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StoriesBraden Lamb ’11

It's 'Adventure Time' for This Alum

Braden Lamb and his wife draw the popular comic book series behind the hit Cartoon Network program 'Adventure Time.'

Adventure Time cartoon characters

You may not recognize Braden Lamb, but legions of fans enjoy the work he produces with his wife, Shelli Paroline. Together, the pair illustrate the popular monthly comic book series "Adventure Time," drawing comics of the eponymous television show that airs on the Cartoon Network in the United States and Europe.

Before "Adventure Time," they had worked on other licensed comics such as "Duck Tales" and the Muppets with the publisher, BOOM! Studios, which tapped their creative talents to launch the "Adventure Time" comic several years ago. It was an instant hit.

Before his recent successes, Lamb had worked in information technology. "I was doing comics in my down time. I decided that before it got too late, I wanted to make a go of it," recalls Lamb, who has a bachelor's degree from Bard College in film and animation. "I wanted to supplement my background with illustration skills, and it was good to focus on building that for a couple of years." He decided to enroll at Lesley in the Advanced Professional Certificate in Illustration program and graduated in 2011.

"Realizing there was this need for other roles in comics, I sought out classes at Lesley that would help me build those skills. I was lettering comics for a while, so I went for the typography class, which was one of my favorites."

He and his wife have been deeply entrenched in the world of comics for years and help to organize the annual Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE), held each fall at Lesley. And now, they travel the world to comic conferences, where they love meeting dedicated fans at the BOOM! Studios booth.

"It's really fun to share enthusiasm with people about 'Adventure Time' and the comics," Lamb says. "It's a fun world to play in because we get to invent new worlds and creatures in the comic."

In addition to his "Adventure Time" work, Lamb colors other people's comics and graphic novels, which is a niche skill he has honed. He recently wrapped up coloring Raina Telgemeier's "Sisters", which is the sequel to the New York Times bestselling "Smile".

"I actually encourage people who are into comics to brush up their digital coloring skills because that's very much in demand and not a lot of people are actually doing it," Lamb advised. "Realizing there was this need for other roles in comics, I sought out classes at Lesley that would help me build those skills. I was lettering comics for a while, so I went for the typography class, which was one of my favorites."

This summer, Lamb and his wife are finishing up work on "The Midas Flesh," a sci-fi space travel adventure series, and they are also working on the art for a graphic novel called "Making Scents," written by Caldecott Medal-winning author Arthur Yorinks.

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