Charlton How to Draw Comics

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TH E C O M IC B O O K G U ID EFor

Artllt/writer ILetterer

EDITOR GEORGE W ILDMAN

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JOE G ILLWR llER / ART DIRECTOR N ICOLA C UTILEITERING ILLUSTRATIONS FRANK BRAVOCONTRIBUTING AR1ISTS WAYNE HOWARD

T O M SU T T O N

JOE S T AT O N

STEVE D ITKO

C O N T E N T S

4 / INTRODUCT ION

ART

5/A . TERM IN OLOGY6/B . SIZE OF ART9/C . TOOLS11/0.' DRAW ING FROM THE

SCRIPT12/E. PAN EL ART12/F . A NATOMY17/G . REDUCTION AND REp· .RODUCTION

WRIT ING

18/ A . SCRIPT

18/B . STO RY U NE20/C . CODE21/0. GRAMMAR

21/E. SYNOPS IS

LETTER ING

221 A. EQU IPMENT

22/B . YOU BEG IN TO LEITER22/C . L EITER STY LES22/0. BALLOONS25/E. PAN ELS25/F. LETTER INGBOOKS

.25/G . SW IPES

C O M IC G R O U PS

26/A. HUMOR26/8. ADVENTURE27/(. ROMANCE

28/T H E C O VE R

C O M IC S C O D E

30/ A. G ENERAL STANDARDS31/B . G ENERAL STANDARDS32/C . G ENERAL STANDARDS32/DIALOGUE33/RfLlGION33 /COSTUME

33/ M ARRIAGE AN D SEX

34 /S O M E C LO SIN G A D VIC E3 4 / C O N C L U S I O N

3



INTRODUCTION

This is not 0 "how to draw or write"instruction course ...The author as·

sumes that you afe already a budd.ing young talent anxious to present

your work to the world , however, every time you send your portfolio to an

edito.ror walk into hisoHke hesays.:"Beautiful. stuff but it's .not comics."

What is "comics"?

What do you mean: "The 'inks'are sloppy?"What do you mean: "Nice synopsis but we need a script?"

Okay, $0most of you know what "inks" are but we're going to dart from

scratch anyway and read , . h . who./. booH The secret af $UCcCess isto first

get your foot into the door. Youmay want fobe a comic artist but if there's

an opening for a letter.,.r ... take itllt'smuch easier to get work when

you're inside the industry than to breal down thebr.ick walts.

BEGIN!



A R T

A - T E R M IN O LO G Y

When an editor criticizes your work he's going to use comic jargon. If

you don't want to appear to be the runny nosed kid that you are you

should know what he's talking about. Here are some common comic book

terms.

1. P A N E L : A single framed picture on a page of comics.

2. PA N E L B O ID .I: The lines which surround the panel.

3. O PE N PA N E L : A panel which lacks borders.

4. R A SH B A C K : Panels which refer to a past action. Their borders are

clouds rather than ruled lines.5. SPL AS H PA G E : The first page of a story. It is usually a large single

panel, loaded with action or heavy on mood which will grab the reader

and 'TIake him want to read the story. I

6. I ND IC IA : A legal statement located just below t~e splash on the first

story In the book. It is of intere.st to the artist because it contains the name

of the Editor ond the addres.s of the company. AI~, an artist may be

asked to leave room on his splash for the indicia. (The amount of room will

be explained later.)7. B A L L O O N S : Oval shaped areas which contain the dialog. The most

com~on balloon iscloud or oval shaped but other sh9pes will be discussed

la.ter; A stem points to the character who speaks.

8. C A P T I O N : A narrative statement usually located at the top of the

panel.

9. LOGO: A title design which is repeated from book to book and/or

story.

10. P t :NCILS : The pencil drawings of a story one step before the ink isap'

plied.

'1. I N K S : The ink drawings which are applied over the pencil sketches.

They ore usually accomplished in brush and/or pen.

12. B L A C K S : Areas filled with solid black ink which help to give mood,

contfost or dimension to the artwork in the panel.

13. G R E Y S : Same as blacks only grey in tone.

14. R E N D E R I N G : Details such as shadows, wrinkles and shine marks

which give lif. and dimension to art work.

5



15. FE .4T H E RIN G : Aseries of brush strokes used to express soft shadows.

They are usually found on . rounded objects to soften the edges of heavy

slmd'ows 0.1' to expreA wrinkles. Feafheringmay also be used' around

bright flashes of light, or highlights in the hair.

16. SW IPES: Drawings or photos which an artist uses as a reference for

his own drawings. Use advisedly . Strive to develop your creative talent or

swipes will become an all too available'"utch'.17 . SILVE R PR IN TS: A Photo of the art reduced to actual comic book size.

These photos are not glossy but printed on special paper so that a colorist

may use his dyes to indica"e the (Olor.

18. COVER BOARD: A large sheet 01drawing stock on whi'chthe cover of

a comic is drawn or pasted in.

B - SfZE OF ART

1. PA.GE SIZE : AU art must be reduced to the size of a comic book page.

Although it may seem that the easiest way to work isactual size ... it is notl

Youwill be unable to addmuchdetaili and yoor lines will seem crude and

bold ..The stDn.dard -size is 10" x IS" but any size that is r.dueeable to a

comic page ilze 6" l(9" i s ulually acceptabl .•. Don't get carried away, it

hal to fit through the door.

2. SPL ASH PA GE : If your story is the lead story (first SIOry)lhen you will

hav·e to leave room 01 the bottom for the indicia. The following chart will

tell you how much room to leave.

1'¥' x . 18" allow2Ye"

11'" x 16~" allow 1 15/16"

*10" x 15" allow 1~"

9'h" K141h'( allow 1 11/16"9" x 13'h" allow 1 9/16"

"most oomm.only used size

3. BORDERS 'PACING: A 14" border should surround the panehifyou

are working ata~ 10" x 15"$ize. Allowmo.re spac:e for larger sizes and len

forsma'II'er seales.

6



SPLASH PAGE

7



8



C - TOOLS

1. DRAWING BOARD: Set it on an angle, preferably on drafting table,

but never draw by lying the board flat on a kitchen table. The drawing

will be distorted.

2. DRAFTINGTABLE:Wooden ones are best but if you can't afford one

at least get a drawing board.3. PENS: Rapidograph, if you can afford it, but any good lettering pen

will do. T ry speedball and some flexible points.

4. BRUSHES: You can get by with a cheap pen but invest in a good

brush even if it means three or more bucks. Wet the bristles and see if it

will come to a point. If you've bought a bad brush just use it to fill in the

blacks. Windsor-Newton series 7 or Grumbacher are fine for comic work.

Number .2 or 3 is a good size.

5. INK: The more you pay, the better the ink. Use only black india ink.

Higgins, Koh-l-noor, and Pelican ore the brands most comic artists use.6. PENCILS: Any kind will do. Soft leads smear but they're easier to

erase. Hard leads leave lighter lines but dig up the paper. ANHBor No.2

is preferred.

7. RULER:Metal or wooden with metal edge only. Use the plastic ones

for scratching your head.

S. TEE-SQUARE:Metal are the best. Wooden ones tend to loosen after

use.

9. PUSH PtNS: Not thumb tacks.

10. COMPASS: Buy a drafting compass whic.h has an interchangeable

point for pencil or ink. Templates may 0150 be used if you own a

ropidograph pen.

11. ERASERS: You're going to need lots of erasers even if you never

make a mistake. Buy sok erasers, art g'um, kneaded, drafting film eraser.

12. WHITE: Buy a bottle of snopake or white tempro paint to correct in-

king errors. If you can afford an electric eraser buy one ALSO but not

instead of white.

13. PAPER: Strathmore or bristol board is best. Ifyou want to use sketchpaper then hang your artwork on the walls ... don't send them to comics.

Use kidd or plate finish whichever you prefer.

14. RUBBERCEMENT - for pasting in art or lettering corrections.

15. CUTTING KNIFE - for cutting out mistakes. X-octo is good.

16. TRIANGLES- 30-60-90andlor 45, tran.spa rent.

9



10



D - D R A W IN G FR O M T H E SC R IPT

1. SCR IPT : Read it thoroughly. Try to picture what's going on. Think

about what your characters will look like or if you're stuck, get out your

swipes to stimulate the creative juices!

2. B R E A K D O W N S : Set up the panels on bond paper (Ex : 8'hn x ·11"

typewriter stock) so you will know where to put the large and smoll ponels.Write a few words in each panel to denote action or dialogue. Thishelpsto avoid overlooking or forgeHing a balloon later onl Youmay also prefer

to sketch the action. Do this for every page a.nd use this os a guide ..Some

artists will prefer to do the break downs on the drawing paper. Ifyou're

good enough, go aheod.

3. LAY OUTS: Layouts are done on the stock you will use for your

finished art. Ughtly pencil in the ponel for composition and action. Be sure

to leave room for balloons and captions.

4. S W I P E S : If you haven't goHen your photos and drawings out ofter

reading the script get them out now. You may wont to change some of

your lay~uts it you find a good swipe. Use swipes as a GUIDE. It you rely

too heavily on them it will show because some panels will be heavy on

detail (the ones you swiped) while others will lack detail which willdestrCSy

the balance of your art. Also, the story telling will be disrupted if the

characters in the swipe are posed differently then the characters in the

story. Be sure to keep a fat swipe file on people, cars, trees, buildings, etc.

5 . L ET TE RIN G :Turn your work over to a leHerer, if that's you, letter now.

Some artists prefer to have the leHering done first and then pencil around

the balloons.

6 . IN K S: Ink in your pencils. Outline first then spot your blacks. Featheryour shadows and wrinkles, put in your greys and paHerns, t;eavy up the

lines in your foreground ond on the lower side of objects. Erase your pen-

cils or get your kid brother to do it for a dime a page.

,7 . G R E YS : For color comics do not use too much black or grey but for

comics that will be printed in black and white use a good balance ofblack, white and grey. Here are some methods:

a. W A SH : Amixture of india ink and water. There are also dye markers

which come in all shades of grey. The effect you get is impressive but dif-

ficult to reproduce .. Before you use this method, check with your editor

since this is rorely used in color comiq.

II



b . C RO SS H AT C H IN G : A ser,iesof .Iineswhich cross.each other. 00 thelines free hand but try to keep llnes c.oming from the same direction

paranel to each other. Ifthe lines are s.caHered, i.twillnot look ccsuel andbee. If wal look sloppy.

e.. B EN DAY: Plastic sheets of printed patterns with.a sticky bock.PaHerruare printed in line, design and dot but dot is most commonly

used. For reproduction it is safest to use 10% - 30% and 30 t9 42.5 line..Again. check with your editor to be sure.

d. C·raft Tint:Pape.r sheets with invisible cross ha.tched patterns printed

on them. The patterns become visible when a chemical! is applied ..This is

the easiest and most impressive method to use but Ukeall good things it is

the most expensive. Mos1 artists just do certain ponels in craft tint and

poste them on to a page of regula" artwork. era ft tint comes in single anddouble tone.

E .PANEL ART

1'. Ughting : Divide your panel into three levels: For.eground, Middle

ground, and Background. Objects inthe foreground are derkestexceprln

heavy forest. In forests the background objects are dark. Use your thin nest

lines for the background.2. Gimmicks: When there are long stretches with lots of di(dogue end lit-

Ileaction use these gimmicks to keep your pe.nels interes1in.g.

a~ CI'Df.. .,p: Close-ups of a face or parts of C I fa.ceare dra.m.atic butshould 1'101 be overused. This can become a cop-out.

b. Silhouette: Sketch in objects in pencil as detailed as you can, then

outline and blacken in, Details give the silhoueHe life, so do not outline

without sketching them in first.c. Bu.t .hot: One or twochairacte~· fill up, the panel. No back.ground

needed.

d. Panorama: Outside of building, tity, plane, forest, etc. No figures

are needed but you may want to draw tiny ones. Balloon stems poim ingeneral area of characters.

