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2022-07-20

WRITING for COMICS_PART 1_012

 


Writing for comics is more about the FEELS than technical aspects and the visceral appeal of combining words and pictures in a collaborative medium has its own set of challenges not faced by other artforms. Image borrowed from the internet - copyright respective owner and used for educational purposes only.

"The script does not exist on its own..."


Response to a request by a writer...


This post about writing for comics comes from a request by a writer to review his work. I am posting a lightly edited version here so people can see/peer into the process a little. There are no right and wrong answers. 

xxxxx

I have had a chance to read a good chunk of the script for XXXXXXXX#0. I like the story and it moves right along in cinematic fashion.

I have a few observations I will share with you.

First, there is no right way or wrong way to write a comic script. The writer is the first leg in the collaborative process of getting the comic created. In a collaboration of this nature in a visual medium, a lot of the "writing" will simply go to give the art team context for what they will be creating. If I were looking at this cold (which I am), I would read it with an eye as to how the words will be interpreted into images and visual narrative. I like the fact that your writing seems very visual in nature. I feel this is the right approach. You may want to understand that once your words leave your hands, whoever picks them up will need to create the drawings that are going to move the story. To that end, I feel like the writing is very tight.

What do I mean by "very tight?"

From the writer's point of view, a tight script is quite direct, even demanding for an artist to produce. The descriptions are precise, detailed, and additive. What this means is that the script leaves little wiggle room for the artist to imagine the story and characters. It does not necessarily take advantage of what the artist can bring to the table in terms of telling the story. I noticed that every panel has camera angle descriptions, for example. I might only indicate angles when it is really needed in a few spots and let the artist imagine the rest. Right now, the script reads like a TV script or movie script with the writing serving as the guide for the director. You may be pleasantly surprised at what relinquishing control over the visuals will allow the art team to come up with and it will become more of a collaboration than a set of illustrations to be wedged into the script.

This is not a good or bad thing. What you have done is perfectly fine in its own context. The script does not exist on its own and is not intended to be published as a stand-alone. Whatever arrangement you make with the art team in producing the finished work of a comic is perfectly acceptable. Some authors use bullet points or summaries. Some draw stick figures in the margins of a script. Others want very specific references used. Some "sketch out" the narrative and leave more to the art team. All approaches can become valid if the team adopts them. My concern/advice is to always allow the rest of the team to do their job. From a writing perspective, this may be a difficult task since the writing may come first in the process and the urge to "dictate" what needs to be done in later stages of the process will be strong.

Remember that you are building a story where others are going to step in and contribute. The art team on any visual-based narrative form will have a great impact on how the story looks and feels in the end. One way you can understand this is to have multiple individuals or teams draw independently from the same script. You will immediately see that each has a unique approach to interpreting the words. Comics in particular have their own quirks which other mediums do not have in terms of composition and pacing. Always try to take advantage of these differences. Comics are not TV, not film, not plays, not videos, not music, not prose writing. Comics are a unique blend of words and pictures which the reader will create their own associations and make personal.

My other observation is also small, maybe even petty.

Write the script so the letterer can easily copy and paste the script into a visual program. What does that mean? I like to use a format that has text on separate lines. I will explain.


EXAMPLE #1
Description: Joseph hands the documents over to Maria and her eyes grow wide. Camera overhead shot. Dialogue: "These are for your eyes only."


EXAMPLE#2
[Joseph hands Maria documents and we see her reaction. She is surprised]

Joseph (balloon):
These are for your eyes only.


EXPLANATION:
In the second example, I have used brackets [  ] to indicate action or description. It is just enough information to get the art team started. They may decide to break this action down into two or three panels for example depending on the visual pacing they establish on the page and in the rest of the story. I use a [bold] to show where text is indicated and who is talking.



I put the actual text on a separate line.




This allows the letterer to swoop in, find the bolds, then copy and paste just the full line below instead of "searching" for the start and end of dialogue in a paragraph.

All authors work differently. Always consider who comes next in your collaboration.  It is certainly okay to indicate just about anything when you are writing. I even include some color or production notes where appropriate. The idea is to get the team on the same page so they are in harmony as to what the project should look and feel like.

