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Before there could be this…

The Wandering Stars # 1, 2006

Art: Jesse Davidge

Letters: Derek Mah

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…there had to be this…

Panel Six

Maria and Georg sitting at the table. Maria is addressing Galois. Georg is startled by the emergency call.

Maria: We solve problems …on a different scale than we previously did on Earth. We tr-

Georg: The Temporal Oceanic Alarm!

SFX: WOOSHWOOSHWOOSH

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Common Vocabulary�

Panel – a single box

on a comic page

Thirteen Minutes, 2011 Art: Bob Prodor

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Tier – a level of panels

Thirteen Minutes, 2011 Art: Bob Prodor

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SFX: CAP: PERSON:

a sound effect a caption box dialogue

Mathemagick & Mystiphysics # 3, 2009 Art: Jesse Davidge Letters: Derek Mah

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Page Width Panel – takes up a full tier

Mathemagick & Mystiphysics # 3, 2009 Art: Jesse Davidge Letters: Derek Mah

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Splash Page

– a page that is

one large panel

Mathemagick

& Mystiphysics # 3, 2009

Art: Jesse Davidge

Letters: Derek Mah

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Panel descriptions strive to communicate what the writer wants to be drawn on the page.

Try to imagine these images:

1. John Ware is standing in front of his previous master. Master Chauncey has his hands tied around a large tree. He is scared out of his rocker. John is standing strong wearing his overalls. John is firmly in grip of a whip.

2. A close up of the hand that still firmly grips the whip.

3. John’s hand has released the whip and it has already fallen out of his hand a bit.

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Is this what you saw?

The Duchess Ranch of Old John Ware, 2010 Art: Bob Prodor

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�The common advice is if you want to see it on the page, make sure you put it in your description.�

Splash page

Billy Burnside is playing hockey on an outdoor professional level 1927 hockey rink. He is jabbing his elbow into the jaw of another guy. The puck is below them sailing in mid-air. Billy’s opponent has teeth flying from his mouth. In the background we can see the sports announcer’s box above some bleachers full of fans. Somewhere we see a basic wood score board that says “Home: 2” and “Visitors: 2”.

Thirteen Minutes, 2011 Art: Bob Prodor

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Reference images can be provided to support your descriptions.

Alchemical Tree, 1749

Thomas Nortan

Sins or Folly, 2008

Art: Nick Johnson Letters: Gord Cummings

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You can even reference your own previous images.

Page Twenty

The next two panels should harken to the first two panels of Page Fifteen when John is gripping and releasing the whip, only now his tightening on the reins should be occurring in reverse.

The Duchess Ranch of Old John Ware, 2010 Art: Bob Prodor

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Sketching can help plan a page.

Mathemagick & Mystiphysics # 5, 2011 Art: Jesse Davidge

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Dialogue Tips

With scripting text a common benchmark is to have an average of 25 words per speech balloon and 50 words per panel.

Speak your dialogue out loud to get a sense of how it sounds.

Be sure to have panels that are silent for strong visual moments and meditative pauses.

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A script is a beginning plan and most likely the start of a collaboration. Be open to artistic improvisation.

Page eighty

Panel One

Elijah is laying on his top bunk bed facing the centre of the page. We side other bodies on other bunks in the background.

Panel Two

Reflected in this panel is Holly sitting at her desk also facing the centre of the page. Her cluttered desk and her dad’s bed should mirror each other with her clutter reflecting in shape to him lying on his side facing Holly. Students are coming into class. Holly is staring blankly into space with a melancholy look.

Panel Three

Page width panel of Holly happily addressing the class. Students are cheering. A couple are looking at each other and smiling.

Holly: The quiz is postponed. We’re going to paint all day!

Kids: Yaaay!

Thirteen Minutes, 2011 Art: Bob Prodor

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Do something active when you are stuck, finish what you start and

have fun!

All scripts written by James Davidge.

Front page image by Jesse Davidge.