Publications

This page includes samples of materials I have designed for publication. I also wrote and drew much of what appears in these samples. After the samples, you'll find a select list of my published work.

Instructional Pamphlets

Fundamentals of Readers Advisory: I created this training tool for librarians and library circulation staff in 2014. It was made available to librarians nationwide. (Written, illustrated, and designed by C. Michael Hall.)

Reference on the Go: Another 2014 training tool for librarians and library staff. (Written, illustrated, and designed by C. Michael Hall.)

Five Essential Principles of Comics & Cartooning: This 2014 instructional pamphlet was derived from the college courses I've taught in the subject. It's now the introductory handout for all my classes. (Written, illustrated, and designed by C. Michael Hall.)

"Idea Lab" Checklist: Created in 2013 as the primary instructional aid for an entrepreneurship program at the Independence Public Library in Independence, KS. The Idea Lab logo design isn't mine; that was provided by the client. (Written, illustrated, and designed by C. Michael Hall.)

Library Comics
These instructional and promotional comics constituted the bulk of my comic book output from 2011-2015 (produced for institutional clients, these books were far more time-consuming than the typical comic book due to the extensive research and preparation for each book, as well as the lengthy institutional approval processes for each production step). Created as a new means of introducing library users to the basics of information literacy and research fundamentals, these comics caused quite a stir in the library world (the first, Library of the Living Dead, boasts over two million readers worldwide) and even spawned a few imitators produced by other creative teams! Ultimately, the comics led to a book deal with the University of Chicago Press, resulting in the publication of Information Now: A Graphic Guide to Student Research, now in its second edition.

Not all of the library comics I created appear on this list. Due to copyright and licensing agreements, not all of the books have been made available online by the client institutions.

Library of the Living Dead: 2011. Created for Miller Library at McPherson College in McPherson, KS. (Written by C. Michael Hall and Matt Upson; illustrated and designed by C. Michael Hall with color by Dustin Evans.) 

Monster Clash: 2011. Created for the Wilton Library Association of Wilton, CT. (Written by C. Michael Hall and Matt Upson; illustrated and designed by C. Michael Hall with color by Dustin Evans.) 

Supreme Librarians in Metaspace: 2012. Created for the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University in Emporia, KS. (Written by Matt Upson; illustrated and designed by C. Michael Hall with color by Dustin Evans.) 

Sundown at the Library: 2012. Created for Graham Library at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, KS. (Written by C. Michael Hall and Matt Upson; illustrated and designed by C. Michael Hall with color by Dustin Evans.) 

Secret of the Pirate Library: 2014. Created for the library at Independence Community College in Independence, KS. (Written by C. Michael Hall and Matt Upson; illustrated and designed by C. Michael Hall with color by Dustin Evans.) 

Invasion from Outer Space: 2015. Created for the Kansas City Public Library in Kansas City, MO. (Written by C. Michael Hall; illustrated and designed by C. Michael Hall with color by Dustin Evans.)


"An Ill Wind"
An exercise in grass-roots publishing from the ground up, I published this literary journal in 2013. In addition to writing a piece for the book, I served as editor, publisher, talent scout, designer, and marketing department. (Edited and designed by C. Michael Hall; written by C. Michael Hall, Lori Baker Martin, Lily R. Morgan, and Heather Mydosh; photography by James Bruntz.)

Selected Works
What follows is a list of some of my published credits. It's incomplete, but serves as a fair overview of my work in a variety of creative, editorial, and design capacities.

The Adventures of Doctor Mystery, Man of Action! #1-13, Annual #1, 2001 Halloween Special. Comic book series. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 1999-2002 by Commix, later by Hominid Press.)

"Brute Force." Monthly column. (www.smallpresscomics.com, now defunct. 2000-2002.)

Albino Gorilla #1. Comic Book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2002 by Hominid Press.)

Frankenstein Rising #1. Comic Book. (Writer; designer. Published 2002 by Hominid Press.)

Atomic Age Treasury of Pulp Action,  Vol. 1. Short story collection. (Contributing writer. Published 2004 by Ape Entertainment.)

Make Your Own Comics: The Small Press Primer. Instructional book. (Writer; artist. Published 2004 by Ape Entertainment.)

Ape Omnibus #1-2. Comic book series. (Editor; contributing writer; designer. Published 2004 by Ape Entertainment.)

Go-Go Gorilla and the Jungle Crew: Summer Fun Special. Comic book. (Editor; contributing writer and artist; designer. Published 2005 by Ape Entertainment.)

Pan-Gea. Comic book. (Editor; contributing designer. Published 2005 by Ape Entertainment.)

