Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers [Paperback]

Kurt Busiek (Author), Neil Gaiman (Author), Nat Gertler (Author), Dwayne McDuffie (Author), Trina Robbins (Author), Greg Rucka (Author), Jeff Smith (Author), Kevin Smith (Author), Marv Wolfman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2002

Contains annotations, plots, interviews, and scripts by many of comics' hottest writers, including Kurt Busiek, Neil Gaiman, Greg Rucka, Kevin Smith, Jeff Smith, Marv Wolfman, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Anything you've ever wanted to know about comic scriptwriting is in here -- Savant #82, August 22nd, 2002

It's an attractive package put together by comics writer Nat Gertler, and it's welcome, indeed. GRADE: A -- Comics Buyer's Guide issue 1483

There aren't many books that pass for "invaluable references" in our field, but this qualifies. -- Steven Grant's Permanent Damage column, April 3rd, 2002

About the Author

Kurt Busiek was working in comics for many years before rocketing to the top of the field by writing Marvels. His original series Astro City has been a lightning-rod for awards.

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times best-selling author of American Gods and Sandman.

Nat Gertler, contributor to and editor of Panel One has written for dozens of publishers. He was nominated for an Eisner award due to his self-published alternative superhero miniseries The Factor.

Dwayne McDuffie co-founded Milestone Media, the most successful black-owned comic book company ever. He co-created Static and writes for the TV adaptation of that series, Static Shock.

Trina Robbins is one of comics leading historians, and her book The Great Women Cartoonists was on the top 10 list for the year 2001 at Time magazine's website.

Greg Rucka was already a respected novelist when he turned to comics, where he quickly garnered awards for his antarctic thriller Whiteout.

Jeff Smith is the cartoonist behind the popular fantasy series Bone. His work on Rose is a rare example of him writing comics for another artist to draw.

Kevin Smith set the independent film world ablaze with his black-and-white film Clerks. He is the writer, director, and star of such popular films as Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back!. He has brought his own characters to comics, as well as bringing the second-string superheroes Daredevil and Green Arrow up to superstar status.

Marv Wolfman wrote Crisis on Infinite Earths, voted the second best comics story of the 20th century. His long run on Tomb of Dracula included the introduction of the character "Blade", the basis for a series of films.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: About Comics (March 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971633800
• ISBN-13: 978-0971633803
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool, helpful, worth the read, April 3, 2002

By 

Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers (Paperback)

One thing that's bugged me in my various efforts at writing a comic book script is that no reference I checked seemed to agree as to what format is right. As this book explains, that's because there IS no "right" or "wrong" format, just different ways to do it.

Every script in this volume shows you something. Gaiman's reads like a personal note to the artist, Wolfman shows how plot-first can work, McDuffie shows you how to work in a recap, Kevin Smith shows a more movie-script style of writing and Kurt Busiek's entry... heck, when I read the original comic book I thought it was one of the greatest comic book stories I ever read, but the script for "The Nearness of You" just made it all the more powerful.

If you want to try to write comics, you could do a lot worse than picking up this book.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why didn't some body think of this sooner?, May 6, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers (Paperback)

It seems like such an obvious good idea.
It's a wonderful glimpse into the creative process.

Just received it last night, and I'm already half through it. I haven't done that since I was eleven and got Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Not that this book has any similarity to that one. This is not a how to book. Its a more intimate, than any instructional book. Its a similar difference in experience to watching a biography to reading someones private correspondence. The presentation adds to the feeling as well.

Better than seeing pencils, better than watching a demo, or hearing someone try to explain the creative process. You actually see it and are part of it because this is what the artist sees, while he is in the process.

As a comic book fan for years and creative hopeful (which I believe is a large part of the intended audience), I hope this is first in a long line.
Great job, thanks Mr. Gertler.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars from words to pictures, June 25, 2010

By 

Curtis C. Chen "CKL" (Vancouver, WA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers (Paperback)

It's very instructive to see how differently every writer approaches his or her script; as Nat Gertler says in his introduction, comic book scripts are direct lines between writers and artists, and each particular relationship influences the way that communication works. Sometimes it reads like a story pitch, and sometimes it's all visual descriptions. There's not a single "correct" or standard way to write these things.

I was highly amused by the fact that Greg Rucka felt the need to include actual endnotes in his script for Whiteout: Melt. Neil Gaiman and Kurt Busiek are brilliant, even in this stripped-down presentation. And Kevin Smith's script is about what you'd expect.