MattBrady
07-14-2003, 05:54 AM
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/sangiacomo/Epic2.jpg" width="200" height="304" border="0" hspace="2" align="right"><I>by Mike San Giacomo </I>
<I>This is a weekly look at the process of writing a comic for Marvel’s new Epic line, <b>Phantom Jack</b>, which was to be called <b>Nowhere Man</b> until THE MAN made me change the name.
My story and script about Jack Baxter, a newspaper reporter who can turn invisible, was greenlighted by the powers that be at Marvel.</I>
Last week, I found myself on the receiving end of a press conference where Marvel ending Internet rumor and announced details of the Epic Comics project. John Jackson Miller and I were the first two critics whose scripts were accepted.
After the press conference I returned to the computer to rewrite the first issue, trying to incorporate conflicting instructions from various folks at Marvel about when the reader should learn of Jack’s powers. Armed with that, and some suggestions that Jack needs a little deeper motivation, I was getting ready for another rewrite.
Okay, I thought as I stared at the computer screen, the trick here is to introduce Jack Baxter’s abilities somewhere between the end and the middle. Editor X thinks he should show off his powers right from the start while editor Y thinks it should be a mystery until the end of the book.
The answer was to do it about 3/4 of the way through the story, setting up a big scene at that point. But then it needed a big ending since we moved the revelation seen forward.
Then it came to me, the ending could be a follow-up to the new hero revealed scene.
Associate Editor Stephanie Moore’s co-worker, Theresa Focarile, had the idea that Jack lacked motivation to use his powers for good. Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Bruce Wayne all had that “avenge the father-figure” thing going, but Jack was...just a guy. He was not the slacker that “Major Bummer” had been over at DC (loved that series), but he was no boy scout either. The script establishes that Jack uses his invisibility to comes up with some pretty impressive stories and has exposed corruption.
But what makes him turn the corner and dirty his hands by actually using his powers to rescue someone? Why does he take the chance of injuring himself? I thought about this and realized that a scene was needed in which fatherless Jack needs some fatherly advice. His buddy Wolf Bigelow (that I confess has become my favorite character in the book) was too close to do it. His editor was too remote. I wrote a scene with an overbearingly attentive Aunt May type neighbor, based on a woman from my old neighborhood, but that didn’t work.
Then I decided to flip the order. Jack would find himself in a position to be a hero, agonize over it for five seconds, and then jump in. The explanation of why he did it could come later as he talks to the person he just saved. The scene is much smoother and cooler than it sounds described here. With that scene done, the rest of the script fell right into place. I turned it in and waited to hear if I nailed it.
<b>The Hardest Thing</b>
At this point I thought I would talk about one of the toughest part of putting a script together: determining panels and pages.
Part of the process is that the writer must think in terms of pages. How many scenes (panels) can fit on a page? When should we use a whole page or half-page for a scene? What do we do when the book is too long or too short, which it always is?
I’d like to leave such details to the artists, who are far more skilled at these decisions, but he artist needs guidance. You can’t just write a long script and expect him to break it down into pages, that’s just not fair. Inevitably, the writer will come down to pretending to be an artist. I took sheets of paper and thumbnailed the action, page by page, to see how much would comfortably fit.
To call myself the world’s worst artist is an exaggeration, I’m sure there’s an armless, blind guy in India or China who’s worse than me, but I’m up there. I found it was easier to make the thumbnails using stick figures if I promised myself that I would trash them immediately afterwards, which I did. The point of this is if I can thumbnail, anyone with a thumb and forefinger or prehensile tail can do it. It’s really the only way to figure out how many scenes can go on a page. You’ll end up with a panel-by-panel breakdown of the script, which anyone can follow.
<b>Get it Out of Your Head</b>
Another point I wanted to share is one I heard from Neil Gaiman himself.
The Great One said he was often asked how to break into the comic writing business. He said his best advice was that “you actually have to write something.” His point is that many people walk around with what they believe is the greatest story of the world in their heads. That may or may not be true, but until they actually take the story out of their heads and put in on paper, no one will know.
I see a lot of folks on the message boards talking about this amazing story they have, but they fear submitting it to Epic because it might be stolen.
Whatever.
So don’t submit it, but at least write it.
Don’t be that boring guy at the comic shop who says “Yeah, I had that idea 10 years ago.” Be the guy who can say, “I had that idea 10 years ago and it was rejected by every comic company in the world and that’s why I am the hopeless alcoholic you see before you.”
At least try.
NEXT WEEK: Lots of phone calls.
<center><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/sangiacomo/PhantomJack-logo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/sangiacomo/PhantomJack-logo_t.jpg" width="500" height="157" border="0" hspace="2"></a></center>
<I>Mike Sangiacomo, a freelance writer for Newsarama and other sources, was invited to share his experiences with pitching to Epic by Newsarama's editor, Matt Brady, in the interest of keeping readers well informed. Brady advises Newsarama readers that he is aware of the inherent conflict of interest presented by journalists working for a publisher they cover. Sangiacomo's regular column Journey Into Comics has and will continue to be found in the Opinion/Editorial section of Newsarama. Brady has not, nor does he plan to pitch to Epic himself. </I>
<I>This is a weekly look at the process of writing a comic for Marvel’s new Epic line, <b>Phantom Jack</b>, which was to be called <b>Nowhere Man</b> until THE MAN made me change the name.