F. ANA TO MY

Most Amateu~ realize early in their drawing; career that comic boo'k ar-

tists do notu.se .propera.notomy. Those who draw hu.mor of coune .ra.rely

use .t~e correct proportions. Often their ch~ractel1 are three., tv(o or one

and a half headstall but·even those who draw realilfic adventure comics1 2 CONrlNVED ONA48817



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OPEN

16



seem to throw Grey's anatomy and DoVinci's treatises on anatomy out the

window. This is not true! Anatomy is exaggerated by eomic book artists

but it isnot ignored. Thebiggest mistake a budding young artist can make

is to cre.ate his own proportions before he knows the correct proportions

coldl Though it may seem boring and restrictive study your onatomy! Your

composition and rendering may be superb but one badly drawn hand will

give you a flat rejection from any editor. .

G. R E D U C T IO N A N D R E P R O D U C T IO N

Always keep in mind that your work is going to be reduced to comicbook

size ( 6 / 1 ) ( 9"). If your work is too detailed. i f your lines are too thin or too

numerous. and if your black and grey areas are too heavy then reductionwill be disastrous to your work~ Remember that you are working to create

a piece of art that will reproduce well. Keep your work clear. Bold, sure

lines. good composition and proper spotting of your blocks will help.

17



WRlT ING

A. SCRIPT

A comic book scripl may be submitted in two forms: typewri.tten oranimated. InIhe animaledform Ihe script issketched out by the writer asit

win appea'f in the eemks with the panel break downs., dialogue balloons

andstiick figures ac:fingoul the movement ..There are a few cnmpanies,

usually those who deal almost ,enfirely with children's humor lille5.,whlch

will only accept scripts in animated form but most companiesiinsist on

typewritten .scripls and that is the form which will be discussed.

1. Tille Page: Note the title of your story, your name below the title, thetitle of the book in which the story will appear <ifknown), the number of

pages,. and your address and phone.

2. Number.:o. Script Page: Upper right hand c.orner of each page in numerical

form.b. Story Page: Top center of each page of your story in written Ierm,

c.Panel: Idenlify each panel .bynumber and start again from "ONE"

when you begin a n.ew page.3. Body :a. Ac.tion;Describe what is .going on in the panel. Include props, im·

portant details of setting, clothing, etc e ,, but do.n'tget carried away ..8e

brief and let the artist use his imagination.

b. Caption: Every ponel does not have to have a capt.ion and how

often to use them is up to the .styleof the story, Horror is hea.vy on captions

while humor is light to none. Use capfions to set a meed, time, passage of

time, setting or to describe an action which took place betwee_n. thepanels ..

c. Dialogue: Note who is talking and i f necessa.ry a word or two on the

tone of the character's speech. For example·· John (angrily): How could

you do this to me!

8. STORY UNE

I. Movement: 00 not bog the actIon down by writi,ng page after page of

18



THE SCRIPT

9

PA .G E S E V E N

1. CAPTION: Edmund Higgs t im.cd it so he arrived in the nigh t ...

ACTION: H e approaches house. Hee hee bee hee bee bee

laugh ter is ligh t, sm all. E dmund is spooked, lis tens .

E D M U N D :· M y nerves a re play ing tricks on mel E ven now ...

years la ter ....ImagineItill b ear tb atgha .s tly laugh!

. 2 . AcrION: O pen doo r. H e ho lds match . O r use w hatever ligbt~

ing you like but make it eerie. Edmund's attitude

sugges ts fear.

E D M U N D : Is anybody h -here?

E D M U N D : T h -th is .is better! I t 's musty in here ... mus ty as thegrave!

3. AcrION: H e's seen th ru doorframe. H as lamp now.

4. ACfION: E dmund paused in doo rw ay , narrow panel, eyes

wide, afraid.

E D M U N D : T h -the o ld man is righ t w he.re I lef t h im .l

S , ACfION: Edmund s een .. Back o f chair. H and balding gun is

o n desk. E dmund has shake l ines , lamp, ap-

proaching desk.

E D M U N D ; Y -youcan~t harm me now , you o ld foo l! R emember

when you sa id you 'd kill m e if I to uched-a penny o f

your money? R emember w hen you said you 'd have

the la s t laugb?

