You've written a comic script with detailed descriptions of character backstories, internal motivations, and complex emotional states. You send it to an artist. They reply: "This is great writing, but I don't know what to draw. What's actually happening in each panel?" You realize you've written a novel, not a comic script.
Comics are a visual medium. The script needs to tell the artist what readers will SEE, not just what characters think or feel. Internal emotions must be externalized through action, expression, and visual storytelling. A good comic script is a blueprint for visual storytelling, not a prose story with pictures added.
This guide breaks down how to write graphic novel and comic scripts that work—proper format, visual storytelling techniques, tight dialogue, pacing through panel composition, and collaboration with artists.
Understanding the Visual Medium
Comics combine words and pictures, but pictures do most of the heavy lifting.
What comics do well:
- Show action and movement
- Convey emotion through expression
- Establish setting and atmosphere
- Control pacing through panel size/count
- Create drama through visual composition
What comics struggle with:
- Internal thoughts (unless using thought boxes)
- Complex verbal explanations
- Abstract concepts without visual metaphor
- Lengthy dialogue (crowds out art)
Your job as the writer: think visually first.
Script Format: Full Script Method
The industry standard is "full script"—detailed panel-by-panel descriptions with all dialogue.
Basic Structure
PAGE ONE (5 PANELS) PANEL 1 [Visual description] CHARACTER NAME Dialogue PANEL 2 [Visual description] CHARACTER NAME Dialogue
Example Page
PAGE FIVE (6 PANELS) PANEL 1 (establishing shot) EXT. ABANDONED FACILITY – DAY Wide shot of enormous concrete building, windows shattered, covered in strange metallic growth. Maya and Kai approach on foot, weapons drawn. CAPTION (MAYA) "The source signal came from here." PANEL 2 (medium shot) Maya checking handheld scanner, focused. Kai watches surroundings, tense, rifle ready. MAYA Biosigns inside. Multiple. KAI Friendly? MAYA (shakes head) Never are.
This format tells the artist exactly what happens in each panel while leaving room for artistic interpretation.
Panel Descriptions
Panel descriptions should be clear, specific, and focused on story-essential elements.
What to Include
- Shot type: establishing, close-up, medium, etc.
- What's in frame: characters, objects, setting
- Character actions/emotions: what they're doing and feeling
- Important details: story-critical visual elements
- Mood/atmosphere: tone of the scene
Be Specific But Not Controlling
❌ Too vague: "Maya looks upset."
✅ Clear: "Maya's jaw clenches, eyes narrowed, fist balled at her side."
❌ Too controlling: "Maya positioned exactly center frame, standing 2 feet from wall at 45-degree angle, three buttons visible on jacket..."
✅ Collaborative: "Maya enters cautiously, on alert. She's in her late 20s, practical clothing, someone who's seen combat."
Give the artist clear direction but room for creativity.
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Generate Comic ScriptVisual Storytelling: Show, Don't Tell
Let visuals carry emotion and atmosphere. Dialogue should add information, not describe what readers can see.
Bad: Telling Through Dialogue
JOHN I'm so angry right now! You can probably tell by my facial expression!
Good: Showing Visually
PANEL 1 Close on JOHN's face—jaw clenched, eyes narrow, fist balled at his side. JOHN We're done.
The visual shows anger. The dialogue advances the plot.
Use Silent Panels
Some moments are better without dialogue:
PANEL 3 Maya stares at the photograph, hand trembling. (NO DIALOGUE—let the visual carry the moment)
Silent panels create emotional weight and pacing.
Panel Composition and Pacing
Panel count per page controls pacing.
Many Small Panels = Fast Pace
PAGE 10 (9 panels—action sequence) PANEL 1: She draws weapon PANEL 2: Fires PANEL 3: Enemy dodges PANEL 4: Returns fire PANEL 5: She dives PANEL 6: Rolls behind cover PANEL 7: Checks ammunition PANEL 8: Prepares next move PANEL 9: Explosive finish
Many panels create quick, dynamic pacing—readers move fast through the page.
