About 6 months ago, I started reading several online comics, or webcomics as they are called, and I suddenly developed an interest in writing my own webcomics, so I bought a few books on the subject.
One of the books that I found was not only very good for writing comics, but I thought it was a perfect addition for writing any type of story, so I decided to make a review of it, that book is Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David, which can be found on Amazon.
The first thing that comes to mind when You get the book is the high quality of the print, as it is full color, on high quality and very thick glossy paper, and it is very well put together, this is not a book that will fall apart after a few reads!
The second thing that comes to mind, is the abundance of graphical references, the book is filled with images and graphics, mostly from the DC universe, which is normal, since Peter David is a long time DC comics writer.
At first We get a good look at the authors bio, which is extensive, to say the least, then We get a chapter on how to get ideas, how to overcome writer's block and several approach on developing those ideas.
Then We get a chapter on character development, arguably the most important aspect of any good stories, what makes a hero or a villain tick, how to ground your characters so they connect with the readers, We have a look at archetypes and on how to write for existing characters.
The next chapter digs into conflicts and themes, what is conflict, what is a theme, the different types of conflicts and how to develop character conflicts.
Next We get into plot and story structure, the three-act structure, turning points, pacing, arc, climax, and so on, all using real world examples.
The last chapter We dive into scripting, the different formats, We go extensively into dialogues, the different types, like fighting dialogues, photoreal dialogues, and so on. We then learn about the different types of balloons, sound effects, and so on.
Lastly We get 3 appendixes, one on how to break into the industry, with a talk from a real world comics producer, then We get an extensive appendix covering all sorts of subjects, from plagiarism to final thoughts and then a third appendix with no less then 34 Q&A taken from Peter David's website, all of which answer real life questions and concerns.
What I like about this book, is the honesty of the writer, there are no gimmicks or complicated, convoluted formulae, He candidly talks about his own successes, and falls as well, everything in this book makes sense, and it is written for the beginner's in mind, but even a seasoned writer can find something useful in it, I know I did.
Peter David is some sort of writing god in the comics business, He has hundreds of titles to his name, He gets references from the like of Stan Lee and Neil Gaiman, and worked with the best out there, and this second incarnation of his book on writing comics, although not perfect, is one of the best book on writing I have even seen, if not the best, so I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn writing.
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