Getting started on my first comic
I've long been a comic reader (ever since my mom and dad got me a gift box of 30 X-Men comics for Christmas in the 2nd grade--I think they wouldn't have done that if they knew the obsession it would spark). And I've also dabbled in writing some comic projects that have never gotten off the ground. But finally, I've got the first issue of a comic in the bag, the most detailed outline I've ever created, and I've got an artist who's started working on brining my vision to light. I couldn't be more excited about getting this comic in readers' hands, so much so, that I'm going to give you a sneak peak at the script for the first page. Compare this script to my next post and the the finished results by artist Juan Romera.
PAGE ONE (nine panels, standard 3x3 grid, each panel the same size and shape. If you envision any page laid out differently, though, let me know! I’m completely open to suggestions.) I’m using the Dark Horse Comics Script format, seen here.
Panel 1. We open on a completely black panel, starting our story the way all our stories start: in darkness. This page will be a flashback. We’ll have a lot of these flashbacks throughout this story, so it would help if you manage to visually separate these pages and panels from the rest of the piece, either by having a different style or even something as simple as creating a different outline for the panel borders. Maybe just the corner of the top left panel and the corner of the bottom right panel is partially cut off/faded to separate it from the present.
CAP/MARCUS
“I was born out of darkness into light.”
Panel 2. The fluorescent glare of hospital lights shines through and breaks the darkness. We see these lights, the ceiling, and that’s it; we’re essentially taking on the perspective of the narrator as a new-born baby.
Panel 3. Now we’ve shifted out of that perspective and are looking down on Marcus, the new-born baby. A close-up of a screaming baby shakes the borders of this panel.
CAP/MARCUS
“But I’m sure I didn’t view it like that.”
Panel 4. We’ve widened our camera angle to see the thrum of a busy hospital room. Doctor and nurse hover near the hospital bed, standard hospital machines wait for the next birth, and Marcus’s mom and dad hold him, welcoming him into their lives.
Panel 5. Zoom in on a scissors snipping an umbilical cord.
CAP/MARCUS
“Unfortunately, as I entered this world of light--”
Panel 6. This panel is similar to panel 4, but now we’ve completely zoomed in on Marcus being held by his mom and dad. Like all new parents, love radiates from them and his mom’s eyes water. Marcus continues to howl.
Panel 7. We shift scenes (keeping the voiceover from Marcus). Now, we’re on the streets of Madison, WI at night. On the left side of the panel, hands holding a gun creep onto the panel. The hands clutch the gun as it blasts a few shots, attacker knowing how to prep for the recoil. On the right side of the panel we see the target of this gunshot: an old, black man (Marcus’ grandfather). He’s wearing a suit, newly bought. He’s pushed back by the force of the gunshots, flailing as his feet leave the ground.
CAP/MARCUS
“--my grandfather’s flame flickered and fell--”
Panel 8. We’re at the same scene as panel 7, but time has passed, the murder has been discovered, the body is gone, and all we see is a chalk outline of the grandfather’s body. It’s still night, but we can see this area more illuminated than in panel 7; flashlight beams cut across the chalk outline and this panel.
CAP/MARCUS
“But my dad, as always, helped me with that.”
Panel 9. We’re at the same scene as panel 8, but now we’re panning out to see the area surrounding this chalk outline. We still see the outline, but it’s crowded by police tape and cops talking with each other and with witnesses. Their flashlights still shine against the darkness. The caption ideally should be at the bottom right of this panel, to help transition into the next page.
CAP/MARCUS
“He taught me that I was born out of darkness into light.”
