Comics

Write a comic script page by page and panel by panel, with captions, balloons and the counts an artist needs.

Choose Comic script in the New project dialog. The script follows the full-script style most publishers know: pages, panels, a description of each panel for the artist, then what is lettered in it.

The elements

A comic script is made of Page, Spread (two pages), Panel, Description, Caption, Balloon, Sound effect, Note to artist, Note to letterer, and notes that are not printed. As in a film script, Enter and Tab choose the next element for you:

After	Enter gives	Tab gives
Page	Panel	Panel
Panel	Description	Description
Description	Balloon	Caption
Caption	Balloon	Sound effect
Balloon	Balloon	Caption
Sound effect	Balloon	Caption

Balloons and captions

Write a balloon as the speaker’s name, then a colon and the words:

ALDO: Where were you?
ALDO (whisper): Not here.

The word in brackets is the kind of balloon. Jerome suggests whisper, thought, off, electronic and burst, but you can write any. A caption can have a voice too, as CAPTION (ALDO): That was the last summer. Speakers are suggested from the script and from your characters in Research.

A comic script: a page heading with its panel count, then panels with descriptions, captions and balloons.

Counts

Pages and panels are numbered for you, and renumbered when you move them. Each page heading says how many panels it has, such as “PAGE ONE (three panels)”. The status bar adds up the pages and panels, and a spread counts as two pages. The Pages tab in the inspector lists every page and its panels.

The script is written in the language of the project, page and panel names included.

An Italian comic script, its pages and panels named in Italian.

Export

Open Export in the rail and choose Export as PDF or Export as Word (.docx), on A4 or US Letter. The lettering is numbered from 1 on each page, ready for the letterer. Notes that are not printed are left out. If changes are waiting for a decision or comments are open, Jerome asks first.