Creating Comics 5 Must Do Steps

Introduction

Numerous people are interested in creating comics because a comic book is a very popular cultural medium. People want to use comic books as a tool to spread messages of education, business, religion and others.

I will first start by asking and answering three questions. Question one is, can anyone be involved in creating comics? Yes, anyone can create comics. Question number two. Can anyone create an appealing comic book? No, anyone cannot create an appealing comic book. Question number three, can anyone create a comic book that is successful? No, anyone cannot create a successful comic book. However, it does depend on what the person defines as a successful comic book. Some people might call the distribution of their comic books in their community a success, while others might consider the distribution of their comic books to a worldwide audience a success.

Out of the three questions I asked about creating comics, I answered “no” to two of them, only because if someone can’t create an appealing comic book then most likely their comic book would not be successful. Therefore, I want to give people five simple and general steps to help begin creating comics that are appealing, and then hopefully successful. We must know that in order for a comic book to become successful, it first has to be appealing to many readers.

If anyone wants to create comics, his or her motives must be right. Let me tell you why I say this. Creating comics is easy. But, if you want to create a successful comic book, especially if you don’t have any experience in creating comics, it would be very hard. Now, for the people without any background or experience and want to begin creating comics, it is a must for your motives to be right. If you think it is a quick way to make money or that people would automatically like what you produced just because you like it and grandma likes it, it would probably be best you stop, and not waste your time.

Step 2

This is a no-brainer. Get a good comic book idea. For those who can’t think of a decent idea, simply think of what you like to do in terms of sports, (Basketball, football, soccer, tennis, karate, or boxing) academics, music, or hobbies. You can think of what you like to watch like: action, comedy, romance, and adventures. You can even think of your values as in: God, family, friends, and so on. If none of these works, try to think about what you think comics are lacking.

This is what Stan Lee did with the creation of Spiderman, Fantastic four and others. Stan Lee created Spiderman for the growing number of teens who were taking interest in comics in the 1960s. Stan Lee’s idea of the superhero team the Fantastic four was birth from his belief that superheroes don’t have to be perfect because no one is perfect. So he believed many superheroes at that time were lacking the humanity struggle that every human being experiences.

As skeptical many were about Stan’s approach and ideas, his ideas were instant successes. Also listen to what you’ve heard your friends or comic book fans talk about that they would like to see or won’t like to see in comics. Then all you have to do is meet that audience need. Believe me, there are a lot of fresh ideas out there for creating comics. Once you have a feasible idea, you are ready to move on to step 3.

Step 3

This is where some creators mess up in creating comics. They only think of what they like. See, your comic book is not for you, so you have to think of what you like and make sure there are many others who share those preferences and opinions. This is done through research. I know, many people cringe at the sound of that word, but it is a must if you want to create a comic book that appeals to people.

Appealing to people is just catering to their needs. When you do your research, you find out whether there is a market for people looking for what you have to offer in your comics. Know this, research is nothing deep. It can simply be going into forums and see what people are discussing about comic book characters, it can be observing successful comics and unsuccessful comics. You can take a trip to conventions and listen to what people have to say.

You can even pass out a short survey to comic book fans about what they like in certain characters or what they would like to see more of. Your goal in doing research is to gather information by being more observant and decrease your chances of vain labor in the future. Once you are sure that there are people who are interested in what you have to offer, you already have a guaranteed audience and could go forth in creating your comic. Experiment, and do your research!

Note: Don’t make it so obvious to those you are interacting with. Don’t give away your idea. It is best when people don’t know what you are trying to do when you approach them. Try to make it flow as a regular conversation.

Step 4

Develop a great storyline to your theme. Don’t ever depend on the art work alone to keep people glued to your comic book. The art work can attract people but does not get people asking for more. Your major focus should be delivering a good story. Writing a great story involves forming great characters and properly connecting them into the plot of the story.

Step 5

Make a catchy standout name for your major character(s) and title for the comic book. This is done only to attract people to check out the comic book. Also create a nice cover page art to be another attention grabber for the comic book. Believe it or not this is part of the marketing.

If you follow these first five steps, you would see whether creating comics is for you or not. If you are successful in these five steps, you are truly on your way to creating an appealing comic book. Get more details on creating appealing/successful comics from the full course listed below.

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