12-PAGE COMICS CRASH COURSE PART 2Â (w/ RECAPS)
spread - left page and right page [L]][R]
splash - a panel that takes the whole page space or just a lot.
PRINT GUTS, PRINT COVER, STAPLE TOGETHER, FOLD, GUILLOTINE EDGE (Optional)
[1] (INTRODUCTION/POINT OF ENTRY)
[2][3] [4][5] (Events that lead into the turning point.)
[6][7] (TURNING POINT) CLIMAX
-This is the heart of the story. The most important event (moment, scene, beats).
-This doesnât have to be an event in linear sequential orderâit can be a flashback (outside of linear sequence).
-Sometimes used as entry point for a new character or problem.
[8][9] [10][11] (Events that result from the turning point and lead into the end.)
[12] (RESOLUTION OR CLIFFHANGER) END
I canât say what exactly goes into spreads [2][3], [4][5], and spreads [8][9], [10][11] because itâs your project. Worry about them after polishing INTRO, CLIMAX, and END.
But! These spreads connect PAGE 1 to 6, 7 and PAGE 6, 7 to 12.
The common thread connecting them visually is âaction, reactionâ.
Text, in speech bubbles or in captions (as a narrative voice), can play an important role in connecting events together.
So you canât skip the writing that I described in depth in Part 1.
What is the main event that happens on the page? Establish what it is, then breakdown into the beats that âsurroundâ it. Condense wherever possible.
SEE PART 1 FOR THE BASICS. (WEâRE ADVANCING NOW!! )
MAIN EVENT: A guy gets punched. (One panel)
A girl punches this guy. (Still one panel) OR
A girl punches this guy. He falls back. (Still one panel even if he loses a tooth or goes through a wall.)
A guy takes a swing at her with a baseball bat but she catches the bat and punches him. (Even this could be one panel, but can be two, three, or more with a detailed breakdown.) Like in the tortoise and hare example.
A guy coming up from behind swings a bat at her.
For a split second, he sees the punch coming.
His feet leave the groundâŠ
Can you imagine this as a page? This timeâno example. Try drawing this as an exercise. Tag me if you do it! Iâd love to see it!
For the written portion you can expect to have roughly 12 main events for the whole thing with as many beats (panel breakdowns) as you can comfortably fit into each page. Keep a maximum of nine panels per page.
Thumbnails are small sketches of plans (for layout, composition).
Draw a minimum of 3, maximum of 5, thumbnails per page.
Youâre looking at doing 36 to 60 thumbnails of layouts, before you can draw 12 pages.
With the exception of PAGE 1 and 12, thumbnail the pages as spreads (in twoâs).
Neuroses is ruining your life if you thumbnail more than five layouts per page.
Sketch 3 - 5 thumbnails (no more and no less) then pick the best one of the bunch to sketch.
The best isnât always âperfectâ but a comic book is made up of more than one page.
One page by itself doesnât matter.
A comic book is made up of more than one page.
If this step is the easy part for you then I donât need to tell you more than âwrite, thumbnail, draw [12] , [6][7], [1] and then get to the other spreadsâ.
If drawing is the hard part, you should still do the work in the order Iâve mapped out in Part 1.
If you feel like your art skill âisnât high level enoughâ to accurately illustrate the serious content of your beautiful masterpiece story, get over yourself and write anyway, draw anyway. It didnât stop ONE of One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100 fame, it shouldnât stop you.
We only have so much life to live and even less time to enjoy it. Live your dreams. Or live to pursue them.
Q. Why 12 pages? Why not 24? Why not 32?
A. My limits are set by time management and keeping printing costs down. The more pages you have, the more expensive and difficult making is going to be.
For example, 32 pages is essentially 16 spreads printed on 8 sheets.
The more pages you have, the thinner the paper has to be. Thin paper means a lesser quality print with pages that might even be a little see-through.
I donât know how much of this youâre doing by yourself, but if you have to staple and fold your own consider: Can the staple can penetrate x amount of paper of my chosen thickness? Can same x amount be folded without a fight? (If necessary) can x amount (folded) be chopped with guillotine without a struggle?
After you finish 12 you can start another 12. Only take on this much at a time. If youâre reading this, then trust me. Donât fight me.
If you need to know anything else or to talk about your project, shoot me a message and Iâll answer if Iâm still alive.
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