When I am writing comic books I love using handwritten text as opposed to computerized fonts. Even the pre-saved handwritten scripts annoy me because you end up placing them in word bubbles on the computer and lining them up perfectly. Human beings don’t talk perfectly! I always like the imperfections of handwritten speech balloons in comics because it shows us that individual’s voice and you can hear them speak in your head much better. When I see a typed font coming out of a character’s mouth I subliminally hear a robot speaking because of how aligned and sharp it looks.
Another quirk I have when writing comics involves totally re-inventing comma usage. I know that when I am addressing someone in a written story you should use a comma, man. Or when you are speaking to someone who has just arrived you might say,”What’s up, Allie?” The use of the comma is important in these instances, and I will write it as such.
That being established, (<– is this correct comma usage?) when I am writing a comic book I use commas and punctuation very differently. When you say hello to Allie at the party in my comic book you wouldn’t take a pause or a breathe before you say her name. You just say,”What’s up Allie?” That’s simply how we talk, and in the context of a comic book I think it is entirely okay to take such liberties with the grammar. A drunk man at the bar won’t say,”Give me another drink,” he will croak in scraggly disjointed lettering,”Gimme nother DRINK!”
Maybe I am different, I don’t know, but when reading a comic I read images, and that includes the shape, style, and texture of letters too. A horrible monster does not speak in Times New Roman or Comic Sans (Never use comic sans anyways!). Ditch the computer fonts and put some soul and individuality into your characters’ voices! That’s my mantra, dude.
One Comment
Yes! Thanks!