The DC Comics guide to writing comics

O'Neil has been scripting comics professionally for nearly two generations, and he offers much good sense and valuable information about his craft. Although an ex-Marvelite endorsed in a foreword by Stan Lee himself, O'Neil's principal experience has been with DC, for whom he started with Batman and Superman and proceeded to most of the other titles in the company's catalog. He provides everything from a basic glossary, complete with visual examples, of scripting concepts to advice on characterization--something vulgarly and erroneously supposed not to exist in comics--to guidance on work habits and concludes by discussing the various kinds of comic books, broadly conceived. He exemplifies from DC's stable, which may make the book enticing to even the fan who isn't particularly interested in becoming a scripter. But above all, O'Neil addresses the universals of writing in a way that makes the book useful to all aspiring scripters, regardless of their knowledge of comics. --Roland Green

Adult/High School-This witty, clear, and concise guide is tailored to those who want to create comics. O'Neil is adamant that there is no One True Way, although he stresses the importance of practice. He discusses story structure, characterization, script preparation, and other general writing topics. He also covers those more specific to comics writing such as miniseries, maxiseries, and continuity. O'Neil addresses the visual component of the art, the importance of page layout, and the relationship between the writer and the artist. He concludes with a short essay, "Writing Humor Comics," by Mark Evanier. The book is lavishly illustrated with black-and-white examples from various DC comics. In addition, the author includes many pages of scripts, which are usually juxtaposed with the finished page. He provides excellent advice and guidance for beginners. Although the examples focus on DC characters and stories, the content should have broad appeal. This is a nice balance to the many how-to-draw-comics books in most collections. Even for nonwriters, the book is interesting for the background look it provides into how comics are created.-Susan Salpini, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Dialogue is important. It lends color, depth, wit, and meaning to the narrative. It explains. It clarifies. It helps create the illusion that what's on the page is a person, and not just some ink. Shakespeare told good stories, but what we remember, what makes Hamlet more than just a kid with problems is the poetry, rendered as dialogue. Excerpted from The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O'Neil All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.