For the reader, combining elements in their head in real time and at their own pace is a subjective experience. In the end, the goal is to make memorable characters that make the readers FEEL something. Writing and comics are both visceral experiences and not a string of plot points threaded together in daisy-chain fashion. It is about provoking thought, feeling, and curiosity.

My own comic writing style is done through thumbnail layouts which look very different. I never expect my artists to follow them exactly (unless indicated) and want them to MAKE GOOD COMICS. The script should not be so focused that it does not allow for the imagination and innovation and sometimes spontaneousness of the art to shine through. Comics are visual.

I hope this makes a little bit of sense.

I like your script and the action seems to move along at a pretty good clip! Mastering comic scripting takes time and patience. Each one will turn out differently. When I have more time, I will look even further into your writing. My observations are actually not too important. You are definitely on the right track and the main thing is to get the scripts done and the art completed and out to the readers. Producing as much quality work as you can, as often as you can, is the way to build your confidence and experience.

As always, good luck and if possible, keep me in the loop. I want to see you growing over time!

Best always,

RICK



I have decided to use my comments here as the basis for a post on my blog so others interested in the comic making process can get a bit of insight. I will edit my remarks and remove your name. I think you should be proud of the work you are doing and push on and do more of it. Think of your storytelling skills as a muscle that needs reps and increased difficulty over time in order to grow.

Persist!


RICK
Billion Hero Studios
The Power of Storytelling



If you love storytelling, be involved, engaged, and informed.


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2022-06-18

Make America and the World Great Again_011

 

  


We have been waging a war in our everyday lives between safety/security and freedom. This unchecked discussion plays out in the headlines of newspapers, on the internet, and on TV news programs. We see poverty, disease, mass shootings, religious freedom, voting rights, immigration, prison reform, police reform, tax reform, mental health, drug addiction, sexual assault, gender identity, political corruption, monetary policy, the stock market, Bitcoin, the entire legal profession, healthcare, jobs, the price of gas, the price of food, homelessness, the role of the police, the military, religion, science, and more... Covid has killed more than one million Americans and we are lucky to have a vaccine. We grapple with the right to own a gun in this society and the apparent lack of restrictions or responsibilities attached to that right. Where are we headed?

"The future is very bright (and the food is delicious there)"

Rights. The right to own firearms. The right to Life and Liberty. We are told by those who value the right to a gun that their right to do so carries no restrictions and NO responsibilities. We are told that there would be no freedom without unrestricted, unregulated gun ownership. That the government would move, at any moment, to TAKE AWAY guns and pacify its citizens into submission. We are told that tyranny is the exact opposite of open carry. We are told that there is nothing that can be done to curb violence and that it is the price we pay for freedom in this country. We are reminded constantly that guns do not kill and that we should compare these deaths to car accidents or the flu. We are told that mentally ill people kill. We are told that ONLY criminals will be able to get guns. We are told that the good guys just need to arm themselves. We are told that, paradoxically, we need to worship the police AND take matters into our own hands. We are told that armed insurrection is equivalent to political discourse and a redress of grievances. We are told that our FEELINGS don't matter and then offered thoughts and prayers. We are meant to be written off as morally empty and evil if we disagree or want these topics opened up for discussion.

My life is very important. My family is very important. My way of life is very important. My life is more important than yours. I am special. I am privileged. I am unique. The rules don't apply to me, but they damn well better apply to you. I want what belongs to me. I want mine. I deserve everything and you don't matter. I don't care what you think, feel, say, or do. You are different. You don't belong. Go back to where you came from. I was here first. I am a real person, and you are not. You are a joke, a punchline, a meme. You are coming to steal everything and take everything away. I am a winner, and you are a loser. You smell. You look funny, talk funny, pray funny. You suck. You are stupid. You are evil. I don't trust you. You seem to be everywhere, and I wish I could snap my fingers and make you go away. You are lazy, shiftless, rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, prostitutes, and deadbeats. You don't pay your own way. You want free stuff. You are leeches. You are not "real." You are here to lie, steal, cheat, and kill me in my sleep. You break into my house. Your rape my daughters. You get my sons hooked on drugs. You deliberately destroy the economy, wreck schools, take away jobs. You don't want to work.

