Cullen Bunn's Blog, page 32

Script: The Sixth Gun #1

Many aspiring writers and artists ask me how I put together a comic script–how I format the script, how much description do I put on the page, how much the final product varies from the original script. I think one of the best ways to describe my scripts is to share them. (In fact, I wrote my first comic books after reading some of Greg Rucka's scripts.) I'm working on putting together a script book, but in the meantime I'll post some of them here!

To start things off, I'm posting the complete script to The Sixth Gun #1. My format has changed a little bit over the years, but this is still a pretty good representation of how I tackle a script.  If you have that issue, you're ready to compare the script to the finished product. If you don't have that issue (shame on you!) you can download it for free (and legally) from ComiXology. While you're there, buy some of the other issues.

Here's the script:

Sixth Gun Issue 1

(.doc format)

I hope this is helpful for you! If you're an artist interested in putting together sample pages based on this script, I'd love to see what you do! If you're a writer, please let me know if this proved useful for you! For more about my process, check out the "plot to script" post i did a few weeks back!

Behind the Scenes: Fear Itself: The Fearless #9

Here's another look behind the scenes at one of the comic books I wrote. This one–Fear Itself: The Fearless #9–came out a little over a week ago, but I've been swamped with family obligations and conventions. I'll try to do better next time.

This issue was co-plotted by Matt Fraction, Chris Yost, and myself. I handled the script. Paul Pelletier and Mark Bagley did the pencils. Danny Miki and Andy Lanning inked the book. Matt Wilson did colors. This is the Part 9 of a 12-issue limited series.

Here we go!

Pages 1 – 3.  This is the last flashback to appear in the series. Up until this point, every issue has started with a look toward the past, almost always from Valkyrie's perspective. I wrote them to establish some of Val's motivation without hitting the reader over the head with a lot of exposition. In this case, I wanted to show that the Valkyrior have been forbidden to enter Midgard, but they still serve the warriors of Asgard. The most telling line comes on page 3, when Val tells her companions that sometimes, men got to war because it is the will of the gods.
Page 3. Speaking of gods, I love that I got to write even a single page featuring old school Thor. But it wasn't only my inner fanboy that drove me to write Thor into this issue. I thought his appearance played nicely when going into the next scene with its themes of godhood, self-proclaimed or otherwise.
Pages 4 – 9. I've said before that this scene is one that I've had in mind since the earliest days of this series. Originally, I had the idea that Val would use some sort of Asgardian relic to turn herself into a lightning-throwing thunder goddess, too. In the end, I decided it was more interesting to have a warrior on a winged horse fighting Storm. Val uses a little trickery to defeat Storm. I wanted to show that Val will take steps to reach her goal that another hero wouldn't. It's funny how angry some people got because of this scene. They became spitting mad that Storm was taken out. To them I say: Don't worry. I'm sure some other writer will tackle a rematch at some point.
Pages 10 – 13. Speaking of exposition–this scene is loaded with it. At this point in the series, it's a necessary evil, though. I probably could have handled it differently, but this was what worked for me as I was tackling the script. Again, this scene stirred some ire. "There's no way Crossbones could beat up on someone as powerful as Hellstrom!" That's true, but I think that it speaks to Crossbones' over inflated sense of badassitude that he's willing to grab hold of the Son of Satan like that. Also, just because Hellstrom could flash-fry Crossbones where he stands, it doesn't mean it serves his purposes to do so.
Pages 14 – 17. More exposition!? Yeah, sorry about that. Trust me, the rest of the series is pretty action-packed. But this scene, when combined with the last, drives home the fact that Val's sanctum is actually a piece of her soul and that when she dies, the place vanishes from existence, taking the hammers with it. Also, I wanted Captain America and Val to come to an understanding. They couldn't stay enemies, could they?
Page 16. Valkyrie has a long, complicated, confusing history. That last panel on this page is my way of summing it up so we can just forget it and move on.
Page 19. I know readers were sitting there saying, "Do it… Shoot the horse…" But don't you get enough horse violence in The Sixth Gun?

