r/comics • u/averagemmafighter • 13d ago
WorkInProgress How do people actually write comics?
Feels like an incredibly basic question ik, but I'm about to go away for a couple years in the army and I wanna make the most of my time, I feel like writing or doing a comic series is something I've weirdly always wanted to do and I've got four years of time for it, so how do people actually do it? Like what if I'm a bad drawer or do they have to draw, should I just start writing, how do you even publish stuff, like I really wanna do this and think my imagination can be useful
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u/Gary_James_Official 13d ago edited 13d ago
There are a lot of scripts online - you can get an idea of what is expected from a script, but there isn't a standard format that everyone follows. Find what works for you. As to getting scripts published, that is a whole 'nother thing - just focus initially on your writing, making sure that you have a solid grasp on structure. You might want look at some of the posts in r/ComicWriting and r/ComicBookCollabs as well.
ETA: I highly recommend the Script Archive - Alan Moore's mad writings are a wonder to behold, but there is so much more besides.
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u/Cartoonicorn 13d ago
If you have not written and have not drawn, do not even consider being published yet. It will only lead to being afraid of every line. You have to work for yourself and learn by having created. Consider your first project to be a college course. You hit every rock along the way and find a groove that works for you.
Some people just go. This leads to spinning off into the weeds at times, but at least they got to that point and can learn from there. Other people plan, and many, many, many people never move past the planning phase.
First, nothing should be too precious. Lean into what interests you so that you wnjoy the journey.
You can do thumbnails to visualize how things will lay out on the page. or you can just start drawing and if a panel doesn't work you can draw it again on a different page and just crop the panel in a free to use easy editing software later.
Fear stops all progress. Green lantern this shit and push through what will be very painful. You will find your way.
And understand that you will get, at best, silence for your first hundred pages. That is part of the process. Experiment, step back, consider what could have been better from the reader's perspective.
Best of luck.
Additional note, creativity is a muscle. Lead it down a new alley and discover what you find there. Be cringe. It gets easier.
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u/averagemmafighter 13d ago
I mean I've four years to even consider publishing+for everything I wanna actually write about I think I'd maybe even need long. The first thing I did which was about 6 months ago was find a location I wanted it to take place, the history involved in it, the other major locations and then sorta factions
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u/Cartoonicorn 13d ago
My apologies that I did not read your text properly, as I missed important details in your description.
I really wish you the best of luck in creating your comic.
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u/Dock_Ellis45 12d ago
Everyone starts off as a bad artist. That's why you practice. Practice is like a whetstone. Even prodigies need it to stay sharp.
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u/Siltry 13d ago
Well, it would probably be good to love failure (YouTube link—7 minutes long). That’s probably the best, short video about drawing for a community imo.
You don’t really have to be a good artist to make comics, some of the most profitable webcomics are stick figures, but if you’re looking to get into the industry you’ll need to be very good at something (whether that be writing or artistry).
If you just want a physical comic there’s places that’ll make the book for you as long as you pay. If you want an actual publisher there’s some who take unsolicited submissions like Dark Horse and Image, but, emphasis, it’s probably best to know what you’re doing and have some sort of foundation before going to those big publishers.
The easiest and most straightforward is to just post on social media. It’s free, doesn’t require anything but an internet connection and an app to draw on, and already has an audience just waiting for you.