My story and script about Jack Baxter, a newspaper reporter who can turn invisible, was greenlighted by the powers that be at Marvel.</I>
Last week, I found myself on the receiving end of a press conference where Marvel ending Internet rumor and announced details of the Epic Comics project. John Jackson Miller and I were the first two critics whose scripts were accepted.
After the press conference I returned to the computer to rewrite the first issue, trying to incorporate conflicting instructions from various folks at Marvel about when the reader should learn of Jack’s powers. Armed with that, and some suggestions that Jack needs a little deeper motivation, I was getting ready for another rewrite.
Okay, I thought as I stared at the computer screen, the trick here is to introduce Jack Baxter’s abilities somewhere between the end and the middle. Editor X thinks he should show off his powers right from the start while editor Y thinks it should be a mystery until the end of the book.
The answer was to do it about 3/4 of the way through the story, setting up a big scene at that point. But then it needed a big ending since we moved the revelation seen forward.
Then it came to me, the ending could be a follow-up to the new hero revealed scene.
Associate Editor Stephanie Moore’s co-worker, Theresa Focarile, had the idea that Jack lacked motivation to use his powers for good. Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Bruce Wayne all had that “avenge the father-figure” thing going, but Jack was...just a guy. He was not the slacker that “Major Bummer” had been over at DC (loved that series), but he was no boy scout either. The script establishes that Jack uses his invisibility to comes up with some pretty impressive stories and has exposed corruption.
But what makes him turn the corner and dirty his hands by actually using his powers to rescue someone? Why does he take the chance of injuring himself? I thought about this and realized that a scene was needed in which fatherless Jack needs some fatherly advice. His buddy Wolf Bigelow (that I confess has become my favorite character in the book) was too close to do it. His editor was too remote. I wrote a scene with an overbearingly attentive Aunt May type neighbor, based on a woman from my old neighborhood, but that didn’t work.
Then I decided to flip the order. Jack would find himself in a position to be a hero, agonize over it for five seconds, and then jump in. The explanation of why he did it could come later as he talks to the person he just saved. The scene is much smoother and cooler than it sounds described here. With that scene done, the rest of the script fell right into place. I turned it in and waited to hear if I nailed it.
<b>The Hardest Thing</b>
At this point I thought I would talk about one of the toughest part of putting a script together: determining panels and pages.
Part of the process is that the writer must think in terms of pages. How many scenes (panels) can fit on a page? When should we use a whole page or half-page for a scene? What do we do when the book is too long or too short, which it always is?
I’d like to leave such details to the artists, who are far more skilled at these decisions, but he artist needs guidance. You can’t just write a long script and expect him to break it down into pages, that’s just not fair. Inevitably, the writer will come down to pretending to be an artist. I took sheets of paper and thumbnailed the action, page by page, to see how much would comfortably fit.
To call myself the world’s worst artist is an exaggeration, I’m sure there’s an armless, blind guy in India or China who’s worse than me, but I’m up there. I found it was easier to make the thumbnails using stick figures if I promised myself that I would trash them immediately afterwards, which I did. The point of this is if I can thumbnail, anyone with a thumb and forefinger or prehensile tail can do it. It’s really the only way to figure out how many scenes can go on a page. You’ll end up with a panel-by-panel breakdown of the script, which anyone can follow.
<b>Get it Out of Your Head</b>
Another point I wanted to share is one I heard from Neil Gaiman himself.
The Great One said he was often asked how to break into the comic writing business. He said his best advice was that “you actually have to write something.” His point is that many people walk around with what they believe is the greatest story of the world in their heads. That may or may not be true, but until they actually take the story out of their heads and put in on paper, no one will know.
I see a lot of folks on the message boards talking about this amazing story they have, but they fear submitting it to Epic because it might be stolen.
Whatever.
So don’t submit it, but at least write it.
Don’t be that boring guy at the comic shop who says “Yeah, I had that idea 10 years ago.” Be the guy who can say, “I had that idea 10 years ago and it was rejected by every comic company in the world and that’s why I am the hopeless alcoholic you see before you.”
At least try.
NEXT WEEK: Lots of phone calls.
<center><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/sangiacomo/PhantomJack-logo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/sangiacomo/PhantomJack-logo_t.jpg" width="500" height="157" border="0" hspace="2"></a></center>
<I>Mike Sangiacomo, a freelance writer for Newsarama and other sources, was invited to share his experiences with pitching to Epic by Newsarama's editor, Matt Brady, in the interest of keeping readers well informed. Brady advises Newsarama readers that he is aware of the inherent conflict of interest presented by journalists working for a publisher they cover. Sangiacomo's regular column Journey Into Comics has and will continue to be found in the Opinion/Editorial section of Newsarama. Brady has not, nor does he plan to pitch to Epic himself. </I>