1 . 9



two characters making long speeches to one another. You are not writing

com.icsto show off your pr:osestyle. Comics is a visual medium. Give the er-

tist interesting settings, change your settings whenever pos.sible and use

dose ups from time to time so that the page will not be heavy with detail.

Nothing hurts a writer's ego more than to have an artist or editor change

his script. Put yourself in the artist's shoes and c"anges will not be neees-sary.

2. Flow: Days, weeks, even years must pass in the short span of six to eight

pages. Do not make the action jumpy. lead into a time change by using

such dialogue as: "I'I~ see you tomorrow at the dance." The next panel

may not- be at the dance but when the dance does occur at least the

reader is expecting it and it won't suddenly happen without waming.

3. Conci .. : You have a very limited space to tell a story. Do not bri.ng in

unnecessary characters, dialogue or events. Everything must have a

direct bearing on the outcome of the plot. If you think your story through

before typing it out then you won't write yourself into a corner and have to

pull in a new character or have a weapon appear out of nowhere in order

to save your hero.

4. Mechanics: How many panels on a page? How many words in a

balloon? It will vary according to the category and script action. The

average page has from five to seven panels on it. Pick out one main panel

per page and have all the other panels leading tqward Or away from it.

There are usually two balloons in a panel with a maximum of thirty words

per balloon. All these statistics are only guides and will change accordi ng

to the needs of the story. .

5. Ideas: Ideas for stories come from everywhere. Soturate your mind

with story plots by reading as much as you can, watthing as many movies

os money will allow and as much drama on television as you can stand.

Eventually you will learn all of the repeated plots so you can avoid them or

at least give them a new twist. Ideas also come from newspqpers and

often from text books. Mony great stories were based on scientific,

philosophic and even mathematical ideas. Another source of stories is life

itself. Take incidents that have occurred to you or friends and exaggerate

them. A ride on the subway may take you into the land of the mole people

or a rot hole may be the dwelling of a. tiny man.

C . CODE

Unless you are writing for the blac,k and white.comic magazines or for the

underground c.omicsyou will have to have stories approved by the comicscode authority. A copy of the code is included. Read it before you write.

20



D..G R A M M A R

Editors and proofreaders ore often fighting to keep a deadline. Mistakesslow things down so .ifyou c,an'tspell oruse proper grammar you may find

your assignments tut no matter how brilliant your ideas are.

E . S Y N O P SIS

Along with yourstript ,i t is wise to send a short ,out'lineof a' few sentences

for theedj:tar 10 read fir:s.t.If you don't, the busy editor may not bother toread your script.

21



LETTERING

A. TOO LS:

1. LeHenng pens; Speedball puts out a good line. Speedball 8-6 isgood.

2. Pencil and Erasen.

3. Tee Square .

•. LeHenng Guide: Aimes is best.

5. Ink: Any good grade of Indio Ink.

I . Y O U B E G IN T O L E T T E R :

1. Rule lines for the leHen with your tee square and leHering guide.

2. Cross these guide lines with vertical lines for standard leHering and

slanted lines for italic. Leave larger spaces between leHers you are going

to heavy up for emphasis. Some leHerers prefer to underline emphasized

words.

C . L IT TE R ST YLES :

1. Standard: Used for dialogue and / or captions.

2. Italic: Used in captions or to show tension.

3. Bold: Emphasis on key words or names .

•. Wavy: Ghostly voice

5. Open; Sound effect or scream.

6. TIny; Whispering.

D . BAL LOONS:

The shapes Clfballoons depict the mood or source of the dialogue.

1. Dialogue: Cloud or ova1. Stem points to speaker.

2. Thought: Ooud with more curves than dialogue cloud and bubbles,

instead of a stem, points to the character.

3. Telephone: Jagged border. Thismay also be used for any electronic

volce such as robot, loud speaker, computer, etc.

22



HERE ARE A I=EiW!-INn!! TO P'flA,CTlCc FOR GOOD LETTERING:

@ALWlll.Y5 USE GUIDELINES.

~AMES ..ETTERING

GUIDei.

