My “Rules” For Comic Scripting

When I’m writing comics, there are a few guidelines I try to follow. These are thoughts and guidelines I’ve pulled together while writing hundreds of scripts, reading great comics, and talking to other pros. They aren’t hard and fast rules. I break ‘em all the time! But keeping them in mind helps me feel like I’m in control of my life.

I offer some of them now in hopes that you’ll find them useful in your own comic scripting endeavors. Maybe you’ll find them helpful. Maybe not. You might disagree with them completely! And that’s all right.

These are my rules, after all. For all I know, they only really work for me.

Consistency is king for me. What I mean here is… if I use location captions at the start of a scene, I want location caps for the next scene. If I use ID captions when a character appears at the beginning of an issue, I use them when other characters appear later. If I use internal monologue captions to convey a character’s thoughts, I don’t shift to thought balloons later.
Every issue should have a beginning, middle, and end. Even if an issue is part of a multi-issue arc or ends on a cliffhanger, I try to make the issue feel as if it is painting a complete picture.
Shorter scenes are preferred. While I’ve written some 8-page scenes that take place in one locale, I prefer to keep any one scene to fewer than 5 pages. For me, it just gives an issue a better cadence.
Page layout is something I usually leave to the artist. I might occasionally suggest that a panel be of a specific size. That’s usually just a matter of me trying to picture the page in my head. I have, from time to time, gone into greater detail about a page if I really have my heart set on a particular look, with a suggested layout or inset panels, or the like, but that’s maybe once an issue at most. For instance, I often want flashbacks to be laid out in a grid or stacked format to help set them apart from the rest of the issue. Likewise, if I want to use inset panels to illuminate key elements of a larger panel, I’ll note that in the script.
Splash pages are something I use sparingly. Some publishers or editors like to see them, in which case I’ll work them in, but I tend to avoid them.
The number of panels on a page is something I keep in mind based on what is going on in the scene. Lots of tight shots mean I can fit 7 or 8 or even 9 panels on a page. When I’m getting into action, I tend to want to let the page breathe a little more. Someone once told me that modern conventions dictated 5 panels maximum with 4 preferred. But that just doesn’t feel right to me. I guess that’s the heart of this rule (and all of these rules). Trust your instincts.
I try to limit scene transitions to even pages. I just think it works better and puts the format and “the turn of the page” to work for you. Now, some will tell you that this is less important when you’re working on a comic book that will feature ads. In those books, you usually have no control over ad placement, and that can throw all your planning into disarray. I still try to stick to this guideline, though, because it makes a difference when it comes to trade collections. I also tend to break this rule more frequently than any other… but I always stress when that happens.
When I absolutely must make a scene transition on an odd page, I do everything in my power to connect the two scenes. This usually means a bit of carryover dialogue connecting the two scenes or a exiting and establishing shots used to ease the reader out of the first scene and into the next.
I don’t do scene transitions in the middle of a page. Some writers are experts at this, but I’m not one of them.
Big story reveals should also be limited to even pages. Make that page turn your accomplice! Keep in mind, I’m talking about visual reveals. Reveals through dialogue can really fall anywhere on a page, although the beginning or the end of a page seem to have the most punch.
Every page should include a panel that reminds the reader where the story is taking place, who is in the scene, and what is going on. This is kind of a leveling statement or encapsulation of the scene.
End every page with a question or a mystery that urges the reader to turn the page.
Every panel should be connected, in some way, to the panel that came before it.
Think a lot about what a character can do in one panel. A good rule of thumb is that a character can only do one thing in any given panel.
At the same time, a character must be doing something in any panel he or she appears.
There’s a legend… maybe it’s true… that Alan Moore had a strict formula for the number of words that could appear in a dialogue balloon on any given panel. While I don’t think you should break out the calculator every time you script a comic, it is a good idea to stay very aware of how many balloons and how much dialogue appears in a panel and how that might impact the art.
For dialogue, I try to limit it to one exchange per panel. Character A speaks, then Character B. I typically won’t have Character A speak, then Character B, then Character A then Character B. I’ve done it from time to time, but that many balloons and crisscrossing tails make me uncomfortable.
Dialogue needs to seem true, but it doesn’t need to be an exact representation of the way people talk. It’s much more important that dialogue gets across the character and helps propel the story forward. Dialects should be used only occasionally.
If there is an object or a person that will be important later in a scene or a comic, make sure to make note of that early on. For example, let’s say we see a desk in Scene 1. Then, in Scene 5, a character pulls a gun from a desk drawer, you should tell your artist about this in the script for Scene 1. Otherwise, he or she may draw the desk without drawers!
And really, that goes for any number of surprises that might be featured in a story. I often want to keep reveals from my editors and artists to enhance their enjoyment. But if the “shadowy figure” on Page 1 is to be revealed to the reader as “Bruiser Joe” on Page 18, go ahead and tell your collaborators early on.
Clarity and simplicity should be maintained, for the editor, the artist, and the reader. You shouldn’t try to confuse any of these people by trying to be too clever.