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How to Write Comic Strips: A Quick Guide on Writing Funny Gags and Comic Strip Panels
“How to Write Comic Strips” is a step-by-step guide to help inspiring comic strip writers create their own comic. This guide leads the reader through the wondrous world of comic writing. The concept of humor is different for different people. The author shows the reader methods and tips to better understand and deal with these differences. Highlights of this guide 1) The many formats to choose from when writing a • Single Panel • Multi-Panel 2) How find your • Write what you know 3) How to develop and build great • Bios, Backstory and More 4) Ways to write funny yet tight • How many passes to make • Refining your words 5) Methods and tips to use to break out of writer’s • Fun exercises and routines to do 6) How to find and communicate with your • Learn how to become a team 7) Market places for your • How to find a home for your creation 8) New ways to sell and make money from • Expanding and new markets so you can make money 9) Helpful • Tricks learned after decades in the trade About the Expert Writes his own syndicated comic Working Daze by Universal Press. Art by Scott Roberts. Each day the comic is viewed by around 250K people. Also writes Maria’s day for Universal. Wrote gags for Tonight Show, Joan Rivers show, Chevy Chase show and literally hundreds of comics and magazine. Has sold well over 10K gags. Simpsons and Fairly Odd Parents and Jimmy Neutron comics. Rugrats comic strip for a year. A seven book humorous, sf, mystery series for Daw books and Penguin Putnam featuring a futuristic PI Zachary Nixon Johnson and his holographic assistant HARV. The series will continue on a small press. Pro Se Productions. The series as The Nuclear Bombshell series has been quite successful as Graphic Audio, Audio Books. Currently writing two successful middle readers for KC Global Diary of a Super Girl (which remains in the kindle top 10 in class for the year) and the new Adventures of the Once and Future Queen. Writer of numerous video games and apps. Space Run Galaxy being the most fun. Beat the Boss and Tap Titians and Driving Trump being the biggest sellers. Apps and games have had millions of downloads and purchases. (You would think he’d be richer.) Looks like he has stuff coming in Mad in 2018ish. The only person ever to finish in the top three of DC comics Zuda contest four times without ever winning the contest. HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.
93 pages, Paperback
Published October 17, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 21, 2022
Note: the author's linked website on his Goodreads bio page will take you to Chinese (?) porn. Needless to say, John Zakour does not make or produce pornography, so someone needs to delete that link.
Zakour has been writing gags for comics for nearly 40 years (most notably his own creation, Working Daze, which has run from the late 1990s until present) and offers some general tips on the trade. I had heard of his strip, but had never read any until picking this up. It's standard faire and available on GoComics. Much of the advice in this book is standard stuff too - he tells you to draw from experience (though the writer says he gets most of his ideas from watching TV?), put in the time, dedicate yourself, etc. Problem is, the gags aren't particularly funny and certainly don't possess that timeless charm which is the mark of a good comic. He makes a point to list all his characters favorite "Game of Thrones" person, and says he mentions this and other pop culture a lot in the comic. But making it relevant to assuredly passing things makes it immediately replaceable. Now, that's his own strip, and for other comics he does write standard gags, but these aren't his own work. And a freelancer or stand-in is not the same as dedicated cartoonist.
This is illustrated by a story he tells where he was writing and selling gags to everyone, from Marmaduke and Dennis the Menace to the Simpsons and the Tonight Show, and he reached out to Charles Schultz, included some gags he'd written for Charlie Brown and company, and told Schultz he'd like to write Peanuts. Schultz said he enjoyed the gags, but he wrote the strip himself.
There's nothing wrong with writing comics, but doesn't some of the creation get diluted when it's passed through many hands? Especially for a funny comic strip? Working Daze has gone through 3 artists. Doesn't that drastically change the feel of the strip? Isn't there something charming about seeing a comic mature with the creator, watching it grow old with him? That's lost with this.
This makes you see why the comics are failing. The writer said he opened the funny pages one Sunday and saw five of his gags he'd written for those five different strips. So if you're wondering why the Sunday Funnies all seem to be the same generic thing (unless you see something different and not funny, which happens occasionally), this is why.
Lastly, (this has happened in at least 3 different "how to be an artist/writer" books), the author tells you to rely on your spouse (if you have one) while you're getting your footing. Really, sponge off of your loved one in order to make your dreams happen. What woman would put up with that?
Zakour has been writing gags for comics for nearly 40 years (most notably his own creation, Working Daze, which has run from the late 1990s until present) and offers some general tips on the trade. I had heard of his strip, but had never read any until picking this up. It's standard faire and available on GoComics. Much of the advice in this book is standard stuff too - he tells you to draw from experience (though the writer says he gets most of his ideas from watching TV?), put in the time, dedicate yourself, etc. Problem is, the gags aren't particularly funny and certainly don't possess that timeless charm which is the mark of a good comic. He makes a point to list all his characters favorite "Game of Thrones" person, and says he mentions this and other pop culture a lot in the comic. But making it relevant to assuredly passing things makes it immediately replaceable. Now, that's his own strip, and for other comics he does write standard gags, but these aren't his own work. And a freelancer or stand-in is not the same as dedicated cartoonist.
This is illustrated by a story he tells where he was writing and selling gags to everyone, from Marmaduke and Dennis the Menace to the Simpsons and the Tonight Show, and he reached out to Charles Schultz, included some gags he'd written for Charlie Brown and company, and told Schultz he'd like to write Peanuts. Schultz said he enjoyed the gags, but he wrote the strip himself.
There's nothing wrong with writing comics, but doesn't some of the creation get diluted when it's passed through many hands? Especially for a funny comic strip? Working Daze has gone through 3 artists. Doesn't that drastically change the feel of the strip? Isn't there something charming about seeing a comic mature with the creator, watching it grow old with him? That's lost with this.
This makes you see why the comics are failing. The writer said he opened the funny pages one Sunday and saw five of his gags he'd written for those five different strips. So if you're wondering why the Sunday Funnies all seem to be the same generic thing (unless you see something different and not funny, which happens occasionally), this is why.
Lastly, (this has happened in at least 3 different "how to be an artist/writer" books), the author tells you to rely on your spouse (if you have one) while you're getting your footing. Really, sponge off of your loved one in order to make your dreams happen. What woman would put up with that?
February 17, 2024
I'm not saying it's no good, but...
The thing is: I bought this book because I'm already making a comic strip, and wanted advice on the actual TECHNIQUE of writing jokes.
There's precious little of this in the book.
Mostly it's anecdotal and based on advice like "watch your favourite tv-show and learn from it." For someone on the fence on whether or not to start writing, this is probably a great book.
For someone who's already making cartoons an (trying to) write funny, there's little to learn, I'm afraid.
Sorry, John.
The thing is: I bought this book because I'm already making a comic strip, and wanted advice on the actual TECHNIQUE of writing jokes.
There's precious little of this in the book.
Mostly it's anecdotal and based on advice like "watch your favourite tv-show and learn from it." For someone on the fence on whether or not to start writing, this is probably a great book.
For someone who's already making cartoons an (trying to) write funny, there's little to learn, I'm afraid.
Sorry, John.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews