Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels

I am not generally a fan of Bendis' work. I get why other folks are, it just doesn't work for me. I'm not saying this up front because I want to start some flamewar over the quality of Bendis' writing but so you'll know that someone who is emphatically NOT a Bendis fanboy is giving this book a five-star review. Also, I bought and read the Kindle version and will talk about that below, just in case that's relevant to your purchasing decision.I'm going to assume that if you are thinking about getting this book it's because you want to become a writer of comic books, so I'm going to review it from that perspective. And from that perspective one of the things that's great about the book is what Bendis *doesn't* include. He doesn't include a lot of basic "what is a story?" stuff, nor does he spend a lot of time beating the drum for super detailed outlining or going over the basics of three-act story structure. I am grateful for this because it seems like every other general book on writing fiction these days does. If you want or need that stuff for comics in particular, you should definitely get Dennis O'Neil's _The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics_ or Peter David's _Writing For Comics With Peter David_, both of which are well worth your time regardless.Okay, so what does it have that's worth five stars? Bendis writes about his process and its evolution. He talks about writing for the artist on a project, and how he's adjusted his style to work to the strengths of different artists. To me this is incredibly valuable stuff. Sure, anyone interested in writing comics knows that you're supposed to write stuff that an artist can actually draw, but I feel that Bendis goes beyond this basic advice. In relating his experiences and applying these principles to different real world artists on published projects, I think there's a lot of additional insight here that I have not gotten from other books or blogs that I have read. His interviews with established comic book artists and comic book editors are, in my opinion, invaluable. I strongly disagree with some who criticize them for being too shallow or too subjective. The fact that not all artists or editors agree or want the same things is very important, and I enjoyed reading about their thought processes and getting a sense of where they were coming from and why they prefer what they prefer. It got me thinking about things more from the perspective of an actual working professional, beyond the simple "rules" everyone writes on their blogs, and I think that's extremely valuable. Even in instances where they were very terse, just seeing the contradictions in preferences between professionals in the context of their other comments was useful.I want to especially emphasize how valuable and important I think the material from the editors is. The discussion and examination of what these editors want from the people they hire, the common mistakes, the things that impress them, how they want prospective writers looking for work to approach them is great material and worth the price of admission alone to me. I've read bits and pieces of this kind of thing scattered about over the years, but this is the single best collection of this sort of advice and instruction I have read to date. I learned a lot of new things and started having a ton of new ideas just from these sections alone.There are three other strengths of the book I want to emphasize, things that are sorely lacking from most other books on fiction writing generally and comics specifically. The first is the business side of things. With very few exceptions, comic book writers are independent contractors, and that means that if you become a writer you are your own business. This is important, often neglected material, and Bendis and his wife and business partner provide a treasure trove of useful information and important advice on this topic. The second is that Bendis discusses the mindset of writing and living as a writer and dealing with fear and discouragement. This material might be too fuzzy for some people looking for "just the facts", but I feel that these people are missing out on some real wisdom. We all know how mentally tough writing can be, and the pressure just ratchets up when you set out to support yourself or your family through writing. It's not an easy road, and Bendis is at once brutally honest and deeply encouraging when he writes about it. Finally, another important strength of the book is that Bendis' writing style throughout is very light and conversational. A lot of books on fiction writing are dry and feel very textbooky. Bendis style here keeps you engaged, gives the things he emphasizes more impact, I think, and makes for a quicker, more enjoyable read than many other books on writing.I also want to give special mention to his writing exercises, which I think are quite good. I am not generally a fan of writing exercises in how-to writing books, but I liked these. The descriptions are excellent and instructive in themselves, and I had fun doing them. I feel like I got real benefit out of them, and they generated a lot of exciting new ideas that I hope to be able to put to good use.My only complaint is something I was hoping the book would include but does not, something that I haven't seen in any other book on writing comics, and something I think would have been extraordinarily useful for his readers here, and that is a more detailed discussion of plotting and adapting a specific story idea to different practical lengths. What I mean by that is say you have an idea for a comic book story and you immediately see that it could be done in a very simple, straightforward fashion in one issue, but with some additional complexity and expansion of its theme it could be a good two parter -- or maybe even extend over three or four issues. I would have loved to see Bendis examine that process and talk about the issues and challenges in scaling a story up or down a specific number of issues and/or in trying to fit in other subplots. How do you balance individual issue needs against "writing for the trade paperback collection"? While I'm sad there wasn't a section like that in this book, I'm not going to rate it lower just because it didn't include this, especially when what's here is so valuable, and such a fun, easy read.Finally, a quick note on the Kindle version. Many books often have poorly formatted image files in the Kindle version, or images that are too small or too fuzzy to make out clearly. I found the images in this book to be quite readable, and my eyes suck. While your mileage may vary, I never the need to download a higher resolution version via the links, although these seemed to work quite well. Anyway, for me the reading experience on my iPad via the Kindle app was thoroughly pleasant and I enjoyed being able to highlight text and make notes directly in the book.

