Tips On How To Write Comic Dialogue [2022]

Hi guys, in this video i'm going to share Tips On How To Write Comic Dialogue This I what you need to know to avoid clunky unnatural comic dialogue. Learning how to write comic dialogue is one of the hardest skills to learn when making your first comic. When I made my first comic I struggled with this too, but over the years I have learned some fantastic tips to help make it sound exciting and natural. I'm gonna share all these tips in this video so let's jump in!

Remember…IF I CAN MAKE COMICS...ANYONE CAN!
Matt Garvey
Twitter & Instagram: @mattgarvey1981

#makecomics #indiecomics #comicbooks

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:09 Twitter Rule
2:41 How to make your dialogue sound natural
3:44 trying to be TOO cool
4:16 Accents and Dilect
6:22 Profanity
7:55 rewriting your dialogue
9:48 writer's block

Back to the first video:

Common Mistakes new comic writers Make:

How to plot comics videos:

Writing comic Scripts Part One:

Writing comic Scripts Part Two:

Comics Reccommended in this video:
(Disclaimer, these are affiliate links to Amazon so if you do buy anything I will receive a small commission)

If you are in the USA use these links:
Preacher Book One

Preacher Book Two

Preacher Book Three

Preacher Book Four

Preacher Book Five

Preacher Book Six

Absolute Preacher Book One…oversized Hardback

Absolute Preacher Book Two…oversized Hardback

Absolute Preacher Book Three…oversized Hardback

If you are in the UK use these links:
Preacher Book One

Preacher Book Two

Preacher Book Three

Preacher Book Four

Preacher Book Five

Preacher Book Six

Absolute Preacher Book One…oversized Hardback

Absolute Preacher Book Two…oversized Hardback

Absolute Preacher Book Three…oversized Hardback

Also, for all your latest comic news and reviews...be sure to check out THE COMIC CRUSH!

The music used in this video was sourced and paid from epidemicsound.
Tracks were:
Play it cool by Duke Herrington Orange Warnings by Blood Red Sun psychopath by Blood Red Sun This is the end of the world by Coma Svensson Das Kleine Grosse by Ondolut Domentum by Of Water Travieso by Ballpoint Blue steel by Up here The Proving Grounds by Dragon Tame

[Gurunberudo]

As a new writer of comic scripts, I've been using the Alan Moore two hundred and ten word system, he has said that he had heard of an editor of superman in the nineteen sixties, reportedly a very unpleasant man who had a strict rule, "if you have six panels on a page, you may have no more than thirty five words on a page". so six panels on a page, that's two hundred and ten. so I tend to divided those two hundred and ten words between the panels based on, how many, how they're split up. it takes a bit of maths but I've found it works really well. the narration is also included in that word count. great video as always.

[joshuaniiayikumaadamafio]

This has been way more helpful than I expected. Thank you soooo much

[BarriesChannel]

Genuine sounding dialogue is REALLY tricky. Worst part is you think it reads effortlessly and cool but when you see the finished page, it's actually stilted and wooden.

It's improved a lot since I started reading it aloud. Also heard that Alan Moore used to lumber about in his writing room (a shed, I recall) and pretend to be Swamp Thing to get into the mindset of the character.

Thanks for another informative video Matt! The Bendis advice is gold.

[leandrodearson]

Hi! Thanks for the video. Very informative! Something that I struggle to find is some video about how the dialogue should interact with the pictures in the frame. As for any images represented in a comic frame, they are still images but they should suggest movement before and after the image in the frame. How this works when there is an image( a character) and a dialogue? How we can create an image that doesn't feel static when there is a dialogue linked to it? I think the goal should be to literally feel a character is acting while I read a portion of dialogue and I look at the image.
Hope what i wrote makes sense😅

[trustytroutstudio]

I’m writing my first comic, and this is helpful. Thanks!

[erockbrox]

Does my comic dialogue really need fucking cursing in it? I mean, I could put some curse words in there like Fuck and Damn, but what about those fucking little kids at the convention? What if they come up and start reading my comic and then they are like, "Hey Mom, I want this fucking comic book", then what the fuck am I supposed to do? How do I explain this to the fucking mother?

[Ayatron]

If you have writers block try to figure out one line that you know needs to be there. Use that line as your anchor and work around it. For instance write the preceding line, then the followng line, then the line before the preceding line and so on. That works because theres only a certain number of ways you can get to that anchor line, so it greatly simplifies the possibilities and choices to the point you dont need to think much at all.

[elinhogalvao]

Thanks for sharing this, Matt. The "loud speaking" looks cool. I'll try with my dialogues. See ya.

[nocapesshow]

Yes, thankyou!
Definitely going to come back to this after i finish my first outline!

[spacemunky]

starting out would it be easier to make characters as extentions of yourself, to make that dialog more natural.. ? then as you evolve in writing can experiment more?

[Aronmasonarts]

I stick to a max of 20 words per bubble