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6 Week online Course | Wednesdays, March 30 – May 4, 2022 | 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm ET | Instructor: Fred Van Lente
Story Arcs and the Art of Serialized Storytelling
Learn how to create epic stories that captivate readers and have them coming back again and again!
Now that you've mastered the art of writing a one-shot, it's time to up your game and start thinking big – really big, like world building big.
Hooking a reader for one story is hard enough — but hooking the reader throughout an entire epic made up of many parts is one of the most challenging aspects of a comic writer's job. But whether you aspire to create web based, direct market, or mainstream comics, it's a skill you'll need to master.
The goal for every writer is in creating the hook for a first issue/chapter that will draw the reader in, and then building action, revealing character, and landing killer cliffhangers that will have your fans clamoring for more.
This course from New York Times bestselling comics scribe Fred Van Lente (Astonishing Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Deadpool vs the Punisher, GI Joe, Archer & Armstrong, and many more) will have you developing a compelling initial series arc, with an emphasis on structuring story beats, crafting characters and creating individual scenes that will provide you with the best beginning, middle and end acts your initial arc can have — as well as providing you with a story bible that can carry your story beyond comics and into other media.
Sorry, this course is not currently open for enrollment.
Bundle and save!
Add Introduction to Writing Comics and enroll in both for just $1,190 (a $100 savings!). These two classes go hand-in-hand perfectly and you'll never be in more than one class meeting per week!
You will learn from professional comic book writer Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man, Taskmaster, MODOK's 11, Deadpool vs the Punisher, Archer & Armstrong, G.I. Joe, Everything's Archie, Conan the Avenger, Adventure Time, et al).
You'll get Fred's lessons and lectures and discussions!
You'll learn to identify character arcs and pace their emotional arcs to best effect throughout a serialized story.
You'll understand how reveals and cliff hangers can be used to keep your readers for coming back for more at the end of each issue/episode.
You'll see how to lay out a "beat sheet" to bring an artist, editor or producer (and any other stakeholder) through the progression of your arc — not to mention tips for adhering to that beatsheet, and when to throw it out altogether!
You also get exclusive access to a dedicated class member-only online forum.
You'll have access to recordings of any class in the series for the duration of the class and a few weeks after its conclusion—so you never have to miss a class!
Class size is limited to keep it awesome!
Fred Van Lente is a six-time New York Times bestselling comics writer, novelist and playwright whose work spans mystery/thrillers to historical fiction to superheroes to comedy.
Van Lente burst onto the scene with his first collaboration with cartoonist Ryan Dunlavey, Action Philosophers, which became a YALSA Best Book for Teens and the NYT called "intensely goofy but intellectually rigorous".
From there he went on to a long career at Marvel, where he worked on titles like The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America and Marvel Zombies. He's also written for DC, Archie Comics, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Dynamite Comics, and Valiant, where his run on Archer & Armstrong was nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Continuing Series.
Van Lente has continued writing non-fiction graphic novels, often with his artistic collaborator Ryan Dunlavey, including the bestselling Comic Book History of Comics and the middle grade series Action Presidents. Two entries in the series were nominated for the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. In 2021, the third volume won the Theodore Roosevelt Association's Theodore Roosevelt Children's Book Prize.
After years of short story writing (including "Neversleeps," which shortlisted for Best American Science Fiction), Van Lente graduated to prose novels with the acclaimed mysteries Ten Dead Comedians and The Con Artist.
His Platinum Studios graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens was adapted into a film in 2011 starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, directed by Jon Favreau. The following year, Helen Cho, a character created with co-writer Greg Pak in their acclaimed Incredible Hercules series, made her MCU debut in the blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron. His MODOK's 11 and Scorpion became Hulu's Marvel's MODOK, which named the elementary school in the show after him (in S1 E2).
King Kirby, his play with Crystal Skillman about the life of the legendary comics artist Jack Kirby, was a New York Times Critics' Pick on its NYC debut in 2014. It debuted as a much-acclaimed free audio drama podcast in 2020 featuring the original cast on the Broadway Podcasting Network.
