What do you think?
Rate this book
Creating Comics from Start to Finish: Top Pros Reveal the Complete Creative Process
You Can Work Professionally in Comics!
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION 6
CHAPTER 1
EDITING: The Eye of the Storm
Not only are editors responsible for the creative wrangling of a comic book, but
they also must be masters of project management. With MIKE MARTS
CHAPTER 2
WRITING: The Idea, the Blank Page and How Comics Are Born
Dive deep into how comics are written, from pitching ideas to getting them into print. With MARK WAID
CHAPTER 3
PENCILLING: Sketching Worlds One Page at a Time
The most coveted job in comics isn’t all glamour; it takes discipline to survive. With DARICK ROBERTSON
CHAPTER 4
INKING: It’s More Than Just Tracing
Inkers are jokingly misaligned as “tracers,” but they bring impact and nuance to pencilled art. With RODNEY RAMOS
CHAPTER 5
LETTERING: Getting in the Last Word
Most letterers are barely viewed as part of the creative process, but see one poorly lettered page and you’ll know just how important they really are. With CHRIS ELIOPOULOS
CHAPTER 6
COLORING: A Multichromatic Look at Today’s Technology
The modern-day colorist is not merely an artist. Staying on top of the latest techniques requires serious tech savvy. With BRIAN HABERLIN
CHAPTER 7
OTHER ROADS IN: Alternate Jobs in Comics
The path to a comics career can lead you to various departments and job opportunities.
CHAPTER 8
THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID: One-on-One With Joe Quesada
Marvel’s chief creative officer talks about making the decisions that make people want to buy comics.
CHAPTER 9
THE MAN HIMSELF: A Candid Conversation With Stan Lee
Listen closely to the legend who singlehandedly transformed the world of comics.
CHAPTER 10
NOW, PUT THIS DOWN and Get to Work
Professional do’s and don’ts, the truth about self-publishing, plus plenty more pointers for aspiring comic book creators.
RESOURCES FOR CREATORS
SELF-PUBLISHING BUDGET GUIDE
ONLINE CONTENT GUIDE
INDEX
Jump-start your comic book career! Creating Comics From Start to Finish tells you everything about how today’s mainstream comic books are produced and published. Top working professionals detail how comics are created from concept to completion.
Dig deep into every step of the process including writing, editing, penciling, inking, coloring, lettering and even publishing. Working professionals talk candidly about breaking into (and staying in) this exciting industry.
Interviews and advice from:
Mike Marts – Editor - Batman Mark Waid – Writer - Kingdom Come, Flash, Irredeemable Darick Robertson – Penciler - Wolverine, The Boys, Transmetropolitan Rodney Ramos – Inker - Green Lantern, Punisher Brian Haberlin – Colorist - Witchblade, Spawn Chris Eliopoulos – Letterer - Pet Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men Joe Quesada – Chief Creative Officer - Marvel Comics Stan Lee – Former President, Chairman - Marvel ComicsTable of contents
INTRODUCTION 6
CHAPTER 1
EDITING: The Eye of the Storm
Not only are editors responsible for the creative wrangling of a comic book, but
they also must be masters of project management. With MIKE MARTS
CHAPTER 2
WRITING: The Idea, the Blank Page and How Comics Are Born
Dive deep into how comics are written, from pitching ideas to getting them into print. With MARK WAID
CHAPTER 3
PENCILLING: Sketching Worlds One Page at a Time
The most coveted job in comics isn’t all glamour; it takes discipline to survive. With DARICK ROBERTSON
CHAPTER 4
INKING: It’s More Than Just Tracing
Inkers are jokingly misaligned as “tracers,” but they bring impact and nuance to pencilled art. With RODNEY RAMOS
CHAPTER 5
LETTERING: Getting in the Last Word
Most letterers are barely viewed as part of the creative process, but see one poorly lettered page and you’ll know just how important they really are. With CHRIS ELIOPOULOS
CHAPTER 6
COLORING: A Multichromatic Look at Today’s Technology
The modern-day colorist is not merely an artist. Staying on top of the latest techniques requires serious tech savvy. With BRIAN HABERLIN
CHAPTER 7
OTHER ROADS IN: Alternate Jobs in Comics
The path to a comics career can lead you to various departments and job opportunities.
CHAPTER 8
THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID: One-on-One With Joe Quesada
Marvel’s chief creative officer talks about making the decisions that make people want to buy comics.
CHAPTER 9
THE MAN HIMSELF: A Candid Conversation With Stan Lee
Listen closely to the legend who singlehandedly transformed the world of comics.
CHAPTER 10
NOW, PUT THIS DOWN and Get to Work
Professional do’s and don’ts, the truth about self-publishing, plus plenty more pointers for aspiring comic book creators.
RESOURCES FOR CREATORS
SELF-PUBLISHING BUDGET GUIDE
ONLINE CONTENT GUIDE
INDEX
Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2011
23 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 22, 2013
This book takes readers step by step through comic publishing. Not only that, but through professionals who reflect on their experiences in the field. Readers learn how those people became established and the history of the processes. Scalera also examines how those processes have changed because of technology. While Scalera does most of the talking, he has quite a lot of info that comes directly from the other pros in interviews. At the very end, he even covers some basic stuff like how to get your foot in the door with a publisher and self-publishing.
