Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel: Everything You Need to Know to Create Great Graphic Works

Book Description

Dramatized sequential illustrations with dialogue—an art form once confined to production of comic strips and comic books—has recently graduated into the popular, fast-growing, and often financially rewarding genre of the graphic novel. Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel is an authoritative instruction manual suitable for formal art class or for self teaching on the part of ambitious self-starters. Beginners who have artistic and storytelling aptitudes learn the basics of graphic novel creation, from first conception of a story idea to publication of a professionally produced book. An introductory chapter describes the widely differing graphic novel sub-genres and the appropriate styles for each. They include superhero, gothic tale, adventure/action story, sci-fi, crime story, and literary fiction. A succeeding chapter discusses and shows examples of picture panels, speech bubbles, layout, and characterization of works in progress. Subsequent chapters offer advice on finding inspiration for stories and explanation of the technique of writing for graphic novels. A variety of illustration and layout styles are shown with reference to ways in which each fits a different sub-genre. A final chapter presents practical tips on getting a graphic novel published. More than 400 illustrations take students step-by-step through the process of creating a graphic novel.

Customer Reviews:

Good Solid book.......2006-09-15

This book in not bad. It has a solid well written structure to it. The chapters are sequentialy based. But; you can dive into ANY chapter at a moments notice and glean LOTS of information.

American readers might get lost with British language & grammar but that is minor.

The ONLY drawback is the section on computer graphics. Its obvious this book was written about 4 years ago so the technology HAS changed.

Can't wait to read his NEW book on making comics digitally!!!

Best of the bunch.......2006-01-30

After reading several books on the subject, I honestly feel that this is the best when it comes to get a good feel for the industry and the genre. It is not too wordy, as some on the topic, but it is not too skimpy either. I really feel I learned something from this book.

Kids' Stuff.......2006-01-13

I found this book to lack depth and good art examples. The design isn't that great either. It throws a couple bits of jargon to feel impressive, but there isn't a lot of good information here. Some examples:

For character notes, they give you a stylized table of what is basically a dossier: Sex: Male; Hair: Black; Clothing: Jeans and Sweats.

Bad art examples done in Photoshop.

Balloon shapes examples?

It touches on a thousand things from preliminary sketching to 3D comics using Poser, yet goes into no important detail. "THE INTERNET. Reasonably fast, everyone has access to it, the INternet seems to have the answer to everyone's problem. Except of course, it doesn't." ... "Actions are the first thing that gives a character away. The kind of person you are will always be revealed by the way you act under pressure."

These things and many more are just plain irrelevant.

It's kids' stuff. Not even for the absolute beginner, it is for the casual reader. Even then, I'm sure a regular reader of graphic novels and comics knows everything in this book and much more. A waste of money.

Complete, Comprehensive with a Fantastic Design!!.......2004-10-05

A complete guide. A ride through the Graphic Novel concept and everything you need to know to meet face to face with every detail, including reading recommendation for every genre.

A must have for any creator or fan, and one of the few written recently specially devoted to the Graphic Novel

Book Description

Bring your creations to life without waiting for a bolt of lightening. This entry-level book walks you through all the steps necessary for producing great-looking visual presentations and animations for the Web.

Customer Reviews:

How did this get published?.......2003-11-21

From reading earlier reviews of this book, I really thought that it would be helpful. Upon buying it and getting into it, however, I was stunned that McGraw Hill agreed to sign a contract to publish this book. The author obviously has English as a second language (this is not a joke), and as a result cannot explain his ideas coherently. One of the examples of this is on pg. 318, where a sentence that should read, "You should familiarize yourself with the interface..." instead reads "You like to familiarize yourself with the interface..."

The other totally inexcusable problem is that there are so many careless typographical errors in the scripting examples as to make them totally useless. They don't work, and if you don't know JavaScript (which is the purpose of the chapter on teaching you JavaScript), you have no clue as to how to correct the mistakes. Whole paragraphs or diagrams seem to be missing from the other step by step examples throughout the book.

The author is a genuinely talented web designer whose work demonstrates that he knows the programme inside out. He just should not have written this book without an enormous amount of editing. It's almost entirely unreadable.

Two Thumbs Down.......2003-01-29

I've never written a book review prior to this one. After getting half way through this book I felt I needed voice my opinion on one. However, I am concerned that maybe I expected too much after reading some of the positive reviews?

This book contains too many errors to be considered a valuable resource. Many examples do not pertain to LM2, many of the downloadable files are not compatible with LM2, text refers to examples that are non existent, references are made to non-existent features, and the list continues. Having purchased over 30 software books over the past few years I can say with confidence this is the worst computer software related book I've ever purchased.

LiveMotion 2: A Beginner's Guide.......2003-01-01

Knowing Live Motion 1 very well, I bought this book specifically to learn more about Live Motion 2's new scripting capabilities. I therefore only read the last 5 chapters (11 thru 15) on scripting.

