Spider-Man, 300, Sin City, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Oscar-bait like Ghost World, American Splendor, and Persepolis began as comic books or graphic novels. Superstar writers from Deepak Chopra to Stephen King are creating comics, and the paneled world is one of the publishing industry's fastest-growing sectors.

You don't have to be an artist to make the next Batman or Men in Black. But you do have to know how to write comics, attract great artists, get your work published, and make the world notice. This course will show you the entire comics-making process, from devising a proposal and writing word balloons to surviving Comic-Con International and handling Hollywood.

In this class, you will learn:
* The most popular genres, formats, and styles
* Techniques and mistakes of visual storytelling
* How the publishing companies' decision-makers work
* What publishers do -- and don't -- want
* The basics of comics contracts and partnerships
* The power and pain of self-publishing
* How to market to comics readers and the wider world

By the end of class, you will have:
A plot and script for a short comics story

Admission Requirements:
Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history).

The online classroom has several interactive components:
* Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
* Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
* Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend.
* Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

Here's the link:
http://www.mediabistro.com/courses/cache/crs3825.asp

The instructor:
David Seidman is a comics writer, consultant, and publicist. He has written for Simpsons Comics, the nonfiction graphic novel Samuel Morse and the Telegraph, and the photo novel Fantastic 4. He was one of the founders of Disney Comics. As the company's senior editor, he specialized in discovering new talent. He has taught comic book writing at UCLA, marketed comics and graphic novels for Claypool Comics and NBM Publishing, and edited comics for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. He hosts a monthly networking dinner for Los Angeles' comic book professional community.