Welcome to SKTCHD.

So…what is SKTCHD?

SKTCHD is an Eisner Award-nominated subscription comic site run by David Harper that’s designed to tell the story behind the world of comics in a variety of ways, including:

Want more information on what SKTCHD includes? You can find a deeper breakdown on that and why the site is embracing the subscription model below.

Note: Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of the month,
quarter or year you’ve signed up for. You can cancel at any time by turning auto-renew off. Your subscription will end at the conclusion of the period you signed up for.

So what makes SKTCHD and its content worthwhile?

Let’s ask some people you might know for their thoughts.

SKTCHD is one of the most comprehensive online resources for anyone who is interested in the inner workings of the comics industry. David is extremely thoughtful and thorough in his research and always manages to cover a wide breadth of topics and creators, so there is something for everyone.

~Jen Bartel (Blackbird)

Whether in podcast interviews or longform journalism, David Harper’s passion and devotion to the comics medium in all its forms underlies a youthful exuberance and amiable demeanor that always puts his subjects at ease. Regardless of genre, format or personality, David’s curiosity and professionalism drive his pursuit of the profound deep dive; always engaging, never repetitive!

~Stuart Immonen (Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., Grass of Parnassus)

David’s interviews and articles are friendly and thorough, and it’s apparent that he’s put the legwork in when it comes to background research. Always informative and a pleasure to read.

~Fiona Staples (Saga)

SKTCHD is an oasis of good faith comics journalism, chiseled with a canny eye. David Harper is providing something the industry and the medium desperately needs, and I’m excited to see what SKTCHD 2.0 brings to the table.

~Declan Shalvey (Injection, Moon Knight)

So…again, what is SKTCHD?

Let’s do it one more time, but with more detail.

SKTCHD is ad-free subscription comic site that is entirely powered by me, David Harper, with no AI nonsense. Just human crafted nonsense. Subscribers get access to all of the site’s content, with your average week having four to six pieces, all of which is original work outside the typical beat for comic sites.

The highlight reel pieces will be my longforms, features that are typically heavily researched that examine anything from the industry or the making of old favorites to current events or the careers of creators. There will be plenty of other articles, including deep dive interviews with creators, retailers, publishers, and industry types, art feature interviews where artists examine their work with me, looks at the weird world of comics, and more, including weekly staples like my Friday column Comics Disassembled — in which I share ten things I liked or didn’t like from the past week in comics, the industry and beyond — as well as my look at the week’s releases in The Pull.

Still wondering what SKTCHD might look like? Here are some good examples from the site that showcase what it’s all about:

• The oral history of Secret Wars, the 2015 Marvel event comic by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic that started its path years before, eventually having a massive impact on Marvel’s line and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• A look at how 2024 was for comic shops, with a bevy of retailers talking about their experiences, what worked for them, what didn’t, and how they were feeling right as 2025 kicked off.
• A profile of Peach Momoko, exploring the cover artist and cartoonist’s rise to becoming the superstar creator she’s become.
• Micro lines were the big story of 2024 in comics, and this feature dives into the rise of this tactic from direct market publishers and the success of ones like Absolute DC, Ultimate Marvel, and the Energon Universe.

The objective of SKTCHD is to do things a bit differently than other comic sites, approaching varying topics in informative, heavily researched yet fun ways. While there won’t be a ton of articles, the idea is quality, not quantity, making it a bit atypical relative to the trends of the internet.

The Podcast

The SKTCHD podcast, Off Panel, is still free as it was before thanks to backers on its Patreon. It still exists on all the places you found it previously – Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, etc. etc. – and is still the same weekly comics interview podcast it was before, with guests new and old talking about comics, the industry and more.

Want to get a taste of what Off Panel is all about? Here are some notable recent episodes to give you a taste:

• Jonathan Hickman
• Why We Love Comics with Kazu Kibuishi, Ryan North, and Lucy Knisley
• Retailer Eitan Manhoff
• Tillie Walden
• Chip Zdarsky

Who Am I?

Yo everybody, I’m David Harper, the person who runs SKTCHD and hosts Off Panel. I’ve previously written a little bit of everywhere, from my early days at the Eisner Award-nominated Multiversity Comics to freelance gigs for The Ringer, Polygon, Publisher’s Weekly, and more. I even once wrote and voiced a video for Skybound about Invincible upon the conclusion of the comic. That was fun! I’ve been writing about comics since 2009, so I’m a veteran of the game at this point. SKTCHD and Off Panel are, incredibly, my full-time job at this point, and it’s entirely because of the support of the site’s subscribers and podcasts patrons.

Why is SKTCHD a subscription site?

I love writing about comics. It’s something I greatly enjoy, whether I’m writing the silliest piece possible or diving deep into the story behind the industry or a comic I adore. The first run of SKTCHD was a blast, and people seemed to dig it. But in my year of running the site, I created hundreds of articles and podcasts, which proved unsustainable for one major reason: I never found a real way to monetize it.

That’s not entirely surprising. It can be incredibly difficult to monetize anything online. Even worse, banner advertising has only crumbled over the years, with what remains inspiring low quality content that’s quick to churn out at volume, all of which is surrounded by hordes of banner and video ads. I’m never going to be able to create that kind of volume, nor would I want to create that kind of work. It’s exhausting and not of interest to me, if I’m being honest.

The subscription model offers a perfect alternative, as SKTCHD might not be for the masses, but it might be for you if you’re into feature writing about comics, a wide variety of interviews with a different approach, industry analysis, and a whole lot more. And even better for you, your subscription means you get to read what you want with no ads, no pop ups, and no random videos that are playing somewhere but oh god where are they playing can someone figure it out? It’s all killer, no filler, or at least so I hope.

Going this route makes it possible for me to write the types of articles I want to write in a sustainable way while you hopefully get to read the types of articles you want to read. It’s the best version of a comic site by me, or at least that’s what the goal is. It’s a dream of quality over quantity, with room to grow and make something special.

Welcome to SKTCHD. I hope you enjoy it.