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A step-by-step guide for novice comics creators covering the tools, techniques, and resources for writing, drawing, publishing, and marketing creator-owned sequential art, for traditional comics, webcomics, or manga.

Table of Contents

1. Concept 5
What Are You Making and Why? 6
Research 10
Designing Characters 13
Designing Your Setting 21
2. Writing 27
Anatomy of a Comics Script 28
The Writing Process 31
The Writer’s Trinity: Plot, Story, and Character 36
How to Write Dialogue 46
Life as a Writer 49
3. Drawing 57
Anatomy of a Comics Page 58
The Drawing Process 62
Creating Interesting Pages 66
Bringing Characters to Life 76
Life as an Artist 82
4. Coloring 89
Introduction to Color Theory 90
Getting Comfortable with Photoshop 95
Coloring the Page 101
Special Effects 113
Life as a Colorist 125
5. Lettering 131
Understanding Lettering 132
Getting Comfortable with Illustrator 136
How to Letter a Page 141
Sound Effects 155
Life as a Letterer 167
6. Publishing 171
The Modern World of Publishing 172
Print Publishing 178
Digital Publishing 188
Distribution 194
7. Marketing 199
You Are Your Product 200
Targeting Your Audience 203
Mastering Your Web Presence 207
Conventioneering 214
Afterword 225
Thanks and Gratitude 227
The Adventure Continues Online 229
Index 230

About the Author

COMFORT LOVE and ADAM WITHERS are the six-time, Harvey Award-nominated husband-and-wife co-creators of the self-published comics The Uniques, Uniques Tales, and Rainbow in the Dark. The pair have nearly a decade of experience as freelance illustrators and graphic designers, and have served as instructors at Kendall College of Art and Design. They started self-publishing comics in 2008, and by 2009, it was their full-time job. They live together with their small army of cats in Michigan, and can be found across America at more than a dozen comic and anime conventions each year. Visit their website at comfortandadam.com.

Reviews

“Comfort and Adam have created a step-by-step guide filled with pro-level suggestions and helpful hints. If you are cooking up a self-published comic, you found the right recipe book. Bon appétit!”
-—Jeff Smith, cartoonist of the self-published comics Bone, RASL, and Tuki Save the Humans