Marvel method
Overview
Collaborate on creating pages of comics continuity. Collaborative assignment based on the Marvel Comics assembly line process. Writer and artist create a plot synopsis, from which the artist pencils the entire story without words. Writer then adds copy to the pencil art.
Workflow
Phase 1: Story conference
Writers and artists team up to plot a new story. Each student will be the writer of one story and artist of another (if time allows, students will write, pencil, letter, and ink different stories). Students are paired as writer/artist teams for 20-minute brainstorming sessions to create a plot synopsis. Don't worry about dialog, focus on visual elements. The artist should walk away knowing what to draw. At the end of the first session, students will be reassigned and paired with a different student. Writers become artists and vise versa. This new paring meets for their own 20-minute brainstorming session. Every student will be the artist of a story at the phase.
- Team A brainstorm
- Team B brainstorm
- Everyone: loosely pencil all three pages
Phase 2: Pencil art
Artists pencil the story on full size paper. Take over the story, improvise and elaborate on whatever isn't covered in the plot synopsis. Gather any additional reference if needed. Focus on visual drama and storytelling. Anyone should be able to tell what's going on without the words. Leave room for writer to place word balloons and text.
- Thumbnail, pencil
- Send pencils to writer
Phase 3: Script
Writers should study the art when seeing it for the first time, especially if the artist improvised from the plot synopsis. Send artist a letterer's script with indications of where the words should go. No lavish panel descriptions, just dialog, captions, and onomatopoeia for sound effects. Write dialog and captions in the form of a panel-by-panel letterer's script. Don't bother with descriptions, just the words. Label each balloon or caption with a number within each panel. Draw indications of where you want the words on copies of the art (scans if it's digital, over tracing paper on analog), using the corresponding numbers from your letterer's script.
If this is a four-person team, send your letterer's script and marked-up art to your letterer. For two-person teams, send those assets back to your artist.
- Write letterer's script
- Mark up copies of art with lettering indications
- Two-person team: send letterer's script and marked-up art to artist
- Four-person team: send letterer's script and marked-up art to letterer
Phase 4: Lettering
Upon receving letterer's script and marked-up art, proceed to letter and border the final art in ink. Use the Ames 3.5 two-thirds setting for default dialog and captions. Improvise and embellish the more expressive lettering (titles, credits, sound effects, shout balloons, etc.). If this is a four-person team, send your lettered art to your assigned inker. For two-person teams, finish inking the art, scan and format to the Photoshop production file, create page TIFs of final art.
- Letter and border in ink
- Two-person team:
- Finish inking the art, finish Photoshop production
- Create page TIFs of final art
- Four-person team:
- Send lettered art to your assigned inker
Phase 5: Inking
Working from the lettered and bordered pages, feel free to interpret and enhance the pencilled art with your personal inking style. Scan and format to the Photoshop production file, create page TIFs of final art.
- Ink the art
- Finish Photoshop production
- Create page TIFs of final art
- Minimum page count: three
- Art dimensions: 9 x 14.5 inches
- Lettering: by hand
- Ames guide: 3.5 scale, two-thirds ratio
- The Marvel Method according to Jack Kirby
- The interviews: "Kirby saved Marvel's ass"
- Part one: Evidence, plots, concept pages
- Part two: The story conference
- Part three: Kirby the creator