There are many people involved in comic book production. Without each person’s role, a comic book wouldn’t be available to read. Writing comics is like the chain of life; without the writer or artist a comic couldn’t be created. The different roles involved in production are: writer, artist, inker colorist, letterer, editor, and editor in chief. Each role is an important aspect which allows readers to have and collect great comics.
The writer creates the story for a comic book. They write the script which allows the story to emerge. To take on this role, you have to be very creative. This is the starting position of a great comic. Writing comics makes you think and write in different ways. The writing has to communicate visually with words, be emotional, and create action and adventure. Writing comics is similar to writing scripts. There is dialogue between the characters, setting up the story, and moving the plot from beginning, middle, and end.
After the comic story is written; the artist, inker, and colorist work together to illustrate the comic. The artist then comes in and illustrates what is happening during the plot. The artist usually draws the comics in pencil. This role is also creative and requires a lot of talent and art skills. This role is perfect for someone who is a great artist and loves design. The pictures are first drawn in pencil because after a page is drawn, it can be sent to the inker. Splitting the drawing roles between an artist and an inker makes for faster production of a comic book. After the artist draws in pencil, the pictures are passed on to the inker. The inker goes over the artist’s work in ink and makes the pictures stand out. The inker uses either a black pen or black brush to go over the pencil marks. Inking the drawings makes the comic look more professional and sleek. After the initial drawing is complete, the colorist colors the writer’s and inker’s work. This is done either by hand or with computer software. The colorist really makes the art come to life. They create specifically how the character will look, what colors will be used, and add effects to the pages such as shading.
Once the drawing is done, the comic is passed off to the letterer. This role is in charge of putting words in the right places and adding sound effects. They make sure the reader is easily able to follow the story. This role is creative and also requires a strong knowledge of grammar. Letterers’ work is most often seen in the balloons of comics.
After the final touches of the comics are done and the pictures and words are complete, the editor looks over the comic for errors. They also help with the creative team and give guidance to the creation team. They make sure that everyone is working in the same direction and know the concept of the comic being produced. The man in charge, the boss, is the editor in chief. He oversees all production and makes sure everyone is happy doing the work.
As you can see, there are many steps and people involved in producing a comic book. Without the function of each role, comic books would be hard to produce. Creating comics is a team job.