Process

1. In groups of three, decide on a general theme for your comic book. Work together and brainstorm ideas on  what your comic will be about, what would be involved and what message or messages you want to convey. Think of potential characters, settings, storylines. Also, think of a title page and a name for your comic. Decide on a format or style of your comic. When your group reaches a consensus, you may move on to the next step.
(Refer to the resources section for links to site that can help you think of ideas)

 

2. Now that you have a general idea what you are going to do, you can now each choose one of the three roles:

Cast Director

  • As the cast director, you are responsible for developing a suitable cast for the comic that fits into the theme. Provide a general biography for each character which includes basic information about the character that you think is relevant, such as his/her name, birthday, hobbies, etc. Having realistic characters with some history that can interact well is essential. In addition to your character design, you may want to do some sketches of the characters in different positions and emotions in order to familiarize yourself with their design.
    (Refer to the example character bios in the resources section for ideas)
Story Writer
  • As the story writer, you are responsible for furthering the agreed upon storyline in part 1. You are to go into more detail by writing a short story  which includes the character dialogues and description of events. The length of the short story is completely up to you, however, make sure that it can reasonably fit into a comic book issue.
    (Refer to the article The Comic Book Form in the resources section for ideas)
Layout Editor
  • As the layout editor, you are responsible for putting the comic book together. Based on the written short story developed by your teammate, you must transfer words into visual images. You are to develop a style and layout of the comic book. Think about how you will lay out the boxes and where to position the dialogue bubbles. Provide a general sketch on the position of all components in the comic book.
    (Refer to the article The Comic Book Form in the resources section for ideas)

NOTE: When working in your individual roles, make sure to consult with each other on your ideas so that there is a flow of information between members. It is important to keep the comic consistent on all accounts. Each role is by no means restricted, however, the majority of work in each role should be done by the member who chose that specific role.

 

3. Now that you have a general layout of your comic, you can start putting the final touches on it. Finalize the sketches in the layout. The division of work is completely up to your group. A good idea is to have the cast director to finalize the drawings of the characters. After you have finalize all the drawings, you can ink them and color them in any method and style you wish.

 

4. Put the book together and then share your story with your classmates.