Tini Howard & Blake Howard on Comics Collaboration

 

Tini Howard & Blake Howard on Comics Collaboration

 

Writers. Artists. Colorists. Letterers. Few people do everything equally well. Most of us excel in one area but need help with the rest. So, at WonderCon 2026, husband and wife team Blake and Tini Howard led a panel on collaborating in comics.

 

When they considered who you might want to collaborate with, Blake and Tini suggested looking for someone with similar tastes and a willingness to work toward the same goal. Even if you're friends with someone or admire what they do, they suggest that you never try to force someone to do something they don't want to do. It's always better to keep a friend and find another collaborator.

 

If you look around, you can often find collaborators in places you might never suspect. Tini often works on gaming projects and enjoys conducting campaigns in her spare time. During one game, she found someone who sketched out their characters and settings. Collaborator found!

 

Blake may not agree with Emperor Palpatine (or, if you prefer, Darth Sidious) in all areas of his life. Still, he urged aspiring comic creators to embrace the Sith Rule of Two. Find someone who is strong where you are weak, and weak where you are strong. Tini also added that in a good comics collaboration, each party is constantly learning from the other. 

 

 

 

 

Blake and Tini both suggested partnering with a more experienced comics creator if possible. When working with Tim Seeley on Vampire The Masquerade: Winter's Teeth, they found a mentor who proved to be a good collaborator and was humble to boot. But regardless of the level of experience, they suggest that finding someone flexible and willing to compromise is more important than their skills.

 

Still, even in the most harmonious relationships, you won't always agree on everything. So, how do you pick your battles? When Tini and Blake collaborated on a story in the Batman Urban Legends anthology series, Blake initially infused it with gothic, romantic prose. He fought for more prose and less art. Tini reminded him of the visual nature of comics. Working together, the husband-and-wife writing team trimmed the prose so readers wouldn't be overwhelmed. In their discussions, the argument was never “No.” Instead, it was “No, however…"

 

 

 

Collaboration is the oldest form of storytelling. And Blake and Tini met when they were LARPing, which involves give and take. Unlike Blake and Tini, a fellow gamer may not become a good collaborator or a beloved mate. Still, finding a talented collaborator who wants to create something special with you may not be as difficult as it seems.

 

Thanks to Tini Howard, Blake Howard, and WonderCon 2026 for sharing this with us.