INSSIIDDEE:: 10 RULES FOR COMICS WRITERSS!! $595 In the USA The Magazine About # Writing For Comics, MAGAZINE 2 Animation, November and Science- 2002 Fiction WRITING THE JUSTICE LEAGUE SHOW MEET THE WRITER OF THE SAMURAI JACK LIVE ACTION MOVIE PLUS: SAMPLE SCRIPTS STEP-BY- STEP SCRIPTING ON SPIDER- GIRL & MORE! Savage Dragon TM & ©2002 Erik Larsen. Other characters TM & ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc. MAGAZINE ] . c n I , s r e t Issue #2 November 2002 c a r a h C Read Now! l e v r Message from the Editor . page 2 a M 2 0 0 Inside the Mind of a Writer/Artist 2 © Interview with Erik Larsen . page 3 & M T s Curbed Enthusiasm r e t c a Interview with Justice League ’s Stan Berkowitz . page 28 r a h c r The Astonishing Antz Man e h t O Interview with Samurai Jack ’s Todd Alcott . page 40 . n e s r “When does he sleep?” a L k i r Interview with Platinum Studios’ Lee Nordling . page 55 E 2 0 0 Truth or Daria! 2 © Interview with MTV Animation’s Anne D. Bernstein . page 72 & M T n Feedback . page 89 o g a r D Books On Writing . page 91 e g a v a S But What Does Danny Think? . page 93 [ Nuts & Bolts Department Conceived & Edited by DANNY FINGEROTH The 10 Rules of Surviving Comics Designer Important advice from Steven Grant . page 17 CHRISTOPHER DAY Two scripts and a series pitch: Punisher, X-Man, and Mortal Souls Transcribers by Steven Grant. Art by Dave Hoover & Ariel Olivetti . pgs. 20, 22, & 26 DEANNE WALTZ and the LONGBOX.COM STAFF Episodic animation script: Batman Beyond Publisher Pages from “April Moon,” by Stan Berkowitz . page 39 JOHN MORROW Feature animation script: Antz COVER Notes and parts of an outline by Todd Alcott . pgs. 4 3&46 Penciled, inked, and colored by Step-by-step creation of a comic story: Spider-Girl #44 ERIK LARSEN Pages from “Cry Uncle,” by Tom DeFalco, Pat Olliffe and Al Williamson . page 50 Special Thanks To What it Takes to Sell Your Comic Strip ANNE D. BERNSTEIN ALISON BLAIRE A pop quiz (and enlightening answers) by Lee Nordling . page 57 SARAH CARRAGHER From premise to script... to revised script! The Phantom CHRIS DAY Pages from “The Valley of Golden Men,” by Tom DeFalco TOM DeFALCO and Lou Manna . page 68 STEVEN GRANT STEVE KANE Episodic animation script: Daria ERIK LARSEN Pages from “Road Worrier,” by Anne D. Bernstein . page 83 ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON LEE NORDLING Danny Fingeroth’s Write Now! is published 4 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 1812 Park PAT OLLIFFE Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. Phone: (919) 833-8092. Fax: (919) 833-8023. Danny Fingeroth, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Write Now! E-mail address: [email protected] . Single issues: $8 CHRIS POWELL Postpaid in the US ($10 Canada, $11 elsewhere). Four-issue subscriptions: $20 US ($40 Canada, BEN REILLY $44 elsewhere). Order online at: www.twomorrows.com or e-mail to: [email protected] All SCOTT MITCHELL ROSENBERG characters are TM & © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise AARON SEVERSON noted. All editorial matter © the respective authors. Editorial package is ©2002 Danny Fingeroth and TwoMorrows Publishing. Write Now! is a shared trademark of Danny Fingeroth and TwoMorrows VARDA STEINHARDT Publishing. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING. AL WILLIAMSON WRITE NOW | 1 READ Now ! Message from Danny Fingeroth , editor elcome to Write Now! #2. Thanks for coming back. hot Justice League . Stan We’ve got some more great stuff for you this issue. was also a writer and W producer on the Superboy live action series. Here, First, though, in case you’re wondering where the Denny Mr. B offers a wealth of O’Neil interview we promised for this issue went… insights on what being a long term player in the TV Denny underwent successful coronary bypass surgery in animation business is all about. September. He’s recuperating now. We did the interview in • Anne D. Bernstein . Anne’s written many episodes of August—and Denny had even given me his private notes for the MTV Beavis and Butthead spinoff, Daria , some of his “how to write comics” classes that he gives at developed MTV’s Downtown series, and was DC. But I felt that I’d rather wait for him to recover (which Nickelodeon Magazine ’s comics editor. Anne talks he’s doing quite nicely, from what I hear) so he can give his about her eclectic career, how she maintains it without final input on the interview and notes. Get well soon, Denny. living in LA, and what you need to know to thrive and Comics needs