The document discusses Anand Gramener's work automating the creation of comics. Gramener typed out every Calvin & Hobbes comic strip by hand over 6 years until receiving a copyright notice. This inspired Gramener to create ComicGen, a programming library that uses patterns to simplify and automate comic creation. ComicGen allows comics to be generated from data and integrated into projects, communications, and dashboards. The era of anyone, including machines, being able to create comics has begun.

1. AUTOMATING
COMICS
ANAND S GRAMENER

2. I love comics
I often used them in talks – even business
presentations. (I’m a consultant.)

3. My
life’s
work
I typed out every
single Calvin &
Hobbes strip by
hand.
Took six years.
2001 - 2007

4. Soon, my Calvin
site was on the
front page of
Reddit, Slashdot,
and Hacker News.
… until I got a legal
copyright notice from
UComics citing DMCA
(Digital Millenium Copyright Act)

5. COMICS ARE ENGAGING

6. COMICS ARE ENTERTAINING

7. As Gramener grew, our design
team started going crazy too

8. Our content was often
illustrated with comics
– typically two
characters named
Dee & Dey

9. That was when I realized what Scott meant…
MICKEY SMILES.
I SMILE
WE MIMIC EMOTIONS WE SEE

10. … and we can simplify comics using patterns

11. Comicgen is a
programming
library that lets
you automate
comic creation
GRAMENER.COM / COMICGEN /

12. Characters evolved with the community

13. IF YOU CAN SKETCH,
HELP US, PLEASE!

14. Hacker News, several Japanese & Chinese sites…
The community quickly latched on. #comicgen
SCHOOL REPORTS FROM LONG LOST FRIENDS

15. So did our
marketing
team
Within weeks,
invites for events
were entirely
made of comic
strips

18. These trickled into our projects…
(WE WERE TEMPTED TO SAY “TB OR NOT TB…”)

19. … and our process communication

21. … into our data stories, …

22. “LET’S KEEP THIS IN MIND FOR PAY RAISES… ”

23. … and annotated our data visualizations

24. … including #INDvsAFG
(BTW, COUNTRIES PLAYING AFG USUALLY SCORE LOW)

25. … on live dashboards

26. … in multiple languages
“GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT.”

27. https://codepen.io/richielionell/pen/jRmjOY
COMICGEN CAN BE USED IN PROGRAMS
… AND THIS CAN CREATE MAGIC

28. https://gramener.com/words/

29. https://gramener.com/playground/datacomics/wbl

30. DASHBOARDS CAN DRAW COMICS FROM DATA
https://github.com/gramener/comicgen-powerbi

31. THE ERA HAS BEGUN WHERE
ANYONE, EVEN MACHINES, CAN
CREATE COMICS
YOU CAN CRAFT ENGAGING STORIES,
AND GIVE IT LIFE WITH COMICS –
EVEN IF YOU CAN’T DRAW
THANK YOU

32. Q&A
S.ANAND @ GRAMENER.COM