Starting as a 2020 pandemic lockdown hobby, Van Lente has a regular comics history column on the website 13th Dimension, where he tackles such burning topics of the day as Stan Lee's legacy and which is better, Justice League or Fantastic Four?
Of course, none of this should be confused with Fred Van Lente Day, the annual celebration of his work on the Comic Book Resources web site that has been happening since 2005…the year Action Philosophers first came out.
Fred lives in Brooklyn with his wife, the playwright and his frequent co-collaborator Crystal Skillman, and some mostly ungrateful cats. He loves to hear from readers at fred.vanlente@gmail.com.
There is no other course like this one on the internet (or in person) that we've been able to find. This is all about putting you in the place of the comics creator!
Do I need to already be a comics writer to take this course?
Not at all! In fact, taking this course will help build your understanding of pacing and story development—something that applies to more kinds of writing than just comics. And best of all, there is no prerequisite for this class, taught be a master storyteller!
Wanting to work in comics is great, but what if I just want to tell my own stories?
Our courses are geared for this exact purpose. No matter where you are on the spectrum, beginner as well as experienced writer, learning from someone who has achieved these same goals and can personally guide you is invaluable!
What do we do in this course?
You'll work with the instructor (Fred Van Lente) to pitch and develop your arc or storyline from 10,000 feet, and then together with the rest of the class, we'll break that story down into the best possible serialized segments, using such tools as a map to chart your character's growth throughout episodes/issues. By the end of the course you will have a "beatsheet" for the entire arc that will be ready for scripting — or submitting to other companies.
Do I need to know a whole lot about comics?
Having at least an interest in comics and a basic knowledge as a reader is helpful, but not mandatory. This is about the craft and the form, so we'll be going over all of the things you'd need to know.
All of our classes are recorded and available to view via streaming link for the duration of the course. And on top of that, you'll have exclusive access to the Comics Experience forum set up just for the class. You'll be able to interact with the rest of your class all week long at any time!
If I don't live in the United States, can I still take the course?
You bet. We've had students jump in from Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America and Africa. Not Antarctica yet, but give us time! Some of these students have not been able to attend live, but they've viewed the recordings and interacted with their classmates online!
Do we get any practical industry advice?
You'll get a LOT of practical industry advice. Networking is one of our main topics in all of our introductory courses. It's, simply put, essential for anyone who wants a career in comics. We discuss relationship building and ways to get your foot in the door and where to go to meet the right people and so on.
Add the course to your shopping cart and check out. We will send you a confirmation email typically within 48 hours. If you've got any questions or haven't heard from us withing 48 hours, you can contact us at info@ComicsExperience.com to follow up. Our email confirmation contains information and instructions, giving you everything you need to get started with the course.
If you want to make comics for fun or become a pro, your comics career starts here. Go ahead and reserve your spot today! Space is limited.
Prerequisite: You must have completed the Introduction to Writing Comics course to enroll in this class.
Microsoft Word or some other writing software.
To participate in our live online sessions you will need:
A computer or mobile device that meets Zoom's minimum requirements
To agree to the terms included in Comics Experience's User Agreement.
High-speed Internet access
Headphones/ear buds with microphone (optional, but strongly suggested)
A mind like a sponge!
Online registration only: To attend Story Arcs and the Art of Serialized Storytelling, you must register online. Enrollment is limited.*
*We do not currently offer refunds after enrollment.
Comics Experience User Agreement
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All software, technology, designs, materials, information, communications, text, graphics, links, electronic art, animations, illustrations, artwork, audio clips, video clips, photos, images, reviews, ideas, and other data or copyrightable materials or content, including the selection and arrangements thereof is "Content." Where Comics Experience provides Content to You in connection with the Services, including, without limitation, the software, the products and the site, it is "Company Content". Content uploaded, transmitted or posted to the Services by a User is "Submitted Content". Content remains the proprietary property of the person or entity supplying it (or their affiliated and/or third party providers and suppliers) and is protected, without limitation, pursuant to U.S. and foreign copyright and other intellectual property laws. You hereby represent and warrant that You have all licenses, rights, consents, and permissions necessary to grant the rights set forth in these Terms to Comics Experience with respect to Your Submitted Content and that Comics Experience shall not need to obtain any licenses, rights, consents, or permissions from, or make any payments to, any third party for any use or exploitation of Your Submitted Content as authorized in these Terms or have any liability to You or any other party as a result of any use or exploitation of Your Submitted Content as authorized in these Terms.
