What Makes A Comic Book Bad? 7 Comic Book Writing Sins || Weekly One Shot
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- What is a bad comic book? The story doesn't connect, the dialog is odd, or any number of things can derail an enjoyable story. Lets look at the 7 sins of comic book writing.
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When it comes to bad comic books, other than art, the biggest issues typically come from the writing of the book. The script lays the foundation for the story and can impact how enjoyable it is. Since every comic book story starts when a writer puts pen to paper, lets take a look at 7 comic book writing sins that can ruin your favorite stories.
Continuity - This can easily be described as the backstory or history for a character, team or storyline. The death of a family member, or a tragic accident in the past is an important part of what builds a character. However, issues pop up when you don't pay attention to those defining moments, or things get bogged down when you focus on them too much. Continuity is a fine line that needs to be walked, showing respect to what came before you, without limiting your ability to create something new.
Exposition - This is also called an "info dumb" where one of two characters (or the narrator) proceed to explain at length what is going on and why it is important. This can last a few panels, or go on for pages, but one thing is for sure. If you need to use heavy exposition to make sure your reader is up to speed, somewhere in your previous story you have failed to communicate properly via the art or other important lines of dialogue or narration.
Jargon/Inside Baseball - It is great that you know everything about a given world, and can speak the language of your universe fluently. However, relying too much on terms that aren't commonly used (which can happen in indie books) with previously giving the reader context can make stories unaccessible. Every comic is someones first, so bring your reader into things slowly, and use the jargon sparingly.
Unrelatable - When a reader cannot connect with a character, it makes them unrelatable and readers find themselves becoming uninterested in what happens to them. A character can be outlandish, like a billionaire vigilante, but they still need a hook that allows a ready to identify with them and participate in their character journey.
Verisimilitude - The perception that something is real or true, which makes the surroundings believable. Though comics are based in a fantasy world in most cases, the actions of the characters, the world and the environment need to make sense enough to feel real to the reader.
The Mary Sue - This is an idealized, or seemingly perfect character, which makes them boring.
Isolationism - The world of comic books are rich environments where something is always happening. Writing inside a bubble and ignoring what is going on within your own universe causes confusion among the readers and can lead to them abandoning one, if not both titles.
Weekly One Shot is a once a week show where we tackle a bigger topic regarding comics. From crossover events to cancelations to movie adaptations, it will go over anything in comics.
1) Don’t retcon, don’t over indulge in character history. Stay consistent.
2) Exposition is necessary, but show don’t tell.
3) Terminology is fun, but use it to intrigue, too much confuses new readers.
4) Your character must be relatable.
5) Realism into the character’s world is important, without it your reader has a hard time understanding the story.
6) Do not create a Mary Sue, superheroes are power fantasies for everyone, not just you. They must have flaws and real character.
7) Large enough events should play into other universe’s books, otherwise continuity is out the window and the story feels small. Other comics act as a web.
Thx
As soon as I hear Mary Sue.. I stop listening.
Your character doesn't have to be relatable. Just realistic.
@@oats7924 Yea, but 9/10 it's better if they're relatable.
@@rmcdaniel2424 have fun writing shitty comics lmao
For me, breaking "continuity of character" is the biggest sin (characters act out of character through overly emotional & idiotic decisions to serve a story arc). This includes large leaps of logic & forgiving or forgetting serious conflicts.
I also hate unearned victories, deus ex machina solutions, MaCGuffins, etc. that brush off story & character development.
I guess what I really hate is when writers slap together scenes without considering character history, motivation, or story logic.
+Kurt Terfloth You pretty much described the differences that separate well executed fiction from substandard. Character is key. The main character/protagonist is the window into the story. They need to be the most consistent, otherwise thing fall apart for the reader.
My definition of a good comic story
1 the story makes you interested in the characters and universe it’s set in.
2 the story makes you want more.
3 the story makes you feel as if the universe is ongoing and things are going on in it and is not bland and boring.
4 the comic has a good message and delivers that message in a intriguing way and leaves you wondering what will happen next or leaves you to ponder over an event that happens in that specific book
#4 is the reason why modern-day comics are completely down the toilet as is. We don’t need any more messages but to be entertained.
The idea of entertaining is not to lecture your readership or your audience, otherwise you’ll chase them away.
@@kiethveseyofficial you misinterpreted what I meant. I said good message not to lecture but to make the reader feel something. Entertainment. Happiness sadness. Not to lecture. If you make something that’s just idk fighting or something without substance it becomes boring that’s why modern comics are bad now they are just boring fighting and redesigns of characters
Continuity is the biggest sin, in my opinion, especially if it's written by the same writer for a character, tone, and world they are building. If something doesn't make sense within their own rules they've laid out, that writer has lost me as a reader, however the enjoyment or fun of the book (for me) usually trumps most flaws.
