General Comics Writing Discussion

Paul_Ridgon · 13 May, 2010, 06:19:28 PM

Quote from: Richmond Clements on 13 May, 2010, 02:51:08 PM
That's a good opening page.

Agreed, you've got some strong imagery going on there, really easy for an artist to know what it is you want. Can't wait to see more!

chilipenguin · 13 May, 2010, 06:26:27 PM

Cheers for the responses guys. I've got the bulk of the script done now. I just need to flesh out the dialogue and tweak some of the description. When it's done, which would be the best way of putting it up on the boards? Should it stay in here or should I start a new thread for it?

Jim_Campbell · 13 May, 2010, 06:41:58 PM

Quote from: chilipenguin on 13 May, 2010, 06:26:27 PM
Should it stay in here or should I start a new thread for it?

I'd recommend a new thread, TBH.

Cheers!

Jim

Emperor · 13 May, 2010, 07:01:05 PM

Easist thing would be to split the thread starting here, so everything stays together.

chilipenguin · 13 May, 2010, 07:38:55 PM

Will do. Not sure how to do it exactly but I'll give it a shot.

Emperor · 13 May, 2010, 08:57:12 PM

Quote from: chilipenguin on 13 May, 2010, 07:38:55 PM
Will do. Not sure how to do it exactly but I'll give it a shot.

Sorry I meant I'll split the thread if you want me to.

Emperor · 20 May, 2010, 10:40:46 PM

Some advice on writing, pretty basic stuff but well worth keeping in mind (especially about hitting the page turn):

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/20/pond-life-5-by-martin-conaghan/

Emperor · 10 June, 2010, 05:34:40 PM

There is, obviously, a range of detail you can add to your scripts from the sparse John Wagner style to Alan Moore's frightening detail, so I thought it'd be interesting to see an artist's view of working with a script, specifically for the upcoming Lovercraftian comic boo Neonomicon (and a contrast with Garth Ennis' scripting as a bonus):

QuoteBC: Now you're probably best known to our readers through for your work on Crossed. How does drawing from Alan Moore scripts differ from, say, Garth Ennis? What do each demand from you that's different?

JB: Garth's scripts read as fairly traditional comic scripts. He'll describe the acting, actions and elements of a panel that must be there and generally leaves the layouts and angles up to you except in instances where camera direction is being specifically dictated for effect. Alan's scripts take a totally different approach where each panel is being described as a finished picture. Elements are described by the location on the picture plane and even small details are described by their placement in the composition. Moore's method of controlling the picture plane allows him to work in additional layers of subtext or to control the story flow from panel to panel in ways other writers don't. You get a sense that every element is part of a greater design. But he also says in the script that he is just bombarding with details that you can choose to keep or toss as fits the story.

BC: Well, Alan's famous for long involved script descriptions that at the end say "but if you have a better way, do that instead".

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/06/07/jacen-burrow-on-alan-moores-neonomicon-puff-piece-interview-of-the-week/

Some of that scares the crap out of me - it might be necessary for some panels where each element is vital and has to be in the right place (I can imagine some of the Promethea scripts requiring that level of control) but writing a whole comic that way...? I do like the last bit though: I have spent 6 pages describing a panel but feel free to ignore it,

which is pretty much what Ian Gibson did (although Dave Gibbons drew everything, which pretty much got him the watchmen gig so... )

Jim_Campbell · 10 June, 2010, 06:01:31 PM

ISTR there was a panel description in Swimming in Blood which said something like: Murray is stirring his coffee with a pencil. The coffee is black, with two sugars.

Cheers!

Jim

Lady Festina · 10 June, 2010, 11:07:11 PM

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 10 June, 2010, 06:01:31 PM
ISTR there was a panel description in Swimming in Blood which said something like: Murray is stirring his coffee with a pencil. The coffee is black, with two sugars.

I like that.... It's those invisible details that create real texture, that give the artist the chance to get under the skin of the character. You've got a much better chance of capturing the character if you know that he's using a pencil not a spoon and that he takes sugar but not milk.

I think the whole process has to stay interesting and challenging for the artist as well as the reader. "Render me this" is just a bit too mechanical for my liking....

Emperor · 11 June, 2010, 08:27:49 PM

A good column with ideas on how writers can pimp their asses:

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/06/11/pond-life-by-martin-conaghan-8-done-for-soliciting/

Emperor · 09 July, 2010, 03:09:42 AM

The biggest question honestly answered by Neil Gaiman (and drawn by Bryan Talbot): "Where do you get your ideas from?":

www.bryan-talbot.com/honestanswer/

Kind of.

uncle fester · 09 July, 2010, 08:24:48 AM

Ah that made me chuckle.

Richmond Clements · 09 July, 2010, 09:30:27 AM

Quote from: Emperor on 09 July, 2010, 03:09:42 AM
The biggest question honestly answered by Neil Gaiman (and drawn by Bryan Talbot): "Where do you get your ideas from?":

www.bryan-talbot.com/honestanswer/

Kind of.

Yup, that's pretty much how it happens!

The Enigmatic Dr X · 09 July, 2010, 09:52:43 AM

Stephen Donaldson says he got the idea for his 5-book gap series from looking at a hand dryer.

I'm working on something that came to me while reading the label on a 1 litre carton of Tesco Fresh Orange.

EDIT: Not that we're in any way comparable. The point was more to illustrate that ideas are little invisible imps that lurk in the air, jumping through your ear when you are distracted by something mundane. Like Thrill Suckers in reverse - they leap on and inject stuff into you; sometimes good, sometimes bad but always "WTF?"