Comics Experience hereby grants You (as a User) a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use Submitted Content and Company Content, for which You have paid all required fees, solely for Your personal, non- commercial, educational purposes through the Services, in accordance with these Terms and any conditions or restrictions associated with particular Courses or Services. All other uses are expressly prohibited absent Our express written consent. You may not reproduce, redistribute, transmit, assign, sell, broadcast, rent, share, lend, modify, adapt, edit, create derivative works of, license, or otherwise transfer or use any Submitted Content or Company Content unless We give You explicit permission to do so. Submitted Content and Company Content is licensed, and not sold, to You. Instructors may not grant You license rights to Submitted Content You access or acquire through the Services and any such direct license shall be null and void and a violation of these Terms.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, We reserve the right to revoke this license to access and use Submitted Content and Company Content granted to You as described above, as further detailed below.
COMICS EXPERIENCE RESPECTS ALL COPYRIGHT, PRIVACY, DEFAMATION AND OTHER LAWS RELATING TO CONTENT AND INFORMATION AND WILL NOT TOLERATE VIOLATION OF SUCH LAWS. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, COMICS EXPERIENCE DOES NOT SCREEN THE SUBMITTED CONTENT AND ALL USE OF THE SUBMITTED CONTENT BY YOU IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND COMICS EXPERIENCE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR SUCH USE. IN PARTICULAR, NO REVIEW OR POSTING OR APPEARANCE OF THE SUBMITTED CONTENT ON THE SERVICES OR THROUGH THE SERVICES IS INTENDED TO ACT AS AN ENDORSEMENT OR REPRESENTATION THAT ANY SUBMITTED CONTENT IS FREE OF VIOLATION OF ANY COPYRIGHT, PRIVACY OR OTHER LAWS OR WILL SUIT A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR BE ACCURATE OR USEFUL. If You believe that Submitted Content of Yours violates any law or regulation or is inaccurate or poses any risk whatsoever to a third party it is Your responsibility to take such steps You deem necessary to correct the situation. If You believe that Submitted Content of a third party or any Company Content violates any laws or regulations, including, without limitation, any copyright laws, You should report it to Comics Experience in accordance with the procedures that We maintain as follows.
Notice and Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright or Other Intellectual Property Infringements.
Comics Experience, LLC. respects the intellectual property of others and takes the protection of copyrights and all other intellectual property very seriously, and we ask our instructors, students and other users of our website and services (the "Site") to do the same. Infringing activity will not be tolerated on or through the Site.
Comics Experience's intellectual property policy is to (a) remove material that Comics Experience believes in good faith, upon notice from an intellectual property owner or their agent, is infringing the intellectual property of a third party by being made available through the Site, and (b) remove any Submitted Content posted to the Site by "repeat infringers." Comics Experience considers a "repeat infringer" to be any User that has uploaded Submitted Content to the Site and for whom Comics Experience has received more than two takedown notices compliant with the provisions of 17 U.S.C. 512(c) with respect to such Submitted Content. Comics Experience has discretion, however, to terminate the account of any User after receipt of a single notification of claimed infringement or upon Comics Experience's own determination.
Procedure for Reporting Claimed Infringement.
If you believe that any content made available on or through the Site has been used or exploited in a manner that infringes an intellectual property right you own or control, then please promptly send a "Notification of Claimed Infringement" containing the following information to the Designated Agent identified below. Your communication must include substantially the following;
A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the work(s) that has/have been allegedly infringed;
Identification of works or materials being infringed, or, if multiple works are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works;
Identification of the specific material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit Comics Experience to locate the material;
Information reasonably sufficient to permit Comics Experience to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which you may be contacted;
A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
For expedited review of your complaint, please fill out the form here (form in English only).
Designated Agent Contact Information.
Comics Experience's Designated Agent for notices of claimed infringement can be contacted at:
Via E-mail: info@comicsexperience.com
Via U.S. Mail: Comics Experience, LLC. 301 Washington St., Shelbyville, KY 40065 Attn: Copyright Department/Legal
Counter Notification.