Again, great video Stan and I'm glad to see you posting more videos lately. Glad to see you back.
That might be the most frustrating thing. A writer, telling a story, and ignoring the history they have already given the character. I understand going back and correcting mistakes, but it feels more earned when we do it as part of the progression of a character. Anytime you discount the history, you reduce the weight of the character, and unless you are talking about fractured psyche the story matters much less.
Fun keeps me reading, for a while, but investment keeps me excited and makes me champion a book. Mister Miracle, Vision, Descender and a few others are all personal examples of being invested in a story and being a promoter, trying to get other people to read it.
For me past history is as important as the Continuity. both must be respected to go forward. but I see a lot isolationism in comics I feel if they're big events going on then it should be stated in all books it relates to. there should be no out side stories til that big event is finished.
As an aspiring comic-book artist and writer, I find this list really accurate and insightful.
do you have like a blog or something
As an aspiring writer, I actually disagree with some of the points he made. I think it's okay to go outside the box or to target a niche audience. That being said, on a personal level, I agree. Like a lot. Haha
the analogy on the Hulk story was spot on. They had Hulk fans were hopeful, but quickly dashed.
Well, we did get Immortal Hulk out of it, so it can't be All bad.
This confirms my mistakes on my own comic XD Thank you for sharing, I learn valuable stuff this way
You either make a character relatable or you make them desirable.
You can look at a character and think "I have a lot in common with them" or you can look at a character and say "I would like to be more like them"
I have to this day of reading comics for nrarly thirty years to relate to a character.
I enjoyed this very much so. all 7 of theses makes comics but also applies to video games movies and shows. i wish people would think more about this rather than wanting to make a fast buck.
Agreed
The doc strange and Thor toys in the background... Cute. And marvel comics
When you said *7 Deadly Sins* that caught me off guard for a second xD
you anime fan, you
@@rustcohle3803 *Shakes fist at sky*
I almost punched my screen when I saw that red devil.
I know. Biggest sin in comics.
I'm writing a comic and these tips are great to keep in mind as I outline. Thanks for posting this video!
The issue with "isolationism" is that you may have a reader ask a question as to why a more powerful hero could not step and stop the villain? Or at least help.
If there was a threat to NYC in a Spider Man comic, would the Avengers just sit back? Dr. STRANGE? FANTASTIC four?
The marvel movies kind of understood this which is why they said Captain Marvel was away on other planets during Endgame, or that Thor and Hulk MIA at one point because the writers knew the two of them could have brute strength thr ending...
Same with the first avengers movie....in the NYC battle, the Xmen and Fantastic Four would have been fighting alongside the Avengers as well.
Awesome breakdown. Nothing worse than getting committed to a series and they doo doo on you at the end. Bad art can take me out of the story too
Art is the biggest reason I fall off stories early. If I don't connect with the art, it is tough for the story to win me over, because the art does so much heavy lifting. That could be a video on its own.
When it comes to writing, the art can be great, which masks a lot of flaws, but ultimately you can tell its just poor at it's core. That is probably the most hurtful thing. Feeling like you were fooled by the presentation.
That's how felt about supergirl rebirth but story was not working ether.
You Lose when you start following the "What-Worked-For-Me" rules. The reason Comics are failing so badly is because everyone is trying to follow the paths of people who already made it. Once you start following others you lose your own path along with your own sense of creative leadership. The creativity that you have, had or are gaining is based on your own imagination. YOUR imagination. Once you start listening to others, mentally tracing art, you lose creativeness. Put the Pencil to the Paper and Draw. Dont TRY to do something, DO IT! The best Ideas and Creations come from doodling (accident). If you have an idea about something, put it into play. If nothing else, If you fail, noone can tell you that you did it wrong because you did it your way. Also, Practice is the ONLY way to Master something. Keep messing around with something long enough and eventually youll get it right. On Your Own.
I feel like a character doesn’t have to be relatable but intriguing and spikes curiosity. I’ve read characters that I couldn’t relate to but I kept reading cause they thought so differently and I wanted to know how they thought. How could someone become this way?
I hear you on exposition, there is a balance and a need for a well written story for the artist to bring to life while the writer narrates it with dialogue. Write your story before you direct the artist.
Thank you for this🙏 I’m writing my own comic with my own character and origin etc. And this helped a lot so now I know how to make my comic better
Hey man, great point list but I think this could have been a 10 minute video; a little lengthy on each point, other than that, solid info. Keep it up!
I hate feeling Frustrated in anything.
very informative and helpful, thank you
Wow. I cannot express how ultimately fascinated and thankful I am for you. By making this video,you have given me a New perspective to points that I thought before might be relatively simple or obvious. You put just enough detail in for me to understand it, and for it to really sink in the way it needs to. I'm without a doubt subscribing to your channel, keep up the great videos.
