Graphic Novel : Writing and Illustrating

by Mike Chinn

Dramatized sequential illustrations with dialogue--an art form once confined to production of comic strips and comic books--has recently graduated into the popular, fast-growing, and often financially rewarding genre of the graphic novel. "Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel" is an authoritative instruction manual suitable for formal art class or for self teaching on the part of ambitious self-starters. Beginners who have artistic and storytelling aptitudes learn the basics of graphic novel creation, from first conception of a story idea to publication of a professionally produced book. An introductory chapter describes the widely differing graphic novel sub-genres and the appropriate styles for each. They include superhero, gothic tale, adventure/action story, sci-fi, crime story, and literary fiction. A succeeding chapter discusses and shows examples of picture panels, speech bubbles, layout, and characterization of works in progress. Subsequent chapters offer advice on finding inspiration for stories and explanation of the technique of writing for graphic novels. A variety of illustration and layout styles are shown with reference to ways in which each fits a different sub-genre. A final chapter presents practical tips on getting a graphic novel published. More than 400 illustrations take students step-by-step through the process of creating a graphic novel.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Art, Writing, Comics

Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holds good tips but wasn’t what I was searching for. A little outdated, though. I did find the layout tips useful.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some helpful tools and tricks for the Graphic Novelist. It was very informative for both writer and artist.

[Aileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Published fifteen years ago, and it shows its age. And believe me, I'm not talking about the prevalence of chunky digital cameras, or suggestions for using CDs as storage for artwork. Not even his explanation of the Pantone colour guide.

I'm referring to oversimplifying and unhelpful statements that have no place in what should be an objective, instructional book. For example (in relation to a character design progression under "Costume and Appearance"): "It is a fact that women in fantasy will always be wearing very little - even in cold climates".

This stuff continues in an example of a synopsis for submission to a major publisher under "Pitching to a Publisher": "Why does Maldoon persist in claiming his fellow agents have such ludicrous names... why can't he even be consistent in the obligatory female character: is she blonde or black-haired...?"

Not to mention what qualifies for the author as "quite a switch" (when commenting on a Western shoot-out scene): "We're all familiar with the Western shoot-out. The use of guns is casual, and expected, but in the scene below one of the protagonists is a woman".

You might want to sway this argument with a good old "but he always makes sure to refer to a creator as 'he or she'", or even better: "but the overall quality of the rest of the book is enough to praise this book despite its problems."

Sure. Only, it's not.

You might learn something if you had no idea that "Superhero" is a popular graphic novel genre, or "Gothic Horror".

Take notes, regarding werewolves: "with a human intellect but the savage instincts of a deadly carnivore, it becomes really scary".

In fact, I hope (optimistically) that the author sought to expose genre-clichés in the hopes of his students not falling victim to them: "Another familiar scene - a smaller guy being pushed around by some mean man-mountain. Want to bet that the big guy gets his comeuppance before the end of the book?"

Otherwise, he is simply commentating on images as though the reader does not have eyes to critically view the pictures themselves: "Below, the gunmen appear to be human-sized mushrooms".

Altogether, I found there was very little to be learned from this work. It contains information that can be seamlessly picked up by trying out your own work with consciousness and meticulousness, and by comsuming comics, graphic novels, books and all other sorts of media with a critical eye. Perhaps this is the one good tip from this work: "Read outside your genre".

And, unfortunately for the author, "that's an old piece of advice."

[Mew · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, the book is extremely dated with the information provided inside of it. The most use I got out of it was the information about scripting and organizing panels. There are a lot of examples included within the book, which is a plus. However, with the advent of the internet, the bulk of the information provided between the covers can now be found with a simple Google Search.

This would be somewhat educational for a kiddo, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for anyone looking to get seriously into creating comics. It was a nice find at my local library, and a bit of a trip down memory lane at the included, very dated, independently drawn manga pages included as references. It is definitely a product of its time, and I imagine the copy I read doesn't have much longer in this world.

[Angi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, lots of good information.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely accessible without being too simple. A great start for budding Gaimans.

[Anne Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly easy to read and informative

[Pablo Bueno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una guía sencillita, pero organiza y pone en palabras cuestiones que todos tenemos flotando por la cabeza.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Libro que supuestamente enseña todo lo que necesitás saber para crear tus propios comics.