Comic books have been hanging around for quite a long time now. Why? Because they are one unique medium of the portrayal of ideas. An artist can help a comic writer in telling his story by collaborating with him. But the question is how can a creator communicate a scene or sequence that is in his head? What can he do that the readers keep wanting more?
A script also serves as a blueprint for an artist along with being a story for an audience. There are writers that leave a lot of control in the hands of an artist, but sometimes the script is such that it requires highlighting of some emotion or plan. Although, writing a comic is an art on its own, drawing a comic is a completely different world of its own. Comic book artist and writer, Cameron Stewart is best known for his work as a co-writer and co-artist of the famous New York Times best-selling DC Comics ‘Batgirl’. Cameron Stewart Comics has always been made with a few tips and tricks that make his comic work excel. If you know how to communicate and create an understanding between your artist, then you are sure to put your ideas on paper. Here are 5 tips & tricks that will help you in the art of comic book writing.
Maintain the 1:1 Ratio:
The number of story pages and the script pages should always be in a ratio of 1:1. There are some reasons for this, one of them being visual arrangement. For an artist to draw and process the information easily, the information provided to him for a story page should be on a single script page.One more reason for implementing the 1:1 ratio is that it prevents you from overwriting the script.Beginner comic writers often are habitual to writing irregular and lengthy panel descriptions with long character conversations in each panel eventually ending in the count of script pages. This is the worst thing that can happen to a comic artist and everything must be done to avoid this in your scripts.
Panel Descriptions Should Be Lean:
For comic book writers, one of the greatest areas that they struggle in is panel descriptions. A panel description is supposed to tell an artist about which characters are in the panel, the action in the panel, and where the panel is happening. In short, who, what, where, when, and how should be clear to an artist. While writing a panel description, try to keep it simple. Other than the above-mentioned information, if you wish to add more it can be done in supplemental pages.
Use Supplemental Pages:
At the beginning of a comic book script, get into the habit of using supplemental pages if you don’t do it. There are many advantages of using supplementary pages. use synopsis, characters, settings, and other supplemental pages. The first benefit is that it helps in keeping lean panel descriptions that talk about characters and scenes. The second benefit is that all of the important information on the supplemental pages are at the beginning of your script for your collaborators or artist to read. The artist will know about the story and all characters before even coming to the first page or the first panel that will help him concentrate on the technical aspects.
Keep the Audience Hungry:
If you want your audience to come back for more, make sure that the last page of your comic should pack an emotional punch every time. It can be a twist, a realization, a little mystery that will concurrently lead to a conclusion while revealing a little suspense for what’s next. Try to have an unveil every 8-10 pages and imagine each comic as a story simultaneously being parts of a larger story. Ultimately, each comic should end up in a manner suggesting the next story.
An Audience needs an Entry Point:
Even though comics are excellent for writers who are imagining completely distinct worlds it is crucial to remember that you have to provide your audience with an entry point into your story. If any reader stops reading the comic frustrated with pages of technical specs the reason behind it is that you are pushing him away. The reader will end up reading some other comic as there are many great comics in the market. Give your audience something like actions, plots, and twists in the middle of your story that will help them stay glued to the book.