Comic Book Lettering: The Comicraft Way

by Richard Starkings

Because You Demanded It! 64 pages of comic book lettering tips and tricks from the award-winning Comicraft studio. This full color step-by-step guide is filled to the brim with the wisdom -- and wit! -- of Comicraft founders Richard Starkings and John 'JG' Roshell.

Comic Book Lettering the Comicraft Way features a stunning cover of HIP FLASK by Brian Bolland and two HIP FLASK comic strips created by Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen and Jeph Loeb & Ian Churchill, alongside contributions from a galaxy of comic book stars including J. Scott Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Christian Gossett, Ladronn, Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira, Carlos Pacheco, Joe Quesada, Tim Sale, Kurt Busiek, Joe Casey and Joe Kelly.

Step by Step, Comic Book Lettering the Comicraft Way guides readers through the process of lettering a comic strip digitally. From font design to balloon placement, sound effects, signage, title page and publication design, the creators of The World's Greatest Comic Book Fonts cover every conceivable aspect of comic book lettering.

Lavishly illustrated by examples drawn from Comicraft's ten years as America's premier comic book lettering studio, this manual is an essential tool for comic book creators everywhere.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Writing, Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Richard Starkings is a British comics professional, known for writing the hit sci-fi series ELEPHANTMEN and specializing in lettering, thanks to his award-winning Comicraft lettering studio.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is primarily about digital lettering. It gives advice and tips on how to use Adobe Illustrator to letter comics. There is also some information about the design and layout of comic lettering, but it seems secondary to the information on how to use Illustrator. Oddly, the layout is too cluttered to read comfortably. Also, the company that produced this guide also sells comic fonts. The result is that there are just too many fonts on a single page.

[Ed McKeogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into making comics, this indispensable resource will make the job of lettering your comic using Adobe Illustrator a snap. The hints and step-by-step instructions, accompanied by clear illustrations, teach you the nuts and bolts of good lettering techniques and word balloon construction. There's a ton of useful information crammed into this thin volume, and ALL of it is vital; there's no waste, no filler, no padding. COMIC BOOK LETTERING: THE COMICRAFT WAY is my go-to reference whenever I'm applying text to visuals, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. In fact, it has sparked in me a real love of fonts and styles and a new appreciation for this "invisible" art. If you're a comic book artist and this book isn't on your reference shelf, you're missing out on critical information that can improve your panel compositions AND your storytelling skills. Get it, read it, rinse & repeat, and watch your work improve by orders of magnitude.

[Kseniya · Rating 3 out of 5]

way too much visual noise, even for a comic book, in my opinion.
but definitely a good source of learning the lettering of everything.

[Dan Maltbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of how to letter for comics.

[Puguh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo yo increase your skill, this book very helpfull. They tell about making font too. Awesome.