We need to go back to a simpler time of right and wrong. We need to go back to family values. We need to go back to church and put God in the classroom. We need everyone else to shut the $#%& up and go away. We need a strong leader who will make you pay for what you have done, who will crush you and put you back in your place...

I need protection. I need to be prepared. Everyone else is stupid. I am smart. I am never wrong because I know what is right and wrong. I can tell the difference. I have common sense. My bible tells me everything I need to know even though I barely read it. I don't have to. I was here first. You are an invader. You loot stores, burn cities, kill each other over drugs, and do nothing but whine. I need protection from you. You are different. You are not like me. You vote for the wrong guys. You have the wrong friends. You think bad thoughts. You are liars. The lying is constant and loud. The lies are everywhere. I need to make you go away and make everything go back to being right.

I have a right to defend myself. I have a right to own a gun. I have a right to my own opinion. I have a right to protect myself and my family. I have a right to carry a gun anywhere I want to, whenever I want, and shoot anyone who tries to harm me. I am in charge. I am in control. No one is going to tell me what to do. No one. Especially if you are not like me - and you are not like me. We are not the same. We are different. You don't belong here. I do. You don't agree with me? Then #$%$# you. I wish you were gone.

In our country we have lived through a great deal of violence. We wiped out 90% of the indigenous population and forced them from their lands. We brought slaves in to be chained for generations in the fields and later into factories, ghettos, and prisons. We fought an open civil war. We discriminated against the Irish, the Poles, the Italians, the Jews, the blacks, the Muslims, and more, much more. We rounded up Asians and put them in camps. You name it. 

We poisoned the water, the air, and devalued people in the name of progress and "freedom." We let big corporations take away our jobs and plunder our natural resources. We grew our military complex into something that was too big to fail. We drew red lines on maps and told poor people where they could live, who to vote for, and what education they could get. We held out the promise of a dream and turned it constantly into a nightmare. We divided each other into groups and then divided again and again and again - hoping that each time, we would come out on top.

We talked about love but had none in our hearts. We talked about justice but had no empathy or compassion. We talked about being great but never wanted to put in the work. We let lawyers find ways to screw us out of everything. We assumed that everyone cheated, everyone stole, everyone lied, everyone would stab us in the back. We let it happen. We never read the fine print or understood what we were signing. We never understood what consequences would come and everything could be fixed with easy credit. We just wanted things to make sense again. We wanted to believe in something important and larger than ourselves. We wanted to believe in equality, truth, justice, hope, love, and we wanted it all now, the easy way. My way or the highway. Like it or leave it. Put up or shut up. Agree or go home. No compromise. No discussion. No surrender. Do not give an inch or they will take a mile....

I am describing a blend of fear and paranoia. When we talk about a melting pot society, we talk about taking all the best from everywhere in the world and letting it flourish here in a land of opportunity and freedom. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. People are generally good. People are generally hard working, generous, friendly, kind, caring, and open. They want good things for themselves and their families. They want to follow their dreams and build something for the future. They want peace, security, and cooperation. People want respect, dignity, and to be heard and seen. People want to freely express themselves. People want to be in love. People want to live and enjoy their lives, to share moments with family, with friends, with community. People want to achieve great things and feel valued. People want to live without fear of being shot while picking up groceries, while sitting at prayer, while sending kids to school.

People don't want to be alone. People don't want to be isolated. People don't want to be divided. People want to see other smiling faces. People want to be happy. People want to live. People have a right to live. People have a right to pursue their happiness. People have a responsibility to each other. People have a responsibility, a duty to their communities, their states, their nation, their world. People can solve any problem they put their mind to. People can work together to do just about anything and everything and where they focus their time, effort, and energy, seeming miracles can happen. Cures can be found. Space can be explored. Nations can be healed. Nature can be restored.