CGW!£S WITH I/lSTfilUC-

TIONS ON HOW 7'0

I.JS£ IT.

STANDARD

FOR VERTICAL GUIDE-

LINES USE RICS+iTANGLE

O~ GUIDE 0f0: A TRIANGLE.

ITALIC

FOR: SLANTED GUIDE-

L.INES USE SSO SIDE OFGUIDE.

®~ TI-fATEVERY LETTER 16INAN IMA.elNARY SOX, AS

SHOWN A.BOVE (2) AND BEL.OW (4)

@KEEPA LIN/FORM SPACE BETWEEN LETTERS ANO WORDS.

~BDDB HI,MARY!HI.FRED!ABCDEFGHIJ"KLMNOPQRSTUVW)(YZ ?!" "...

123456T' 890

®HAvE CONI=/QENCE IN YOUR5EU:! DON'T ~USH •PIMCTICe A LOT:

DON'T GNE UP! 6000 LUCK!

23



STANDARD

ELECTRONIC

,,,,.----- . . . - . . .

" HERE HE ...'.~ CQV\ES! "" '~- --- . . -~WHISPER

GHOST

TITLE LOGOS

SCREA.M

24



4. Whisper: DoHed line border.

5. Ghostly: Wavy line border.

E . PANELS:

LeHerers are expected to ink in panel borders. Use a straight edge that is

slightly raised from the poper so that the ink will not slip under your edgeand smear. The only panels which Ore inked free hand with a brush are

flash bock panels.

F . LETTERING BOOKS:

There are several booklets on lettering put out by Speedball,Higgins and

Ko·j·nor. If your local art or drafting supply store doesn't corry them, then

send to these companies. leojn the basics and practice!

G. S W I P E S :

Likethe comic artist, you will also need a swipe file. Whenever you see an

interesting title design cut it out and save it for when you need to draw a

logo or story title. Logos are usually photostats which are pasted onto

a"':""ork by a staff artist so you needn't worry about them unless you are

asked.fo design a logo.

25



C O M IC G RO U PS

IIncluded here are some of the basic groups of com.icswith comments on

the art styles and writing.

A.HUMOR

LPeople: Bigfoot stuff. Use lots of sight gags leading to a funny een-

clusion. Artwork should not have too much detail. Unework should be bold

and sure and ught on the blacks.

2. Animol's:: Treat the animal art and story same as people but make use

of the fad that your character isan animal. .Ifhe's an alley eet, then have

him 'live in aggrbage can. comp.lete with a t..v, set. Story lines should be

simple butdever.

B . ADVENTURE

1. Super Heroes.: Work out a colorful costume and a unique set of super

powen. Villains are tin important fealure. Ma.ke them powerful and/or

crafty ..2 ..War: 'Details of war .machines and uniforms must eeeeeurete. Stories

may be heroic or anti,wQ,r.3..We.tem: B e 5u~e you can draw hones and six guns well.

4. Hislorical:Oo y'our research thoroughly. These books often fin.d thei,r

way into classrooms.

5. Jungle: Study. your foliage and animals.

6. HOffo.r:Heavy on blacks. lots of shadows,old houses, castles, etc. Set-

ting and mood ere important. Story may 'ake place irl"modern setti ng but

keep the mood terrifying. Dark night, thunder· storms, vampires,

werewolves, ghosts, monsters, mad scienti st5"afe an standard characters.

7. Sclen,e Fiction: M.ostcemicbeek sclenceflcfien is space opera. (Suf do

not overlook the other forms of sc.i.fi).Props become very importont • fay

ouns., space sui.ts,rockets. flying devices. Next comes setting' alien worlds,

rocket ship interiors, outer space. last but not least, the aliens· intelligent,

war·like, primitive, or monsters.

e.sword and Sorcery: Also (ailed Heroic Fantasy. Here you create your

own world ell.actly the way it should be to ma,ke an exciting story..The only

necessary ingredients are muscular, crahy,.sword wielding heroes ...

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beautiful heroines ... imaginatively grotesque monsters ... and magical or

barbaric villains. Aher that you manufacture the laws - political,

philosophical and natural.

