Here’s some friendly advice about
creating comics.
Use it or ignore it.
Remember to write down your
archive references.
Some archive sources are ready-made stories. Others need help from what you already know
about WWI, and from your imagination. Keep your comics as realistic as possible: there were no
rainbow ninja unicorns in the WWI trenches, but you can make up soldiers’ names.
Decide whose point of view the comic is from:
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personal (I went to the recruiting office; we were all in the Trenches; my son was waiting at
the train station)
all-knowing narrator (Baker Brown went to the recruiting office; all the residents of North
Shields watched the medal ceremony)
non human narrator (a talking rat in the trenches… use this idea with extreme caution)
Decide what happens in the comic:
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a comic where nothing happens is very boring. A comic that intentionally repeats the same
events can be an effective way of showing the characters’ daily routines, if this is the point
you want to make
panel 1 of a comic often sets the scene. Panel 2 often adds more detail. Panel 3 often has
some sort of new information or twist, then panel 4 concludes the story. Then again, all
comics conventions can be broken if this is what your story needs
all comics end. If you run out of space on the page you’ll leave readers unsatisfied: find a
way to get to the point of your story sooner. If your comic deliberately ends with a
dramatic or surprising image, make sure the caption clearly shows what has happened.
Use the bottom of this page for your notes and planning. Use the back of this sheet for your
thumbnails. Choose a page template to use for your pencils, then ink over your pencils.