Writer-Artist Collaboration

I bet some of you might be curious how a comic book gets made and how a writer-artist team collaborate. Or to put it another way, I'll answer the common question: "You didn't draw it? Then what did you do?"

To start, I write a script. That's a process unto itself, but the end result looks like the example you see below for Page 5 of Mantle #1.

I write 88 pages like this across all 4 chapters of Mantle — in screenplay format, because I find that easiest — and send them all to my collaborator, Gian Fernando, in the Philippines.

Gian reads my script and, in batches of 11 pages, breaks down the story like you see in these layouts for Page 5.

In theory, Gian shares these breakdowns so I can have input before he moves forward. Occasionally I do have small bits of feedback about the storytelling. For the most part, however, Gian returns layouts that are far more dynamic than I envisioned and I just feel lucky to have such a talented collaborator.

Then Gian goes away for a while and comes back with a finished page.

And man, I feel even luckier. I mean, how could I not be delighted to see my script translated into pages that look like this? Gian is great.

Side note: considering Gian's in Manila, I thought I might have to send him reference photos of the Mississauga, Ontario neighbourhood and high school where I grew up. It turns out the photos weren't needed and Gian somehow magically drew my high school exactly the way I remember it.

Wait, do all high schools look the same?