I suppose it must be Tuesday.
Comics is a strange occupation. Inventing lives for imaginary people drawn in little boxes with words floating over their heads that requires a wide variety of skills to express and an obsessive focus to realise even in a mediocre way. That is weird even before you get into the prejudices of the English-speaking culture to the medium and the absolute dumpster fire that is parts of the industry.
What if you don't draw the imaginary people, just write the words that float over their heads? How does that work? What exactly is the division of labour. Who's shouldering the burden here? The simple answer is: the artist. But as with much to do with comics, it's complicated.
I'll draw back the curtain and give you a glimpse of the process in two pages.
Here, as it happens, is the first page of the script of a book by Simon Gane and I that is OUT NOW in all good bookstores, comics shops, online retailers and floggers of e-books. I wrote the words. Simon did everything else: art, colours, letters.
What? That's it! That's writing?
Yep, that's writing in the context of Simon and I already collaborating on a graphic novel (Paris) together. I know what Simon can do (draw the heck out of everything). I know that he knows and draws architecture as good, if not better, than anyone. He doesn't just render it, he instills it with life.
As you can see from the first page, the buildings are full of character.
In this context I completely trust Simon to nail it and he doesn't need me getting in the way. The page sets the scene, sets the period and sets the mood for what's to come. The fact that there are children on the page and this is a coming-of-age story is a lovely bit of storytelling that Simon has added that wasn't in my script.
By page two I have to do more to introduce the main character, Rachel. Not only to Simon, but to the reader. I am aiming to set up her age, her social class, her character and her aspirations within a single page. She's bookish and book smart, but in an addition to my script, Simon cleverly puts the orange spines of Penguin paperbacks on the page. Not only do the orange and blue work as complementary colours, but Simon is telling the reader that Rachel is thirsty for knowledge on a budget. Simon put the panda here on the first page. I needed a soft toy later on so added that to my script. We are inspiring each other in the creation of the story as we go.
When I showed this to Simon he pointed out something that I hadn't registered consciously. He took my panel description and organised it left-to-right to illustrate Rachel's maturation, from soft toys to Penguin paperbacks. The man is a genius!
On the second panel of page two Rachel's dialogue is a statement, not a question. Her life follows a predictable routine. The missing question mark helps tell the story. Simon draws a wonderful, square brown sauce bottle and it's a visual shorthand to a working class family in 20th century England. The middle classes would not use brown sauce.
Simon's rendering of Tony and Shirley is absolutely spot on, and note how much he brings to my brief description. He goes with orange juice rather than water as I had in the script for the rhyming colours from the first panel and as a soft drink in contrast to alcohol later in the story. All this and the wonderful little details of the butter dish, pair of pears on the bowl and the ailing rubber plant in the foreground.
Within two pages and two lines of dialogue we have set up who Rachel is and her cozy, if slightly shabby around the edges, life with her loving but conventional parents.
The beauty of comics is not the division of words and pictures, but their union. Drawing is writing and writing is drawing. What happens in between is the weird, wonderful alchemy of comics.
Sunburn
If you have read it and liked it please leave a positive review online (even if you didn't purchase it from a huge online retailer which shall remain nameless) as it really helps us, not just with sales, but with hoodwinking editors and publishers into thinking we are more popular than we are.
If you read it and didn't like, let us never speak of it again. As this is such an unlikely scenario, forget I mentioned it.
Bookplates:
Order from OK Comics and you will get the book with a signed exclusive bookplate.
Order from Page 45 and you will get the book with a (different) signed exclusive bookplate.
We’re very lucky to have wonderful retailers who support our (and many other authors) books so please support them if you can.
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Even More Shameless capitalism
Simon has made two A3 prints from our Paris book and they are gorgeous. Drop by his store and snag one for yourself.
Patreon
I have a patreon which I update regularly. Tuesdays and Saturdays I post sketches and behind the scenes stuff such as Punycorn colour pages. Thursdays I post a one page comic story. And this year I am posting a review of the book I have read that week every Sunday.
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I still have books out in the world, Kerry and the Knight of the Forest & the awards nominated The Book Tour. Support my efforts through my store – digital comics – patreon or by leaving a positive review online