I didn't understand most of your comic references, but the advice was good, thanks
great top 7 list man and he minute i saw that picture of mephisto i was immediately going to pissed off
Tevya Smolka ,it pissed me off too bro.
Continuity (or lack of it) is a major problem, back in the day (when there was no reboots) i read a comic, rich history is plastered on me and i get interested in reading the history (comics back then had a jump on point within a panal or two, no need to reboot anything) but nowadays to reboot is taking the easy way, its just lazy writing.
This is a great list and I feel like a lot of modern events suffer from these problems esp. when you look at the continuity issues that CW2 x SE suffered from in regards to not being connected with the other titles or how Metal is just slamming years of continuity at you and is leaving newer fans confused.
But let’s be real here, convoluted continuity has doomed X-Men and Hawkman.
But with this being Comics I think bad Art is the biggest sin. All star batman and robin was terrible (with the exception of #9) but Jim Lee drew the hell out of that book so young Jeremiah ignored that terrible writing.
Bad comic book art is a completely different topic, and is even more subjective, as it is based on style and perception. Would need a totally different video.
Bad art is a big one, but bad dialogue kills a comic before anything else for me.
Marvel has broken these rules big time with their movies and tv shows . Part this has do with rights to characters but there are other factor driving this too. Money is big factor. The Iron fist Tv show is one example of this. Little respect to comic book history and I can not relate to character. The supporting characters are more interesting than him.And there is night mare that is inhumans Tv.
Rubeus Archos ,So true bro, their current comics and movies are getting stale and redundant.
The iron fist TV show was awful
I feel that Scott Snyder Batman falls in that Merry Sue category when it comes to Batman always having a Mech suit or gadget for every situation. I did enjoy this list and will look out for why curtain comics i feel dont grab my attention or why they do.
great video - brilliant insight and so useful to have these elements listed out and explained clearly!
Wow Stan, very insightful for a new comic collector like myself!👊
Some are more applicable to big franchises and universes and less important to say an indy stand alone comic. Still I'm making my own and I took notes as these are great tips! I think it's better to avoid any retcon and stay true to continuity but understand the need if a BAD writer messed things up.
To help at the character creation phase I recommend random dice charts for character flaws and weaknesses. If your like me and have a hard time adding enough flaws and weaknesses you roll and use the ones you like/fit. Always re-roll any results that just feel wrong/don't fit.
Of course my impressions are more from a Original creating from scratch my own indy work perspective rather than the 'work for marvel or DC' perspective. I'd rather create my own continuity and own my own work than work on someone else's characters I can't keep; and that may have very questionable backstory and continuity...
Anyways fun video thanks.
Thank you for explaining these important points for making a monumental comics. Peace my friend
"One More Day did not happend"
We wish man, we wish.
#7 Can be a problem when a title has to keep up with dozens of others at the same time. That's one problem Marvel has always had...too many heavy hitting and popular characters in the same city and time.Yes it can achieve interesting results when its used, but it can also turn away new readers who feel they need to read a dozen books to keep up. Sometimes it's best to just keep the big titles in their own "worlds" as it were to let them breathe and entertain their fans vs. having to take into account whatever is happening in titles either said readers don't follow or don't care for. I'll freely admit that I lose interest fast in titles that demand I read parts of the story in comics I don't want to follow or buy at $3.99 a pop. That just feels like the goodwill of one title is being exploited by another. I get that comics are a business...but that really soured me on Marvel and DC for a long time as it felt every event needed you to buy dozens of titles just to understand what was "really going on..."
Another great video my man
Excellent advice, you deserve more views!
Thanks for sharing this very thoughtful content.
I find this list particularly interesting because Superman is one of the most popular comic books of all time and yet I wonder consider him both a Mary Sue (Are there any issues where the villain isn't holding kryptonite?) and un-relatable (maybe, maybe you can claim unrequited love and loss of a parent, but those are weak sauce).
It's a difficult balancing act, some of the things I like most about comics and that make me a fan could simultaneously turn off potential new readers, continuity and jargon are prime examples.
Watching this I realize my main character is a mary sue, this character can't die and his strength has no limit to it, i need to add flaws and challenges he has to face during his journey yet i don't know how to make this character struggle, fall, and feel what it's like to hit rock bottom
I think the most important thing for any type of fantasy storytelling is it being realistic. I already know it’s made up an bought into it but when writers start breaking rules they laid out or having their characters act totally different they have previously ruins any story for me.
I can forgive some continuity errors. It irks me but you know. Mistakes happen. The thing that pisses me off to no end, what actually makes me buy less titles is how after most arcs (be it a character or group or the whole) that everything has to reset back to the status quo. It is still a continuity issue. But more than just something that happens in one title and not appearing in the next, is the way characters always get reset and have no growth.
