Crime Comics: How to Write Comics with Charles Ardai of Hard Case Crime

"Saturday Night Special" - Comic Book School Live Special Weekend Edition "How To Write Crime" with the editor of the Hard Case Crime line of books and comic books under Titan Publishing. We analyze the craft of professional crime writing with Hard Case Crime founder Charles Ardai. This session breaks down 5 specific tips for writing compelling crime fiction, focusing on the mechanics of building suspense and subverting reader expectations. Charles Ardai—an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author and editor—shares the professional insights that have sustained Hard Case Crime for over 20 years. DATE: 2/7/2026 TIME: 8:00 PM EST HOST: Buddy Scalera CO-HOST: Mike Fasolo GUEST: Charles Ardai - Hard Case Crime Website: http://www.hardcasecrime.com/ X: https://x.com/CharlesArdai https://x.com/HardCaseCrime KEY EDUCATIONAL TAKEAWAYS The Element of Surprise: How to use unfamiliarity to startle your readers. Authentic Dialogue: Moving beyond "cop talk" to make characters sound like real human beings. The Lean Edit: Why leaving out the "boring parts" improves pacing and narrative velocity. Structural Hooks: The "Chapter Two First" technique for starting in the middle of the action. Creative Integrity: Why writing what you love beats trying to chase current market trends. TITLE: "Gun Honey" PUBLISHER: Hard Case Crime / Titan Comics DATE: September 2021 CREATORS: Charles Ardai (Writer), Ang Hor Kheng (Artist) Amazon Affiliate Link for Gun Honey: https://amzn.to/4r6326g YOUTUBE CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction to Crime Month with Buddy and Mike 05:18 - Meet Charles Ardai: 20 Years of Hard Case Crime 15:55 - Tip 1: The Element of Surprise and Startling the Reader 21:00 - Tip 2: Writing Dialogue That Sounds Like Real Humans 23:05 - Tip 3: Leaving Out the Parts People Don't Read 24:35 - Tip 4: Writing Chapter Two First (The Keller/Tanner Rule) 30:10 - Tip 5: Inverting Expectations in the Crime Genre 34:50 - The One Piece of Advice Charles Wishes He Received Earlier ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SERVICES Educational Slide Decks: Access the research decks from tonight's show on our Patreon. Mike Fasolo on Substack: Follow the serialization of Mike’s new novel, "The Self-Imposed Exile." SOCIAL LINKS Comic Book School Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/comicbookschool Hard Case Crime Official: http://www.hardcasecrime.com Mike Fasolo's Substack: https://mikefasolo.substack.com SOCIAL LINKS * Comic Book School Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/comicbookschool * Deanna Destito Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deannadestito * Mike Fasolo's Substack: https://mikefasolo.substack.com