My most relevent comment regards typos. That is misspellings of both text and javascript code. So much so that I couldn't beleive it. This publisher ought to be ashamed of themselves. Is there not such a thing as an editor or proof reader anymore?

I found these typos on practically every page (chapters 11 thru 15) and especially in the example code, a most frustrating way to learn (the code printed on page was incorrect and therefore the example files did not work).

Although there were some well thought out ideas conveyed, because of so many mistakes, I would not recommend this book for beginners.

pretty good to start with the basics.......2002-12-16

The book begins with very good explanations on the basic functions of livemotion 2 and when you create your first animation; you'll feel at ease as far as the pace that the book sets for you to follow. I ran into huge snags with the action scripting. A beginners book should just stick to LiveMotions built in scripts and elaborate on how to edit them. I think it would be a better approach for understanding scripting and how delicate it is. This is where I feel the book loses me. But for the price and the title of the book. I feel like I got my moneys worth. After a week with the book I got two pages redone on my site (the intro page and the enter page) it actually took about 3 days and the other four days were just tweaks as I corrected some of the scripts. I'm still working on the other pages/links to the website. I would appreciate a revision on the chapters with the scripting via free download. This would have been a five star book if the scripting was clearly explained and free from typos. Unfortunatley there aren't many books to chose from when it comes to learning livemotion 2. For the few that are available; this is definitley the first choice hands down.

LiveMotion 2.......2002-08-24

I have never been more disappointed with a computer related book than this one. I found dozens of errors and spent an excessive amount of time trying to get some of the examples to work....with no success.

I went to the publisher's website and downloaded the files and found that I could not load a substantial number of them because they were written for LM1.0 and could not be imported into my LM2.0

It's embarrassing that the author is continually promoting his book on the web instead of attempting to correct the errors in an erratum to the website. I highly suggest that he update the website files to LM2.0 as promised in the book instead of trying to push a book that contains so many inaccuracies. I also don't understand why a few dollars of royalties would be more important than the author's dignity and professional reputation.

Please correct your errors and make your companion website files compatible with LM2.0

Average customer rating:
Livemotion 2: a Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
Simon Dabkowski
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/OsborneMedia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFYGRE

Customer Reviews:

Not of this world funny!.......1999-08-12

We found this catalog in some donated books at the bookstore where I work. I had to seriously beg in order to be the one who got to buy it. We had never seen anything so brilliently funny. The cover shows a lovely feline resplendent in her Aquatic Cat Clothes (And Gear). Inside you'll be happy to know that the set comes in sizes from Kitty through Puma...or perhaps you taste runs more toward the Woodburning Word Processor, the Navel Reamer or for the "Highly Motivated or relentlessly ambitious..." the Brain Truss. Its impossible to capture the zany, twisted humour that invented this catalog, you simply have to see it for yourself. Here you can find a Chicken Gun, "specially adapted to fire dead chickens" or a Summerweight Dominatrix Ensemble that includes three feet of bicycle chain (to use as a belt, necklace or leash)! Unfortunately out of print, if Amazon.com can get it ORDER IT!!!

Average customer rating:

Not as funny as "More Items from our Catalogue"

Items from Our Catalog
Alfred Gingold
Manufacturer: Avon Books (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Business | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0380816954

Customer Reviews:

Not as funny as "More Items from our Catalogue".......2002-02-27

I've been looking in second hand bookshops for years for this, and I finally found it a few weeks ago. I'm a bit disappointed that its not as hilarious as the subsequent "More Items from our Catalogue". I have managed to raise a few wry smiles while I read it, compared to consistently cracking up in hysterics each time I get out "More Items from our Catalogue". The author became much more creative and outrageous in the second book.

Average customer rating:

Items from our catalogue

Items from our catalogue
Alfred Gingold
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Business | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0380815621

Customer Reviews:

Items from our catalogue.......2001-01-25

A first rate satire of the LLB**n catalogue. Items such as the Edible Moccasin, the Chloroform Dog Bed, and the Pet's Camping Bra are spot-on sendups of the early Yuppie era (1982). Eighty-four pages of hilarity.

Book Description

A chronological story of the life of Jimi Hendrix using quotes, original interviews, and 32 pages of color photographs, Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience takes readers from his childhood to his first Top 10 hit, "Hey Joe," to the chart-topping double album Electric Ladyland to his final public appearance at Ronnie Scott's in London. Using all-new interviews plus quotes collected from newspapers, magazines, books, television and radio documentaries, and Internet sites, Johnny Black has woven the testimony of those who were there into a complete exploration of Hendrix's extraordinary life.
With over 100 color and black-and-white photographs and the words of those who watched Jimi Hendrix's life unfold - Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, David Crosby, and Eric Clapton among them - Black has created a genuine eyewitness account that captures the chaos and excitement of Hendrix's career.