Few Large Panels = Slow Pace
PAGE 11 (3 panels—emotional moment) PANEL 1 (large): She holds the letter, tears forming PANEL 2 (large): Silent panel—she sits, shoulders slumped PANEL 3 (medium): She burns the letter
Fewer, larger panels slow down pacing, giving emotional moments weight.
Shot Types
Vary shot types for visual interest:
- Establishing shot: Wide view showing location
- Long shot: Full figures with environment
- Medium shot: Waist-up, most common for dialogue
- Close-up: Face or object for emotion/detail
- Extreme close-up: Eyes, hands for high impact
Don't use the same shot type for every panel. Vary composition to guide the reader's eye and create visual rhythm.
Dialogue in Comics
Comic dialogue must be brief. Speech balloons take up precious panel space.
The Word Count Rule
Maximum 25-30 words per balloon. 15-20 is better.
❌ Too much: "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday at the coffee shop when we were talking about whether we should go through with this plan, and I've decided you were right after all."
✅ Better: "You were right. We shouldn't do this."
Show Personality Through Voice
Each character should sound different:
Formal character: "I believe we should reconsider our approach."
Casual character: "Maybe we should rethink this?"
Tough character: "Bad plan. Try again."
Same idea, three distinct voices.
Natural Speech Patterns
Use contractions: "Don't" not "Do not"
Show interruptions:
JOHN I was thinking we could— MAYA —No.
Trailing off:
JOHN If only we'd...
Visual Transitions and Gutters
The space BETWEEN panels—called gutters—is where the magic happens. Readers fill in what happens between moments.
Understanding Closure
Closure is the reader's mental process of completing action between panels. You show Panel 1: fist pulled back. Panel 2: face with bruise. Reader fills in the punch.
This is unique to comics. Film shows the whole motion. Comics show key moments and reader constructs the action. Use this to your advantage.
Types of Panel-to-Panel Transitions
Moment-to-moment: Small incremental time. Hand reaching → hand grabbing. Creates slow, detailed pacing.
PANEL 1: Finger moves toward button PANEL 2: Finger touching button PANEL 3: Button depressed PANEL 4: Light turns red
Use for crucial moments you want readers to linger on.
Action-to-action: Single action across panels. Punch thrown → punch landing. Most common transition, clear and readable.
PANEL 1: She draws gun PANEL 2: She aims PANEL 3: She fires PANEL 4: Bullet hits target
Subject-to-subject: Same scene, different subjects. Character A talking → Character B reacting. Shows conversation or simultaneous action.
PANEL 1: John accuses PANEL 2: Maya's shocked face PANEL 3: John points evidence PANEL 4: Maya's hands tremble
Scene-to-scene: Different times or places. Office → Home, Day → Night. Advances story through location/time jumps.
PANEL 1: "We need to talk." (office) PANEL 2: Three hours later... (home) PANEL 3: She opens door, he's waiting
Aspect-to-aspect: Different views of same place/mood. Camera pans around scene. Creates atmosphere, shows environment. Used more in manga.
PANEL 1: Rain on window PANEL 2: Empty coffee cup PANEL 3: Clock showing 3am PANEL 4: Character staring at ceiling
Builds mood without advancing plot linearly.
Non-sequitur: Unrelated panels. Experimental, jarring. Creates disorientation or thematic connection. Use sparingly.
Controlling Reading Speed
More panels with moment-to-moment transitions: slow, detailed reading. Jump cuts with scene-to-scene transitions: fast, covers lots of ground. Mix both for varied pacing.
Page Turns
In print comics, page turns create suspense.
Left page (even numbered): Setup, question, tension
Right page (odd numbered): Payoff, answer, escalation
Example
PAGE 2 (left page, final panel) Maya reaches for the door handle. MAYA "This is it." (PAGE TURN) PAGE 3 (right page, first panel - splash) The door explodes outward in flames!
