What was once an underappreciated and underrated art form has become a hit in contemporary culture. Comic books, categorized as subsequent art, have become a hit in today's society thanks to several superhero films. If you're a comic book lover, you may enjoy the stories without knowing what goes on behind the scenes to produce these masterpieces. In this article, you get to learn the process behind creating a comic book.

Concept Creation or Ideation

The first process of creating a comic book is coming up with the idea. Who will be your comic characters? What will be the setting? This is the part where you figure out your plot and how the story will develop and unfold in the reader's eyes. This stage comes with a lot of creative freedom. You're starting from a blank page and can write about anything. It's okay if you have yet to realize an idea fully. Jolt it down, as you never know where it will take you.

Writing a Script

The next step is writing your script. A common mistake upcoming comic book writers make is drawing their comics before they can work out a story. Understandably, it's tempting to log into your drawing app and start sketching images. But this isn't advisable. A script will allow you to create the right images that complement your dialogue. If you aren't sure how to write a good script, enroll in a class or look for online tutorials.

Creating a Conflict

A good story has a conflict. It doesn't necessarily have to be between good and evil. For instance, Iron Man and Captain America have different viewpoints that lead to conflict. However, both characters are still good and considered heroes. You can choose how you want to spin a conflict. Just make it interesting enough to grab the readers' attention.

Planning Your Layout

Many elements go into one page of a comic book to tell a story. This includes the panel, splash, balloon, spread, gutter, and tier. All these contribute to how you pace a story. For instance, as Geoff Johns advises, place a splash page on an uneven page to build anticipation. If a big reveal follows that page, it becomes more exciting because the reader can't wait to turn to the next page.

Also, not every page has to have a dialogue. These are called silent panels. Even images contribute greatly to a story. From the pictures, the reader can deduce certain emotions that the writer portrays.

Sketching

Whether you're working digitally or traditionally, drawing comics can be difficult. But your work doesn't need to be perfect at this stage. This is why it's called sketching. Just work on drawing the comics, then you can perfect them later on. Choosing the right tools to make your work easier is also important. For digital artists, find great software designed for comics.

Inking, Coloring, and Lettering

These are the final steps in creating a comic book. They are key to a good comic. Inking is about cleaning up the drawings to add depth. Choosing colors is very important as they need to be consistent with the vision and style of the comic. It would be very confusing if Superman wore a green cap on one page and a red one on another. Next, check on the lettering, which is often an overlooked task. Nowadays, some programs can help with these steps to ensure the comic book comes out well.

Writing a comic book involves so many things before the book can be published. Knowing these steps can help you create a masterpiece. If you have been thinking of creating one, this article should help.