Point Pleasant. Comic book. (Editor. Published 2005 by Ape Entertainment.)

Justice City Chronicles #1. Comic book. (Editor; contributing designer. Published 2005 by Ape Entertainment.)

Sullengrey #1-4. Comic book series. (Editor; contributing designer. Published 2005-2006 by Ape Entertainment.)

Horrorwood #1-4. Comic book series. (Editor; contributing designer. Published 2006 by Ape Entertainment.)

Bronze Age Funnies #1. Comic book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2010 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Library of the Living Dead. Comic book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2011 by Atomic Raygun Comics for an institutional client.)

Monster Clash. Comic book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2011 by Atomic Raygun Comics for an institutional client.)

“Zombie Attacks:  How They Can Contribute to the Success of Your Library.” Article. (Co-writer. Published by College & Research Libraries News, July/August 2011 72: 394-397.)

Helldorado: East Eats West #1-3. Comic book series and collected edition. (Writer. Published 2011-12 by Ape Entertainment. A second series was written in 2013 but remains unpublished.)

Supreme Librarians in Metaspace. Comic book. (Artist; designer. Published 2012 by Atomic Raygun Comics for an institutional client.)

Hooligan #1-2. Digital comic book series. (Writer; contributing designer. Published 2012 by Viper Comics.)

Sundown at the Library. Comic book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2012 by Atomic Raygun Comics for an institutional client.)

"Comic Book Guy in the Classroom: The Educational Power and Potential of Graphic Storytelling in Library Instruction." Article. (Contributing writer. Published 2013 in the Kansas Library Association's College and University Libraries Section Proceedings, Vol. 3.)

An Ill Wind. Literary journal. (Editor; contributing writer; designer. Published 2013 by Planetoid Press.)

Secret of the Pirate Library. Comic book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2014 by Atomic Raygun Comics for an institutional client.)

"The Man Who Kicked Dogs." Short story. (Writer. Appeared in The Darkness Internal #3. Published 2014 by Voluted Tales.)

Invasion from Outer Space. Comic book. (Writer; artist; designer. Published 2015 by Atomic Raygun Comics for an institutional client.)

ACE Magazine #1-3. Magazine. Ed. Jon B. Cooke. (Contributing writer; contributing artist. Published 2015 by Time Capsule Productions.)

Monster! #19. Magazine. Ed. Tim Paxton. (Contributing artist. Published 2015 by Wildside Publishing/Kronos Productions.)

Information Now: A Graphic Guide to Student Research. Textbook. (Co-writer. Published 2015 by the University of Chicago Press.)

Vampsylvania. Card and dice game. (Developer, writer, illustrator, crowdfunding campaign manager. Published 2016 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Synapses 'Cast. Podcast. (Logo design. Launched in 2016.)

Monster! #27. Magazine. Ed. Tim Paxton. (Contributing artist and writer. Published 2016 by Wildside Publishing/Kronos Productions.)

Pickle Pickle Pepper. Card game. (Developer, writer, illustrator, crowdfunding campaign manager. Published 2016 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Monster! #30. Magazine. Ed. Tim Paxton. (Contributing artist and writer. Published 2016 by Wildside Publishing/Kronos Productions.)

Urban Knights. Roleplaying game. (Developer, writer, illustrator, crowdfunding campaign manager. Published 2016 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Urban Knights Series Book 1: Cormick County. Roleplaying game sourcebook. (Cover artist, contributing artist. Published 2016 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Stories from the Grave. Roleplaying game. (Covert artist and contributing artist. Published 2016 by Spectrum Games.)

Stories from the Grave: The Grave Hag's SCARchives Vol. 1. Roleplaying game sourcebook. (Contributing artist. Published 2016 by Spectrum Games.)

Unlocked w/Chris Papkin. Podcast. (Logo design. Launched in 2017.)

Cartoon Action Hour Season 3: The Complete Guide to Warriors of the Cosmos. Roleplaying game sourcebook. (Cover artist. Published 2017 by Spectrum Games.)

Into the '80s: An Urban Knights Sourcebook. Roleplaying game sourcebook. (Developer, writer, illustrator. Published 2017 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Fear Response. Roleplaying game. (Developer, writer, illustrator. Published 2017 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

Monster! #33. Magazine. Ed. Tim Paxton. (Cover artist. Published 2018 by Wildside Publishing/Kronos Productions.)

This Defiant Earth. Roleplaying game. (Developer, writer, illustrator. Published 2019 by Atomic Raygun Comics.)

BIFF! BAM! KAPOW! Roleplaying game. (Cover artist. Published 2021 by Spectrum Games.)