The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel [Paperback]

Nat Gertler (Author), Steve Lieber (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 6, 2004 | Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

Tools for creating the next great graphic novel!

What do the movies Men In Black, Road to Perdition, Ghost World, and X-Men all have in common? Each started out as a graphic novel-one of the fastest growing segments of the book publishing industry. Now, here is the first book to provide a comprehensive and detailed look at the process involved in creating a successful graphic novel.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nat Gertler is an acclaimed comic book editor, educator, and graphic novel industry expert. His serialized graphic novel, The Factor, was nominated for an Eisner Award, and his publishing imprint, About Comics, has released works by several New York Times bestselling authors. He is the author of seven Complete Idiot's Guides books.

Steve Lieber is an award-wining graphic artist who has professionally drawn Conan, Buffy, Superman, Star Trek, and Batman comics. Lieber recently completed work on a sequel to the graphic novel, Road To Perdition, which was the source for the 2003 Academy Award-winning film by the same name.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (July 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592572332
• ISBN-13: 978-1592572335
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars far from idiotic July 31, 2006

By cyaneyed

Format:Paperback

I'm a long-time designer looking to do a web comic on the side and I picked this book up only partly because I was open to some new organizational ideas, but mostly because the gentleman writing it were so down to earth.

Their teaching method is very engaging, the advice very helpful and easy to understand, but what I found most helpful was the "you can do it" reassuring undertone it had.

I'm also a longtime attendee of comicon and found their "demostration purpose" con comic exerpt amusing.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to express themselves through graphic novels. It's practical, filled with good advice and a ton of helpful references you might want to look up later as well.

68 of 83 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A helpful hand from heaven!!! July 20, 2004

By A. J Marti

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When i saw this title was about to be released I didn't believe it at first... But anyway... I put it on my wish list, before you can say ?idiot?

Not because of the popularity of graphic novels but because I thought that a series of books like this "Complete Idiot's Guide" usually cares about, raising puppies, understanding software or mechanics stuff... You know... Things that might be more appealing to the real world... To the average reader

But to dedicate a whole guide just to the creators or fans of graphic novels... Ummm, I don?t know... Sounds weird... But immensely cool at the same time!!!

Anyway, I bought it, I have it, I read it, I LOVE IT!

As comic creator, writer and graphic novel lover THIS IS A MUST HAVE!... But specially for those writers and art students beginners or expert... Is full of tips and great ideas, all written in a simple down to earth words

As an expert you will find a different point of view, which I think is always helpful, as I never get tired of seeing other peoples works.. And as I believe there?s always something new to learn... In every book... Without exception

Specially coming for this guys, Nat Gertler and Steve Leiber... They not only explain but sparks your imagination with a wonderful sense of humor and tons of creative examples... You will find yourself not only laughing in every page but feeling those creative butterflies in your stomach, while you feel you are ?talking? with people that understand your ideas, love and passion for writing and creating a graphic novel

This is a book that goes directly to the subject... Directly to the thing you want the most... LEARN FROM THE PRO?S

So...... I recommend this one with my eyes closed, not only if you are an idiot, but if you believe that there?s always something new to learn...

Get this one if you write graphic novel, if you love graphic novel, if you only read graphic novel, or if you only want to be... Less idiot... Like me Read more ›

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book to start with June 9, 2007

By Samuel Ceballos

Format:Paperback

Creating a graphic novel (or a comic book) is hard work. Getting someone to read it, other than friends or relatives, is an herculean task. This book is a good place to start, along with some fine books written by Scott McCloud.

I gave it only four stars because of the shallow treatment of so many themes, but that's natural, because of the wide spectrum of subjets that the comic form implies. And I sustracted a star because the writing style... well, tries too hard to be funny, and it gets annoying at times (insert a joke here!- Ed.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best treatment of the process June 21, 2010

By Ken

Format:Paperback

Before writing a review, I glanced at some of the 2 and 3 star reviews, so I'm going to address those first:
1. This is an "Idiots" guide, so of course it pretty much covers the basics. If you're looking for advanced topics, you're obviously not the target audience.
2. Basically this is an overview of the process, with each topic covered in a chapter. It mentions references for advanced topics and other sources to get more information. If this book covered everything, it'd be about 5000 pages.

All that said, I've looked at several books on putting together comic books (much of the information here applies to comic books and there is some specific mentions to the non graphic novel step child in this book). This book covers the process the way it should be, from start to finish. Some books I looked at never even looked at the script at all, starting at the 5 elements of visual comic books, for example (Scott McCloud) or penciling and how to draw. This one starts from the beginning and goes through each step in order.

Overall, this is a great starter book. Other references are mentioned for advanced topics (books and websites). There's several references of where to get it printed (bulk or print on demand). They cover thumbnails, artist tools, lettering, etc. Read this first. Then once you have a grasp of the basics, get more specifics via Scott McCloud's book or the mariad of other resources mentioned in the book. For inking, I highly recommend the DC Comics Guide to Inking. The authors of this book mentions a lot of great resources for drawing (ex: Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain, etc).... It's no surprise the drawing books mentioned in this book are relatively old as the art of drawing things pretty much haven't changed, even as technology has changed. Most are still in print, however, and they are great resources.

So, to conclude:
1. Get this book first. Read it from cover to cover. Make notes of the other references mentioned throughout the book: other books, websites, software (some which are free).
2. Read those other books second to get more specifics on the subject(s) you're interested in.

One small note: If you are planning on making a comic book instead of a graphic novel, get an ISSN instead of an ISBN. The same ISSN can be used for each issue of the comic and you can get them from free from the government (a bonus!).

Best luck in getting published! Read more ›

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Helps My Students Develop Their Writing January 4, 2007

By Sheryl Oliver

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Graphic novels seem to be quite the hot ticket. While most traditional English teachers would scoff at this genre as a serious direction for students, I find my at-risk pupils captivated by the entire process. Graphic novels help me keep their focus...I don't have them read too many, but I try to get them to write for me in graphic novel form. Some of them are unbelievably gifted, and I want them to see this as a viable avenue for themselves. I have a group of 4-5 who fight over this book regularly.