End left pages on cliffhangers. Pay them off on right pages. This creates natural suspense built into the physical format.
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Write Comic ScriptLettering Considerations for Writers
While letterer handles final placement, writers should understand how lettering affects the script.
Balloon Placement
Dialogue balloons take up panel space. If you write 6 long speeches in single panel with detailed background, there's no room for both. Artist can't draw what will be covered by text.
Consider this when writing: complex visual panel needs less dialogue, simple composition can support more text.
❌ BAD: PANEL 1 Detailed cityscape with three characters, busy street, storefront signs, crowd in background. CHARACTER 1 (4 lines of dialogue) CHARACTER 2 (3 lines of dialogue) CHARACTER 3 (5 lines of dialogue) (This panel will be nothing but balloons)
✅ BETTER: PANEL 1 Wide establishing shot of busy city street. CAPTION "New York. 8am rush." PANEL 2 Close on three characters talking. CHARACTER 1 [dialogue distributed across 2-3 panels instead]
Reading Order
Western comics read left to right, top to bottom. Balloons should be placed so readers naturally read in correct order. This is letterer's job, but writer can help by noting when order matters:
PANEL 3 [Two characters speaking simultaneously] MAYA (left side of panel) "Don't—" JOHN (right side, should be read second) "—I'm doing it anyway."
Note the intended order when it's ambiguous or when interruptions/overlaps matter.
Caption Boxes vs Speech Balloons
Speech balloons: Character speaking in present moment. Tail points to speaker.
Thought boxes/balloons: Internal thoughts. Cloudy balloons or boxes.
Caption boxes: Narration, usually past tense, omniscient, or establishing information. No tail, floats in panel.
Be intentional about which you use:
CAPTION "Three years ago..." (Sets time) MAYA (caption) "I should have known it would end like this." (Character narrating from future perspective) MAYA "It's going to end badly." (Character speaking aloud in scene) MAYA (thought) "This is going to end badly." (Character thinking in moment)
Different tools for different narrative purposes.
Sound Effects
Format sound effects clearly:
SFX BOOM SFX (distant) boom SFX (quiet) tap tap tap
ALL CAPS for loud sounds, lowercase for quiet/distant. Be specific: "CRASH" better than "loud noise."
But use sparingly—the artist and letterer will add most sound effects based on the visuals.
Writing Action Sequences
Action is where comics excel, but requires different techniques than prose.
Breaking Down Movement
Action happens across multiple panels. Each panel shows key moment in sequence:
PANEL 1: Maya notices enemy PANEL 2: She reaches for weapon PANEL 3: Draws and aims PANEL 4: Fires PANEL 5: Enemy reacts/dodges PANEL 6: Maya rolls to new position
Don't try to cram entire fight into one panel. Break it into beats. Each beat gets panel.
The Rule of Clarity
Reader should always understand what's happening. Confused reader stops reading. In action, this means:
Clear staging: Where are characters in relation to each other? If they're fighting, establish spatial relationship first.
PANEL 1 (establishing) Wide shot: Maya on left, enemy on right, 20 feet apart in warehouse. PANEL 2-6 (Now action can unfold—reader knows the space)
Consistent direction: Character moving left to right should keep moving that direction across panels (unless shown turning). Flipping direction confuses reader.
Impact moments: Show the impact. Punch connecting. Sword hitting. Explosion erupting. These are the money shots—give them focus.
Varying Panel Size for Impact
Make important action moments BIGGER:
PAGE 12 (6 panels) PANELS 1-4 (small): Build-up, approach, tension PANEL 5 (half page): IMPACT - the big hit/explosion/moment PANEL 6 (small): Aftermath
Size = importance. Big moments get big panels.
