Bendis uses narrative caption style text boxes instead of thought balloons for Spidey in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Graphic Novelizations of Trek Novels
- Thread starter Arpy
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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
What, this old thing?^ Saaaaaaaay. Nice avatar.
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.
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.
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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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
an edge case? don't you mean a 'head case'?
Well, that too.
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.
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
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