How to Set Up a Script

Every comic starts with a script. You need to start somewhere, and that's usually the best spot to begin. The script is where you stop worrying about the concept and start seeing what it can do; it gives you a chance to see if the settings and characters actually have legs, or if something needs to be changed, however subtly or radically. Ultimately, the script is where everything starts getting together and you get to see what the comic will actually look like.

There are some good classes for script-writing, and they're almost all in the film-making category. You should take some journalism classes; the important take-away here is that you need to stop writing in the flowery prose most associated with writing, and write in the most basic terms. A lot of writers love their words and it shows: They tend to use too many words to describe even basic actions, and Heaven help the readers when the action gets hot and heavy. Journalism teaches you write in the most simplistic terms, and that's what you need: You need to write less like Tolkien and more like Hemingway.

A good graphics class can only help. Comics will always be a graphic form of telling a story, so you should have at least the basic grammar of the form. Also, knowing the basic rules and limits of graphics can only help when it comes to communicating with the artist, and it helps you when determining just how much information can be put in a particular panel. There are also a number of basic rules that it can only help to know how they work from a practical perspective. In short, anything that helps you and the artist communicate is a good thing.

Remember the mention of film-making classes? Obviously script-writing should be part of the curriculum; while it's not exactly the same as writing a comic script, knowing how to write a film script is infinitely useful. At the very least, it gives you a necessary vocabulary that you will find very handy when it comes to writing the script. You should also take some basic film-making classes; there are a number of rules (such as the Rule of 180 that will make for more dramatic conversations) that help, and you can learn some really cool applications of graphic concepts.

You should also really debate taking an acting class or two. Part of being a writer is that you should develop a limited form of multiple personality disorder: You need to be able to develop those personalities and maintain them when it comes to writing dialogue. An acting class is where you learn the basics of developing those personalities and how to create them. While you should avoid method-acting techniques as it's hard to maintain multiple personalities when each requires its own method and research.

While there isn't a proscribed course for learning comic script-writing, you can cobble together something that works. Start with a basic writing course, and pepper in the suggested classes for best effect, and you should get the kind of classes you are looking for. But don't limit yourself to just those classes: The more information and background you have the better as the more you know the more you can portray in the script, and the better you are at writing.

Decide on a Method

There are a couple of different methods of creating a comic book, but they come down to the "full-script" method (script then art) and the "Marvel" method (art then script). The Marvel method is named after the method developed by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby: The writer and artist discuss what needs to happen, the artist draws the comic, and then the writer writes the dialogue. This tends to lend itself well to high-octane over-the-top action comics that are dependent more on the art than the writing.

The full-script method is where the writer writes a script and the artist uses that as the template for what needs to be drawn. While the artist may feel somewhat chained down, the reality is that the artist can make changes as needed, and it's the letterer who is on the hook for a lot of the weirdness (although this is commonly the artist as well). This allows you to actually have a lot of fun, especially when you realize how much of it's planned, giving the writer a chance to set things up and the artist to sneak in as many Easter eggs as possible.

Either way, pick a method and go for it.

Have An Outline of Some Sort

You're going to need to keep organized, and an outline is the best way to do it. It gives you a nice overview over what's going on in the story and what parts need to be written and drawn. It also shows you which characters are actually important, as opposed to the ones you may think are important. Most importantly, it gives a general plan for the script; it creates a road map that you can refer to when scripting and, like a road map, can also show you potential hazards before you hit them.

Sure, it can be fun to make things up as you go along, but it can make a lot of problems for you that you don't need to create for yourself.

Know the Characters and Setting

This should go without saying, but you need to know everything you can about the people and places; the more you know, the less you need to make up as you go along. Ironically, this can help a pantser more than a plotter: While pantsers don't mind finding out about the world as they go, knowing these details before you start writing can allow you to worry more about the characters and how the interact with the world, and that in turn can save you time editing later on. Of course, just because you know a lot about the world doesn't mean you've explored more than the tip of the iceberg….

Know the Limitations of the Artist

While every artist should be assumed a basic knowledge of what they are doing, this doesn't mean that they don't have limitations; some artists do great bodies but have issues with buildings, while another has issues with specific body parts. While writing the script, you should keep those limits in mind so as to ensure the best possible result; if you have someone who has problems drawing buildings, then doing a lot of outdoor scenes in a city is probably a bad idea. By playing to the artist's strengths and avoiding their limitations, you can create the best possible comic.

Have a General Layout

You should have a general idea of how many panels there are per page, such as four rows of three panels each or three rows of three panels each; once you know the general layout, you can then combine panels as needed to create the best possible overall page (yes, I have some suggestions, but that's for a different list). You should also have different templates for different kinds of pages, such as for splash pages or for handling establishing shots. In essence, you should have an idea how the panels are laid out, even if the artist is the final arbiter of the layout.

If you do combine panels, numbering should allow for the new number of panels, not the original panel number. If you decide on a 3x3 format and you combine panels 1&2, 5&6, and 7&8, the panels should be numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, not 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9.

Have a General Format

You need to have a consistent way of telling what is on the page. While there is no official format, the one I prefer is basically:

PAGE X (notes on page layout, if different than the norm; see above and the appropriate list)

Panel Y: Description of what's going on.

CAPTION: Anything that needs to go in a caption. The letterer should decide where the caption actually goes. Each caption should get its own line.

SFX: Any sound effects that are important to the page. What the effect is linked to should be noted, but the artist and letterer should decide between them what it looks like and where it goes. Each sound effect should get its own line.

CHARACTER A: What the character says. If multiple characters are talking, each gets their own line, and each line of dialogue should get its own line as well. I do allow for one cheat: If one character is speaking in multiple word balloons, you can place "(beat)" between each statement.

While you can get detailed here (such as full paragraphs of prose), the shorter the panel descriptions should be. The artist should have as much freedom to determine what is in a panel, and a lot of that prose won't be seen on the page anyway. This is definitely where a screenwriting class helps.

Remember That You Need to Show What Will Be There

This cuts both ways, both what to show and what not to show: On one hand, you should only be describing what the reader is seeing in the panel, such as the characters talking or otherwise interacting, what the background looks like, etc. On the other, don't describe what can't be seen, such as emotions, stuff outside the panels, and details that you feel "set the mood" but won't make it into the panel.

"Don't show emotions", BTW, means not saying that the character feels happy, sad, or angry, but you should describe how the character manifests that emotion (smiling, frowning, glaring). As usual, SHOW what is going on, don't TELL what is going on.

Remember the Limits of the Panel

There is only so much you can show in each panel, even if that panel is a full page. The general rule is one action per panel; it can get really confusing if you try to put too much in one panel. This applies double to text; you don't want to read a wall of text and you need to allow for each panel to have actual art. You also don't want the text to be too small. As a corollary to that, you may want to change the general format if you have a mix of talking scenes and action scenes; if you keep the format the same, then you will tear through pages when doing combat scenes.

In general, the smaller the panel the less you can include in it; this is why you see a lot of artists preferring a 2x3 format for most scenes, and 3x3 for combat situations; this allows for the best possible pacing without getting too crazy.

Ignore the Limits of the Panel

Some times, however, you should ignore the panels. She-Hulk and Gwenpool show some of the fun you can have, such as putting objects from one panel into another panel, having stuff in the gutters, or walking from one page to another. It also means that speedsters should occasionally show more than one action per panel, that formats that ignore the standard grid should be tried, and that you should be willing to try whatever works for you. The panel should ultimately be a guideline, not a prison.

Have Fun!

All of the above should be treated as guidelines, not iron-clad rules; use them as long as they make sense for whatever your project and not a second longer. The goal here is to present the information in a way that works for you and your artist, as well as your reader; sometimes you want to do something really weird just to see what happens, and that should definitely be encouraged. So while these are great general guidelines, there will be plenty of times when you want to leave them behind for a while, and that's perfectly fine as well.

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The bottom line is that a script needs to present the information that the artist needs in order to draw the script, but there is some preparation that a writer needs to do in order to make sure that the information is there. By following these guidelines, you should have that information (8, 9, 10), allow for what the artist is capable of (7), and then present that information is such a way that it makes what is going on clear to the artist (2–6). And, should you need it, you have permission to do whatever your fetid heart desires (1). So do the prep, talk to your artist, and do the best you can possibly do!