You Can Do a Graphic Novel

My life really began when I did my first comic book, Angel Love, for
DC Comics. Since then I have written, drawn, or created more than
300 comic books and Graphic Novels for Marvel, DC, Disney, Harvey,
and Archie Comics.

Three years ago, I was invited by my local library in Upstate New York,
to teach teenagers how to do a graphic novel. I jumped at the chance!
Not only was it an opportunity for me to share my knowledge, but
I needed to get away from my drawing board and interact with
humans. And what better humans are there than teens?

I was scheduled to teach an hour and a half every Thursday evening
for six weeks. Like any professional, I did my homework and made a
lesson plan. The first week, I would talk about the creative process; the
second week, character development; the third, plotline; the fourth
would be about dialogue; the fifth, layout; and finally on the sixth
week, I planned to talk about breaking into the business.

Fifteen students showed up for my graphic novel class. I was teaching
for about five minutes when I realized that I had already gone
through the creative process, character development, and how to
plot. At that rate, I had another five minutes to go until I finished my
entire lesson plan!

I looked around to see that all my students were sketching and
doodling. That’s when I got the big AHA! They didn’t want somebody
talking about how to do a graphic novel, they just wanted to do one.

And that’s what we did. By following my students’ lead, I was able to
teach my entire lesson plan over the next six weeks. Everybody works
at their own pace and has their own way of working. By observing the
students’ struggles, breakthroughs, and creative processes, I couldn’t
help getting inspired to write this book!

Since that first Thursday, I have taught many graphic novel
workshops. You Can Do A Graphic Novel will assist you in your creative
process. By reading this book, you will develop your characters and
plot, write dialogue, get to know your creative process, create a
layout, and learn about the comic book business, but it is up to you to
do your graphic novel.