Making comics the Tribetoons way - part 1
I have recently been receiving queries about the process of making comics. Allow me to share my process for writing. I will highlight the rest of the process in future posts.
The Plot
Every story has a basic plot. Use this to rough out key components of the story you know will happen (or at this stage, appear to happen). It is basically a simple list.
For example , Jurassic park could have started with something like this:
- Dinosaurs cloned from DNA found in mosquito
- Rich guys build real life dinosaur theme park
- Visitors arrive - all is well.
- Science guy has concerns about controlling nature
- Sabotage occurs and control of the park is lost
- Cool scene with T-Rex close encounter, dont forget the eating the guy on the toilet joke.
- Race against time to save humanity from (previously) long dead lizard predators.
This gives you a basic skeleton of story to work with. Obviously as things progress the order may change and things can be added and moved around.
The Script
There are many ways to tackle this. Some people go super detailed describing each panel in detail, leaving the artist little room to move - Alan Moore was a classic for this type of script, also known as 'Full Script'. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the 'Marvel Style' (Stan Lee's favourite) where it is more like a Plot with dialogue and pages descriptions like 'Iron-Man fights Batroc for 6 pages'. Then once the pages have been drawn, Stan would go back to make the dialogue fit the pictures better.
Personally, because most of the time I draw my own stories I'm somewhere in between. At the very least, I put in enough info so that if I'm asking for feedback about it the reader can figure out what is going on.
I often write the script much like a play, using shorthand for character names. E.g. Brigand is always BR in a script, Cheeks is always Ch. The point is to figure out how to make each page move the story or character forward.
This can start get highly technical as you may need to be aware of how the page turns work out so your big "I never seen this coming" moment isn't ruined because it is misplaced on the right hand page when you wanted that big reveal as you turned the page. The script can often be an ideal that you start with, but when the artist starts laying out the pictures as per the script it may not flow as well. Colloboration, go figure.
Please see below for the script to strange metal, a 4 pager from the long sold out Bolt Comics Presents #1 and compare it to the finished product. Note the changes, and consider that there was only one person involved in this, and that was me. Stuff changes, we need to accept this in the creative life!
4 PAGE ABT SHORT working title"Strangest Metal"
PAGE 1
Panel 1: Establishing shot, takes up half the page.The old mole (Hammerly) and young (kawaii!!) apprentice (TINKER) in a vey dimly lit and dusty over stacked library.
Apprrentice: Master Hammerley it says here impervium really exists. I've always thought it a myth.
Panel 2: H eyes lighting up H: Ah, yes, the"STRANGEST METAL" Impervium. (Alternatively the opening panel could be silent with the apprentice opening/grabbing the book calleed STRANGE METAL)
Panel 3:H getting all nostalgic.
H: "Rare it is, young Tinker. And no easy thing to forge."
Panel 4: "ah, but priceles too."
PAGE 2:
Series of small panels one sentence per panel
H still talking in theses panels.
Pa 1: "Feather light." Probs a massive sword and little molvare wielding it with ease.
Pa 2: "Unbreakable." Hammer hitting obvious impervium shield and shattering.
Pa 3: "Impenetrable." Breastplate/mail with arrows disintegrating/getting squashed on impact.
Pa 4: (H with cazy eyes) "Riddled with magic".
Pa 5: pic of ore sitting on an anvil, some kind of vibration being given off. optional SFX:hmmmmmmmm
"If you listen hard enough, you can hear the ore itself gently humming with power."
PAGE 3:
panel 1 biggish panel showing a very heroic figure in full armour WOW style all gleaming and stuff.
H: "Once long ago, a full impervium outfit had been worn by a great and noble king."
panel 2: H: "When he passed, his kingdom fell into ruin, the outfit was dispersed amongst the guilds so no one faction, or mad tyrant would possess the power of the suit."
Another biggish panel showing various guild symbols and pieces of armour distributed.
Panel 3: Mole holding up a large gauntlet 'offering style' in silohette.
H: "I remember once helping Master Blister Fingers as an apprentice craft a wonderul set of gauntlets. It took him 5 weeks to make and cost the owner half his kingdom.
panel 4: Random animal doing classic 2 handed gauntlet wield with blister fingers surrounded byh treasure.
Panel 5
shot of castle in flames and general chaos.
H:" Shortly after, he lost the other half of his kingdom and his life to those who would possess those fine gauntlets."
PAGE 4
Panel 1:
Now we are back into the library and out of Hammerly's head..
Thoughtfully now lighting up a pipe for some reason.
H: Anyone able to hang onto an impervium object for a time will inevitably will meet with great sorrows.
Panel 2:
Tinker(elbows on table, hands on his chin) : Hmm. The price of it is high indeed. Still I would love to learn how to craft something marvelous/wondrous out it instead of just pick axes and shovels.
Panel 3:
H: "My bones ache, and my hands not are not so nimble anymore. With word abounding of trouble in the deep mines of Molvare. Maybe, before my light is snuffed, you and I will get the chance to craft a final masterpiece..."
panel 4:
H exhaling vague image of Brigand in the smoke.
H: "... for a noble champion."
Panel 5:
T: "Well, sure if we had any impervium ore left but I've never seen any purple ore around thses parts."
Panel 6
Grasping key on his keyring can see some kind of sunbeam pattern on the top of the key.
H:"Oh, uh...yes, quite right my apprentice."
Panel 7
Shot of a locked chest with same pattern as the key on the lock.
H voice over: "We would be hard pressed to find any of that still lying around."
************* END**************
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