Once considered a “lesser medium," comics, manga and graphic novels have finally claimed their place in the literary canon! Even so, the perception of comics as cool images with words haphazardly sprinkled in still persists. In truth, the best comics — from Watchmen to Planetary to Ms. Marvel — all share the same origin: a cohesive, well-crafted script. This duo of 3 hour intensives, available individually or as a pair, will guide students through the art of transforming an idea into a script ready for visual storytelling.
Part 1: Building. In this generative introductory session, we'll discover the visual language of comics. Together, we'll draft page 1 of our scripts by exploring characters, setting, worldbuilding, theme, and narrative.
Part 2: Scripting. In this generative intermediate session, we'll dive deeper into the mechanics of comics writing — different types of scripts, paneling, dialog, and tips for working with visual artists to craft immersive, thrilling, and lived-in comics worlds.
Instructor: Alex Smith is a sci-fi writer and artist in Philadelphia. He's won awards (Pew Fellow, Lambda Literary nominated), has had stories published (BLACK PUNK NOW, Soft Skull Press; BLACK FANTASTIC, Library of America; ISLAND comics anthology, Image Comics; sci-fi collection ARKDUST, Rosarium Publishing), and music and art ranging from punk to jazz to experimental. His work moves in Afrofuturist and queer sci-fi spaces, transcending what's possible with the speculative. His comic series BLACK VANS drawn by James Dillenbeck is a cyberpunk/super-hero mash-up highlighting plus-size Black and Brown bodies in a future Philadelphia.
Once considered a “lesser medium," comics, manga and graphic novels have finally claimed their place in the literary canon! Even so, the perception of comics as cool images with words haphazardly sprinkled in still persists. In truth, the best comics — from Watchmen to Planetary to Ms. Marvel — all share the same origin: a cohesive, well-crafted script. This duo of 3 hour intensives, available individually or as a pair, will guide students through the art of transforming an idea into a script ready for visual storytelling.
Part 1: Building. In this generative introductory session, we'll discover the visual language of comics. Together, we'll draft page 1 of our scripts by exploring characters, setting, worldbuilding, theme, and narrative.
Part 2: Scripting. In this generative intermediate session, we'll dive deeper into the mechanics of comics writing — different types of scripts, paneling, dialog, and tips for working with visual artists to craft immersive, thrilling, and lived-in comics worlds.
Instructor: Alex Smith is a sci-fi writer and artist in Philadelphia. He's won awards (Pew Fellow, Lambda Literary nominated), has had stories published (BLACK PUNK NOW, Soft Skull Press; BLACK FANTASTIC, Library of America; ISLAND comics anthology, Image Comics; sci-fi collection ARKDUST, Rosarium Publishing), and music and art ranging from punk to jazz to experimental. His work moves in Afrofuturist and queer sci-fi spaces, transcending what's possible with the speculative. His comic series BLACK VANS drawn by James Dillenbeck is a cyberpunk/super-hero mash-up highlighting plus-size Black and Brown bodies in a future Philadelphia.