People can decide to respect each other. People can each decide to be kind to one another, to forgive one another their small differences. People can embrace a future made by individuals who treat each other fairly and expect to be treated the same. The future is very bright (and the food is delicious there). Think about being less cynical today. Think about what it means to be a friend to someone in need. Think about what you can do to help....... 


We can and must do better.


RICK
Billion Hero Studios
The Power of Storytelling



If you love storytelling, be involved, engaged, and informed.


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2022-06-03

GREEN BE THY HILLS_010

 

  

Places in New York or the surrounding area where I have lived, worked, biked, hiked, or fallen in love, plus neighboring states and my good pal, Canada. So - New York State, Buffalo, Corning, Ithaca, Utica, Morrisville, Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Lake George, Ticonderoga, Rochester, Binghampton, Ithaca, Cornell, Wells College, Toronto, Montreal, Northhampton MA, Boston, Portland Maine, New Hampshire, Dover, Lake Hopatcong, Manhattan, Rochester, more, much more... 

"A New York Strip Steak And A Pint Of Beer. What Could Be Better?"


Not everyone likes New York. It gets trashed by a lot of people, especially those who have never really been there or believe the emotionally charged images they see on the evening news. Taxes are high. Housing is too expensive. And yet, New York is a wonderful place. Having been all over the country - living and working, there is a lot of beauty out there. For me, I have lived in cities, suburbs, and country settings from western to central to eastern New York most of my life. I worked for a time in Manhattan and went to art school in north Jersey, often taking the train in to NYC to go gallery hopping, watch movies, or meet friends at comic shows. My grandparents and parents were from a tiny town of 2K in the Adirondack mountains on Lake George. New York is brimming with cities, farms, mountains, lakes and rivers, forests, and every kind of people you can possibly imagine. All countries make their home here, all faiths, all languages, all income classes. The food is fantastic. The people are friendly and generous. To me it is home in a way that few other places (I see you New Mexico...) could ever be.

On 9/11 - I was loading fifty pounds of paper into a Xerox "mini-doc" proof printer at Integrated Book Technology in Troy, NY when someone from one of the main presses came in with a small radio and we all huddled around listening as one, then two, planes struck the Trade Center towers. I have been away for nine years and lived the last three out in Los Angeles, a chunk of which involved my father dying here, back east, and then Covid, being stuck indoors. New York has always been my home, in my head and heart (I see you again New Mexico...) and I am very happy to be back on the same coast as family and friends and to at least have the possibility of seeing people again. I am very lucky in that regard. For all the struggles I have had, I always knew there were people out there who loved me, who were rooting for me, who would help if I asked. Being here gives me renewed hope. Meeting old friends and new gives me new hope. I do not know what the future brings but getting a chance to watch snow fall, rain cascade, and trees pop open with green leaves gives me tremendous hope.

Thank you.


RICK
Billion Hero Studios
The Power of Storytelling



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2022-06-01

Stop Posing Boy!_009




Frank Miller's Ronin, breaking ground and expanding horizons in the comic world. Image copyright by right's holder. Miller smashes expectations with a stunning and visionary exploration in comic storytelling. Color by Lynn Varley.

"I am here! And you can't stop me!"

Ronin is an odd story for Miller. It was a risk. Working on Daredevil as artist and writer for as long as he did built expectations in his audience for gritty, noir-style, crime soaked, superhero comics with a touch of romance/tragedy. Ronin looked and felt radically different. Who was expecting a sci-fi/samurai/romance closer to European and Japanese graphic albums than American pop?

Ronin was experimental. Miller pushed his own boundaries and flexed his creative muscles. The writing and pacing were uneven. In some spots, the story flowed easily and in others Miller struggled to get his ideas across. The plot meandered. Can anyone describe what it was really about? In some sections, the art slid from stylized toward being sloppy. His characters had trouble holding their appearance. Some dialogue exchanges were too wordy. Ronin is not a slick, polished presentation and yet, it is a thunder bolt.