If you receive a notification from Comics Experience that material made available by you on or through the Site has been the subject of a Notification of Claimed Infringement, then you will have the right to provide Comics Experience with what is called a "Counter Notification." To be effective, a Counter Notification must be in writing, provided to Company's Designated Agent through one of the methods identified above, and include substantially the following information:
A physical or electronic signature of the subscriber;
Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled;
A statement under penalty of perjury that the subscriber has a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled; and
The subscriber's name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that the subscriber consents to the jurisdiction of Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the address is located, or if the subscriber's address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which Company may be found, and that the subscriber will accept service of process from the person who provided notification above or an agent of such person.
A party submitting a Counter Notification should consult a lawyer or see 17 U.S.C. 512 to confirm the party's obligations to provide a valid counter notification under the Copyright Act.
False Notifications of Claimed Infringement or Counter Notifications.
The Copyright Act provides that:
[a]ny person who knowingly materially misrepresents under [Section 512 of the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. 512)] (1) that material or activity is infringing, or (2) that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, shall be liable for any damages, including costs and attorney's' fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by any copyright owner or copyright owner's authorized licensee, or by a service provider, who is injured by such misrepresentation, as the result of [Comics Experience] relying upon such misrepresentation in removing or disabling access to the material or activity claimed to be infringing, or in replacing the removed material or ceasing to disable access to it.
17 U.S.C. 512(f).
Comics Experience reserves the right to seek damages from any party that submits a notification of claimed infringement or counter notification in violation of the law.
For the avoidance of doubt, only notices submitted under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the procedures set forth in this section should be sent to the Designated Agent at info@comicsexperience.com or to the postal address identified above. Any other comments, compliments, complaints or suggestions about Comics Experience, the operation of the Site or any other matter should be sent to info@comicsexperience.com.
Procedure for submitting a Trademark Infringement Notice
The fastest and easiest way to submit a claim of trademark infringement to us is to send a notice containing the following information to the Designated Agent identified below. Please note that a copy of your notice will be sent to the party who posted the content you are reporting. Your communication must include substantially the following:
Your complete contact information (full name, mailing address and phone number).
The specific word, symbol, etc. in which you claim trademark rights.
The basis for your claim of trademark rights (such as a national or community registration), including registration number, if applicable.
The country or jurisdiction in which you claim trademark rights.
The category of goods and/or services for which you assert rights.
Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material on Comics Experience that you believe violates your trademark rights. The easiest way to do this is by providing web addresses (URLs) leading directly to the allegedly infringing content.
A description of how you believe this content infringes your trademark.
If you are not the rights holder, an explanation of your relationship to the rights holder.
The following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the trademark as described above, in the manner complained of, is not authorized by the trademark owner, its agent, or the law"
The following statement: "The information in this notice is accurate, and I declare, under penalty of perjury, that I am the owner or authorized to act on behalf of the owner of a trademark that is allegedly infringed."
Your electronic signature or physical signature.
Comics Experience's Designated Agent for trademark infringement notices can be contacted at:
info@comicsexperience.com if done via email
Comics Experience, LLC. 301 Washington St., Shelbyville, KY 40065
Attn: Copyright Department if done via physical mail.
All rights not expressly granted in these Terms are retained by the Content owners and these Terms do not grant any implied licenses.
You may decide to send us unsolicited ideas, including ideas for new promotions, products, services, applications, technologies or processes or other ideas (collectively, "User Ideas"). You must not transmit any User Ideas to or through the Services or Third Party Platforms, or to Us through e-mail, that You consider to be confidential or proprietary. You agree that We shall not be required to treat any User Ideas as being confidential or proprietary. You are responsible and liable for any User Ideas You submit.
You agree that by submitting User Ideas to Us, including any concepts, know-how or ideas, You hereby grant Us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty- free, sub licenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, sell, exploit, prepare derivative works of and display the User Ideas in connection with the Services, and for Comics Experience's (and its successors) business, including without limitation, for promoting and redistributing part or all of the User Ideas (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels whether now known or hereafter developed, without payment or accounting to You or others. We are under no obligation to evaluate, review, or use any User Idea.