This book is a fantastic snapshot of the comic book industry at the moment. Brian Michael Bendis takes us through the entire process of creating comics, detailing various methods and motivations going on behind the scenes, and also goes into the actual business end of being a comics professional. What I find most interesting here are the anecdotes and input given to him by others from within the industry. Bendis has collected a plethora of knowledge and examples from his own work and that of others to give a clear picture of what goes into creating comics, and moreover, encourages the reader to work, experiment, and find their own way. My favorite chapter has to be the Writing for Artists chapter, where Bendis has compiled feedback from some of the best artists in the business regarding the collaborative experience of comics, what they feel their role in the process is, and what they do and don't want in their scripts. The book has great spotlight pieces with known professionals in the field from all sorts of positions, from other writers to Marvel's notorious talent scout C.B Cebluski. The book is jam-packed with great art from a wide range of artists and even in progressive states of development (thumbnails, pencils, inks, colors). All in all, it's been a great read, and I know I'll wind up coming back to it again and again, because there are so many opinions and ideas present in it, there will always be something new to glean from re-reading. I'm glad I bought it, and would recommend it to anyone else who is either seeking a career in comics, or is just interested in the behind the scenes processes that go into creating our favorite characters and stories. I really appreciate the effort Bendis put into creating this book and making it something so much more than just a "How to Write Comics like Brian Michael Bendis", because, as he and most everyone else whose input he got makes clear throughout the book, you have to find what works for you, and this book really encourages the reader to go about that journey.

I have to say that I was almost expecting a "go from A to B to C" sort of take on how to write comics, but this book is actually a whole lot more than that, the way BMB not only explains how the backend of making comics actually works but it also provides takes from several top creators and editors in the business.I have to say that the Epilogue of the book, for me, is the most inspiring part of the book, the way it tackles probably the biggest problem everybody has when it comes to make new things or try to do something really close to your heart is just awesome, it made me feel ok with a lot of my personal feelings and inner fears.A great read and an insightful tool for whoever wants to make it in the comicbook industry.

Si te interesan los cómics, es una lectura obligada. No solo es un gran repaso a la estructura detrás de la creación de los tebeos (ese Art & Business), sino también un vistazo sensacional a uno de los mejores autores de la industria. Incluye ejemplos de todo tipo, entrevistas con otros guionistas y dibujantes y hasta ejercicios prácticos si te quieres lanzar a escribir tus propios comics. Una delicia.

Awesome book. Lots of info and pics

The technique of getting the opinions of dozens of experts from the comic industry was brilliant. It allowed you to see a cross section, from indy to Marvel and everything in between. It properly sets the expectations of a write working with comic artists and producers.Some of the text is a bit dated. The use of Marvel Style scripting has mostly fallen out of favor. And the chances of unsolicited material reaching any of the big comic companies is exactly zero. They don't create teams of unknowns now, they expect you to have a team. Which usually means crowd funding, etc. Then they skim successful and prove indy teams and scoop up the cream of the crop.But no matter who you're working with, this will help you to write FOR the artists, for the entire team. And that's how you start.

Je ne m'attendais pas à un aussi beau livre. Je suis ravi :D. Etant un comic book artiste professionnel, j'avais besoin d'un ouvrage comme celui là et je suis absolument... ravi. Oui, c'est le mot.

Brian Michael Bendis has a strongly personal writing style, so I was reluctant to buy a writing manual by him: it's an amazing style, sure, but very few people can pull it off, and even then they won't sound particularly original.Luckily, this is not a "how to write like Brian" book. This is a "here's how to get off your ass" book. You want to write comics and work in the industry? That's awesome. Do you know what that entails? The smart money is either on "no" or "not completely". This book is for that.The book touches on the basic subject of writing fundamentals, but it's more focused on how to get good by yourself, how to teach yourself to read and write critically.Then this little gem does something amazing: it gives voice to tens of comic book professionals who tell you what is required from a person working in the business. What do pencillers want from a writer? What kind of people is an editor looking for? What skills stick out from the crowd?As if this wasn't enough, the book goes in pretty deep about many practicalities and legal nuisances regarding getting in cahoots with other creative youngsters, what the pitfalls are, what kind of thing comes back to bite you in your naive behind.I cannot recommend this book enough. Besides all the things I mentioned, it is also a source of amazing motivation and inspiration from a great writer who has wanted to do this all his life and who has a genuine love for the medium.