New Comic Writer Advice & Discussion

[soda]

Hey everyone,

I've been a member of this forum, posting on again and off again, for nearly five years. During the last ten or so, I've written a wide variety of stuff, from poems to novels to short stories, had some stuff posted on the internet, which got good reviews, and generally enjoyed writing as a hobby. I've also been a comic book fan for nearly twenty years.

Recently, I thought I'd like to try my hand at writing the things that have given me so much joy for so many years and sharing them with others. At the art of writing comic books, I'm a total newbie, but I know there are veteran, experience pros who have done this thing for ages on CBR. I'd like to ask them, what advice would you offer someone whose just starting out and trying to put something together? (Other than "don't, please don't")

I thought that I might like to put together a book for DC comic's zudacomics.com. I'm interested in getting published, in print, someday, but I'm big on dues paying in life, and putting together a web comic for zudacomics looks like a fun thing for me to do. Is there any advice someone could give me on how to get started? I'm an excellent writer, but do to a genetic birth defect, I can't hold my hands steady, and, as a result, I'm a horrificly bad artist, so I'd definitely like to work with an artist. Anyone with interest, let me know that too.

Basically, I know what I want to do, and I have a million story ideas, but I don't know the first thing about the nuts and bolts of getting from idea to reality. Anyone who could supply web links, or a hint or two to guide me in the right direction, please, don't hesitate to let me know.

*Note to mods: please let me know if posting this topic was appropriate, I didn't see a "newbie comic creator" thread, if it wasn't, please direct me to the appropriate resource.*

[sparta28090]

Hey Soda! I am very new here and I visit just about everyday since I signed on, so here is the most up-to-date info I can give you.

Here are 3 threads that I will link up for you so you can look them up and they will give you the gist of what is happening in the way of writers.

An actual Sequntial writers Contest from here on CBR (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=213737)

A Writers Writing for Artist Thread (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=209707)

A Zuda Invitation (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=212161)

I am glad to see someone take an intrest in writting on the forums. The last 2 threads you see there were started by me they have had very little interaction, so new blood will be good. Good Luck!

[mattbib]

I'm a complete stranger to sequential writing so can't be of much help, but I've changed the thread title to hopefully attract more relevant feedback and participation.

[sparta28090]

Thanks for the change Matt. This is just one of the many things you do to keep all levels of this showcase fresh and new.

Soda, your question is very broad and without knowing what you do and don't know could result in my answer being too condescending or too broad. Zuda is a great place to start. They have their guidelines posted and they also have a message board there as well. I have registered with the site, but I have never logged onto the boards so I have no idea how helpful they are.

I suggest you start this discussion in asking questions. While ideas are the fuel for the comic writer they have to know:

1) Plotting
2) Sequential Writting
3) Continuity

Tell us what you know about these in short terms and let's begin there.

[soda]

Thanks for the change Matt. This is just one of the many things you do to keep all levels of this showcase fresh and new.

Soda, your question is very broad and without knowing what you do and don't know could result in my answer being too condescending or too broad. Zuda is a great place to start. They have their guidelines posted and they also have a message board there as well. I have registered with the site, but I have never logged onto the boards so I have no idea how helpful they are.

I suggest you start this discussion in asking questions. While ideas are the fuel for the comic writer they have to know:

1) Plotting
2) Sequential Writting
3) Continuity

Tell us what you know about these in short terms and let's begin there.


1) Plotting is actually what I consider my strength. I've written full length novels before, mostly dealing with sci-fi and fantasy themes. However, I like just about every genre, but I would consider sci-fi, fantasy and mystery to be my core strengths as a plotter. I'll enter the three page sequential contest thread on this forum, and keep tabs on it from now on, so thanks for that!

2) sequential writing is probably my weakness. I don't particularly think my work translates well, panel to panel, and I have trouble with this. Like most people whose practice is mostly with novels, I'm not that good at keeping things compact, and punchy, and planning panels to fit into the constraints of a single issue. I would appreciate any help on this, particularly when it comes to condensing work. I have a horrible tendency to start slow when I work, and build up momentum, meaning I tend to lose reader from the start, and I require too much patience of the people who are reading my stuff. Sometimes, this works out okay, other times, it doesn't. I'd like any advice on getting my stuff to hit the ground running a little better. I think the three page contest is perfect, because it will force me to hone in.

3) continuity is my greatest strength. As a novelist, I'll often reference things that happened five, eight, ten chapters before hand, and keep track of those details. I'm also something of a comic book history buff (although nowhere near someone like Buried Allen) so I love, and welcome, continuity.

I stink at drawing, can't draw a picture of the sun over a grassy field to save my life. So I think I definitely need to work with an artist. I would appreciate any help anyone could give me on how to find an artist I could work with.

Other things that I do not know and that I would like help with:

I don't know the first thing about inking, what it is, or why it's important.

I don't know anything about lettering, how to get it right, and why doing it on a computer is considered such a sin.

Again, I need to know some of the nuts and bolts of what goes on to make a finished product. I'd go to conventions, and ask the professionals in person, but unfortunately, my health requires me to stay in one place, so travel isn't really an option.

[LewMoxinsghost]

Other things that I do not know and that I would like help with:

I don't know the first thing about inking, what it is, or why it's important.

I don't know anything about lettering, how to get it right, and why doing it on a computer is considered such a sin.

Again, I need to know some of the nuts and bolts of what goes on to make a finished product. I'd go to conventions, and ask the professionals in person, but unfortunately, my health requires me to stay in one place, so travel isn't really an option.

Inking is more than just tracing, because a strong inker can make weak pencils look really great. The inker has final say in what the underlying artwork looks like, often it takes several sketches or poses to get something to look right, and including an inker is just one more step in making sure the art carries well. Though, some books do fine without one, the look should suit the tone of the story. Inks rock.

