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| Growler's
State Of The Superhero Comic Book Publishing Industry |
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Growler
on Superhero Comic Books >
This
is where I let loose my views on the current direction of the business
of superhero fiction found in comic books and graphic novels.
Taking
you behind the scenes of this exciting industry!
Rawle
Austin presents...
Beginnings
Future
columns will see my take on the history of Marvel, DC and Image
comics.
But
for now, how to begin?
I
guess this will have to be a kind of introduction seeing as it's
the first article.
A
look at how a comic book is made.
So
are you ready?
Ok.
The
comics industry is made up of many different parts, together making
a complete whole.
These
basically consist of the creative side and the business side.
Click
here to check out the Civil War TPB (Marvel Comics) by Mark Millar
and Steve McNiven
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This
article is about the creative side.
Here,
you have the writer who has to come up with a plot for a story.
Sometimes
the writer co-plots the story with the artist or penciller to give a shared
vision.
The
writer then breaks down that story into a script with actions, dialogue
and sound effects.
This
is done by retelling the story, scene by scene, into boxes called
panels.
By
going from panel to panel you progress through the story.
The
time between each panel could be a moment, an hour, a day or 100
years.
It's the spaces between the panels, called gutters, which allow
us to believe that time has passed between panels.
Each
scene in the story consists of a varying number of panels.
When
the completed script is accepted by the editor it's ready to roll.
Click
here to check out 52: Volume 1 TPB (DC Comics) by Geoff Johns, Grant
Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
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The
script has to contain instructions to the penciller telling them what
is happening in each panel.
The penciller basically then sketches out the whole story, panel by panel.
Sometimes
the writer will detail which 'camera angles' or points of view they want
for a particular panel.
Alternatively,
they may just trust the artist, if they are experienced enough,
to create the angles they feel best suit the story.
Choosing
a good, clear point of view for each panel is crucial for the mood
and emotional impact of the story and the wrong choices can ruin
a good tale.
Each
penciller has their own style and it's possible to tell from a single
page of art exactly who pencilled it.
Some
people read and collect comics for the art alone, others for the
story alone but most like the combination of the two. Still
with me? Good.
When
the penciller has sketched out the story, usually told over 22 pages,
he hands over his work to an inker.
Click
here to check out the Essential Wolverine Volume 1 TPB (All-New
Edition) (Marvel Comics) by Chris Claremont, John Buscema and John
Byrne |
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 In
reality the work is more often scanned into a computer and passed via
cd-rom or email.
The
inker's basic job is to trace over the sketches in the panels to tidy
and clean them up.
They
also add shadows and shading to make the art more three dimensional.
This
gives a clearer picture.
Most inking is done by computer now but used to be painstakingly
done by hand.
A
good inker would allow the penciller's style to shine through while
still adding a certain something to the finished page.
Once
the inker has done their job the pages are passed, often via cd-rom
or email, to the letterer.
The letterer's job is one of the most misunderstood parts of the
comic book making process. The
letterers are the people who place the word balloons, containing
the dialogue, in the most discreet places so as not to obstruct
the artwork.
Click
here to check out the Essential Fantastic Four Volume 2 TPB (Marvel
Comics) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
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Generally
in the top half of panels.
Also,
they choose the best appropriate font for the text inside those balloons,
and the shape and the style of the balloons.
All of these will affect how you, the reader, interprets the story.
The
letterer also has the job of providing sound effects which if done
well will be all but invisible but will read as part of the story.
Sound
effects are read and heard in your head like the dialogue in the
word balloons.
Basically,
all the written words you see in a comic book have been placed there
by the letterer who has to use his or her judgment and experience
as to where to put what.
The
last step is sending the fully lettered comic book to the colourist,
mainly via email attachments.
The
colourist, using colour guides indicated by the penciller and letterer,
completes the process by adding various colours and tones to the
final pages.
The
colourist's job is also vital because if the artwork isn't clear
to the reader it can kill a good story.
Click
here to check out the Essential Fantastic Four: Volume 3 TPB (Marvel
Comics) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
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The
finished comic book is now ready to be mass printed for the enjoyment
of the reader, me and you.
It
is essential that all the above jobs are done well to produce a good story
in a comic book.
So
how do you know when you're reading a good story?
When
the pages fly between your fingers, you feel that wow-factor and
when finished, you can't wait to read the next chapter or issue!
There
are a few writers who also pencil and ink their own work!
These are few and far between but a couple of names that spring
to mind are Frank Miller who catapulted the Marvel comic title Daredevil
to new heights of fame in the mid 1980's.
Also,
John Byrne who wrote and updated the DC comic title Superman for
a modern audience also in the mid 1980's.
John Byrne as an artist helped to co-plot the Marvel comic title
Uncanny X-Men with writer Chris Claremont. Between
them they produced, arguably, some of the best comic book stories
of all time from the mid 1970's to the early 1980's.
Click
here to check out Marvel Zombies TPB (Marvel Comics) by Robert Kirkman
and Sean Phillips
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So there
you go.
All
the people involved in the jobs described above are the superstars of
the comic book industry!
They
are responsible for creating whole new worlds for us to travel to and
enjoy.
Then,
bringing us back to reality waiting for the next ticket to ride.
That's it
for now.
Join me for
the next installment!
The
Irresistible Rise of Trade Paperbacks and Other Stories
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