you! survive and still have a career— on your own terms . • Lee Nordling (wearing a different hat). Lee’s career as What we do have in this issue is some pretty amazing stuff. writer, editor, packager and consultant encompasses comics, movies, syndicated strips, and more. As In the practical information realm: executive editor of Platinum Studios comics division , • Steven Grant tells the ten most important things you Lee oversees the creation and development of comics need to know to survive as a professional comics that are on the Hollywood development track as writer. Steven’s been doing it for over twenty years, so movies and TV series. you might want to take note of what he says. • Tom DeFalco shows the “nuts and bolts” that go into Whether it’s in step-by-step form, or couched in interviews plotting and scripting comics stories. Whether as and articles, I’m striving to make DFWN! a place where you can Marvel’s editor in chief, or as one of the most accom - get practical information , not just about how to write, but plished writers in comics, Tom knows how to take an about what it’s really like to have a career as a writer of popular initial inspiration and structure it into a story that an culture, full- or part-time. artist can draw and a reader can savor. Here, he pulls Next issue, in DFWN! #3, we’ll have the Denny O’Neil back the curtain and shows you the mechanics of interview, as well as insights into the careers and techniques story-making. of Incredible Hulk ’s Axel Alonso and Bruce Jones , • Lee Nordling , who wears many hats, including that of Thunderbolts ’ Fabian Nicieza , 21 Down ’s Jimmy Palmiotti , and editor of the Rugrats syndicated comic strip, Astro City ’s Kurt Busiek . describes what it takes to create a successful syndi - And issue #4 is going to have the word from Howard cated comic strip in his eye-opening quiz . See how you Chaykin , among other heavy hitters, as well as an incredible do on it! new feature I’ll tell you more about next time, that will teach • Reviews of some important how-to books on writing. you more about comics script writing than you ever thought possible! And in the “lessons disguised as interviews” department, we have: Write Away! • Todd Alcott . The writer of the upcoming Samurai Jack live action feature film, and co-writer of the smash animated film Antz , talks about his career and about the writing life in general. The insights and lessons he Danny Fingeroth offers are invaluable. You’ll want to cut them out and put them under your pillow. • Stan Berkowitz . He’s written countless episodes of P.S. On a personal note: My twin sons, Ethan and Jacob , Batman Beyond , the 1990s Spider-Man Animated were born July 29th. Mother and sons are doing fine so far. Series, Superman Adventures , and, currently, the red Dad, too. I think. This issue of DFWN is dedicated to the boys. Your dad loves you and your mom, guys. It says so right here in print. 2 | WRITE NOW Inside the Mind of a Writer/Artist Interview with Erik Larsen Interview by Danny Fingeroth on June 27, 2002 Transcription by The LongBox.com Staff series in there somewhere. rik Larsen loves comics. And what does he want to More specifically, he loves super-hero comics. While do next? Why, write and draw E he’s dabbled in TV and animation, working in them is The Savage Dragon . not of particular interest to him. Erik loves to write and draw You can learn a lot from Erik stories about spandex-clad characters beating the stuffing Larsen about dedication, out of each other. Not to say he doesn’t have other story - consistency, quality—and telling concerns. He does romance and satire and mystery. about spandex-clad characters He just does it all in the context of spandex punching and beating the stuffing out of hitting. each other. Read on and You know, like Jack Kirby used to do. see… Erik’s early work as a young kid on a character called Savage Dragon led to him to eventually become a comics DANNY FINGEROTH: Tell me pro, first as artist on such comics as Doom Patrol, The the secret origin of Erik Outsiders and DNAgents . Erik went on to draw The Larsen. How did you get Punisher . He then hit his stride drawing Amazing Spider- started? I know you were Man , following Todd McFarlane’s landmark run on the series always a comics fan. The cover to Savage Dragon #1 (regular with one of his own. Erik gave Venom the largest mouth ever ERIK LARSEN: My dad bought series) by Erik Larsen. [©2002 Erik Larsen.] seen on a non-crocodile in comics. comics when he was a kid, so we always had them around.