C. ROMANCE

The emphasis here is on pretty girls, handsome men and dothing styles.

Settings may be ordinary or in foreign lands. Boy meets girl and take itfrom there. Artwork should be fashion magazine style. Light, colorful with

good drahsmanship.

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THE COVER

This section on covers is not induded with the chapter on art because

coven are usually assigned to the best of the professionals. A beginner is

rarely assigned to do a cover since this isthe art which sells the book to the

casual reo,der. However, when. the day comes that on editor is so corn-pletely taken with your work that he asks you to accomplish a cover you

had best know what to do.

The standard cover slze js 121h")( 19". Working on cover boards will

make your task easier but if you can't get you.r hands on cover stock then

. be certain to allow space for such items as the titI.e company sea I, month,

issue number, identifying character (if any), code seol and a cover blurb

(e.g. "read how :E·Man defeats Captain Cruel"). Sometimes a cover

board win be sent to you with mostof these items Clready glued on butoften you will just have to judge how much area willbe needed. Check the

proportions by comparing sizes of the large cover with the reduced cover

on the comic.

Also allow for trimming. Nothing will be cut off on the left hand side but

some of the other three sides will be trimmed off by the cutter. Do not

allow any important objects to touch the edge.

Ignore the cross hairs (registration marks) and vcndereook outside the

cover boarder 'since these are for the engravers a nd a re no concern to theartist.

All the rules 0 1 compositIon, penciling and inking that applied to Ihe

panel also apply 10 the cover. But be certain to mo'ke the art simple, eye

catching and intriguing enough to make the reader want to read the

story.

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29



C O D E O F T H E C O M IC S M A G A Z IN E A SS O C IA T IO N O FA M E R IC A , IN C .

General Standard. - Port A

1. Crimes sholl never be presented in such a way as to promote distrustof the forces of low and justice..or to inspire others with a desi re to imitate

criminals.

2. No comics shall explicitly present the unique detoils and methods of a

crime, with the exception of those crimes that are so far-fetched or pseudo

-scientific that no would' - be lawbre.aker could reasonably duplicate.

3. Policemen, judges, government officials and respected institutionsshall not be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established

authority. If any of these is depicted committing an illegal act, it must be

dedared as an exceptional case and that the culprit pay the legal price.

4. If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.

5. Criminals shall not be presented in glamorous circumstances, unless

an unhappy end results from their ill . gotten gains, and creates no desire

for emulation.

6. In every instence good shall triumph over evil and the criminol

punished for his misdeeds.

7. Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal tor-

ture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory

and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.

8. No unique or unusual methods of concealing. wespons shall be

shown, exgtpt where such concealment could not reasonably be

duplicated.

9. 'Instances of law enforcement officers dying as a result of a criminal's

activiti.s should be discouraged, •.xcept wh.n the guilty, because of th.ir

crime, liv. a sordid .... istence and are brought to justice because of the

particular crime.

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10. The crime of kidnapping; shall n.ever be portrayed in any detail, nor

shall any profit accrue to t'he abductor or kidnapper. The criminal or the

kidnapper must be punished in every case ..

11. The letters of the word "crime" Oil a comics magaiine: cover shan

never be appreciably greater in dim.ension Ihan the ather words con-

tained in Ihetitle ..The word "crime" shall never appea r alone on a cover.

12. Restraint in the use of the word "crime" in fj;fleser $ubtitlesshaU be

exercised.

General Stan.dard •• porta

1. Nocomic.magaz.ine shall use the word horror or terror in it s title.

These words may be used judiciously in the body of the magazine.

2. All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes,

depravity, lust, sadism, masochism sholl not be permitted.

3. All lurid, unsavory, gruesome·illustrations shall be eliminated.

4. Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be

published only where Ihe intent isto illustrate amoral issue and in n.ocase

shall evil be presented alluringly nor so as to iniure thesenslbili.ties of the

reader.

5. Scenes dealing with, or instruments esseeiated with walking dead" or

torture shall not be used. Vampires, ghouls and werewolves shell be per-

mitted to be used when handled in the classic tradition such as

Frank.enstein, Dracula and other high calibre literary works written by

Edgar Allen Poe, Saki (H. H. Munro), Conan Doyle and other respected

authors whose works are read in school5 throughout the wodd.