Haunted Trails – The Sixth Gun #19

A new issue of The Sixth Gun (#19) hit the shelves today, and that means it's time for a new behind-the-scenes look at the series courtesy of Multiversity Comics! Make sure to read the issue before checking out this interview! There are spoilers ahead!

You can read the interview HERE.

Upcoming Comics – May 2012

May is going to be a big month for me in terms of comic book releases! We've got the conclusion of the fourth arc of The Sixth Gun, the release of Spider-Man: Season One, my first issue of Venom (co-written with Rick Remender) and more! Here's a quick run-down! Please head to your local comic book store now and ask them to order and hold these books for you!

The Sixth Gun #22

 'A Town Called Penance' Part 5. Weary, injured, and lost-Drake Sinclair and Becky Montcrief are on the run from the ruthless forces of the Knights of Solomon. Can even the power of the Six save them from the unstoppable fury of the Knight's cruelest member? If they survive, they must still face a shocking surprise that could shake the very foundations of reality!

Spider-Man: Season One

The greatest origin story of all time, retold for a new generation. Marvel: Season One is a new initiative aimed at attracting new comic fans from the millions of people who know Marvel characters from movies, television, and video games. Each Season One volume is a stand-alone tale designed to give readers a complete story, modernizing the seminal origins of these super-hero icons while also offering new revelations for long-time fans. This is the real Marvel Universe that current fans know and love, updated for a new generation.

Captain America and Hawkeye #630

• All the patriotism and arrows in the world may not be enough to save Cap and Hawkeye from a hive of dino-monstrosities!

• A secret buried beneath the San Andres Mountains begins to unravel.

• All this and-Stegron!

Captain America and Hawkeye #631

• In the depths of an underground city, Stegron's dream becomes a nightmare!

• Cap 'goes Mezozoic' and he's set his carnivorous sights on Hawkeye!

• And what's freakier than creepy little kids? Creepy little dinosaur kids!

Venom #17 and 18

• Venom faces a gauntlet of doom as the Crime-Master unites Jack O'Lantern, The Human Fly, Toxin and more to destroy Flash Thompson!

• The Crime-Master's plan is so diabolical, so vile, that it forces Eddie Brock to become a symbiote's host once more – and takes the war to Flash Thompson's Family, Betty Brant and even Peter Parker!

Wolverine  #306 and 307

• DR. ROT IS BACK!

• Discover the secret behind Rot's twisted family…and what Wolverine's connection is.

• FBI Agent Wells is circling closer to the truth behind the brutal murders he's investigating. And Wolverine is his lead suspect!

Venom – The Savage Six

Today, iFanboy announced that I'll be co-writing Venom #17 – 21 with Rick Remender. The story features the rise of a group of villains called the Savage Six. You can read some detailed coverage of the event and an interview with Rick and myself here.

VisionCon, Feb. 17 – 19

I'll be heading to Springfield, Missouri, in a few days to attend VisionCon. I've been to at least half of the 20 VisionCons over the year, and it's always nice to visit my old Springfield stomping grounds. Will I be heading to McSalty's Pizza? Probably. Will I have breakfast at Anton's? If at all possible. Will I have a monster-size margarita at Cielito Lindo? Do you have to ask?

I'll be bringing a ton of books with me. If you're looking for copies of The Sixth Gun, The Tooth, Fear Itself: The Fearless, or Crooked Hills, this'll be the perfect chance to pick them up! In addition, I'll be participating in a couple of panels:

Inspiration For Comics – (with Gerry Kissell) – Saturday, Noon. Panel Room 2

Comics Discussion – (with Jolly and Barb Blackburn, and Gerry Kissell) – Saturday, 1:00. Panel Room 1

I hope to see some of you at the show!

Behind the Scenes: Fear Itself: The Fearless 8

Here's something I just decided to start doing maybe 3 minutes ago. It might be a terrible idea. It might be a great idea. Either way, I'm just gonna start doing it before I change my mind or turn on the TV and get sucked into Teen Mom 2 or something. When a new book I've written comes out, I'm going to post a few behind-the-scenes tidbits about what went into the creation of the work, what I was thinking when I wrote it, and what I think about the way it turned out.

