Roles In Writing Comic Books
There are many people involved in comic book production. Without each person’s role, a comic book wouldn’t be available to read. Writing comics is like the chain of life; without the writer or artist a comic couldn’t be created. The different roles involved in production are: writer, artist, inker colorist, letterer, editor, and editor in chief. Each role is an important aspect which allows readers to have and collect great comics.
The writer creates the story for a comic book. They write the script which allows the story to emerge. To take on this role, you have to be very creative. This is the starting position of a great comic. Writing comics makes you think and write in different ways. The writing has to communicate visually with words, be emotional, and create action and adventure. Writing comics is similar to writing scripts. There is dialogue between the characters, setting up the story, and moving the plot from beginning, middle, and end.
After the comic story is written; the artist, inker, and colorist work together to illustrate the comic. The artist then comes in and illustrates what is happening during the plot. The artist usually draws the comics in pencil. This role is also creative and requires a lot of talent and art skills. This role is perfect for someone who is a great artist and loves design. The pictures are first drawn in pencil because after a page is drawn, it can be sent to the inker. Splitting the drawing roles between an artist and an inker makes for faster production of a comic book. After the artist draws in pencil, the pictures are passed on to the inker. The inker goes over the artist’s work in ink and makes the pictures stand out. The inker uses either a black pen or black brush to go over the pencil marks. Inking the drawings makes the comic look more professional and sleek. After the initial drawing is complete, the colorist colors the writer’s and inker’s work. This is done either by hand or with computer software. The colorist really makes the art come to life. They create specifically how the character will look, what colors will be used, and add effects to the pages such as shading.
Once the drawing is done, the comic is passed off to the letterer. This role is in charge of putting words in the right places and adding sound effects. They make sure the reader is easily able to follow the story. This role is creative and also requires a strong knowledge of grammar. Letterers’ work is most often seen in the balloons of comics.
After the final touches of the comics are done and the pictures and words are complete, the editor looks over the comic for errors. They also help with the creative team and give guidance to the creation team. They make sure that everyone is working in the same direction and know the concept of the comic being produced. The man in charge, the boss, is the editor in chief. He oversees all production and makes sure everyone is happy doing the work.
As you can see, there are many steps and people involved in producing a comic book. Without the function of each role, comic books would be hard to produce. Creating comics is a team job.
About the Author
Krystle Green is a freelance writer. Mycomicshop.com is one of the largest retailers of comic books in the world. Mycomicshop is the online presence of Lone Star Comics, a leading retailer of comic books with seven stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For more information please visit: www.mycomicshop.com .
Buddy Scalera on how to make comic books, comic strips (2 of 3)
|
|
Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness $4.53 There’s a lot to be said for continuity and high concept, and Coheed and Cambria have invented an elaborate geeky parallel sci-fi world that spread over four CDs. If you follow the story line, it unfolds like some punk Harry Potter series; equally ambitious and didactic and almost as tightly written as the Moody Blues’ “Days of Future Passed.” You can also listen to each of the albums without a th… |
|
|
The Front $7.81 The Front is both a comic delight and perhaps the most graceful act of show business revenge in cinema history. Written by, directed by, and starring various talents blacklisted during the McCarthy-era witch hunts of the 1950s entertainment industry, the film stars Woody Allen as Howard, a cashier and bookie approached by blacklisted television-writer Alfred (Michael Murphy) to act as a “front,” i… |
|
|
Lila Says $8.49 Set in Marseilles, this absorbing French coming-of-age drama follows 16-year-old Lila as she moves to a poor neighborhood to live with her eccentric aunt. Quickly catching the eye of a quiet boy and an introspective punk, she becomes caught up in a love triangle that has disastrous results. Vahina Giocante, Mohammed Khouas, Karim Ben Haddou star. 91 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: French D… |
|
|
20 Classic Peril Old Time Radio Broadcasts on DVD (over 9 Hours 45 Minutes running time) $11.99 This unique old time radio DVD collectible features 20 digitized reels of classic Peril radio broadcasts and over 9 Hours 45 Minutes of total running time on 1 DVD. Take a journey back through radio broadcasting history with this large audio library of OTR memorabilia. The golden age of old time radio has been rescued, digitized, and packaged into a gift set that any classic radio lover can apprec… |
|
|
Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t 0651-85U 10.1-Inch Netbook Tablet (Black) $499.99 Stay in Touch. Fun is a netbook that’s also a touch-screen tablet – the IdeaPad S10-3t with Lenovo NaturalTouch Panel. The Lenovo® IdeaPad⢠S10-3t features a 10.1″ screen with Lenovo NaturalTouch multi-touch technology that can swivel 180° to convert from a netbook to a tablet. With a suite of touch optimized multimedia applications, the IdeaPad S10-3t makes mobile computing… |
|
|
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2011 $54.99 Autodesk SketchBook 2011 Pro – 1 User 732C1-A5A11B-1001 Graphic Design Software… |
|
|
Rory’s Story Cubes $2.90 Rory’s Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages. There are infinite ways to play with Rory’s Story Cubes – Try them as a party game or ice-breaker, for literacy development, speaking and listening skills, creative inspiration, a mental workout or problem solving. Anyone can become a great storyteller and there are no wrong answers. Si… |
|
|
Telestrations the Telephone Game Sketched Out! $23.95 Telestrations is the visual equivalent of the classic school-yard game “telephone.” It’s a fun-filled sketching game in which everyone’s attempts at “art” can turn hilarious. The game starts with a secret word that is passed from player to player. As the word is sketched, interpreted, and then sketched again, it undergoes a visual transformation that will surprise and delight everyone. Designed fo… |
|
|
Leapfrog Tag Activity Storybook Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Rescue In The Sky $7.98 Leapfrog Tag Activity Storybook Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Rescue In the SkyUse your Tag Reader to bring this comic book-style story to life. General Grievous has captured R2-D2. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is ordered to destroy the evil general’s battleship with R2-D2 still aboard. Can Anakin rescue his droid in time? Throughout the story, activities and comic-style graphics help build vocabular… |
|
|
CENGAGE Mastering Celtx – 9781435459014 $24.99 Until recently available screenwriting tools built around traditional discrete roles and tethered to paper output have struggled to keep up with the rapid changes in industry practices and needs. However a new tool called Celtx (pronounced kel-tx) has embraced the industry’s evolution and created a preproduction workspace that erases the boundaries between different conceptualizing and narrative-b… |
|
|
Alan Moore`s Writing for Comics (Paperback) $5.89 The master of comic book writing shares his thoughts on how to deliver a top-notch script! The main essay was originally written in 1985 and appeared in an obscure British fanzine, right as Moore was reshaping the landscape of modern comics, and has be… |