Writing an Action Scene with Impact

by Gary Walters

Now that I have to hire a new artist to complete my comic book work de force. I find that I am low on the monetary funds to pay such an artist. Comic artists, even the new ones are really expensive. Unless you can find one and trick them into working cheap (promises of movie studio interest works well) then you have to pay them. Some want more then $25 bucks a page! That makes a 22 page comic cost more than $550 dollars. Just for the art! True, I plan to color and letter the book myself (as well as write it), but I still need to afford to print it and take out an ad in Wizard magazine and the Previews. That's alot of money for a parking garage attendent to have to raise.

So, I decided that I needdd to trim the fat, so the speak, of my comic book. Taking it down from 22 pages, to a more affordable 16, not only makes the art cheaper, but leaves more room for ads so that the comic is even more profitable.

But where to trim? The dialoguing and the plot were all carefully hand-crafted like a fine Ming vase for maximum reader enjoyment.

I decided that the best parts to trim would be the action scenes. Because the quieter moments of character development, like when Even Steven is contemplating his fate as the dark avenger of night's darkness or when his love interest, Estephania realizes that she can never love the monster Even Steven as much as she loved the man, Stephen are really important to character development. So important, that they needed to stay.

So, I would look to trim the action sequences.

Now, writing scenes for action can be one of the most difficult things a comic writer does. Sure characterization dialogues can be challenging, but people aren't really reading your comic to hear Captain America whine about the true meaning of the American Dream (again), they're coming to read him punch Red Skull in the face. So, the action that propells the plot forward is always very important. Combine it with pictures in the comic format and it is quite exciting!

Now, there are two schools of thought that pertain to action in comics. The first is the Chuck Dixon school of thought. This school teaches that there should be an action sequence in your comic every three pages. Now that can be difficult some times. If you have your characters in a prolonged discussion about a supervillain while relaxing in their headquarters, how do you put in action?

It's quite simple really. Either have one character do a backflip or something else dynamic during the conversation, or have the characters sparring while talking. Superheroes have to constantly spar to maintain their "edge".

The second School of Thought for comic book actions scenes is the Brian Michael Bendis School of Thought. In this school, you are taught to have the characters stand around and talk to each other about an action sequence that just happened. With this method you don't even have to show the action sequence, just have them talk about how intense it was after the fact. And get their character's reaction to it. And how it changed who they are and what they believe.

This way of approaching action sequences can be beneficial if you have one of those more modern "slow" artists. They can just draw a bunch of still shots and repeat them as the characters go on and on about their feelings. And if this doesn't seem "dynamic" enough for you, instead of standing around talking, they could be sitting around a table. Or some could be standing and some sitting.

Because I needed to trim pages from the script, I chose the Bendis method. Below you can see how my comic book action scene changed from one page:

PAGE 14 PANEL 1 Johnny Demon appears in a burst of flame! CAPTION A burst of flame reveals... JOHNNY DEMON! JOHNNY DEMON Poor Steven... you don't even know the true nature of your powers... what they mean... how they upset the balance! PANEL 2 Even Steven, hands clenched in fists, defiant. EVEN STEVEN Maybe... Maybe I just don't care anymore! PANEL 3 Johnny Demon walks towards Even Steven. CAPTION The Demon approaches! JOHNNY DEMON But you should... you hold the world in your darkness. You can tilt the axis of power... we don't have to be enemies... I could help you. PANEL 4 Close up of Even Steven. EVEN STEVEN No... PANEL 5 Even Steven uppercuts Johnny Demon Sending him sprawling backwards! SFX KA-PLOW! EVEN STEVEN I DON'T THINK SO! PANEL 6 Johnny Demon touches his lip and sees blood. JOHNNY DEMON Your even stronger than the host suspects. PANEL 7 The Demon leaps at Even Steven, clutching his neck between his hands. CAPTION The Demon grabs our hero by the throat! JOHNNY DEMON Listen carefully, God fears you, the Devil weeps for you. You alone can bring all of creation down... but you must be taught... or that same power will consume you... destroy you... as it has so many before... PANEL 8 Johnny Demon fades away. CAPTION And as quickly as he appeared, Johnny Demon fades away! JOHNNY DEMON Just promise me you'll think about my offer...

...to just one panel:

PAGE 14 PANEL 1 Matty stands next to Even Steven, who is sitting at a table. CAPTION We join our contemplative hero just after a titanic battle! MATTY That demon you just fought sure had a lot to say about you and your powers. A lot of what he said seems to have changed you. Forever. EVEN STEVEN Yep.

See? Eight panels, a whole page, condensed to one panel. Character development remains, action is removed. Same/same. Careful application of the Bendis method will allow me to shrink down this script to a more affordable size.

So now you can see how writing action that propells your story and characters forward while grabbing the audience and never letting go! Promise you'll only use this knowledge for good!

My last column on the ten most scariest things ever.



And read Volume 2, Issue 2 of The Tricks of Turning Pro, on dealing with losing your comic artist.



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