Pricing, Payment & Taxes
You agree to pay the fees for Services that You purchase as set forth by designated Services pricing at www.comicsexperience.com.
Payment.
All payments are made to Comics Experience, LLC. European Union Users. By purchasing Courses (e.g. clicking or tapping the relevant purchase button), You are confirming that You want the Course immediately credited to Your Account and that by doing so You are hereby waiving any and all cancellation rights under applicable laws, including but not limited to the EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) and/or any national laws implementing it. Refunds to You shall be applicable only in accordance with our refund policy described in section 8(6).
Taxes.
European Union. In the event that the sale or delivery of a Course or any Submitted Content to any Student in the European Union is subject to any value added tax ("VAT"), under applicable law, Comics Experience will collect and remit the VAT to the competent tax authorities for sales of such Courses or Submitted Content to Students in the European Union. Comics Experience may at its own discretion increase the Sale Price where Comics Experience is of the view that VAT may be due and Comics Experience will have a liability to account for such. You will indemnify and hold Comics Experience harmless against any and all claims by any tax authority for any underpayment of VAT, and any penalties and/or interest thereon. All Other Countries. For sales of any Courses or Submitted Content in countries other than the European Union, You are responsible for remitting the taxes to the appropriate taxing authority (which may be different to the tax authority in Your own location). Comics Experience is unable to provide You with tax advice and You should consult Your own tax advisor.
Rounding Off.
Comics Experience may, in its sole discretion, round up or round down the Sale Price to the nearest whole functional base unit in which the Sale Currency is denominated (e.g. to the nearest dollar, euro or other supported currency); for example, Comics Experience will round up an amount of $101.50 to $102.00, and $101.49 to $101.00. Some currencies are denominated in large numbers. In those cases, Comics Experience may determine the functional base unit in which those currencies are denominated to be 10, 100 or 1,000 of the currency; the corresponding examples for such currencies would be for Comics Experience to round up an amount of 1,045 up to 1,050 and 1,044 down to 1,040, or 35,450 up to 35,500 and 35,449 down to 35,400, or 837,500 up to 838,000 and 837,499 down to 837,000.
Refunds.
If You, as a Student, are unhappy with such a Course and request a refund within thirty (30) days of the date that You paid for access to that Course, We may provide You with a full or partial refund relative to the amount You paid. To request a refund, please contact Us via info@comicsexperience.com. Please note that if We believe that You are abusing Our refund policy in Our sole discretion, We reserve the right to suspend or terminate Your Account and refuse or restrict any and all current or future use of the Services, without any liability to You. Any and all refunds will be at the sole discretion of Comics Experience.
The trademarks, service marks, and logos (the "Trademarks") used and displayed through Our Services or in any Company Content are Our registered or unregistered Trademarks or of Our suppliers or third parties and are protected pursuant to U.S. and foreign trademark laws. All rights are reserved and You may not alter or obscure the Trademarks, or link to them without Our prior approval.