This week, issue 8 of Fear Itself: The Fearless came out, so let's give it a go!

This issue was co-plotted by Matt Fraction, Chris Yost, and myself. I handled the script. Paul Pelletier and Mark Bagley did the pencils. Danny Miki and Andy Lanning inked the book. Matt Wilson did colors. This is the Part 8 of a 12-issue limited series.

Cover. First off, how 'bout that cover, huh? I'm frequently asked for suggestions on cover images, and I keep it very loose. I think for this one my suggestion was "Bring on the Bad Guys!" Art Adams once again knocked it out of the park. I wish I had thought of using "Bring on the Bad Guys" as the chapter title.
Pages 1 – 6. There are two written versions of the first scene of this issue. When I scripted the first draft, I thought Sin had escaped at the end of Fear Itself. In my original version, we found her wandering aimlessly through an alley. She was weeping, weakened from her defeat. A group of ruffians recognized her and decided to take justice into their own hands. At first, she seems like a lamb heading to the slaughter, but her killer instinct kicks in and she murders the ruffians. That's when the D.O.A. shows up to bring her into the fold. After I wrote that, I realized I wasn't sure if  Sin escaped or not. I'm pretty sure I wrote this on the weekend or late at night, because I couldn't get confirmation from the others right away. So, I went ahead and wrote the version with Sin being transported to some classified prison. I sent both version to editorial. I actually liked the second version better.
Page 4, Panel 2. Sometimes, I get caught up in research on the smallest things. I must have spent 30 minutes looking at helicopter call signs for the one panel where the pilots reference "Gundog and Badcat."
Page 5. And… yeah… those are Deathwings from ROM attacking those helicopters.
Page 7. Somewhere along the line, I read that Valkyrie keeps her sword and pegasus in some extra-dimensional pocket. That brought me to the idea that Valkyrie has her own pocket dimension hangout. This ends up being pretty important to the story as a whole.
Page 9. "And it's a dwarf's prerogative to enjoy his misery while he can." I'd be willing to bet I heard that in a D&D campaign at some point.
Pages 10 – 12. At this point in the series, I need to spend a little time with some exposition. This issue as a whole is a little less "actiony" than others in the series, but sometimes you just have to have the bad guys reveal a little about their plans.
Page 12, Panels 5 and 6. I knew it wouldn't fly when I wrote it, but the original dialogue here was "You may be the Son of Satan… but when it comes to this outfit, you're just another bitch."
Page 13. Again, talk about bringing on the bad guys! Most of the villains in the front row are existing characters. The rest came form my vague suggestions and Mark Bagley's twisted imagination. They look so cool, though, that I have to give them some more play in the future, don't I? I really like the idea of the D.O.A. becoming this army of creepy villains.
Page 15. C'mon. If I'm writing a story with X-Men and Valkyries, I have to include Dani Moonstar. And Paul Pelletier makes her look so awesome here. Believe me, if I could have gotten a Demon Bear in this issue, my life would have been complete. Deathwings and Demon Bears? That would have been comic book gold!
Page 19. I love Emma… but I also love her being called "stupid" by Dani.
Page 20. This is the beginning of a match-up I wanted to write since the early days of conceptualizing this series. If Storm had been naked… with wisps of clouds protecting her modesty… it might have been even better! Deathwings, Demon Bears, and naked Storm? Boom! My head would have exploded with nostalgic awesomeness!

SNIKT!

Wolverine #305

Cullen Bunn (W) • Paul Pelletier (A)

Cover By Jim Cheung

Variant Cover By Steve Mcniven

All New Jumping On Point!

Written By Rising Star Cullen Bunn (Fear Itself: The Fearless, The Damned, The Sixth Gun)

32 Pgs./Parental Advisory …$3.99
That's all I'm saying… for now.

Plot to Script: This is How I Do It

Yeah… Sometimes it feels like that.

I'm frequently asked how I go about plotting and pacing a comic book script. My process has changed over the years, and I continue to shake up my methods and try new things. Still, there are some core steps I usually take that seem to work well for me. They might not work for anyone else, but if you'd like a behind-the-scenes look at how I work, here's your chance.

