I ran a storytelling workshop this past Saturday. The workshop was sponsored by the Cleveland Public Library and the Ohio Center for the Book. It was held at the Rising Star Roastery, located on the near west side of Cleveland. Over a dozen comics fans, several of them artists, attended this workshop.
After being introduced by Valentino Zullo, I explained the concept of this particular workshop. I had written three sample pages for my students in three different genres: horror/western, romance and super-hero. I asked them to select a script page and produce a rough layout for that page. While they were doing this, I would answer questions, discuss my career, and offer storytelling tips I believe will serve them well.
The key storytelling point I wanted to make is that everything has to be in service of the story. The writing. The art. The coloring. Everything.
After being introduced by Valentino Zullo, I explained the concept of this particular workshop. I had written three sample pages for my students in three different genres: horror/western, romance and super-hero. I asked them to select a script page and produce a rough layout for that page. While they were doing this, I would answer questions, discuss my career, and offer storytelling tips I believe will serve them well.
The key storytelling point I wanted to make is that everything has to be in service of the story. The writing. The art. The coloring. Everything.
Writers need to think about what they ask an artist to draw and how much copy they are writing for a page. Artists have to make sure the story flows and not get caught up drawing stuff they like to draw. (I recounted the tale of one 1970s artist whose main interest was in drawing women. He would sometimes emphasize a minor female background character to the detriment of the storytelling.) And colorists have to learn to work with the story and not overpower it with fancy computer techniques.
Everything has to be in service of the story.
A more minor storytelling tip. If an artist is working from a full script, they should lay in the copy (captions, dialogue, whatever) in the layout stage of a page. That will save them time when they do the finished drawing and also prevent any problems with correct reading order and spacing.
I also gave my students an incentive. If, after the workshop, they wanted to take their rough layout, do a finished penciled page of it, scan and e-mail it to me, I would consider them for an actual paying gig. Drawing an eight-page story at the admittedly low rate of $50 a page. If I placed the finished story in a paying market, they would receive additional money for their work. I’m making that same offer to any interested artist reading today’s blog.
I deliberately threw my students into the deep end of the pool with these pages. I gave them no instructions as to the page layout or the size of the panels. I kept the descriptions to the minimum that was required. I did show them some sample layout pages and, where necessary, I also gave them a few pieces of reference material for the horror/western page and the super-hero page. Normally, when I’m working with an inexperienced artist or an artist I haven’t worked with before, I give more layout and panel directions. However, my layout and panel directions are seldom carved in stone. Unless I’m going for a specific effect, I don’t expect the artist to follow my directions blindly.
Just south of this paragraph, you will see the three sample pages I wrote for the workshop. If you want to take a shot at them, you are invited to do so. At the end of June, I will select the best of the penciled pages and hire that artist to do an eight-page comics story. If you’ve ever wanted to draw a comics story, if you’ve ever wanted to work with me, this is your chance.
Here are the sample pages.
HORROR/WESTERN PAGE
Panel 1. In a dimly-lit abandoned and decrepit saloon, an enraged Dracula menaces the Lone Ranger and a lovely young woman. Drac is stalking toward them with murderous intent. The Ranger has his hand on his gun and the woman is backing away.
DRACULA: You’ve hounded me across this vast land of yours, Ranger, but it ends in this decrepit hovel.
DRACULA: No mortal man or weapon can deny the lord of vampires from what he desires.
RANGER: Stay behind me, Abigail.
Panel 2. A snarling Dracula leaps as the Lone Ranger draws his gun. Movement is key in this panel as there is no copy.
Panel 3. In mid-air, Dracula is riddled with bullets. The vampire is clearly in agony.
DRACULA: Arrgh!
Panel 4. The Lone Ranger stands over Dracula as the vampire begins to dissolve painfully into ash.
DRACULA: How...
RANGER: Silver bullets. You should have studied up on me.
RANGER: Like I studied up on you.
Panel 5. The Ranger starts to turn when he hears a voice from off-panel right.
ABIGAIL (off-panel right): Oh, Ke-mo sah-bee...
Panel 6. The Long Ranger is horrified as a vampiric Abigail grabs him and tries to bite him.
RANGER: Abigail?
