Reading comic books is the perfect pass time for many people. Creating a great story requires an immense amount of effort and numerous people are included in the entire process. One has to write it, another one to draw it, the third one to publish it and present it to the audience, etc. If you want to become a comic book writer, there are many things you have to know, and we are going to tell you what those are.
The first comic books appeared in America in the 1930s and almost immediately they found their way to the readers. Children discovered their new favorite characters and couldn’t wait to see what new adventures awaited them every week. However, the interesting thing is that adults also found them appealing. It has passed almost 90 years and little has changed. Comic book stores have never been more popular, and old editions are pretty valuable today.
Some of them have been an inspiration for many successful Hollywood movies, and people still want to see their favorite superheroes on the big screen. Marvel movies have taken over the world and the latest Avengers installment, “Endgame”, is the highest-grossing movie of all time. Stan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-man, X-men, Iron Man, and other popular superheroes made a cameo appearance in a large number of these movies. If in some way he is your role model and you want to be just as successful as he was, here is what you need to write your first comic book.
The people from Comic Years tell us that first of all, you need to possess a certain set of skills, creativity being the most important one, obviously. You have to come up with a unique story and develop each one of your characters. In order to intrigue the readers, you have to envision the background of each protagonist and also know where you want to take them in the series.
Also, think of the way how to present them, maybe every week you can reveal something new about their personalities or keep them mysterious until the end. Whatever you think works the best for the series. In addition, carefully think about every aspect of the plot. Clearly, they are going to embark on multiple adventures, but they all have to be connected in some way. In order to maintain the curiosity of the audience, the plot has to gradually unfold until the big finale.
Furthermore, you have to have good communication skills and be open to any suggestion. Okay, the story is yours, you have created it, but you will have to collaborate with other people on this project. As already mentioned, constructing and publishing a comic book is a team effort. You have to collaborate with an artist who is going to draw it, and then with several people from the industry who are going to ensure that your story reaches bookstores and shops. Keep in mind that they have been in the industry for quite some time meaning they know how it all works. So they might have several suggestions for you that will guarantee the success of it.
Another important thing is to always maintain professional behavior. There will be many conditions, agreements, deadlines and you have to meet them all. No one is going to collaborate with you have a bad reputation and others know that they cannot count on you.
Secondly, you need some equipment. You can do it the old-fashioned way with a pen and piece of paper, or you can opt for a laptop or even some specialized programs or apps, whatever you feel more comfortable with. Don’t forget about the dictionary! There is absolutely no excuse for bad grammar and misspelled words. You have to double-check every sentence before submitting it to the publisher. If there are too many mistakes, trust us, your potential partner is not even going to read the entire story.
If you are not an artist meaning that you will have to find a professional who is going to draw the entire series you have to give them some guidelines. Before all else, they have to know the story completely. This doesn’t just include what happens in one of the comic books. In order for them to create everything just as you have envisioned it, you have to help them and the only way to do this is to give them the opportunity to read every note you have ever written.
There is one step left that you have to complete before signing a contract with the publisher and letting your work out into the world, and that is printing. You might not be aware, but choosing the right printing company is not easy. You have to decide on the size, the paper, quality of colors, etc. If you want to learn more about what is available, click here.
We have reached the last point in this process. You have to find someone who is going to publish it and advertise it. This is the second most important thing and you have to be meticulous when choosing your new business partner (the first one obviously being a one-of-a-kind story). Make a list of the most eminent people from the industry, and start sending them letters and emails presenting them your product in the best way you possibly can. You should include everyone on that list just have in mind that first-time authors are unlikely to get a job at DC or Marvel.
Finally, you can advertise the comic book on your own. Of course, the publishing agency will do most of the work, but there are some things you can do on your own. Due to the popularity of multiple social media platforms and apps, marketing has never been easier. You can start with your personal profiles and inform your followers about your work and then you can create professional accounts which you can use to notify people about the details regarding the story, publishing dates, book signing events, and so on. When it comes to running a professional profile on social media platforms, you can find a great deal of advice you can use to intrigue your followers online.
All in all, we have tried to write a guideline for you if you are thinking about writing your first comic book. We have only discussed some main points, but bear in mind that there are a lot of things you have to learn and many skills you have to acquire and master.
Nina Smith