(Dunno if I made much sense. Long day)
Thank you so much. U dont have an idea how this video is helping me
Very specifically this is a video only about the very narrow topic of how not to challenge readers of superhero comics (and no other comics) to keep sales up.
I want to write my own comic for self pressure and I wanted to know how to write one
I looked up "why gail simone is terrible" and got this lol
Sin #8 is 7 = 1 or repeating yourself ;) ... otherwise, I liked your vid. :D
This is a very under-rated video...if i could give u a thousand "likes" i would
That's good advice!
great video
This video explains perfectly why I stopped reading modern superhero comics
Point number 6. When he explains it, I think 'Vin Diesel!'
I always thought huge overlapping story lines spread across 3 to 7 different titles was one of the biggest turn offs. I mean it's not like im gonna spend 50 bucks a month on comics, for an ongoing story that isn't exactly user friendly . it may be ambitious storytelling but it's not good storytelling.
you could make a whole video of Bendis disregarding continuity.
That would be a good video
The comic book industry is like trying to impress an old person that's never imagined such a thing as a comic. Repeatedly over and over again. It's always like a super powered hero that must have muscles. If you have magical abilities, you probably won't need muscles.
What if your a indie artist? With no team or other artist in your universe? How do you connect with the comic universe or industry and yet not be a copy cat?
corey deas Hey! I’m the Editor in Chief of Valor Comics, would you like to communicate with me throught the app "Discord", I’d like to talk to you! Add me on Discord, « Braiden#7393 »
Technically he was cured of being the hulled , hydra cap manipulated him into experimenting on himself again , which led to him almost hulking out and Hawkeye shot him
And now he literally can't die.
Thank you for doing this . Gremlin Comics
This video full of Sin no 3 ! LOL😂
Great video
Thanks :)
Bruh, the continuity point gave me a headache. Each individual story is its own story. Continuity within a set story is all that matters
the mary sue...*cough* batman
Great one .
lol Bendis flaunts these at will, doesnt he
Isolationism in this context could fall under continuity. A Mary Sue is one example of an unrelatable character.
I like how most of the problems you spoke of mostly stem from Marvel lol
Please can you allow auto translation in your videos? I'm had of hearing and will appreciate it. Thank you.
Marvel now has more unrelated super hero who just so happens to be on overdog then an underdog like America, Moon girl and Riri William.
Somewhere somebody did all 7 and was still hired. Then there's the talented independent writer who's a "starving artist."
Detail! Where you at?!
It seems as if Marvel bathed in the 7 deadly sins...especially Spider-Man
Another sin: making it woke
Great video. Keep it up!
Thanks a lot!
Dang near everything out now breaks rule number 2 & 4 those are staples in marvel and dc now. I almost forgot number 6. Way too much of that in comics right now
Mary Sue. Thats why I don't like Constantine.
In regards to number 4 I disagree just because of examples like sandman
"Continuity" as a sin? Don't you mean "breaking continuity"?
6. = Superman
the 7th, isolationism. is the one that doesn't allow to enjoy for example Batman. This dude has like 3-4 ongoing runs. How the fk is this possible for 1 man to be in so many places and teams and events???? The same goes with superman. I noticed that Marvel has a bit less problem with that.
Hey Stan great videos can you stand a little bit farther back from the camera.
Am i the only one who saw his name is 'stan weed'?🙄
my problem with super hero comics is a shared universe. imagine if the events in hunterxhunter affected dragon ball z? it's stupid in my opinion. would have been better if all marvel comics kept to their own.
But doesn't arrale from toriyams other manga come to dragon Ball. Isn't that the same?
@@Spooky799kil thats a joke for super and can be easily ignored in Dragon ball 1984. There's a difference between collab/ and shared universe.
Marvel has been connected almost since its inception. Hunter hunter and Dbz werent made to be a shared universe.
@@CommieApe huh you got it all mixed up. They were arguing Arale in Dragon Ball. And we were discussing whether or not Marvel should be a shared universe. Not if it is.
Is it just me or does Stan Weed look really stoned?
no one looks distinct
no one acts distinct
no cool visuals
no sense of place
nothing is resolved
new readers are confused
no sense of humor
The 50 down votes just proves there are at least 50 jack asses out there. There is nothing to down vote on this video. Thanks for making it. 🙏
A tip: take a breather between sentences so we can ingest your information better.
Isolationism happens in marvel movies
Lol one punch man is a Mary sue l😂
how can i have a job in a comic industry :)
this is only what makes superhero comics bad
Hey! Speak slower
listen faster
Just slow down the video
Captions should be an option
"What Makes A Comic Book Bad?"
Woke crap.