Storytelling is one of the most significant ways for humans to communicate. It has been around for years in different forms, such as screenplay, novels, movies, picture books, and much more. Comic books are also one of the growing forms of storytelling.
A comic book is primarily a visual form of storytelling that uses text alongside pictures to connect with the readers. They come in sequentially arranged panels and progress the story with every self-contained frame.
There are more than one reason readers worldwide connect with comic books more than any other form of literature. While there are millions of fans of the style, there are many factors that can make or break your reputation as an emerging comic book writer.
If this is your first time dealing with comic books, here are some tips to help your work stand out.
1. Strengthen Your Characters
Whether you write lengthy prose or a short comic book, the characters of your world are one of the most important components of your work. Therefore, you must focus on your characters to make them stand out.
While you may not be concerned with the looks of your protagonist in a novel, they matter a lot in comics. Your reader is not only impressed by the words and actions of your character. Instead, they also need to be lured by your characters’ physical features.
Another important thing to remember is that your character must be visible to the reader even when surrounded by other secondary characters. You can give them some distinguishing features, such as a unique haircut or an apparel item.
2. Build a Reliable Team
To a reader, a comic book may seem like an easy medium to create. They may say that it’s just some pictures with speech bubbles. However, they cannot understand your struggle until they enter your shoes. After all, it’s not just one person’s job to create a comic book.
As an author writing their first comic book, you need to surround yourself with the best professionals in the field. Your dream team must include comic book illustrators, artists, colorists, and letterers. These professionals can help you share the burden and make your work more efficient.
Once you create an ideal team to complete the comic book, make sure that you trust them along the way and listen to their ideas with an open mind. After all, comic books are a collaborative art form. You can only get the best outcomes by working in a team.
3. Remember to Serialize
Although most prose forms do not necessarily have series, it is a qualifying factor for good comic books. When you divide your story into series, it can get the readers excited about what’s headed their way in the future.
Of course, this does not mean you must unnecessarily drag your storyline. Serialization only helps keep the reader engaged in your work and increases your writing value. After all, curiosity can be a strong emotion.
These gaps can keep your readers hooked to your work and give you a break from writing. This practice can help you in breaking the monotony. Hence, you will have time to create new plot twists and add surprises between the issues.
4. Think about the Archetypes
Every writer dreams of providing their reader with something unique. After all, you do not want your readers to get bored with your work. But, the dilemma for comic writers is that they cannot overlook the well-acclaimed works from the past.
Whether you write a novel or a comic, reading well-acclaimed works from the same genre is always recommended. This practice can help you understand the norms of the genre and undertake the common practices that can help you create a good comic book.
When you read sufficient works from the past, you will get to know the focus your protagonist needs and the way you must develop your settings. Reading comic books can also help you understand the way a writer can never neglect the role of a supervillain.
5. Place the Speech Bubbles Correctly
Many readers think that every comic book has speech bubbles. However, the truth is that every comic book does not have speech bubbles. Instead, these comic books can say it all to the reader without a single word being said.
However, if you are planning to add speech bubbles to your comic, you need to understand that they cannot be placed randomly. You need to put a lot of thought and consideration into deciding where your speech bubbles will go.
One of the most common mistakes made by fresh comic writers is that they may forget to leave spaces for their speech bubbles. It may be too late to add text later when you realize it. Therefore, it is better to be mindful right from the beginning.
Speech bubbles can take many shapes and forms. However, it is best for beginners to keep things simple. You can put your speech bubbles on the top or bottom of the panel. You can also try placing the bubble close to the character for the reader’s ease.
6. Fill it with Surprises
Writing comic books can be a very enjoyable experience. Many readers turn to comic books because there are not many other mediums that offer the same level of surprise and excitement to the reader. Hence, the writers have all the room to enjoy freedom and control.
It may amaze you to know that you can put exciting moments of your story in separate pages to create a distinction from the rest of the happenings. This way, you can choose the perfect moment to make a moment special or to add a cliffhanger.
This practice can make sure that your reader keeps shifting from one page to another without control. If you are considering serializing your comic, this practice can help you in ensuring that you create a strong fan base that keeps growing with time.