What I'm presenting is a glimpse at how I planned issue 5 of The Sixth Gun. Much of my planning, as you'll see, is done in a Moleskine notebook (sometimes more than one). In the early stages, I'm not concerned about the notes looking neat or being well-organized or even being all that legible. I'm more concerned with getting the pacing right, figuring out dialogue that says a little bit about the characters and moves the story forward, and making sure the issue is going to be enjoyable on its own and as part of the longer story.

Step 1 – Planning the Scenes

For our purposes here, let's assume I already know what I want the issue to be about before I get to this stage. Honestly, sometimes I don't. In those cases, this step becomes one helluva brainstorming session and a battering ram through writer's block.

I start out by listing all of the scenes I'd like to appear in the book in a perfect world. I don't worry about how many pages I have to work with (yet) and I don't worry about the order in which the scenes will appear. I just want to list all of the story beats I'd like to include.

After I have the scenes listed, I draw two columns.

In the first column, I write a number representing how many pages I think the scene will take in the book. At this stage, I'm still not worrying about how many pages I'll have in that issue. This is just a starting point. It helps me figure out which scenes need more "weight" than others.

In the second column, I add up all the page counts for the scenes. What I end up with, usually, is about 50 pages worth of scenes for a 22-page book.

So the final step (and often a painful one) is to go back and start reducing page counts. Sometimes I have to go through this several times, trimming a page out here and there. Sometimes, I need to combine scenes or cut scenes altogether to make it work.

In the end, though, I'll have scenes that fit the issue I'm writing.

Usually, these scene breakdowns are much messier than this. I must have had an easy time with this one! Still, you'll notice that I had to reduce the page counts on almost every scene. I also ended up scrapping the  "Drake gets Death's guns" scene. I let that play out off-panel, and the issue was better for it.

Step 2 – Planning the Page Turns

For a book with ads (most Marvel and DC books for example) this step isn't important. But for a book that has no ads… a book for which I have control over what happens on "the turn of the page"… I slave over this. I try to make sure big reveals and scene changes happen when the reader flips a page. I find it to be an effective way of enhancing the reader's experience. I've changed entire books around because the page turns weren't working the way I wanted.

It's during this step that I put the scenes I've planned into the order they'll appear in the issue. The scenes don't always appear in chronological order. I try to order them in the way that's going to give the story the most "punch."

Step 3 – Roughing the Script

Some writers might go directly into scripting at this point, but I like a little more of a safety net. For me, the more prep work I do early on, the less time I have to spend during the actual scripting. If the story is clear once I sit down at the computer, I can devote more energy to "painting a picture" for the editors and artists. Obviously, I do a lot of work in longhand before I sit down at the computer. I like this because I can do the heavy lifting while sitting on the couch or watching my kid play at the park or while having a margarita.

I keep it pretty short and sweet at this point. Just a brief outline of what's going to happen in each panel. In this case, it's succinct enough that I can get three comic pages on one page of the notebook.

I don't worry much about perfection at this stage. Perfection's a myth created by people who don;t want you to finish a project. I don't slow down too much for corrections. You'll notice that I decided to flip panels 4.3 and 4.4 at some point while mapping them out. I just drew a couple of arrows to indicate that.

While I'm outlining the panel breakdown, I'll often think of brief bits of dialogue. I'll usually just go ahead and write them down in the margins or on the back of a page so I don't forget. In this case, while outlining one of the final scenes of the issue, I stumbled on some dialogue for that scene and a scene that appeared much earlier. You'll also notice that at some point my page numbering changed. For a little while, Page 23 vanished entirely!

Step 4 – Dialogue Brainstorming

Dialogue is tough for me. I want it to "sound" right, convey something about the character speaking, and push the story forward. As with the scene and panel breakdowns, doing a little pre-work on dialogue only helps me when the chips are down. This often works a lot like free-writing. I just pick one exchange, no matter where it will appear in the issue, and start writing it. One usually leads to another pretty smoothly.

