How to Write Humor Comics for a Living

Comic and animation writer Mark Evanier has a few tips for aspiring comic writers. As he has pointed out "Writing humor comics is a lot more difficult than writing the non- humorous variety". But what makes it so much more difficult than writing a normal story?

There are many steps and procedures you must go through. Not only do you have the story line, characters, and the intricate climax but you also have to do your best to make it funny when it really counts. Comic writers do not have an easy job, and this article will explain why.

How to Write Humor Comics: Points to Remember

It is not enough to be a humorous person or to even show it often when you write. "The first mistake of the beginning comedy writer is to try and make everything funny". Mark has obviously seen his fair share of humor oriented people and good writers but not many who could combine the two harmoniously. One of the most important tips to remember is not to put humor into every element of your comic. What makes a comic funny is the ability to hold your punch line until the opportune moment. By inserting it into your setup and trying to carry the humor throughout the script is only going to diminish the end quality. "Contrast is a good word to keep in mind with any kind of writing but especially in comic writing". This is perhaps Mark's best piece of advice.

Another tip to remember, the drawing mush match with the dialogue. It must have structure and appeal. Don't always try and make all of your dialogue funny...It won't be by the time you get finished. During through climax of your humor comic your visuals should be as funny, if not more funny as the words accompanying it.

The last tip is patience. Don't tip your joke too soon. "One way to avoid tipping then joke too soon is to try and lay out the panels so the payoff line isn't on the same page as the set-up". This basically means to make that moment last. Your readers mustn't see it coming before its proper time or it can take a lot away from your creativity.

How to Write Humor Comics: Practice, Practice, Practice

If you are both the writer and the illustrator then you will need to pot in many long hours before submitting your work to a newspaper or magazine. The reason you don't see more of these short humor comics in magazines and newspapers is because this type of talent is really hard to come by. This is why everybody grabs at the Sunday section all at once.

However, the pay is great and the work is fun. So if this is a possibility for you to consider then I really suggest putting in as much time as you can to be sure that you can actually get that job when you apply for it.

How to Write Humor Comics: Conclusion

This kind of talent does not go unnoticed in the writing world. Those that do well can start their career in newspapers and magazines and by the time they begin to get bored many more opportunities open themselves up. This is how animators and cartoonists get their start.

So, if you think you have what it takes to wrote humor comics and maybe a cartoon series down the road then you need to get to work. You must sharpen your skills before you take on the world.