Customer Reviews:

The Ultimate Book.......2001-05-02

Jimi Hendrix was undoubtedly one of the most distinguished and most talented guitarists ever to walk the planet. His life started out in the gutter: no mother, a father overseas, and nothing to rely on but himself. Soon however, he found his true calling, the guitar. One of his father's friends had an old Stratocaster and one night while he was drunk, he sold it to Jimi for hardly anything. From this point on, his life changed drastically; he took his guitar with him everywhere he went, even going as far as sleeping with it. His guitar took him all over the country, to England and back, and then back to London. On his last visit to London, he passed away. Jimi Hendrix was and will always be one of the best guitarists ever.

Provides a well-rounded view of the man and his career.......2001-02-13

This book on legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix takes an unusual turn, gathering eyewitness recollections of his life through the words of his admirers, friends and close observers. From his childhood experiences through adulthood, this uses quotes from documentaries, books, newspapers, TV and Internet sites as well as new interviews to provide a well-rounded view of the man and his career.

noone to trust.......2000-09-27

This book opens the wounds of Jimi's death anew. The author pieces together, as best he can, with recollections from family, band mates, and contemporaries the crushing price fame held for Jimi Hendrix. One can feel the pain, and I actually felt rage against all who seemed out to destroy him. True, he had his own demons, but there seemed noone who was really there to care about the "person" Jimi, only what they could get out of him. Of all books out, this one seemed most objective, if that is possible.

My experience with The Ultimate Experience........1999-12-24

This unique day-by-day account of Jimi Hendrix's life succeeds in driving home the relentless pressures of being a rock star. Drawn from a variety of sources, the book manages a feat rarer than a Hendrix guitar without teethmarks...a coherent recollection of the sixties music scene! An excellent read.

Average customer rating:

A Tad Bit Commercial ?

Jimi Hendrix The Ultimate Experience
Boot & Salewicz
Manufacturer: Macmillan, 1995
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

A Tad Bit Commercial ?.......2003-12-02

The release of this book coincided with a big promotional push by Jimi's heirs and some people use this as proof that it's all drivel written by those trying to once again capitalize on the Hendrix legacy. Wait a minute - I thought all of the music, books, memorabelia, etc., were being sold to cash in on Jimi? Actually, this is a nice package, although it's no competition for the very best books out there, either from the perspective of photography or history, but it was lovingly assembled and lavishly decorated. Certainly, it is worthwhile for the Hendrix collector, especially considering how inexpensively it can be had as a used purchase from amazon or on ebay.

Average customer rating:

Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience
Jimi Hendrix
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience.
Adrian, and Salewicz, Chris. Boot
Manufacturer: Macmillan General Reference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O95GME

Book Description

This work explores, through case studies and critical analyses, how media depictions affect the social construction of gender, sexuality, and identity. Through a combination of historical and contemporary topics, scholars examine the stereotypical portrayal of women and men and the contexts within which these stereotypes are illustrated. The studies also discuss the sociopolitical implications of symbols and images associated with these gender representations. Concrete references to particular media support both the methodological and theoretical approaches of the different essays. These quantitative and qualitative studies expose the myriad ways in which the media intervenes in our perception of popular culture. Media and mass communication scholars will appreciate the many different media forms these essays encompass. The multicultural and gendered perspectives that comprise these writings will also appeal to students and educators of gender studies and contemporary rhetoric. Chapters are grouped in subsections that include newspaper, visual image in media, magazine, television, video, film, and cyberspace.

Customer Reviews:

Great contents, bad editing.......2002-02-04

This book has brought together essays written by numerous scholars who are widely known as excellent scholars and/or are the leading experts on their subjects, including Linda K. Fuller, Paul Martin Lester, Kathy B. McKee, Debra Merskin, Carol Pardun and Joseph W. Slade--in addition to mostly competent lesser lights. It's only a pity that the book's editing is so uneven in every way--grammar, spelling, typos, word choice, style, punctuation, organization and flow, etc., etc.--especially since Carstarphen supposedly is a former magazine editor.

Sexual Rhetoric : Media Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender, and Identity

Average customer rating:

Sexual Rhetoric : Media Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender, and Identity
Meta G. Carstarphen
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTQXIU

Book Description

While the computer revolution has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, it has threatened as many other jobs with obsolescence and has often caused the displacement of workers by computer-based machines. Here, Nobel Prize-winning economist Wassily Leontief and Faye Duchin use the
input-output approach, a method that has been widely applied in examining structural economic change, to analyze the complex issues surrounding the impact of computer-driven automation on employment. Following a general discussion of the impact of automation on employment, they focus on four
specific sectors within the economy--manufacturing, office work, education, and health care. The input-output approach makes it possible to draw conclusions regarding both overall employment and the prospects for individual occupations. Taking account of the increased need for workers in the
production of computer-based equipment, the authors conclude that by the year 2000 automation will not cause dramatic unemployment if the economy is able to achieve a smooth transition from the old to new technologies.

The Future Impact of Automation on Workers

Average customer rating:

The Future Impact of Automation on Workers
Faye Duchin Wassily W. Leontief
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK81N4

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