THE SERVICES, COMPANY CONTENT, SUBMITTED CONTENT, COURSES, AND ANY OTHER MATERIALS MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, COMICS EXPERIENCE AND ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, SUPPLIERS, ADVERTISERS, SPONSORS AND AGENTS, DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON- INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ANY WARRANTIES THAT MAY ARISE FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR USAGE OF TRADE. COMICS EXPERIENCE AND ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, SUPPLIERS, ADVERTISERS, SPONSORS AND AGENTS DO NOT WARRANT THAT YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE OR SECURE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE SERVICES, THE SUBMISSIONS, THE SERVER(S) ON WHICH THE SERVICES ARE HOSTED, OR ANY SERVICES AVAILABLE ON ANY THIRD PARTY PLATFORM ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. NO OPINION, ADVICE OR STATEMENT OF COMICS EXPERIENCE OR ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, SUPPLIERS, ADVERTISERS, SPONSORS, AGENTS, MEMBERS OR VISITORS, WHETHER MADE THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES, OR ON THIRD PARTY PLATFORMS OR OTHERWISE, SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY. YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY SERVICES PROVIDED ON ANY THIRD PARTY PLATFORM, ARE ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
NEITHER COMICS EXPERIENCE NOR ANY OF OUR SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, SUPPLIERS, ADVERTISERS OR SPONSORS, NOR OUR OR THEIR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONSULTANTS, AGENTS OR OTHER REPRESENTATIVES, ARE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF DATA OR LOST PROFITS), UNDER ANY CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHER THEORY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE SERVICES AND/OR MATERIALS, INCLUDING ANY MATERIALS AVAILABLE THROUGH ANY THIRD PARTY PLATFORM, SUBMISSIONS, ANY LINKED WEBSITES OR ANY CODE, PRODUCT OR SERVICE PURCHASED, ACCESSIBLE OR USABLE THROUGH THE SERVICES OR ANY THIRD PARTY PLATFORM. YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SERVICES, MATERIALS, INCLUDING ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH ANY THIRD PARTY PLATFORM, SUBMISSIONS OR ANY LINKED WEBSITES IS TO STOP USING THE SERVICES, MATERIALS, SUBMISSIONS, PRODUCTS, OR LINKED WEBSITES, AS APPLICABLE. THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE MAXIMUM LIABILITY TO COMICS EXPERIENCE FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES AND CAUSES OF ACTION, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL BE THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO COMICS EXPERIENCE IN THE PRECEDING TWELVE (12) MONTHS, IF ANY, TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES. BECAUSE SOME STATES OR JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. NO COMMUNICATION OF ANY KIND BETWEEN YOU AND COMICS EXPERIENCE OR A REPRESENTATIVE OF COMICS EXPERIENCE CONSTITUTES A WAIVER OF ANY LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY HEREUNDER OR CREATE ANY ADDITIONAL WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THE TERMS. MULTIPLE CLAIMS WILL NOT INCREASE THE MONETARY DAMAGES LIMIT STATED HEREIN. YOU AGREE THAT THE DAMAGE EXCLUSIONS IN THESE TERMS OF USE SHALL APPLY EVEN IF ANY REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
Inaccuracies. A possibility exists that the Services provided on any Third Party Platform could include inaccuracies or errors, or information or materials that violate these Terms. Additionally, a possibility exists that unauthorized alterations could be made by third parties to the Services available on any Third Party Platform. Although Comics Experience attempts to ensure the integrity of the Services on Third Party Platforms, we make no guarantees as to the Services' completeness or correctness. In the event that a situation arises in which the Services' completeness or correctness is in question, please submit a request to info@comicsexperience.com (with the subject line "Inaccuracies in Services on Third Party Platform Name") with, if possible, a description of the Services to be checked and the location (URL) where such Services can be found on Our Services or Third Party Platform at issue, as well as information sufficient to enable Us to contact You. We will try to address Your concerns as soon as reasonably practicable. For copyright infringement claims, see the above Intellectual Property section.
System Outages. Comics Experience periodically schedules system downtime for the Services for maintenance and other purposes. Additionally, unplanned system outages may occur. You agree that Comics Experience has no responsibility and is not liable for: (a) the unavailability of the Services including those available on Third Party Platforms; (b) any loss of materials, data, transactions or any other information or materials caused by such system outages; (c) the resultant delay, mis-delivery, or non-delivery of data, transactions or any other information or materials caused by such system outages; or (d) any outages caused by any third parties, including without limitation, any companies or servers hosting the Services, any Internet service providers, any Third Party Platforms, or any Internet facilities and networks.
You hereby indemnify, defend and hold harmless Comics Experience, and its affiliates, officers, directors, agents, partners, employees, licensors, representatives and third party providers from and against all reasonably foreseeable losses, expenses, damages, costs, claims and demands, including reasonable attorneys' fees and related costs and expenses, due to or arising out of Your breach of any representation or warranty hereunder. We reserve the right, at Our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by You under these terms, and in such case, You agree to fully cooperate as reasonably required with such defense and in asserting any available defenses.
Notice for California Users. Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, California websites users are entitled to the following specific consumer rights notice: The Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 400 R Street, Suite 1080, Sacramento, California, 95814, or by telephone at (916) 445-1254 or (800) 952-5210.
