Many people agree that the golden age of comics was between the 1930s and 1950s. That period gave birth to some of the most legendary characters, such as Spider-Man and Batman.
Today, almost 100 years later, these characters continue to enjoy great popularity not just in comics but in many film and TV adaptations as well. For example, Marvel comics have been adapted to more than 25 movies with many more to come.
But we can’t help but wonder — why are these comics still so popular amongst many different generations? The answer is simple — they all feature amazing stories and deeply thought-out characters that we can easily fall in love with and relate to.
To create a remarkable comic book, writers and artists go through different processes and phases, drink gallons of coffee and water, and share a whole universe of ideas. But, before they even start adding faces and bubbles to their canvas, they all need an outline. Without it, they will be more lost than all the characters of the Lost series.
In this article, we will explain why an outline is important, how to create it, and what kind of team you need in order to create a remarkable story.
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What Is an Outline and Why Is It So Important?
An outline is a description of events and timelines that cover the main points of a subject. It doesn’t resemble a fully written story, but only bullet points of your comic book.
When writing multiple-issue comics, writers can easily fall into the trap of not knowing how to continue their story. That’s why, before you sketch characters or even start writing detailed dialogues, you need to outline the essential aspects of the narrative arc in order for it to be successful.
An outline helps you connect the dots between separate issues and establish strong plot points that are important to resolving the narrative. Imagine printing the third issue of your comic book and uncovering most of the plot but you have two more issues to go? Not only do your readers have nothing left to be excited for, but you also end up in a stressful breaking point. And stress usually eats up all of the creative energy.
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How to Make a Great Comic Book Outline
Even though it may feel overwhelming at first, setting the groundwork now will help things move more easily in the future. This is an outline, not a complete screenplay, so even if you don’t know what will happen four issues from now, it’s essential you create one-sentence concepts explaining what must be done to keep the tale moving ahead.
Okay, but where do you begin? Well, first of all:
Get some blank papers.
You should carry at least 12 – 15 pieces of paper with you stapled together with a number on each page. This serves as a guess and provides you with a general notion of which page should go where in your comic from the beginning to the conclusion. There may be some scrapping and scrabbling, but trust the process!
Fill in the blanks in the comic’s plot rhythm.
According to most professionals, a beat devoted to a single page is a solid notion. Although, various beats may fill many pages. You should write down the narrative beats next to the page number to make it easier for you to make changes if they become required.
Separate the acts.
Comics follow a three-act format, much as movies and other narrative art forms. The first act introduces the characters, the scene, atmosphere, and prevailing conflict.
A lot of time is devoted to character development, focusing on individual tales, certain hurdles, the story’s morals, and the finale. The post-climax resolution of the major characters is the focus of the last act of the story.
Break down the rhythms of your comic plot into individual panels.
At the very beginning, you need to know how your tale will go and how each panel will fit together to help you tell your story. Be very cautious about the content you provide on each page and make good use of available space. Ineffective use of space may make a comic book seem cluttered and unorganized.
Sketch out some action and conversation notes.
When drawing a comic, you may use symbols or even stick figures to represent the characters. The only requirement is that they make sense and indicate what each panel should include.
If you want your conversation to aid readers in understanding your writing, you must give carefully consider how one-panel transitions to the next. Create a list of notes for each picture in every panel to make your life simpler.
Write the script.
Dialogues, situations, characters, and descriptions should all be on-point as you go from panel to panel.
Get to know the people in your stories. Write character profiles. Establish a story arc. Construct a chronology of events. Create the scenarios you’ll be acting in. Afterward, the artist will use this script to create an image of your idea.
Photo by Emre Turkan on Unsplash
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A Comic Book Needs the Right People to Bring it to Life
Not a single successful film has been made without a joint effort of enthusiasts and professionals. The same goes with comic books. If you have a great story, it would be a bummer if your illustrations were bad. Or if the colors were off.
So, how do you assemble your team of Avengers to bring your amazing ideas to life? Who do you need on your team?
The Writer
Writers are vital to creating a comic book since they develop ideas for narratives and characters as well as an atmosphere, dialogue and many other aspects of a scene. Or, to put it another way, they’re in charge of the whole thing. They are also in command of drafting the comic’s storyboard and screenplay, which serve as a guide for the other collaborators.
The Editor
In order to be a great writer, you need to have a good friend to bounce ideas off of. This friend is an editor. To help you create high-quality work, an editor must be proficient in the language of the comic. Anyone who works in an editing role knows authors better than anyone.
Editors can explain their reasoning behind their views in areas where they believe adjustments are required. An editor must point out to a writer anything that doesn’t seem right or doesn’t fit with the story’s overall arc and recommend revisions.
The Artist
As a visual storyteller, their job is to bring characters and settings to life using visuals. A team of artists will work with a team of writers to make sure they convey the tale in the best possible way. Together, they will decide on the style of illustrations, line types, and character design.
The Letterer
This individual is responsible for everything from speech bubbles, sound effects to tale titles. For a tale to be correctly conveyed, it is imperative that all aspects of it be handled with care.
The Colorist
After all the drawings are completed, the colorist comes in and does their thing. Compared to 20 years ago, colorists have a broad choice of digital tools to make their jobs simpler, yet some still prefer the old school method of utilizing a brush. The colors of a comic book are a result of a team effort with input from all of the contributors.
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Conclusion
Since superhero movies began gaining traction, comic have seen a resurgence in popularity. People all around the world are hunting for hard-to-find comics featuring iconic superheroes and villains like Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman because of their rise in popularity in the 2010s.
But the superhero genre is not the only one popular. New gems are being dug every now and then, as the world is filled with some amazing stories. Maybe yours is the next one? Now that you know where and how to begin, it’s your time to show us your superpowers and make us fall in love with your stories!