Using Empty Space
In action, negative space (empty areas) helps. If panel is crammed with detail, the action gets lost. Give action room to breathe:
PANEL 3 She fires. Muzzle flash bright against simple dark background. Bullet trail shows path. (Don't fill this panel with complex background—focus is the shot)
Sound Effects in Action
Action sequences need more SFX than dialogue scenes:
PANEL 2 She punches through wall SFX CRASH PANEL 3 Grabs enemy, throws him into shelf SFX WHAM (small) crash clatter
Note volume/intensity. Letterer will make main impact large, secondary sounds smaller.
Balancing Action and Story
Action without stakes is empty. Even in middle of fight, remind readers why this matters:
PANEL 4 She's losing ground, bleeding, exhausted. MAYA (thought) "I just need thirty more seconds. Come on." PANEL 5 Dodges knife PANEL 6 She glances at door—reinforcements almost here
Brief character thought or glance at objective keeps story present during action.
Collaborating With Artists
You're writing a blueprint, not dictating every detail.
What to Specify
- Story-essential visuals
- Character emotions and actions
- Important environmental details
- Mood and atmosphere
- Panel count when pacing matters
What to Leave Open
- Exact character appearance (unless story-critical)
- Background details
- Most camera angles
- Art style and technique
Trust your artist. They're your collaborator, not someone just executing your vision. The best comics come from true collaboration.
Story Structure
Page Counts
- Single issue comic: 20-24 pages
- Graphic novel: 100-300 pages
- Webcomic episode: 5-10 panels (vertical scroll)
Three-Act Structure
Act I (20-25%): Establish world, character, conflict
Act II (40-50%): Complications, obstacles, escalation
Act III (25-30%): Climax and resolution
End each issue or chapter with a hook that makes readers want more.
Common Comic Script Mistakes
Too much dialogue: Crowds out art, slows pacing
Talking heads: Page after page of people just talking—no visual interest
Vague panel descriptions: Artist doesn't know what to draw
Overcontrolling: Dictating every tiny detail, no room for artist creativity
No visual variety: Every panel the same shot type
Ignoring page turns: Missing opportunities for suspense
Prose thinking: Writing for a novel, not a visual medium
Practical Next Steps
Start small. Don't begin with 300-page graphic novel. Write 5-page short story to practice format, pacing, and visual thinking. This teaches you what works without massive time investment.
Read comics critically with script in mind. Pick favorite comic page. Break down panel count, shot types, how dialogue is distributed, where page turns create tension. Reverse-engineer successful pages to understand technique.
Study film composition and storyboarding. Comics and film share visual storytelling language. Understanding cinematography—how shots convey emotion, direct attention, create mood—directly translates to panel composition.
Find your artist partner. If you're serious, build relationship with artist. Show them your scripts. Get feedback on what works, what's too vague, what's overcontrolled. Collaboration teaches you what artists need from scripts.
Key Takeaways
Comics are a visual medium first. Panel descriptions should tell the artist what readers will SEE—actions, expressions, compositions—not just what characters think or feel internally. Externalize emotion through visual storytelling.
Full script format includes page numbers, panel counts, clear panel descriptions, and properly formatted dialogue with character names in ALL CAPS followed by their lines. This is industry standard and makes your script professional and readable.
Panel count controls pacing: many small panels create fast action sequences with dynamic energy, few large panels slow down for emotional moments and give them weight. Vary shot types (establishing, medium, close-up, extreme close-up) for visual rhythm and reader engagement.
Comic dialogue must be brief—maximum 25-30 words per balloon, 15-20 is better. Speech balloons take up precious panel space that competes with artwork. Let visuals carry emotion and atmosphere; dialogue advances plot and reveals character through voice.
Page turns create suspense in print comics. End left pages on cliffhangers, questions, or moments of tension. Pay off on right pages with reveals, answers, or escalation. This uses the physical format as active storytelling tool, not just pagination.
Collaborate with your artist—specify story-essential elements but leave room for interpretation on details like exact character designs, background specifics, and artistic flourishes. The best comics come from true writer-artist collaboration where both creative voices shine, not from writers dictating every visual detail or leaving artists confused about intent. Clear direction with creative freedom produces the strongest work.