Resources on making comics

Being a good collaborator

Interview with Women Write About Comics:

• Part 1 - The nitty gritty of comics scripting. 

• Part 2 - All about the pre-writing and research phase.

• Part 3 - Working with a larger creative team and ensuring your team is credited and supported after the comic is finished.

Finding an Artist

• Start following artists you like on social; you’ll end up discovering more that way.

• I suggest looking for artists who have done comics/sequential artwork in the past, versus an artist that only does illustrations.

• Look at comics on crowdfuning sites and anthologies and follow artists you find on there.

• Also if you go to conventions go through artist alley and see if there are any artists you like there and get their contact info.

• Look at the exhibitors of conventions/fests that are truly focused on comics, especially indie comics; I recommend:

  • Toronto Comic Book Festival (TCAF)

  • St. Louis Independent Comic Expo (SLICE)

  • The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE)

  • Small Press Expo (SPX)

  • Cake Chicago

  • Black Comic Book Festival/SchomCom

  • Indigenous Pop Culture Expo (IPX)

  • Latinx Comic Arts Festival

  • Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival

Databases to find artists

• https://cartoonistsofcolor.com/

• https://www.disabledcartoonists.com/

• https://queercartoonists.com/

hashtags to search

• #drawingwhileblack

• #drawingwhilelatinx

• #drawingwhile[insert other identity title – the hashtag probably exists!]

• #portfolioday

• #artvartist

• #visiblewomen

• #visibleNB

Script Examples

• https://www.oheysteenz.com/scs-template

• https://www.comicsexperience.com/scripts/

• https://www.makingcomics.com/2014/03/08/write-script-comic/

Books on making comics

• Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud

• Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud

Miscellaneous Resources

• Charlesbridge editors are offering free, 30-minute sessions to writers and illustrators who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) to discuss your manuscript or review your portfolio. You must enter a lottery on their website for consideration.

• Elissa shared a thread on reaching out to your local bookstores as an author.

• Literary Agents of Color is a directory that aims to support literary agents of color in the publishing industry.

• Shelly Romero created a document on Publishing Industry Resources.