How to Start a Comic Book

The comic book industry is a very difficult medium to break into. To start a comic book, you need to have an organized plan for success. This guide is not about how to develop plot or character but rather how to get on the path to getting published. The list of things you need is dependent on what type of comic book you are doing. For example, if your comic book is black and white, then you wouldn't need a colorist.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Writer
• Penciler (artist)
• Colorist
• Letterer

1. Understand sequential art. If you haven't already, pick up Scott McCloud's book "Understanding Comics." It is a vital book in grasping the science, and philosophy, behind this versatile medium. After that, read "Making Comics" by the same author (see Resources below).

2. Develop synergy with your creative partners. Even if you are working by yourself, this is a good idea. Figure out how you want your book to look and feel, what are you trying accomplish and how will you do it. For example, if you are trying for a comedic story, you might want your artist to draw the characters more like cartoons than portraits.

3. Write your script. If you are lost on what one looks like, go to the Comic Book Scripts website (see Resources). The scripts on the page are actual, official scripts of published comics. It might help to find an issue of one of these comics so you can see how the artist translated the writer's words into pictures. Comic book scripts vary greatly in style, but it never hurts to be overly descriptive.

4. Draw, color and letter the comics. Of course, this step is condensed, so expect the process to take awhile. Make sure the art is at its absolute best. Consistency and professionalism are more important than style or talent.

5. Publish the comic. This is a multistep process in itself and of course requires money. First you want to print the comic; this can be done at a printing store--Kinko's, for example. If you live near a large university, oftentimes they have a printing department, and you might be able to work out something with them. Also, you probably want to work out copyright issues at this point to protect your art. You can get details on that at the Copyright website (see Resources).

6. Distribute the book. Now that you have a finished produc, you want people to appreciate your hard work, so get it on the shelves! The most basic start to this step is to give some free comics to friends or interested parties. After that, go to local comic book shops and see if they'll let you put a few copies there. At this point, you shouldn't be worried about making your money back but instead about getting people interested in your art.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you set a cover price for your comic book; you at least want to be able to cover the price of materials and publishing.
• Be patient. It's a process, but the finished product is worth it.
• Read more comics. Pay attention to what works and what doesn't; it'll give you a better understanding of the business.
• This guide is not on how to start Web (Internet) comics. That's an entirely different beast on its own.

Resources

• Scott McCloud's website
• Copyright stuff
• Basic guide to comic book publishing
• Examples of comic scripts