6. Nareoti.csor Drug oddictionshc'lI not bepllesentedexcept 050 vicious

habit.

Narcotics or Drug addiction or the iHicittraff:ic in addiction - producing

narcotia or drugs shall not be shown or described ilthe prelentotion:

(a) Tends in any manner to encourage, mmulate or justify the use of

31



such narcotics or drugs; or

(b) Stresses, visually, by text or dialogue, their temporarily attractiveeffects; or

(c) Suggests that the narcotics or drug habit may be quickly or easilybroken; or '

(d) Shows or describes details of narcotics or drug procurement, or the

implements or devices used in taking narcotics or drugs, or of the taking of

nerecties or drugs in arry manner; or

(e) Emphosizes the profits of the narcotics or drug traffic; or

(f) Involves children who are shown knowingly to use or traffic in nar-

cotics or drugs; or

(g) Shows or implies a casual attitude towards the toking of norcotics or

drugs; or

(h) Emphasizes the taking of narcotics or drugs throughout. or in a ma-

jor pari, of the slory, and lea,vesthe denouement to the final panels.

G e n er al S tan d a rd s - P a r t C

All elements ortechniques nat specifically mentioned herein, but which

are contrary to the spirit and intent of the Code, and are considered

violations of good taste or decency, shall be prohibited.

D t A l O G U E

1. Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity. or words or symbols which have

acquired undesirable meanings - judged and interpreted in terms ofcontemporary standards - are forbidden.

2. Special precautions to avoid disparaging references to physicol af-

flictions or deformities shell be taken.

3. Although slang and colloquialisms are acceptable, excessive use

should be discouraged and wherever posslble good grammar shall be

employed.

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RELIG ION

1. Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never per-

missible.

C O S T U M E

1. Nudity in any form is prohibited. Suggestive and salacious illus-

tration is unacceptable.

2. Females shall be drawn realistically without undue emphasis on any

physical quality.

M ARR IAGE AND SEX

1. Divorce shall not be treated humorously nor represented as

desirable.

2. Illicitsex relations are not to be portrayed and sexual abnormalities

ore unacceptable .

•3. All situations dealing with the family unit should have as their

ultimate goal the protection of the children and family life. Inno way shall

the breaking of the morol code be depided os rewarding.

4. Rope sholl never be shown or suggested. Sedudion moy not be

shown.

5. Sex perversion or any inference to same is ,tridly forbidden.

REPRIN TED BY PERM ISSIO N OF COMICS CODE AU THORITY

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SOM E CLOSING ADV ICE

1. Read the comics which you .plan to work for. Study them and.mentally

take them apart. Note the art style, dialogue, story lines. For practice,.copy

your favorite artists' styles until your own individual style emerges.

2. Don't come up with a great new ideo for a comic book. Ideas come

from within a company, either from the staff or regular free-lance con-

tributors. Give the company what it wants and after you've had your work

published ""gularly by a particular outfit, meet with the editor to discuss

new ideas. He will listen. because he respects you 0.5 a pro.

3. Don't offer your work for free. It will tag you right away as an

amateur and Iiwill not make your material more tempting since the editor

Is not spending his own money but his publisher's money. Also, he is legally

bound to pay you i f he accepts your work.4. Include a return envelope and postag.e with your work.

S. M.ake certain your samples only include your best work of the type

they're looking for.

6. Be neatl Dirt and smudges will erase and whatever won't erose ...

white out or erase with an electric eraser.

CONCLUSION

Following these directions will nol guarantee you work in comics since a

considerable amount of talent and experience are also factors. School

newspapers, smCilIl local publications, various fan p"blications, or just

plain practice will provide some of this experience. Itwill be a tremendous

advantage to you i f you could get work as Q comic artist's assistant. The

experience and techniques you will pick up under the guidance of aprofessional cannot be equaled anywhere else.

I wish you all the best of luck and n.ow stop reading about comics and

start drawing and writing them!







Documents

Charlton How to Draw Comics