Storycomic Weekly Newsletter: December 20th
ALWAYS POSTED A WEEK EARLIER ON PATREON
Scott Serkland’s Next Chapter: Splitting Channels and Dialing Up the Retro
On this episode of Storycomic Presents, I’m joined once again by Scott Serkland, the “mad creator” behind Serkworks Art Labs—a retro-futuristic “mad science” brand full of robots, aliens, zombies, and nerdy sci-fi goodies.
Scott’s back to talk about a big shift in how he’s running his creative empire online. His original YouTube channel, Serkworks Art Labs, has long been home to making-comics content, art tips, and shows like The Artcasters and Making Comics 101. Now he’s spinning off a second channel, Retro Art Lab, dedicated entirely to reverse-engineering Gen X nostalgia: wax packs, gross-out stickers, vintage toys, and all the weird ephemera that shaped a certain kind of kid.
We talk about why he’s dividing his content, how it ties into his trading card Kickstarter “It Came From The Fridge”, and what creators can learn from giving each audience its own clear home.
If you’re into indie comics, YouTube strategy, or retro art that leans into the slime, this conversation will give you plenty of ideas—and probably send you down a rabbit hole of wax packs and 80s kids-vs-zombies adventures.
Project Update: More Words on Appliance
I was able to make some solid progress on Appliance this week and added a few thousand more words to the project. It feels great to keep building momentum and see the manuscript continue to grow, both in size and in depth.
A lot of this writing has been focused on expanding ideas and refining how different parts of the world fit together. Each new section makes the setting feel more complete, and it’s encouraging to see things coming together in a way that feels cohesive and fun.
Slowly but steadily, Appliance keeps moving forward—and that forward motion is always a good feeling.
Book Review: Richard Scarry’s Animal Nursery Tales – A Cozy Return to Childhood
Rediscovering Richard Scarry’s Animal Nursery Tales felt like opening a time capsule. This was a book I read over and over again growing up, and finding it again brought back a flood of memories. Getting to sit down and read it to my 5-year-old this week made the experience even sweeter—it was one of those rare, full-circle parenting moments.
The book is a collection of classic nursery tales, all retold with Richard Scarry’s unmistakable charm. Familiar stories like The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, and Little Red Riding Hood are reimagined with friendly animal characters and gentle humor. Everything feels safe, cozy, and inviting—perfect for young listeners.
What really makes this book special is Scarry’s artwork. Every page is packed with expressive faces, little background details, and just enough silliness to keep kids engaged while still honoring the simplicity of the original tales. My 5-year-old loved spotting animals doing funny things in the corners of each page, while I found myself lingering on illustrations I hadn’t thought about in decades.
Reading it again reminded me why Richard Scarry’s books leave such a lasting impression. They don’t rush. They invite you to slow down, enjoy the story, and feel at home in their world. Sharing this book with my child wasn’t just a bedtime story—it was a bridge between generations.
Richard Scarry’s Animal Nursery Tales is as comforting and magical as ever, and I’m grateful it’s now part of our bedtime routine again.
Personal Update: Long Days, Life Changes, and Little Wins at Home
This past week came with a mix of small victories and big schedule shifts. After probably three years on the to-do list, I finally got the washer and dryer hooked up and running in the basement. It’s one of those back-burner house projects that just quietly waits its turn—and it feels really good to finally cross it off the list.
High school basketball season is officially here, which always brings a whole new rhythm to the weeks. On top of that, my weekend production guy gave his notice. He’s stepping into a new role as a pastor, and I genuinely can’t fault him for moving on—good for him. That does mean, though, that for the time being I’ll be covering a lot more evening games, running the board at the studio myself. There are definitely some long days ahead, but it’s part of the season.
At home, Christmas has fully arrived. Shopping is now front and center, and we’ve started settling into some cozy evenings watching Christmas movies with the kids. With all the hustle, it’s been nice to slow things down a bit at night and enjoy those moments together.
A week of adjustments, extra hours, and a few satisfying wins—busy, but full in the right ways.
Santa’s Mailbox at the local post office
Laundry is not officially in the basement!
🎙️ Been Here. Still Awesome. Still Limited. 🎨📚🎲
For a while now, we’ve been offering a tried-and-true promotional opportunity through the Storycomic Patreon—and if you’re an independent creative, it’s still one of the best ways to sustainably share your work and grow your audience.
Here’s what our Patreon members have been benefiting from:
✅ Permanent Promotion
Your website or project link is featured in the show notes of all podcast episodes for as long as you're a patron. That’s long-term visibility across every platform where our show is streamed.
🏆 Founders Club Access
The Founders Club remains limited to just 15 spots. No expansions, no waiting list—once it’s full, that’s it. These early supporters have their names (and links) locked into the Storycomic platform.
📢 Monthly Promotion at the Super Club Level
At the Super Club tier, members receive a minimum of one promotional post per month—whether it's a new release, project update, or spotlight on their creative work.
Founders Club patrons include amazing creators like:
Michael Winn, Higgins802, Von Allan, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Marek Bennett, Donna Carr Roberts, Andrew Gronosky, Simki Kuznick, and Matt & Therese.
Explore their work:
🎯 If you're a creator—author, game designer, comic artist—this is your signal. This system is working. Don't wait until the last spot is gone.
Let’s keep building the kind of community that lifts each other up.