This is some of the dialogue from the exchange between Drake and the General at the end of issue 5. I'm not gonna lie. Sometimes I sound these out and speak in the voice of the character (I do a  mean General Hume). The dialogue will often change once I get to the script, but this gives me a solid foundation to build on.

Step 5 – Scripting!

It's all been leading up to this point. It's time to sit at the computer and do the actual work of scripting the issue. If I've done everything else, this should be gravy.

My script format has changed over the years. I'm always tweaking it to try to find a better way to present the story. But all of the versions I've used started with me looking over one of Greg Rucka's Queen and Country scripts and trying to copy his style. Someone once said my scripts read like technical instructions in terms of the format. You be the judge. They work for me.

In terms of detail, I'm somewhere in the middle. I've seen scripts that are really sparse, and I've seen scripts that have pages and pages of detail. For mine, I want to use enough detail to get my idea across while leaving plenty of room for collaboration with the artist. I tend to use some prose-like details here and there in order to convey some of the mood I'm going for. In the end, I want the script to be fun for the editor and the artist to read.

The script for Page 1 of the issue. You should be able to compare this to the panel outline I showed you earlier… and the pages of finished art Brian Hurtt turned in based on the script. When you look at the final art, you'll notice that Brian made some changes from the script on the last panel of this page. That kind of stuff happens. Most of the time, Brian calls me or shoots me an e-mail with a suggested change. But he doesn't need to do so most of the time. Part of working in comics is trusting your collaborators.

Format-wise, this script is pretty close to what I use currently. The biggest difference is that I'd never break a panel at the end of the page these days. I'd rather do a page break, leave a little note that the page is continued, and move the entire panel to the next page. It's a quirky thing for me.

Another quirky thing for me: I like to indicate what is making the SFX. It's a little unnecessary, but I like to think it gives the letterer a little help in how to present some of those SFX.

How long is a typical script? Here's the answer! For a 24-page comic, this script was 50 pages. Some are longer. Some are shorter. You'll find that earlier scripts are much longer because I spend more time in the description of characters and key locations.

I still love this exchange between Drake and the General.

I don't do a lot of splash pages. I usually have too much story to get to. But in some cases a splash page is just needed.

Step 6 – Artist, Take it Away!

Now, I'm skipping an important element. The editing phase. There's every possibility that the editor is going to come back with a few notes. At that point, it's hopefully just a matter of tweaking a few panels or pieces of dialogue here and there. I've seen some notes, though, that have taken the whole thing back to the beginning.

Assuming editorial signs off on the script, it heads to the artist. The fun here is waiting to see what the artist does with your script. Enjoy it!

Page 1 – Notice the difference in the script and the final art. Brian changed the last panel of this page and the first panel of the next.

Page 2

Page 23

Page 24

Remember How I Said I'm Always Trying Different Stuff?

Way back when, I posted this somewhere. Once upon a time, I tried to outline pages of comics using a notebook and a bunch Post-It Notes. Each page of the notebook represented a page in the comic. Each Post-It represented a panel. That way, I could move stuff around and reorganize with ease. This was actually a fun way of working on a comic, but it took a little more time.

This shot is from my notes on the 6th issue of the series. You'll notice I used yellow Post-Its for panels and blue Post-Its for bits of dialogue.

I Hope You've Found This Helpful or Interesting

Every writer approaches their work differently. While this method works for me, it might not be helpful for anyone else. If you feel like it, give it a shot. You might find bits and pieces of my process that help you out. Or this discussion of my process might lead you to develop something completely different. Either way, I hope this has given you an interesting look into how I go about writing one of my scripts.

If you have questions, send them my way and I'll try to answer them.

 

In Case You Blinked – 1/17/2012

A new year! And a few new things you might have missed around the web!

Monster Librarian has chosen Crooked Hills  as one of the top reads for kids of 2012. They went so far as to give the book special recognition as being reviewed highly by more than one of their reviewers.
Broken Frontier has unveiled the winners of the Broken Frontier Awards for 2012, and I've been selected as the Best Writer (independent) for The Sixth Gun .

I'm honored that those folks thought so much of my work, and I want to thank everyone who helped make those selections possible!