I'm of the opinion that lettering on a computer is not a sin at all. In fact, it is becoming increasingly easier and better looking all the time. If you are really worried about the letters looking too symmetrical, you can always take the time to design your own font exactly to your specs, and just include variants of the different letters. Hand-lettering is generally encouraged by people who are good at hand-lettering. Computer lettering is encouraged by folks whose bent is more techno.

[sparta28090]

Soda, click here to see the final result of the most sequential writing/artist competition. (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=213098)

I voted for Lew for a number of reasons.
1) His work was complete
2) His inks were superb
3) His instinct of shadows/lighting/shading were superb

The one thing I am curious about is if his work would suffer from colors or would the work be better. The curiousity is the simple fact is that I do consider black, white, and grey colors and he used them in an awesome way so I am curious if other hues would take away from his artistic atmosphere.

Lew is the artist here, so I digress your thoughts and questions on art to him.

My critique of your submission and observation of what you shared here. Your writting dicipline of a novelist is good because it will serve you well in continuity and research, but can cripple you in pace. keep in mind you can speed up your writting because the artist can tell much more than the space you can write.

Your visuals were good but your pace wasn't. 3 pages with a number of panels (particular page 2) went along way to describe so little. I generally like to pretend that I am a camera operator telling the story and the artist captures that and edits where he/she sees fit, where I tell the interior of the story and he sets the visual and proper mood.

I think if you treated your self-professed weakness in sequential writting and slow pace would work itself out if you approached comic scripts the same way you would write a screen play. Remember the screen writer tells the cast and camera crew where they are, what they are doing, where scenes begins and ends.

[soda]

Few things:

Yeah, I know my pacing sucks. I have to get better at that, and I need some serious practice. I think that my biggest problem is that I don't know how much I can fit in a page, or a panel, and how little I can fit, I haven't found that balance yet. Writting Novels, it's easy, if you want to add something, just tack on another page. There's little difference between a 400 page novel, and a 401 page one. With comics, it isn't so easy.

Here's the other thing, I, personally, love picture driven comics, where the picture tells the story and dialogue is left to a minimum. How do you get into that, if you're a scripter and your just trying to put things together? I read the comic in the link you sent me, and, personally didn't like it much, there was too much going on in it, it struck me as crowded. It takes all types to make the world, and it's obviously right in tone with some people's tastes (I read through it, and it struck me as something Bendis might write, with all the word balloons)

So, I ered on the other side, and made mine too sparse. I have to find that balance between the two. One other thing, regarding sequencing and spacing, I tried as hard as I could to make each page contain one idea or one scene. I agree that page two was a bit more crowded than it maybe should have been, but, I felt, there were three main ideas in the script:

1) Catwoman finds the body and is exposed to the fear gas, and she sees what she thinks is a monster

2) Catwoman and Monster fight, and catwoman realizes she can't win, so, she says something cool and runs, only to have the fear gas kick in at the wrong time.

3) Batman saves the day, by saving Catwoman.

Now, in the interest of ending with a bang, with a one page reveal that was all one panel, I might have crowded too much into number 2. If I'd had four pages, I certainly would have split #2 into two pages. Reading over the comic in the link you sent me, it seems that he's trying to tell a story and carry on a conversation between characters. I don't think that's what my script is trying to do.

Look, I realize my script has a big, gaping, serious weakness, and that I need to improve my sequential story-telling skills and get better at pacing. I've got the ideas, it's that my execution is, I think, kind of weak. Any advice that anyone could provide to help me improve my skills would be extremely helpful.

[sparta28090]

In all fairness, I liked your script more than the winning script in the previous challenge. You and I have the same critique over the winner's submission, and giving that it was a crowded script was another reason I voted for Lew because he swam through all of that and still pulled off the art chores.

And just like you, I would love to see the challenge pages expanded but because of the deadlines that will seriously quell the submissions of the artists (which is shocking considering the volume and quickness in CBRunway) So I can only assume that a)most artist can't do sequential art b)or too slow in meeting the dealine matt gives the artist in submitting their entry or c)they just simply don't care. So, I am thankful to all the artist that submit to the challenge.

Since all we have to compare on let's take the 3 page challenge in an example and this is my process. By all means if you don't like my script this just how I paced and plotted.

1) Brainstormed an idea

2) Fleshed the plot out, where I cleaned it up. Added stuff and deleted stuff

3) Internalized a beginning and end (hard to do with 3 pages...but that had to be done because too strong of a dangling end would cause the reader to go "Huh?")

After I was somewhat pleased with these 3 steps I...

4) Pictured the layout of page 1 in my mind.

A) 3/4 splash to introduce The Batman in his element in art (everyone digs the Batman grim and gritty and being heroic

B) Introduce secondary character in distress

C) Introduce where this story was taking place (Wayne Chemicals)
So....who and where are answered here.

5) Pictured the layout of page 2 in my mind.

A) Formulated this needed to be a fast pace page

B) Let the artist have flow because pictures speak louder than words

C) Since the main character had to be hurried I themed this as "How"

Since this page is hurried and has more panels than the other here is the layout I had in my mind for the artist and then I scripted it (and this is how I do all of my pages, but rarely put it on paper...I am just hoping this will be helpful to you)


http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg305/sparta28090/a-3.jpg

6) Pictured the layout of page 3 in my mind.

A) Slowed pace alittle to allow a stopping point for the reader (subtle comedy)

B) Climax

C) End

D) This page somewhat tells why

E) New Mystery screams at the reader

Since I am going on and on alot, just know that you have to know the photography and layout termanology.

1) Splash page
2) Panoramic
3) Headshot
4) Body Shot