This book is a welcome additiona to the other fine books on making comic art. I liked the artists bio and the sections on panel use/ pacing to make your story come alive.

Though NOT very technical the section on COLORING had alot of insights into using color wisely & effectively lends to the imapct of the story.
Rating: 5 / 5

Andy Schmidt’s new book about creating comics and graphic novels is an insightful and rewarding read, so full of tips and clips from legends of the comics industry that it gives off a sense of being let in on the big, timeless secrets that separate the pros from the wannabes.

It’s no coincidence or simple marketing hyperbole that Schmidt aims to make his book an “insider’s guide”. He should know what marvels lay on the other side of the magic curtain. A true comic industry insider, Schmidt has made a name for himself as an editor, first at Marvel on such titles as The Fantastic Four, The Avengers and Annihilation, and most recently as senior editor at IDW Publishing. But he’s also a writer, having worked for folks like Marvel Comics and BOOM! Studios. Oh, and he founded Comics Experience, a company dedicated to teaching the crafts of comic book writing and illustration. Andy Schmidt is the closest thing the comics industry has to a triple-threat. So it’s fair to say he’s qualified to be called an “expert”. One can just hear the desperate chants of future Andy Schmidtites: “I want to be as big as god…or at least as cool as Paul Pope! Here’s my wallet, Andy. Take it. Take it!”

Because idol worship is the folly of many a disgruntled fanboy, take heed: Don’t read this book to learn how to draw or format a comic book script. For those fundamental issues, look to Writing for Comics with Peter David, Working Methods by John Lowe, or classics like Will Eisner’s Comics & Sequential Art and Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth.

But if you want to understand how all the pieces must come together, then this book has more than its share of sobering, real-world advice:

Like when the legendary John Byrne laments that most would-be artists want him to reveal the secret to comic book greatness: “When I tell them the real story, their eyes glaze over. Because, unfortunately, there is only one way to do it. Something Jack Kirby understood, Ditko understood, both Buscemas, Romita, any of the guys who came in with a professional attitude understand. It’s simply nose-to-the-grindstone. Work. Discipline. The hard part!”;

Or when inker extraordinaire, Klaus Janson, points out what newbie inkers today don’t seem to want to hear: “The best inkers have always been the artists who can draw [emphasis ours]: Tom Palmer, Wally Wood, Dick Giordano, Kevin Knowlan, Murphy Anderson, Joe Sinnott, Sal Buscema, etc.”;

Or when artist Gene Ha challenges would-be pencillers to “Bring something […] new to comics. The world doesn’t need another […] Frank Miller or Mike Mignola. […] Show me stuff I’ve never seen before.” You can just imagine the deafening chirp of crickets in a comicon breakout session full of imitators.

The advice from pros comes fast and furious in this de facto comic book creator’s bible, as snippets of in-your-face commentary are firmly planted on nearly every page. Yet, the heart of Andy Schmidt’s book comes from his own voice as an editor, writer and educator.

Schmidt touches on all the major crafts needed to produce a comic book or graphic novel: scripting, pencilling, inking, coloring and lettering. But he guides us through the material with the encouraging tone of an editor or educator wanting us to succeed. Such a vantage point affords us the benefit of his experience, lifting us up to see the big picture and how all the parts fit together. Most how-to books are myopic in their focus on one area of the process; so hearing how each craft affects the others is refreshing.

Having the curtain pulled back by a person so well rounded in the traditions of comic book creation as Andy Schmidt offers us an appreciation for the magic that happens between the crafts. He may not be able to help us draw hotter chicks (talent and practice are another matter entirely), but when our skills are ready for prime time, Schmidt gives us the insights and tools we need to tell a story well, which is all that should matter.
Rating: 4 / 5