Graphic Novelizations of Trek Novels

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Arpy, Oct 22, 2008.

  1. captcalhoun

    captcalhoun Admiral Admiral

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    Bendis uses narrative caption style text boxes instead of thought balloons for Spidey in Ultimate Spider-Man.
     
  2. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'm pretty sure, I've seen that in the Buffy Season 8, and Star Wars comics too.
     
  3. Ryan Thomas Riddle

    Ryan Thomas Riddle Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Although, Harvey Pekar still uses thought balloons in American Splendor, which is now published through the Vertigo imprint of DC.

    The disuse of the thought balloon was mention recently in an NPR discussion on the works of JMS, particularly his comic book work and the Spidey 9/11 issue. See: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2008/10/we_call_him_jms_comics_fans_on_1.html
     
  4. William Leisner

    William Leisner Scribbler Rear Admiral

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    What, this old thing? :D
     
  5. Geoff Thorne

    Geoff Thorne Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Writing comics is a specific skill. Not every prose writer or screenwriter can do it. Writing prose is a specific skill. Not every screenwriter or comics writer can do it. Screenwriting is a specific skill not every prose or comics writer can do it.

    Each has different goals and each requires a different understanding of how to execute a story. One primary difference is novels are complete unto themselves. Scripts are only a part of the eventual whole- blueprints for the house.

    A lot can be learned by doing, true, but I've known a stack of screenwriters who can't crack prose and a few comics writers who can't seem to cross into screenwriting. Prose writers, too, can have trouble with the rigid Spartan structure of a screenplay or a comic book script.

    There's a reason some writers gravitate to different media to express their tales. Some fit better than others.

    I say everybody should try all the forms at least once.

    :rommie:
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2008
  6. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Is there anywhere online that has examples of what comic scripts look like? I've never seen one, and I'm curious to see what they are like compared to movie/tv and play scripts.
     
  7. Geoff Thorne

    Geoff Thorne Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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  8. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    The trade-paperback omnibus of IDW's Blood Will Tell miniseries reprints the script to the first issue in the back.
     
  9. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Interesting. I wonder if the writers proceed entirely on visualization, or if some of them have scrap paper with them to draw on as they're writing with little boxes and stick figures, to guide the infrastructure.

    Creditorly yours, the Rent Woman
     
  10. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Check out the script of issue #1 of IDW's first Klingon mini-series, "Blood Will Tell". It's in the trade omnibus reprint, too.

    Any good comic shop have books full of sample comic scripts.
     
  11. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Cool, thanks for the info. I'll have to remember to check out the scrip in BWT next time I get to a comic shop. I'm in process of reading through the script for Avengers #500, and so far it really seems pretty similar to movie/TV script. The biggest difference would be the page and panel (?)numbers before the descriptions and scenes.
     
  12. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    ^ The main difference is that comic books don't have a standard format. It's pretty much up to the preference of the scripter in question. Screenplays and teleplays, though, have a very very very specific format that you have to hew to.
     
  13. Chris McCarver

    Chris McCarver Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    The main reason it looks similar is that Brian Bendis uses the screenwriting program Final Draft for his scripts. :)

    Yeah, like Keith had said there isn't a standardized format for comic scripts. The only publisher I'm aware of that demands all their scripts in a certain format is Dark Horse Comics, and their format isn't so much with the similarities to TV/film scripts.
     
  14. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Interesting, thanks for the info.:bolian:
     
  15. Geoff Thorne

    Geoff Thorne Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Well. Yeah. There are a few accepted ones and there's what creators work out between themselves but, by format, I meant the way the information is delivered on the page which is, in every case, massively different from prose.

    Comic scripting is its own animal, I guess is the point.
     
  16. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Eddie Campbell has described Alan Moore's scripts for From Hell as being 100-page long essays on subjects many and varied -- and not necessarily about the Whitechapel murders. Campbell then had to distill from Moore's ramblings something to draw.

    Based on several readings of Moore's "Twilight of the Superheroes" proposal for DC, I imagine the From Hell scripts looked similar.

    For the record, I am not holding up Moore's scripting style as something to emulate. As with all things, Moore is clearly an edge case.
     
  17. captcalhoun

    captcalhoun Admiral Admiral

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    an edge case? don't you mean a 'head case'?
     
  18. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Well, that too. :)
     
  19. Cicero

    Cicero Admiral Admiral

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    Really? I've been in a number of comic shops (including several I'd consider very good), but I've never seen even one book of sample scripts.
     
  20. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Neither have I. (And I used to work in a comics shop.) The thing is, comic shop owners will only order something like that if they think there's a demand for it. There are books on writing comics, but you're unlikely to find them in a comics shop.

    Here are some suggestions:

    The Best of Write Now!

    Writers on Comics Scriptwriting

    Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers