How to Write Comics for Newspapers

A Guide to Scripting Gag-a-day and Story Comics in Three Panels

Oct 22, 2009

All newspaper comics need a strong, clear script with a focused story that delivers an effective punchline or cliffhanger in three panels.

Newspaper comics, in general, come as a triptych: displayed in three panels, lined up one after the other in a horizontal line to tell a joke or a portion of a story. Writing jokes and stories in this style requires a specific form of scripting.

Writing a Gag-a-day Comic in Three Panels

The gag-a-day comic is perfectly suited to the three-panel comic format because it follows the structure of the standard joke: introduction, build-up and punchline.

Splitting the joke across three panels allows for the punchline in the final frame; which is the general idea of a gag comic. However, because comics are a visual medium, it is important not to simply have a character stand in the middle of each frame and tell the joke, as a comedian would on stage. Such presentation flattens the joke.

For example, a comic about Captain Biceps, a rugged space marine, may have the Captain discussing his views on fighting in the Nth Galactic Scuffle:

With just the Captain standing and talking, the joke falls flat. It follows the basic structure but the punchline is not powerful enough to stand on its own. The art of the comic should bring the joke to life and it is the job of the writer to describe the scene so the artist can present the joke to the reader fully fleshed out.

CAPTAIN BICEP is standing behind a wall of dirt topped with barbed wire and sandbags. Smoke, explosions and gunfire fill the air.

An ALIEN MONSTER lunges over the barricade, its teeth and claws bared. CAPTAIN BICEP turns and shoots it, blowing a hole in its stomach with his implausibly powerful gun.

How to Lay Out a Comic Script

Scripts contain information for two different people, the artist, and the letterer, and it is important that it is clear which information is for which person; so it can be scanned quickly and easily.

Because comics have traditionally been hand-lettered, dialogue is traditionally presented in capitals for the sake of legibility. Because of this, information for the letterer will therefore be presented in capitals in the script, to distinguish it from information for the artist.

Descriptions of each panel are written in standard prose form. For the sake of highlighting which characters are present in which frame, the names of major figures are sometimes presented in all capitals. Although this is not a widely-used practice, it can help as a quick reminder to the artist about which characters to draw.

Writing a Story Comic in Three Panels

In a story comic, the punchline gives way to a cliffhanger. While it is possible to make jokes in a story comic, these must come second to moving the story along. Space is very limited, so each frame must deliver vital action or information without extraneous dialogue; which is, of course, also important for gag-a-day comics.

CAPTAIN BICEP is crouched behind a wall of dirt topped with barbed wire and sandbags. He is examining his implausibly large gun. Smoke, explosions and gunfire fill the air.

CAPTAIN BICEP: OUT OF AMMO! I'LL HAVE TO HOLD THESE FREAKS OFF WITH MY BARE HANDS!

PRIVATE FODDER is running toward the Captain. He's panicked and waving a message in the air.

PRIVATE FODDER is grabbed by the tentacles of an ALIEN MOSTER! CAPTAIN BICEP leaps to his rescue!

The basics of comic script writing are the same regardless of the genre and style of comic: introduction in the first panel, build-up in the second and payoff in the third. Whether it is a gag-a-day or story comic, it is important that the focus of the strip be on the final frame; either to deliver a punchline or to compel the reader to come back for the next episode. Each preceding frame should lay the groundwork that leads into the next frame until the final presentation and it is the job of the writer to see that this happens.

The copyright of the article How to Write Comics for Newspapers in Graphic Novels/Comics is owned by Zoe Robinson. Permission to republish How to Write Comics for Newspapers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.