Going straight to artwork rather than script

[dancj]

I can't think of any professional writer-artists who "write" at the drawing board, and develop their stories as they draw. Everyone I know writes their scripts first, usually full scripts, and works out their storylines and characters in full before drawing them because it wards off big problems down the road to publication

I vaguely remember Keith Giffen saying he always started off with the breakdowns of the whole issue before doing the script. This was why his stuff credited (and maybe still does - I'm not sure) Giffen with breakdowns if he wasn't the penciller.

[Lord Destiny]

I think Steven's use of "script" included plotting. Plotting must be done before any art can be done, otherwise the artist would be drawing random visual sequences.

Giffen would come up with the plot (even if only in his head), then break it down into panels, then add the dialogue (also specifically called the "script").

[AlexSheikman]

I think that the beginning stages of story development for comics definitely include some sort of page breakdowns. I would imagine that somewhere between plot and full script all writers (even the ones who do not draw at all) must try to lay-out the book...to at least see if their story can even fit into 24 (or whatever) pages. Steven, is that true for your working style?

I am sure that just about everyone works a bit differently, thus there will be minor variations on what Steven wrote, but from personal experience (which is somewhat limited) he is right on.

Without a fully worked out story it is very hard to do a good job on the art. Even when simply laying out pages, if an artist knows how the issue (story) will end it is a lot easier to arrange panels on the pages and create rhythms that will carry the reader from start to end in a smooth progression. You can also do lots more visual pre-planning for the upcoming events.

[dancj]

I think Steven's use of "script" included plotting. Plotting must be done before any art can be done, otherwise the artist would be drawing random visual sequences.

Giffen would come up with the plot (even if only in his head), then break it down into panels, then add the dialogue (also specifically called the "script").

Well obviously every story starts in someone's head before it hits words or pictures. You sound like you're disagreeing with me, but I can't work out what you're disagreeing about...

[NatGertler]

II would imagine that somewhere between plot and full script all writers (even the ones who do not draw at all) must try to lay-out the book...to at least see if their story can even fit into 24 (or whatever) pages.

Not all, no. Heck, I once had a freelance editorial position which involved taking scripts and finding where the page breaks came... and it proved a lot of effort, because I had to find a lot more pages in there than the material justified.

but from personal experience (which is somewhat limited)

You wouldn't happen to be Axel Shaikman, would you?

[AlexSheikman]

Nat,

Alex Sheikman is my real name is and I did a series called "Robotika" and this year I started "Robotika:For A Few Rubles More" for Archaia Studios Press (home of "Mouse Guard" and "Artesia").

I am just starting out writing and drawing comics, thus my experience is limited.

It is interesting to hear that you were trying to figure-out where the page breaks were...all the scripts I have seen so far (and again, there has not been many) break-up everything by pages and panels. The exception being the "plot scripts", where it's just the plot with some scenes having more detail and other scenes having less. In that case I have to read through the plot, figure out all the breakdowns (make sure it fits into 24 pages) and pencil it up.

[NatGertler]

Alex Sheikman is my real name is and I did a series called "Robotika" and this year I started "Robotika:For A Few Rubles More" for Archaia Studios Press (home of "Mouse Guard" and "Artesia").

Congrats on getting your career rolling in a respectable way. I was just asking because your name is similar enough that it might have been some poor nom de plume; as a publisher, I'm slated to reprint some decades-old work by Axel Shaikman (his only work that I know of in comics, hence him meeting the description of having done limited work.)

It is interesting to hear that you were trying to figure-out where the page breaks were...all the scripts I have seen so far (and again, there has not been many) break-up everything by pages and panels.

Most do; these didn't. These were scripts written by people without substantial comics experience (they were writers, just not comics writers.) I certainly don't advise it as a default mode for comics writers, although I could see circumstances where it would work well working with certain artists (just as plot-art-script works well in some cases.)