How to Format a Comic Script
So you've come up with a great idea for a superhero, or just a good story for a comic book. You want to write up this idea and submit it for consideration to a major comic publisher. To do so, you need to know how to format a comic script. Many publishers will not even consider a comic script if it's not formatted properly.
Instructions
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Start by capitalizing the page and number (i.e., PAGE ONE) at the top of the paper, followed by the number of panels on that page in parentheses beside the page and number. Each page of the script should start on a new piece of paper.
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2
Indicate action in each panel by starting with "Panel" and number, followed by a colon (i.e., Panel 2:). Be as descriptive as possible regarding action and character descriptions. Try to keep action description to a sentence or two.
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Show dialogue by typing character's name, followed by dialogue in all capitals. Indent dialogue. Place any modifiers in parentheses after the character's name. Use (thought) after the character if the dialogue is meant to show thoughts and not spoken dialogue so artist knows to use thought balloons.
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Establish setting by typing the description in all capitals. Indicate sound effects and any captions to be used. Dialogue, captions and sound effects should be placed in the order they will appear when the art is drawn.
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Tips & Warnings
These steps are meant as a general comic script format only. Every comic publishing house may have their own format; for instance, Marvel's script format might be different than Dark Horse or DC Comics' formats.
Type (op) after a character's name if the character is speaking off-panel.
Type (whisper) after a character's name to indicate a change in font size to show the character is speaking in a lower tone.
Capitalize characters' names, no matter how minor.
Do not include your own art work with a comic script. You can sketch something to indicate to the artist how a certain panel should look, but keep these to a minimum.
