Keeping the story visual: A conversation taking place in one room wouldn’t work well since you won’t have many new scene changes. A character musing to themselves might work, especially if the background reflects their changing thoughts. Streamlining the story: More characters, locations, and action are great, but it significantly increases the workload on the illustrator. The best comic books tell their stories quickly and efficiently, using both dialogue and visual cues to keep things moving. An Artistic Style: Great comic books have art that fits seamlessly with the tone of the writing, like the dirty, watercolor artwork in V for Vendetta. In short, the tone of the artwork should be the same as the tone of the writing.
What characters are the most fun to write? What plot points did you find yourself most interested in exploring? Are there things that you thought were good ideas that you just can’t write? Consider ditching them. Talk this draft over with some friends to get advice on what they love and how to go forward.
Has both strength and weaknesses. This makes them relatable. We don’t like Superman just because he saves the day, but because his awkward alter-ego Clark Kent reminds us of our own awkward, nervous days. Has both desires and fears. This adds conflict to your story and makes it more interesting. It’s no mistake that Bruce Wayne is scared of bats, just like he’s scared of failing his city and parents. This makes him more relatable than a weirdo in a cape. Has agency. Whenever a character makes a choice, make sure it is the character deciding to do it—not the author forcing the character to do it because “the plot needs it. " This is the quickest way to lose your audience. [2] X Research source Remember to diversify your cast. We live in an age now where we want more diversity than standard—it doesn’t have to be about race. You can diversify your characters about gender, sexuality, and age. Very often, we see the same types of characters all the time in particular types of roles, so try to avoid that.
“First act—Get your hero up a tree; second act—throw rocks at him; third act—get him down. “—Anonymous[3] X Research source Make life hell for your characters. It makes the payoff more rewarding. You can and should always play with this structure. Don’t forget that (spoiler alert) Captain America gets assassinated shortly after peace is brokered in Civil War. This moment is great because it plays off the three-act structure, even as it breaks it with a second, surprising climactic moment. If you want to make your story around a mystery, tension is one of the key elements you need to add. It’s also important to make it compelling from the beginning. Mysteries are very plot heavy, so they usually begin with some sort of crime or question that someone has to answer.
A page of illustrations where the character frantically runs through the door, down the hall, to the office, and then finds it “Closed. " A sign on the wall labeled “Final Papers Due TODAY!” that the character walks right by when leaving class. A single shot of every other student turning in papers, with your character alone at the desk writing furiously, or with his head in his hands.
What is crucial in each scene? What moment or line of dialogue pushes each scene into the next. In any storytelling form, each scene must end in a different place than it began for the readers, plot, and/or characters. If not, then the whole book is just spinning its wheels!
There is nothing that says you can’t write dialogue first, either! If you like play-writing or screenwriting, you may be more comfortable drafting out scenes in dialogue as opposed to timelines.
If you’re not artistically inclined, you don’t need to worry about hiring an artist just yet. Instead, just focus on the basics. Even stick figures can get the point across and help your visualize the final book. While this is “only” a mock-up, you still want to take it seriously. This will be your blueprint for the final project, so treat it like a sketch for a painting and not some throwaway practice run.
That said, some comic books choose to let the dialogue balloons spill into other frames, creating a somewhat looser, chaotic feel. For longer speeches or monologues, consider connecting the speech bubbles from frame to frame. The same person is giving the same speech, just with different action underneath.
[Page 1. ] Spiderman is swinging down the streets when he spots 2 police cars chasing a yellow sports car. Caption1: Hmm it’s strangely quiet today. . . Caption 2: I guess I spoke too soon! [Page 2. ] Spiderman is swinging down the street and the two blank caption spaces.
If you’re getting an outside artists, send them the script and ask for samples. This helps you see if their visual style is right for you. Illustrating a comic book is a topic worth its own tutorial, as it is a challenging and exciting art form.
Getting up on social media every day, even if only for 20 minutes, is essential to build some traction online and get potential readers. If you can point to a large follower list, on any platform, publishers are more likely to see and like your work. Having followers tells them there are people already who want to buy the book.
Get contact information, including email, website, and address, for every company. If applying for graphic novels, be sure to check if the publishing house has a specific division for graphics work, or if they take all submissions the same way.
Any cover letters or emails should be short and professional. You want them reading about the story, not about you! Make sure artistic samples are included with the story.
Don’t forget that even the most famous authors were rejected 100’s of time before success. It may hurt now, but working through it separates published comics from unpublished.
