Read something other than comics before you try to make comics. Don’t get me wrong, read a SHITLOAD of comics. But also read prose fiction, non-fiction, biographies, textbooks, encyclopedias, and other kinds of books. Comics inspired only by other comics are not good comics. - ThreadSky

ironspike.bsky.social • 16 hours ago

Read something other than comics before you try to make comics.

Don’t get me wrong, read a SHITLOAD of comics. But also read prose fiction, non-fiction, biographies, textbooks, encyclopedias, and other kinds of books.

Comics inspired only by other comics are not good comics.

Reposted from AJ Malacarne

What's your biggest advice for up and coming comic writers

Comments

ajmalacarne.bsky.social•14 hours ago

Definitely! My film professor had the same philosophy. Watch and read stuff outside of your focus and genre!

shelbycriswell.bsky.social•15 hours ago

I make comics and I barely read them tbh

thealexknapp.bsky.social•16 hours ago

You know it's funny I give this equivalent advice to young journalists, too!

albinogoth.bsky.social•13 hours ago

This is also good advice for any medium. Be well read/experienced beyond what you work in!

glitchbunny.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Not comics specifically, but high fantasy - my dad and I love the Stormlight Archive, and he told me once if he could ask Brando Sando one question, it would be what non-fiction does he read? Bc the excellence of his writing and worldbuilding indicates that he reads a LOT of it.

iamthebiggs.bsky.social•15 hours ago

My pops was a comic book artist and was a huge proponent for them as legitimate reading material, even when some of our teachers held them in disdain.
Even HE insisted that my brother and I read "regular" books every once in a while.

rahabim.bsky.social•15 hours ago

One of the enduring legacies of MST3K and the initial decade of The Simpsons is how they drew on and effectively used a *vast* breadth of knowledge in a wide variety of disciplines to enrich comedy routines.

And you can do that for anything.

gritmonger.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Best compliment I got was that my comic characters spoke like real people. Dialogue matters.

hugoskavez.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Alan Moore said the same thing in an interview

cantih.bsky.social•15 hours ago

To quote Pratchett - "Watch everything, read everything, and especially read outside your subject — you should be importing, not recycling."

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