Comic Writing Resources

Even though I had read comics for years and wanted to be a writer, it was not until I attended a comic writing workshop that I realized writing comics was an option.  Over the last few years I’ve collected a few resources that have helped me figure it out along the way.  I haven’t had a comic published traditionally yet, but I did get to participate in a really fun fancomic that centered around Wanda Maximoff.  I wrote the first two pages of the comic script and you can see the finished product here.

As for resources, when starting out in comics the hardest thing can be understanding not only how to write a script, but what makes a good script, how the industry works, how to find collaborators, etc.  Here are a few places to find help:

• The Comic Book Script Archive – Here you can find PDF or word docs of many different comics from many different writers.  I’ve sat down a few times with the script from a comic and the comic itself, to see how the writing started and what became of it.  You can also see how the masters write their comics, who sticks to a certain script style and who deviates from it and why.  I would suggest both reading the scripts and the comics that came from them, to get an idea of how the pages and panels took shape.
• Jim Zub’s  Website – Jim has a TON of tutorials about writing comics.  If you look on the right side of his website, you’ll see tutorials on writing comics, how to pitch comics, as well as many other things.  If you see him at a Con, he also has a great panel that covers the basics.  I attended his panel at Salt Lake Comic Con and he gave great advice during it about how looking for people to work within the industry is “fishing” not “hunting.”  This changed my approach completely about how I go about finding people I want to work with.
• Making Comics – Making Comics did a great MOOC about writing a comic pitch, but they also have a lot of great resources on their website.  They have stuff about writing, drawing, coloring, lettering, and everything beyond it.  It’s a great website to check out when you’re not sure what to do next or if you want to learn a skill that you don’t have quite yet.
• Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Tips for Writing – The workshop I mentioned at the beginning of the post was taught by Kelly Sue.  It opened my eyes and changed my path as a writer.  This is a great tumblr post with some of the wisdom she shared about writing and writing comics.
• Words for Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis – This is the one resource on this list that is not free, but well worth it.  It has not only info from Mr. Bendis, but many other great writers, artists and creators within the comics industry.

Are there any other great resources you’ve found?  If so please share!  I’m always looking to learn more as a writer.