Notes from the O! Comic-Con (Part 3)

This is the final set of notes from the panels I attended at the O! Comic-Con last May. The final panel I attended, which was held on the third day of the Con (May 31),  was titled “Establishing Era in Comics” and featured Cullen Bunn (Deadpool Kills the Marvel UniverseSpider-Man: Season One, The Sixth Gun; also featured in the first part of this notes series), Ande Parks (inker and writer best known for his collaboration with Phil Hester on the Green Arrow comic series, as well as for his writing on the Lone Ranger comics; he has also written the original graphic novels Union Station and Capote in Kansas), and B. Clay Moore (writer of the mini-series Hawaiian Dick and Battle Hymn).


Drawing upon their experiences in writing stories set in time periods and locations such as the Old West (Cullen Bunn’s The Sixth Gun), the American Midwest in the 1960s (Parks’ Capote in Kansas), and the Aloha State in the 1950s (Moore’s supernatural mystery noir Hawaiian Dick), these three writers shared their advice on how to write comic books in the historical fiction genre.



Remember that historical characters are people too; they may have different values and viewpoints, but they also have feelings and dreams like modern-day people do.
As long as you do your research for the majority of the era your story takes place in, the audience will forgive you for the occasional anachronism so long as it’s believable (i.e. not far-fetched). However, don’t let your research show, and be careful not to let your research dictate your plot. The story and the characters rather than the minute historical details are the stars.
Determine the theme and thrust of the story before diving into your research. Let historical facts and events fuel the fire of your story.
Don’t be afraid to pass on photos to your artist(s) if a particular historical image strikes you as important or helpful for establishing the era.
If you question the authenticity of what you’re writing, put forth the effort to research your point before you insert it into the final product.
Finally, a quote from Ande Parks that encapsulates the lessons: “You can’t just plug historical facts into a calculator and spit out a reasonable narrative.” Remember, no matter when your story takes place, your primary job as a writer is to tell an engaging story.
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Published on October 31, 2015 19:14
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