Tao of Guerra

This week I’d like to talk about writing a script for comics and graphic novels, namely, how the right format can make a world of difference. I’ll use my mistakes to illustrate how much time you’ll save if you give script format some thought before you start. There are two basic comic scripting formats: the Marvel or plot script, the full script, and the Kurtzman Style, which is a variation of the plot script and is something I’ve recently discovered and like for short stories.


Let’s go back to the day when the idea for Samurai Elf® smacked me in the head. I sat down to write it the script using the Marvel method. It didn’t quite work well for me. I think part of the problem is that I was writing a graphic novel. Maybe people have better luck with this style for 22 page comic books. It was difficult to get a good flow of dialogue.

Plot Script
For plot scripts, the writer focuses on the plot and only provides some dialogue. Once the artist returns their pencils to the writer, they add in the dialogue to the finished pages. Here’s how Wikipedia describes it: “In a plot script the writer breaks his story down into individual pages. The writer may include some dialogue but does not fully script the story until the artist has drawn the story in pencil. Since Marvel Comics giants Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko preferred this method, this approach became commonly known as the Marvel Method.”

Full Script Comic
A full script is similar to the type of scripts that you find with screenplays. This style provides the entire story including, descriptions of scenes, dialog, sound effects, etc. If you work with artists, inkers, colorists, etc., it gives them everything they need to do their jobs without much more input from the writer. Descriptions of the actions of the characters and settings are described for each panel. These descriptions can be as simple as a few lines or can be several paragraphs. The rule of thumb is to give enough information so the people you’re working with understand what you want on each panel. The most important thing to remember is to be consistent and write so it’s easy to understand. You can take a look at, “The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics” and “Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting” by Syd Field.

Write the dialogue in upper case (caps) and indented to make it easier for editors and letterers to identify who is speaking. Dialogue starts with the character's name and then an optional modifier to let the letterer know how to letter it. Here are some examples of modifiers:

• Op: Indicates that the character is speaking off-panel
• Thought: Indicates a thought balloon
• Whisper: Indicates to the letterer to use a whisper type font
• SFX: Indicates any sound effects that should be "heard" within the panel
• Cap: Indicates that words should be written within a caption

Kurtzman Style
I’ve recently discovered this official method, although I usually break down my pages in thumbnails naturally before I start a script, so I can see the advantage of this method, especially if you’re one of the writers and the artist.

Again, quoting from Wikipedia: “A variation of the plot script, attributed to Harvey Kurtzman, the writer breaks down the story into page roughs or thumbnail sketches, with captions and dialogue jotted down inside the roughs. The artist (who is often the comic's writer as well), then fleshes out the roughs onto full-size art board...Writer/artists Frank Miller and Jeff Smith favor this style; as did the late Archie Goodwin.”

In case you haven’t guessed...
There is no official standard way to write a comic script. Let’s go back to my experience with the Marvel method and Samurai Elf. Once I finished my initial draft, Suzy and I were both frustrated. She had a hard time figuring out how the dialogue was going to work with the images and vice versa. Sometimes the panels looked great, but Suzy needed to do a lot of tricks to make the dialogue fit the actions in the panels. It took her many drafts to get it as smooth as it is. We didn't want the dialogue to sound melodramatic. For volume two, we needed the illustrations and the script to flow together more naturally. As Suzy pointed out, “Dialogue should never be an afterthought.”

Post by Miguel and Suzy