Statute of Limitations. Any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the Services, the Terms, or any services or information available through Third Party Platforms, must be filed within 1 year after such claim or cause or action arose regardless of any statutes or law to the contrary. In the event any such claim or cause of action is not filed within such 1-year period, such claim or cause of action are forever barred.
Comics Experience reserves the right to terminate, suspend, modify, or delete, at Our sole discretion, any (a) Submitted Content, Company Content, Courses, or any Service; and (b) Your access to Our Services or Your Account, as follows:
If You breach or violate any of these Terms or any of Our applicable policies, as posted on Our Services from time to time, Comics Experience may take action immediately without prior notice to You. If We take action pursuant to this section, We shall not have any liability to You for any Course(s) You may have purchased nor for any other use of Our Services associated with Your Account. For avoidance of any doubt, You understand and agree that You will not be compensated nor be eligible for any refund under any circumstances for any such access lost to Our Services, including without limitation to Course(s) You may have purchased;
We may also take action for any reason or no reason, in which case We will provide prior notice to You. If We take action pursuant to this section We will refund You for any access lost to Course(s) that You may have purchased during the three (3) months period prior to such termination, all in accordance with and subject to the terms of Our refund policy set forth herein
You may terminate Your use of the Services at any time, either by ceasing to access them, or by deleting Your Account. We have no obligation to retain any of Your Account or Submitted Content for any period of time beyond what may be required by applicable law. Upon termination, You must cease all use of the Services and Content. Any accrued rights to payment and all representations and warranties shall survive termination.
Electronic Notices
By using Our Services or communicating with Comics Experience, You agree that Comics Experience may communicate with You electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to Your use of the Services or these Terms. If Comics Experience learns of a security system's breach, Comics Experience may attempt to notify You electronically by posting a notice through the Services or sending an email to You. You may have a legal right to receive this notice in writing. To receive free written notice of a security breach (or to withdraw Your consent from receiving electronic notice), please write to Comics Experience at info@comicsexperience.com. Notice will be deemed given twenty-four hours after e-mail is sent, unless the sending party is notified that the e-mail address is invalid. Alternatively, Comics Experience may give You legal notice by mail to a postal address, if provided by You through Your use any of the Services. In such case, notice will be deemed given three days after the date of mailing.
Entire Agreement. These Terms and any policies applicable to You posted on Our Services constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede all previous written or oral agreements between the parties with respect to such subject matter.
Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be illegal, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from these Terms and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions of these Terms.
Waiver. A provision of these Terms may be waived only by a written instrument executed by the party entitled to the benefit of such provision. The failure of Comics Experience to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
Notice. Any notice or other communication to be given hereunder will be in writing and given by facsimile, postpaid registered or certified mail return receipt requested, or electronic mail.
No Agency. Nothing in these Terms shall be construed as making either party the partner, joint venture, agent, legal representative, employer, contractor or employee of the other. Neither Comics Experience nor any other party to these Terms shall have, or hold itself out to any third party as having, any authority to make any statements, representations or commitments of any kind, or to take any action that shall be binding on the other except as provided for herein or authorized in writing by the party to be bound.
Governing Laws. These Terms and Your use of the Services shall be governed by the substantive laws of the State of California without reference to its choice or conflicts of law principles that would require the application of the laws of another jurisdiction, and shall be considered to have been made and accepted in the State of Kentucky.
Agreement to Arbitrate and Class Action Waiver
THIS SECTION ONLY APPLIES TO USERS IN THE US AND CANADA.
Before bringing a formal legal case, please first try contacting our support team at info@comicsexperience.com. Most disputes can be resolved that way.
We Both Agree to Arbitrate. If we can't resolve our dispute amicably, You and Comics Experience agree to resolve any claims relating to these Terms, or any of Our other terms posted on Our Services from time to time, through final and binding arbitration. This applies to all kinds of claims under any legal theory.
Either of Us can bring a claim in small claims court in Shelby County, Kentucky or some other place we both agree on, if it qualifies to be brought in that court.
In addition, if You or Comics Experience brings a claim in court that should be arbitrated or any of Us refuses to arbitrate a claim that should be arbitrated, the other of Us can ask a court to force Us to go to arbitration to resolve the claim (i.e., compel arbitration). You or Comics Experience may also ask a court to halt a court proceeding while an arbitration proceeding is ongoing.