ABIGAIL: Did you use all your shiny bullets?
ROMANCE PAGE
Panel 1. A pretty young woman sits next to an older man on a hotel bed. Sunlight comes through the windows.
ALLY: Quick question...
Panel 2. Close-up of the older man looking troubled.
HARRY: What’s a “comics industry veteran” doing spending the night with a brilliant young editor in her twenties?
HARRY: My best guess is parallel dimension.
Panel 3. The young woman makes the older man face her.
ALLY: Actually, I wanted to know when your panel was. But...
ALLY: That you said “brilliant” instead of “beautiful” goes a long way toward answering your question.
HARRY: You do know our timing stinks, right?
Panel 4. Ally and Harry.
ALLY: Yeah. At 60 years old, you’re starting your first job in TV in Los Angeles. And I’m...
HARRY: ...going back to New York after the con so you can be even more brilliant.
Panel 5. Ally and Harry kiss. NO COPY in this panel.
Panel 6. Ally and Harry.
ALLY: We’ll figure it out. If nothing else, we can do this again.And again. And again.
Panel 7. Ally and Harry.
HARRY: Same time, next Comic-Con?
ALLY: Same time, next Comic-Con.
SUPER-HERO PAGE
Panel 1. Elasti-Girl and the Chief (of the 1960s Doom Patrol comic books) are looking up at a multi-story apartment building with fire and smoke coming from its windows. Elasti-Girl is in costume. The Chief, sitting in his action chair wearing a headset with goggles device, points up at the building’s roof.
CHIEF: The firemen are pulling out! They can’t contain that blasted inferno!
CHIEF: There are four people trapped on the roof!
Panel 2. A family of four (father, mother, boy, girl) are fearfully clinging to one another with smoke partially obscuring them. There is NO COPY in this panel.
Panel 3. Elasti-Girl is growing to giant size while, below her, the Chief shouts out his concern.
CHIEF: Rita! You can’t grow tall enough to reach them.
CHIEF: The strain could kill you!
Panel 4. Close-up of Rita straining as she grows.
RITA (thought): Hey, he was the genius who *uhn* named us the Doom Patrol!
Panel 5. The family climbs into Rita’s huge hands.
FATHER: Hurry, kids!
Panel 6. Rita looks down at the family in her hands and smiles at the relief on their faces.
MOTHER: Your hands. They’re so soft.
RITA: Thanks! It takes a truckload of moisturizer, but I think it’s worth it!
If you decide to try your hand at any or all of these pages, have fun with them. If you want to submit one or more finished pencilled pages, scan them and e-mail them to me. Sometime in June, I’ll pick an artist for the eight-page script. At the moment, that script is one of three stories I’m writing for an anthology I have in mind.
My next public appearance will be on Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 4. I’ll be at Rubber City Comics in downtown Akron, Ohio. Come back tomorrow and I’ll have more information for you.
© 2019 Tony Isabella
Everything has to be in service of the story.
A more minor storytelling tip. If an artist is working from a full script, they should lay in the copy (captions, dialogue, whatever) in the layout stage of a page. That will save them time when they do the finished drawing and also prevent any problems with correct reading order and spacing.
I also gave my students an incentive. If, after the workshop, they wanted to take their rough layout, do a finished penciled page of it, scan and e-mail it to me, I would consider them for an actual paying gig. Drawing an eight-page story at the admittedly low rate of $50 a page. If I placed the finished story in a paying market, they would receive additional money for their work. I’m making that same offer to any interested artist reading today’s blog.
I deliberately threw my students into the deep end of the pool with these pages. I gave them no instructions as to the page layout or the size of the panels. I kept the descriptions to the minimum that was required. I did show them some sample layout pages and, where necessary, I also gave them a few pieces of reference material for the horror/western page and the super-hero page. Normally, when I’m working with an inexperienced artist or an artist I haven’t worked with before, I give more layout and panel directions. However, my layout and panel directions are seldom carved in stone. Unless I’m going for a specific effect, I don’t expect the artist to follow my directions blindly.
Just south of this paragraph, you will see the three sample pages I wrote for the workshop. If you want to take a shot at them, you are invited to do so. At the end of June, I will select the best of the penciled pages and hire that artist to do an eight-page comics story. If you’ve ever wanted to draw a comics story, if you’ve ever wanted to work with me, this is your chance.
