Author: Newsroom
NOV. 24, 2025 (PORTLAND, OR) — Breaking into comics isn’t just about talent; it’s about clarity, strategy, and knowing how to build ideas that can survive the industry’s churn.
On Saturday, December 6th, comics creator Joseph Illidge and his company Illuminous will bring a high-impact crash course in story architecture, IP development, and industry navigation to Everyone Comics (41-26 27th St, LIC). The shop, famous for bringing “culture to a high-class, fast-growing neighborhood”, has become a haven for new voices and ambitious creators fighting to break in on their own terms.
The one-day workshop is built for creators ready to develop original IP, pitch with confidence, and move their projects forward. Illidge’s career spans DC Comics, Image Comics, Heavy Metal, Simon & Schuster, and Todd McFarlane Productions, with credits including New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident, The Shadow Cabinet, Bloodletter, and a newly announced film franchise deal with 50 Cent’s G-Unit Film & Television based on XERO. A longtime architect of the modern comics landscape—shaping Batman, Batgirl, Catwoman, and major creator-driven lines, he has distilled decades of experience into a practical, laser-focused methodology for building ideas that last.
Attendees will learn how to identify the true engine of their story, strengthen it for long-term viability, and prepare it for expansion across mediums: comics, animation, film, games, and beyond.
Everyone Comics co-owner Dimitrios Fragiskatos said that the partnership is exactly what new creators need right now:
“Few people embody Everyone Comics’ mission, that comics are for everyone, more than Joseph Illidge. From advancing representation at Milestone to reshaping Gotham in No Man’s Land to his recent work on Blood Letter, Joseph has built a career on identifying what stories and publishers need to thrive. Through Illuminous, he brings that expertise directly to indie creators, offering guidance on both storytelling and strategy. Joseph returns as a longtime friend of the shop to answer questions, offer feedback as time allows, and sign books available in-store—an opportunity to connect, learn, and leave inspired to continue your creative path.”
Joseph Illidge added, “The workshop will include guided story development, open Q&A, practical advice for pitching and shaping IP, and book signings with Illidge—Lasting stories aren’t accidents, they’re architecture. If you want to create IP with impact, you have to build it with intention. This workshop is where that starts.”
