The Comic Book Lesson

Acclaimed illustrator and graphic novelist Mark Crilley returns with a new approach to learning the essential elements of making comics. Using the same comics-style art instruction as in The Drawing Lesson, The Comic Book Lesson follows the story of Emily, an enthusiastic young comics fan and aspiring creator who has a story she needs to tell.

On her quest to turn her story into a comic book, Emily visits her comic book shop and local comics convention, where she meets three mentors. Trudy, a high school student working on comics of her own, teaches Emily how to create expressive characters and how art can convey action and suspense. Madeline, a self-published manga artist, teaches Emily how to use panel composition and layout to tell a story visually and how to develop a comic from script to sketch to finished pages. Sophie, a professional graphic novelist, guides Emily through fine-tuning the details of dialogue, sequence, and pacing to lead readers through the story.

The Comic Book Lesson blends these teaching moments into a sweet, clever, and poignant story that reveals why Emily is so driven to create her comic book. Each lesson builds off the previous information and skills presented, and the sequential art format provides the perfect vehicle for step-by-step instruction. This book also includes practice exercises to help readers develop their own comic book skills.