No Class Actions. We all agree that we can only bring a claim against each other on an individual basis. That means: (a) neither You nor Comics Experience can bring a claim as a plaintiff or class member in a class action, consolidated action or representative action; (b) an arbitrator cannot combine more than one person's claim into a single case, and cannot preside over any consolidated, class or representative arbitration proceeding (unless we both agree to change this); (c) an arbitrator's decision or award in one person's case can only impact the person who brought the claim, not other Users, and cannot be used to decide other disputes with other Users. If a court decides that this subsection on "No Class Actions" is not enforceable or valid, then the entire section 16 (Agreement to Arbitrate and Class Action Waiver) will be null and void, but, the rest of the Terms will still apply.
The Arbitration Process. Any disputes between You and Comics Experience relating to the Services that involve a claim of less than US$10,000 must be resolved exclusively through binding non-appearance- based arbitration. A party electing arbitration shall initiate proceedings by filing an arbitration demand with the American Arbitration Association (AAA). The arbitration proceedings shall be governed by the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules, Consumer Due Process Protocol, and Supplementary Procedures for Resolution of Consumer-Related Disputes. In addition, You and Comics Experience agree that the following rules shall apply to the arbitration proceedings: (a) the arbitration shall be conducted, at the option of the party seeking relief, by telephone, online, or based solely on written submissions; (b) the arbitration shall not involve any personal appearance by the parties or witnesses unless otherwise mutually agreed by the parties; and (c) any judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. Any disputes between You and Comics Experience relating to the Services that involve a claim of less than US$10,000 must be resolved in accordance with the AAA's rules about whether the arbitration hearing has to be in-person.
Jurisdiction for Legal Disputes Not Subject to Arbitration. If the Agreement to Arbitrate is determined to be invalid or unenforceable or for any disputes that do not qualify for arbitration, the dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal and State courts located in, or nearest to Shelby County, Kentucky. You hereby consent and submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action.
Changes. Notwithstanding the provisions of the modification-related provisions above, if Comics Experience changes this "Agreement to Arbitrate and Class Action Waiver" section after the date you first accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms), you may reject any such change by providing Comics Experience written notice of such rejection by email from the email address associated with your Account to: info@comicsexperience.com, within 30 days of the date such change became effective, as indicated by the "last updated on" language above. In order to be effective, the notice must include your full name and clearly indicate your intent to reject changes to this "Agreement to Arbitrate and Class Action Waiver" section. By rejecting changes, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any dispute between you and Comics Experience in accordance with the provisions of this "Agreement to Arbitrate and Class Action Waiver" section as of the date you first accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms).
Introduction to Visual Storytelling
Instructor: Phillip Sevy
6 Weeks | Starts: February 1, 2022
Join professional artist Phillip Sevy (Tomb Raider, Triage, The House, Paradox) as he teaches you everything you need to know about comic book storytelling in this dynamic six-week class.
Introduction to Writing Comics
Instructors: Andy Schmidt and Paul Allor
Learn how to craft a comic book story, create great characters, the ins and outs of the industry and tips for breaking in—all from one of the industry's leading professional editors.
Comics Writing: Discovering Genre
Instructor: Paul Allor
6 Weeks | Starts: September 29, 2021
The comics industry is founded on genre work, with professional writers expected to write top-level stories in a variety of genres and styles. In this six-week course, comics writer Paul Allor will guide you through the genres of science fiction, crime, horror, comedy, romance and more! You will discover what makes these genres tick, and learn how to craft a winning story in each.
Comics Storytelling Masterclass
6 Weeks | Starts: November 9, 2021
An intensive course of study focused on breaking the mold of more traditional grid layout storytelling while digging underneath the surface of your art to find ways to add more emotion and meaning to your ideas.
"Andy Schmidt is one of the best editors I've ever worked with. His editorial suggestions are always on the mark and very stimulating. After talking with him, I'm filled with new ideas and excited to get back to my writing. He understands what makes a story work, and that's a rare gift."
New York Times best-selling author and creator of Rambo
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