You have to remember that in American comics during this period, superheroes ruled the roost with series writing that never came to any conclusion or allowed characters to change and grow. The artwork felt homogenized and interchangeable. Plots and characters were thin. Marvel and DC were interested in blockbuster event comics and cross overs. Continuity was a quagmire. Readership sputtered. Distribution was migrating to the direct market. Miller jumped on Daredevil, reinvented that character, and pumped new blood into a c-list hero by building his supporting cast and fleshing out Hell's Kitchen. Most color in comics was also still done on newsprint using a limited palette and hand separations.

Frank Miller's Ronin came along at a time when few in the American comic reading crowd had ever been exposed to Japanese manga or European graphic albums. Master cartoonists like Moebius were ignored by the American masses because they didn't produce superheroes. Miller challenged his Daredevil fans from Marvel to follow him to another company and invest in brand new characters that no one had ever seen before in a style that Miller had never worked in before and in a design and printing style that had not been successfully tried here in the States. It can also not be stressed enough how radical the color by Lynn Varley in the Ronin comic was in comparison to what monthly superhero comics looked like. Ronin was a departure in every aspect of comic making from what Miller had been tinkering with on the monthly Daredevil.  

What we saw in Ronin was Miller expressing his energy, thoughtfulness, and daring in the writing and drawing. Miller took chances and built a unique vision of the future that mashed different genres and exposed us to his raw thinking. Ronin was like looking at the wild ambition that Miller has for his own cartooning and where he wanted to go as a writer/artist/creator.

Ronin was not his best work or his most well-known, but it was probably the most crucial in his artistic journey. Many experiments and masterpieces would come in the future: Elektra; Born Again; Dark Knight; 300; Give Me Liberty; Hard Boiled; Year One; and his own passion project, Sin City. This is a phenomenal body of work. Without Daredevil, there would be no Ronin or Dark Kight or Sin City. Without Ronin, Miller would have had to wait around for other opportunities to open up to tell this type of unique story - if that chance ever came. The pressure for Miller to sit back and repeat what he had been doing with Daredevil must have been great. It takes courage to do something that no one else was doing. Daredevil was Miller as a storyteller learning to draw, write, and gain confidence. Ronin was Miller arriving, busting the doors down, and declaring "I am here! And you can't stop me!" Once Ronin was complete, he would trust himself more in each project. 

NOTE: I had this post in a que to make its way out into the world after a little editing. Recently, Frank Miller announced that he would be forming his own independent comic and media imprint called Frank Miller Presents. A sequel to Ronin was discussed as a new project to come out from him as he gears up to publish 3-4 titles per year. Amazing. No other details were given about the Ronin: Book II project. Wasn't I JUST talking about Ronin yesterday? Love that story, flaws and all. It will be interesting to see how Miller applies what he has learned about storytelling to these characters and situations. An exciting time for comics.

Update... Miller will be writing a sequel, Ronin: Book Two, with some of the main Ronin characters to be penciled by Philip Tan from Miller's layouts and inked by Daniel Henriques. It will be 48-page bimonthly book with a $7.99 cover price debuting in November of 2022 under the new Frank Miller Presents banner. See sample below. Enjoy.


Frank Miller Presents, Ronin: Book Two with Miller writing and layouts, Tan on pencils and Henriques inks. Image copyright respective owner.





RICK
Billion Hero Studios
The Power of Storytelling






If you love storytelling, be involved, engaged, and informed.




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Thank you for visiting, participating, and collaborating in the storytelling experience.

2022-05-24

Lightning In A Bottle_008

Fantastic Four #51: This Man... This Monster! Told completely from start to finish in a single issue and following the groundbreaking introduction of Galactus and the Silver Surfer in the pages of The Fantastic Four, this story commands attention. Kirby, Sinnott, Lee, Marvel Comics.


Doug on the left and Rick on the right wearing bootleg comic Tshirts, back when we both had a hairline. A little photoshop magic finds Ben Grimm in the pouring rain and Godzilla blasting Batragon. Test shirts by Rick.

