The golden rule of comics, uttered here so many times;
The bigger it is, the more expensive it is to produce.
Yet, in my travels, over 60% of first-time comic writers have what’s called a maxi-series (10-12 issues) or 200+ page graphic novel in mind.
A lot of times, folks who don’t even want a career writing comics have this sort of, magnum opus that’s been burning a creative hole in their brain for years.
In my Maxi-series trap tip article, I deliver a good analogy about running a race. To stress the point further…
Unless you’re a reincarnated master, nobody starts off as Kung fu expert. Even for super talented folks, it takes YEARS to learn the techniques, develop your style and become proficient enough you don’t get your ass beat into the dirt when you face a challenger.
Comics… really, writing as a whole… is no different.
Even if you’re a writer with a ton of innate ability. All writers evolve over time as they figure things out. This applies not just to core writing fundamentals, but to all the nuance in comic creation as well.
If you don’t have comic writing experience and you really want your magnum opus to land at the level of someone expertly proficient in comics, you have to compensate for your lack of experience. There’s no way around it.
Arguably, the best compensation may be, in actually gaining that experience directly.
To first produce a smaller series or even one shot floppy. Of course, this does create added time and expense (when done properly/professionally).
I get that most folks don’t want to do this.
Especially, for the writer just looking to produce their one IP or Magnum Opus with no other considerations to future comics.
Spending a hundred or two hundred hours developing a single shot and spending $10,000 or whatever, just might not be something you want to (or CAN) do.
Really, I do understand that.
Reality is, even if you do produce a floppy before your big series, a single incursion into comic creation doesn’t afford you a ton of eye-opening comic writing proficiency. It definitely helps… a lot… but it still leaves a lot to be desired for a magnum opus.
If you’re not going to enter the comic producing fray on your own first, or you feel a single comic writing experience won’t be enough for you, the only other option is to leverage someone else’s experience.
To successfully navigate a maxi-series or larger graphic novel–to actually make reaching the end of the project an attainable goal, producing a quality product along the way, consider:
Scripting the Entire series
Scripting the entire series is the only way to get all the pieces of the puzzle right-side up in front of you. This approach gives you the highest quality, but in creating the most content, it also presents the largest expense in terms of editorial review.
If I charge $500 to deliver an SPA on one of your issues, for a 10 issue series, that’s $5,000.
If you have the budget for something like this and the project is that important to you, go for it. (Succeeding and actually profiting from indie comics is another discussion all together; spoiler alert, it ain’t easy.)
Scripting Issue 1 and Outlining the Series
The most common way I advise folks to tackle these bigger projects, is this method.
You outline the entire series, so you have a solid IDEA what pieces are involved in the puzzle, but you don’t have them all laid out in detail in front of you, right-side up. Instead, you only script the first issue. By initially shrinking the scope of the project, the inverse of the golden rule to comics comes into play;
The smaller it is, the cheaper it is to produce.
If I charge $500 to deliver an SPA on your first issue, and let’s say, quick math here, (10 issues, 22 pages, 220 pages, minus first issue 200 pages rounded, times 30%, = 60 page outline), $600 to SPA the outline, that’s $1100 bucks and your off to the races.
While at the end of the project, you’d really be increasing your total budget by $600, starting at $1100, compared to $5000 is a big deal for most creators. For most of us, it makes sense to make a smaller investment initially and see how much traction the series gets before committing considerable financial resources.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with deciding to script more than the first issue, maybe the first 2 or 3. Landing your budget a little higher in order to get a larger chunk of the script ready for production, as compared to only the first issue. It all depends on your personal finances.
FYI, whenever I edit for someone, I’ll tell them straight up (if they want to know), their IP’s validity and my personal assessment of its commercial viability. I always try to steer clients to the best and most budget sensitive course. If I think you’re working on something that’s not likely to succeed, I’m gonna do my best to help you lose the least money before you come to the same realization… and vice versa, if I really believe you have a winner, I’m gonna encourage you to do the most you can do to fast track it to success.
Outline Only
Getting an SPA or editorial review on an outline is always good form and worth the expense.
If you’re a really experienced writer, confident in your scripting, you can SPA an outline then produce the script without any further editorial input. I’ve done that plenty of times for folks.
But for newer or first-time writers, I don’t recommend going straight to script from an edited outline only. There’s just too much benefit from getting help on the first script and too much margin for error if you don’t.
Script Issue 1 Only
Sadly, this is the one many newer writers try to attempt and this is the one you most want to avoid.
If you hire me (or some other editor) to help you with your first issue script and don’t have the outlined also reviewed, you don’t have any idea what the pieces to the puzzle look like–heck, you don’t even have all the pieces!
The problem with this approach, is that it’s super easy to write yourself into a corner, but even worse, trying to write a maxi-series or larger graphic novel on the fly, one installment at a time, almost guarantees that you’ll miss most of your narrative’s potential. And tapping potential often makes the difference between success and failure!
Scripting issue 1 only, is thinking you’ve mastered kung fu after your first lesson… and going into production on your series, is challenging the biggest, angriest mo’fo in the noodle restaurant.
No matter how you approach your maxi-series or larger graphic novel, if you’re newer to the medium, work with a good editor.
Someone who specializes in your genre and has experience in the industry. I’m not saying this to drum up work for myself. I’m saying this, because with their help, standing by your side, helping you focus on the target, you have a real shot to hit the bullseye.
Without them, you’re blindfolded and somebody from DC spun you around three times.
For realz. ▪
About the Author —
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Newcomer or veteran writer, if you’re working on a project that needs commercial success, Nick urges to you read this intro article.
Nick Macari is a full-time freelance story consultant, developmental editor and writer, working primarily in the independent gaming and comic markets. His first published comic appeared on shelves via Diamond in the late 90’s. Today you can find his comic work on comixology, Amazon, and in select stores around the U.S.