



The best thing about this script format is that the writer knows exactly what the art looks like, and how much room there is for text, when scripting. The writer scripts the in-panel text - everything but the panel descriptions - to fit the art You can use different styles and line weights to show different effects or moods, for example: The lines that enclose panels, balloons, and captions. Reserve them for important sounds, whether large (bombs) or small (a door gently closing). Most SFX are floating letters, and sometimes they’re an integral part of the imagery.Īgain, it’s important not to overuse sound effects. Stylised lettering that represents noises within a scene. Captions usually have rectangular borders, but they can also be borderless or floating letters. CaptionĪ tool used for narration, transitional text (“Meanwhile.”), or off-panel dialogue. Like with any other form of scriptwriting, the golden rule is ‘show, don’t tell’. While thought bubbles can be useful for writing comics, it’s important not to overuse them. Thought balloons almost always have bumpy, cloudlike borders and tails that look like trails of bubbles. Thought balloonĪ bordered or borderless shape that contains a character’s unspoken thoughts. However, it’s important to use these elements consistently so that you don’t confuse your reader.

You can use different shapes for different characters or moods. Like with panels, balloons come in various shapes, but ovoid is the most common when scripting. Tailless balloons sometimes represent voiceover or off-panel dialogue. Word balloon (US) / bubble (UK)Ī bordered or borderless shape containing dialogue, usually with a tail that points to the speaker. While some comic book writers overlook them, lettering and balloon placement are vital things to get right when creating your comic book page. However, comic book writers nowadays mix things up a lot more, using upper and lowercase.ĭisplay lettering includes sound effects and any other text that isn’t contained in a balloon or caption (like store signage, license plates, words on a computer screen, etc.). Traditionally, dialogue and caption lettering was all uppercase. Small dialogue lettering usually represents whispering