Here are the sample pages.
Panel 1. In a dimly-lit abandoned and decrepit saloon, an enraged Dracula menaces the Lone Ranger and a lovely young woman. Drac is stalking toward them with murderous intent. The Ranger has his hand on his gun and the woman is backing away.
DRACULA: You’ve hounded me across this vast land of yours, Ranger, but it ends in this decrepit hovel.
DRACULA: No mortal man or weapon can deny the lord of vampires from what he desires.
RANGER: Stay behind me, Abigail.
Panel 2. A snarling Dracula leaps as the Lone Ranger draws his gun. Movement is key in this panel as there is no copy.
Panel 3. In mid-air, Dracula is riddled with bullets. The vampire is clearly in agony.
DRACULA: Arrgh!
Panel 4. The Lone Ranger stands over Dracula as the vampire begins to dissolve painfully into ash.
DRACULA: How...
RANGER: Silver bullets. You should have studied up on me.
RANGER: Like I studied up on you.
Panel 5. The Ranger starts to turn when he hears a voice from off-panel right.
ABIGAIL (off-panel right): Oh, Ke-mo sah-bee...
Panel 6. The Long Ranger is horrified as a vampiric Abigail grabs him and tries to bite him.
RANGER: Abigail?
ABIGAIL: Did you use all your shiny bullets?
Panel 1. A pretty young woman sits next to an older man on a hotel bed. Sunlight comes through the windows.
ALLY: Quick question...
Panel 2. Close-up of the older man looking troubled.
HARRY: What’s a “comics industry veteran” doing spending the night with a brilliant young editor in her twenties?
HARRY: My best guess is parallel dimension.
Panel 3. The young woman makes the older man face her.
ALLY: Actually, I wanted to know when your panel was. But...
ALLY: That you said “brilliant” instead of “beautiful” goes a long way toward answering your question.
HARRY: You do know our timing stinks, right?
Panel 4. Ally and Harry.
ALLY: Yeah. At 60 years old, you’re starting your first job in TV in Los Angeles. And I’m...
HARRY: ...going back to New York after the con so you can be even more brilliant.
Panel 5. Ally and Harry kiss. NO COPY in this panel.
Panel 6. Ally and Harry.
ALLY: We’ll figure it out. If nothing else, we can do this again.And again. And again.
Panel 7. Ally and Harry.
HARRY: Same time, next Comic-Con?
ALLY: Same time, next Comic-Con.
Panel 1. Elasti-Girl and the Chief (of the 1960s Doom Patrol comic books) are looking up at a multi-story apartment building with fire and smoke coming from its windows. Elasti-Girl is in costume. The Chief, sitting in his action chair wearing a headset with goggles device, points up at the building’s roof.
CHIEF: The firemen are pulling out! They can’t contain that blasted inferno!
CHIEF: There are four people trapped on the roof!
Panel 2. A family of four (father, mother, boy, girl) are fearfully clinging to one another with smoke partially obscuring them. There is NO COPY in this panel.
Panel 3. Elasti-Girl is growing to giant size while, below her, the Chief shouts out his concern.
CHIEF: Rita! You can’t grow tall enough to reach them.
CHIEF: The strain could kill you!
Panel 4. Close-up of Rita straining as she grows.
RITA (thought): Hey, he was the genius who *uhn* named us the Doom Patrol!
Panel 5. The family climbs into Rita’s huge hands.
FATHER: Hurry, kids!
Panel 6. Rita looks down at the family in her hands and smiles at the relief on their faces.
MOTHER: Your hands. They’re so soft.
RITA: Thanks! It takes a truckload of moisturizer, but I think it’s worth it!
If you decide to try your hand at any or all of these pages, have fun with them. If you want to submit one or more finished pencilled pages, scan them and e-mail them to me. Sometime in June, I’ll pick an artist for the eight-page script. At the moment, that script is one of three stories I’m writing for an anthology I have in mind.
My next public appearance will be on Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 4. I’ll be at Rubber City Comics in downtown Akron, Ohio. Come back tomorrow and I’ll have more information for you.
© 2019 Tony Isabella
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