid is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work has appeared in countless languages across the globe.
Over the course of his almost four decades in the comic book industry, Waid has developed characters and stories for 鈥淏atman,鈥� 鈥淪uperman,鈥� 鈥淪pider-Man,鈥� 鈥淭he Avengers,鈥� 鈥淴-Men,鈥� 鈥淎rchie,鈥� 鈥淪tar Wars,鈥� 鈥渢he Incredibles鈥� and almost every other franchise currently enjoying success across all media platforms.
鈥淜ingdom Come,鈥� which he created with artist Alex Ross for DC Comics, has become one of the highest-selling graphic novels in history.
Many of the storylines and characters he wrote and created in his eight-year run on 鈥淭he Flash鈥� comic books can be seen on the television show.
He has written and edited over 2,000 comic titles and has received every major award in the industry.
Meanwhile, Chaykin鈥檚 credits include 鈥淎merican Flagg!,鈥� 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� and 鈥淗ey Kids! Comics!鈥� He has worked extensively at Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Image Comics from the early 1970s through the present day.
鈥淚鈥檝e pretty much accomplished everything I wanted to do in this industry,鈥� Waid says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we started Comic Book U. We want to help aspiring artists and authors steer clear of the pitfalls in the industry.鈥�
Waid first got interested in comics when he watched 鈥淏atman鈥� starring Adam West.
鈥淚t premiered and I was hooked,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 lucky to have worked with nearly every single character in comics. I ended up being an editor at DC Comics and then a writer. I鈥檝e even owned a comic book store.鈥�
Waid was commissioned about five years ago to write a book on comic book storytelling.
鈥淭hat got me really fired up,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he book hasn鈥檛 come out yet. There鈥檚 nothing like teaching to remind yourself of how much you know. During COVID, we did a handful of Zoom lectures and the rest is history.鈥�
Waid says Comic Book U runs just under five hours, with enough time for Albuquerque Comic Con to begin.