I definitely got a very clear picture of what comic book publishing involves. He provided plenty of detail, but not too much to overload me with new information. It made for a very informative and interesting read. Contrary to what he warns in the introduction, he has not ruined my enjoyment of comics. In fact, I think understanding the creation process helps me better appreciate the end product as a reader.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I would not recommend it to everyone. Those simply interested in reading comics might find it boring. However, those wanting to pursue a career in the field will find it invaluable. If you are looking to better understand comic publishing and where you might fit in, this is the best book I have come across for you.
I definitely got a very clear picture of what comic book publishing involves. He provided plenty of detail, but not too much to overload me with new information. It made for a very informative and interesting read. Contrary to what he warns in the introduction, he has not ruined my enjoyment of comics. In fact, I think understanding the creation process helps me better appreciate the end product as a reader.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I would not recommend it to everyone. Those simply interested in reading comics might find it boring. However, those wanting to pursue a career in the field will find it invaluable. If you are looking to better understand comic publishing and where you might fit in, this is the best book I have come across for you.
May 3, 2020
Three stars for enjoyability of reading, with a full bonus fourth star for existing at all. The comics industry isn't really covered very well in books for adults. This reads like a low-level college textbook (and I would know, I went to public business school in Louisiana). Not great, but a great find! And I started writing a comic while I was reading it, so massive points for inspiration.
February 27, 2025
Good book with lots of theory, not quite what I thought it was going into it, as this is not so much of a "how to make comics" as a "how to get into the industry." Lot of good information and resources, though some of the links no longer work or the websites no longer exist.
October 20, 2019
Nice and informative
Good for any creator looking to improve their knowledge of comics. Has some slow parts but is worth it yeet
Good for any creator looking to improve their knowledge of comics. Has some slow parts but is worth it yeet
January 4, 2013
I've recently started reading about creative processes in different media, comics and graphic novels included. Among them, I bumped into Buddy Scalera's Creating Comics from Start to Finish Top Pros Reveal the Complete Creative Process rather by mistake. Buddy's is an accessible book about the comics industry in the US. Overall, an interesting and accessible read, with new information about the editor and editor-in-chief positions in the comics creation organigram.
The book is structured as a series of interviews of one representative per key position in the production of comics: editor-in-chief, editor, writer, penciller (drawer), inker, and letterer. Each chapter begins with the author's own analysis of the creative job's challenges and approaches, then proceeds with summaries of the said interviews. Among the key persons interviewed in this book there are Mike Marts (editor at DC Comics, Batman and X-Men); Mark Waid (writer at Marvel and DC, chief creative officer at BOOM! Studios, Flash and Captain America); Joe Quesada (chief creative officer at Marvel Comics); and Stan Lee (the father of them all).
I find that this book holds a good spot among others about creating comics, among them Scott McCloud's Making Comics Storytelling Secrets of Comics Manga and Graphic Novels; Stan Lee's numerous books on creating comics (including Stan Lee's How to Write Comics From the Legendary Co-Creator of Spider-Man the Incredible Hulk Fantastic Four X-Men and Iron Man); and Nat Gertler's Panel One Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers (examples of comics writing). This book adds much needed information about the job of editor and editor-in-chief, says more on the current (digital) technology of creating comics, and is the only comprehensive overview of the whole creative industry around making comics. This is also the first book I've found to include info about self-publishing comics. On the negative side, the parts on writing, drawing, inking, and lettering are better covered elsewhere.
The book is structured as a series of interviews of one representative per key position in the production of comics: editor-in-chief, editor, writer, penciller (drawer), inker, and letterer. Each chapter begins with the author's own analysis of the creative job's challenges and approaches, then proceeds with summaries of the said interviews. Among the key persons interviewed in this book there are Mike Marts (editor at DC Comics, Batman and X-Men); Mark Waid (writer at Marvel and DC, chief creative officer at BOOM! Studios, Flash and Captain America); Joe Quesada (chief creative officer at Marvel Comics); and Stan Lee (the father of them all).
I find that this book holds a good spot among others about creating comics, among them Scott McCloud's Making Comics Storytelling Secrets of Comics Manga and Graphic Novels; Stan Lee's numerous books on creating comics (including Stan Lee's How to Write Comics From the Legendary Co-Creator of Spider-Man the Incredible Hulk Fantastic Four X-Men and Iron Man); and Nat Gertler's Panel One Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers (examples of comics writing). This book adds much needed information about the job of editor and editor-in-chief, says more on the current (digital) technology of creating comics, and is the only comprehensive overview of the whole creative industry around making comics. This is also the first book I've found to include info about self-publishing comics. On the negative side, the parts on writing, drawing, inking, and lettering are better covered elsewhere.
October 22, 2014
Not so good
I found this book to be long on theory and short on substance. Most of this information can be gleaned from the internet with little effort.
I found this book to be long on theory and short on substance. Most of this information can be gleaned from the internet with little effort.
April 6, 2017
Useful tips
Just pack with lots of solid, sound advice for the comic book artist. Read it if this is your desired field.
Just pack with lots of solid, sound advice for the comic book artist. Read it if this is your desired field.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews