The Making of a Graphic Novel: The Resonator (Paperback)

by Prentis Rollins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
For anyone curious about how graphic novels are made—not just how they're conceived, but how they're turned from an idea into inked Bristol-board completion—Rollins's book is the one to buy and read. Rollins, a professional comic-book artist who has "worked on virtually every character in the DC Universe," is an earnest, easy-to-understand adviser who's generous with his insights about craft and techniques. What makes this such a useful guide is that it's also a flip book: read one side, and you get a clear account of how Rollins puts together his graphic novel; turn the book over, and you can read the work he's created, a science fiction story set in a future where people no longer sleep. (Rollins suggests that you read the graphic novel first—that way, the how-to section is easier to follow.) It's a clever conceit, privileging neither component. The Resonator is drawn in exquisite, techno-heavy detail, with lush textures whose secrets are explained in the book's other half. The "making of" portion of the book is likewise lavishly illustrated with working drafts, thumbnails and extensive information on pens, lettering and other shortcuts of the trade. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up–Taking place in a cold, distant future where humans have evolved past the need for sleep (but where sleep is still sought after and even sold on the black market as a kind of drug), The Resonator tells of a man who seeks to find the strength to do extraordinary things. The titular object is actually a normal house cat that has the power to induce sleep in humans without drugs. The political atmosphere of Rollinss world is typical of much current sci-fi–a faceless corporation has control over the universe and most people are in its thrall. It uses humans as nonstop working machines, and sleep, although supposedly evolved out of the collective gene pool, is highly prized. The Resonator at times reads like a throwback to the American pulp sci-fi stories of the 1950s and 60s and its format is reminiscent of comic-book adaptations of Ray Bradburys work. Its an intelligent science-fiction story that will be appreciated by older comic-book readers as well as fans of hard sci-fi writers. The Making of a Graphic Novel, the other half of the book, offers 70 pages on everything from the story to the artwork and lettering. A strong purchase for genre fans.–Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823030539
• ISBN-13: 978-0823030538
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #512,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Book Shows and Tells How-To, October 17, 2007

By	A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As a longtime fan of serious graphic storytelling, and an aspiring writer of a graphic novel script, I picked this up to learn the nuts and bolts of how long-form graphic stories are put together. The book is a great "how-to" concept -- the idea is that you read Rollins' 100-page sci-fi graphic novel "The Resonator", and then you flip the book and read about how he created it. You could certainly skip the graphic novel, but the "how-to" information is much richer and clearer if you don't.

In general, I tend to like either really simple and clean or really detailed and complex artwork, and Rollins is definitely in the latter camp. The book is a visual treat, as he painstakingly evokes the crumbling, jerry-rigged components of distant future space living. The story itself is a mixed salad of some very imaginative ideas along with some more familiar ones. It follows a uranium miner named Bronsen as he seeks to escape his stultifying life by using a illegal "resonator" to sleep and dream. In this future, mankind has evolved out of the need for sleep, and sleep becomes a kind of luxury good, strictly controlled by the megacorporation that governs all of mankind. The revelation as to what the resonator is is outstanding, and Bronsen's dream sequences are a brilliant contrast to his waking life. However, the "what is a dream and what is reality?" nature of the conclusion was a tired sci-fi theme long before "The Matrix" trilogy milked the final dregs from it. And stories in which a megacorp rises to rule over all humanity have always struck me as rather lazy. Ditto for the circular concept that these spaceships are kept running on a constant search for uranium, but the only use for the uranium is to power the ships. Nonetheless, on the whole, it's a graphic novel well worth one's time.

Flipping the book over, one gets about seventy pages of explanation, covering writing, preproduction, penciling, inking, and lettering. As a writer and not an artist, I was most interested in the writing section. Here, Rollins explains the story's evolution from writing workshop project to short story, to script. This is pretty straightforward "Fiction 101" stuff, with little I found new or useful. The one part I did like was his "Note on Character" (pages 18-19), in which he suggests that characters become quite interesting when there's a difference between what they think they're afraid of, and what they're really afraid of. I hadn't thought about that before, and his examples are quite revealing. The other sections are copiously illustrated with conceptual sketches, diagrams, and clear explanations of his artistic process. Overall, well worth reading if you're an artist thinking about embarking on the long form. Somewhat less useful if you're more focused on the writing side.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent How-To Book, June 24, 2006

By	David Keener (Ashburn, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kudos to Prentis Rollins. First, for a fascinating if somewhat cerebral science fiction graphic novel, "The Resonator." Using his graphic novel, he shows by example the kind of depth that can be achieved via telling stories in the format of a graphic novel.

Second, flip the book over and he provides an extensive how-to text, "The Making of a Graphic Novel", in which he provides detailed information and tips on creating graphic novels, with lavish illustrations of pages at different stages, descriptions of tools, etc. Fascinating, as well as extremely useful for people interested in creating stories in this form, or for people who simply want more insight into the work that goes into the crafting of a graphic novel.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sleep perchance to dream, June 15, 2006

By	Mumintrollet (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I can't believe Rolilns didn't go blind drawing this GN. His style is SO detailed. And it's perfect for the story, which is about a future in which sleep is really a luxury. NO JOKE. Until the hero, Bronsen, accidentlly discovers a sleep machine, which you'll never guess what it is.

I also recommend "Survival Machine," a trade paperback from a couple years ago that he wrote/drew. It is worth hunting for.