"Stan and Jack had stumbled onto something"


Comics are always changing and the swarms of creative ants that scurry non-stop constructing characters and universes out of dirt piles each do it for their own reasons. There is no 100-year plan of development. Creators are responding to situations on the ground, in real-time. Both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had long careers in comics before they struck gold with early Marvel stories that featured people with superhuman powers and abilities who also had problems like their readers did. Stan and Jack had latched onto something that hit the tuning fork just right with the public. It didn't matter what their relationship to each other was like.

Ultimately, they both poured their time, effort, and energy into pursuing the idea that comics could be more than they were. They both loved telling stories. Both felt that comics could speak to real issues, feelings, and connect with readers on a deeper level than had been the norm in the business. Both of them basically played in different garage bands until one day, when they teamed up, they began producing hit after hit after hit.

Kirby in particular was always known as an innovator in comics. He co-created Captain America with Joe Simon when the medium was brand new, produced war, romance, supernatural, western, and monster comics with fantastic success. Readers responded to his larger-than-life depictions of creatures and his dynamic action sequences. Kirby was endlessly creating new characters and concepts and, with help from the extraordinary talented Steve Ditko (Spider-Man, Doctor Strange) and a legion talented creators, put an ailing Marvel permanently on the cultural map. Over time, the contribution that Stan made has been given a much needed look. Jack had always been a pioneer in the field, blazing trails and testing out new storytelling methods. 

Do I miss those rough, early songs from that band? Yes. I feel like today there have been crops of writers and artists in comics who don't believe that "comics can be more" but that comics should be movies or book contracts or "launching pads" for something else instead of a stand-alone medium. Jack, Joe Sinnott, and Stan remind us with their signature body of work on the Fantastic Four, that capturing lightning in a bottle is really about sharing that lightning with others. Sharing the love of making comics and telling stories.


Reprint cover for This Man, This Monster. Marvel's Greatest Comics. My first introduction to the Fantastic Four. Unlike Reed in the Negative Zone, I was hooked.

I picked up this Fantastic Four story as a beat-up copy of Marvel's Greatest Comics #38. I had saved up paper route money and bought a grocery bag stuffed to overflowing with comics from a pal named Jimmy Joe. It was the mid-70s and I was in the single digits of age, just discovering the secret joy of reading and buying my own comics. As a kid, there was a weird alchemy to reading those stories, holding them in my hands, and buying them with my own money. This was probably the first thing I had ever purchased, and it was reading materials! I paid ten bucks for about a hundred comics. Iron Man. Avengers. Hulk. Spider-Man. Thor. And Fantastic Four. All were well read before I got to them, and all would get poured over continuously. I am pretty sure that my mom did not want them in the house and that my dad argued for me to keep them. He had been a collector during the early years of comics and came home one day to find his stacks in a burn barrel. My dad vowed to never do that to his kids.

I remember that cover vividly - Reed is in The Negative Zone and his cable has snapped. With the story, This Man, This Monster! Stan and Jack let the reader in on the secret right in the beginning. As the story unfolds, we get insight into the Fantastic Four, Sue, Ben, Johnny, and Reed by eavesdropping on the conversations and interactions of the Thing's doppelganger. The subtext is powerful. Things are not what they seem. The story starts as a revenge tale and twists neatly into a study in trust and redemption - all while cementing the Thing as the true outcast of the group. It is decidedly tragic. Even as a kid, I dreamed of being The Thing. 

Kirby's breathtaking storytelling combined with Joe Sinnott inks, masterfully conveying the humanity of the characters and the predicament of their situation. When gaining powers from cosmic rays during a failed exploration of space, each of the Fantastic Four could hide behind normal-looking faces and bodies except for Ben Grimm. The Thing is stuck forever looking like a monster. We get an examination of what a tortured existence an outsider has in life. Lee provides dialogue and editorial asides that cement the reader to the page. Coming hot on the heels of the introduction of the Silver Surfer and Galactus, this tale is complete in one issue (FF#51) and unmasks the real heart and soul of the Marvel superhero family/team with emotional gravity.

This Man... This Monster! is an undeniable classic and definitely a comicbook story that made me love comics. I would reread it many times over the years and I find myself rooting for the bad guy at the end, who has a change of heart and makes the ultimate sacrifice for Reed. Recommended reading.


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