One-Page Comic Book Story
Have you ever tried writing a one-page comic book story? I did and truthfully it was one of the hardest stories I ever had to write, as it took me forever to figure out how to have a complete story with a clear beginning, middle, and ending, in only 1 page, while adding a twist ending.
*Pro Tip: Since the entire story is on one page, the reader can easily see the ending panel, before reading the first panel, so this makes twist endings even harder.
Writing one-page comic book stories is a great way to practice your craft and hone your skills.
*Pro Tip: Short stories aren’t part of stories, they are complete stories with clear beginnings, middles, and endings, but they focus mainly on a single character and occur in a limited amount of locations. (There are exceptions to these rules, but I suggest you follow these rules when you first start out and then experiment the more comfortable you get.
*Pro Tip: All comic book scripts need to be properly formatted and you can learn about one method here: https://medium.com/@KellyBender17/how-to-format-a-comic-book-script-09dd8c019e7a
*Pro Tip: Prompts are great ways to get inspiration for your short stories (or long stories), and you can learn more about them here: https://medium.com/@KellyBender17/comic-book-story-writing-prompt-c138b854a8b9
How is it possible to have a complete story with a beginning, middle, and ending in
- 1 page
- 8 panels
- 3 acts
- 1 complete story
THE SCRIPT
I wanted to tell a story about a knight who was after an illusive jewel that no man could possess, so I sat down and wrote a script for artist James Leong & letterer Micah Myers.
SCRIPT BREAKDOWN
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 01 (panel 1 is tall and narrow)This is our location shot. CAMERA IS ZOOMED back and we’re looking at a KNIGHT riding on a horse that’s going up a mountain trail covered in snow, there is a cave near the top. NO DETAILS ARE REQUIRED IN THE RIDER AND THE HORSE JUST SILHOUETTES. The main focus is the location Mountain with a cave.
TITLE: Jewel of Man
CAPTION: For Centuries men have been pining for the jewel.
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 02 (panel 2 and 3 are wider and on top of each other next to panel 1. Panel 2 and 3 onto of each other is the same height as panel 1)We’re looking at the knight walking towards us (WAIST UP) we can see she is wearing armor and a helmet. Her SWORD is out and she has a torch (you know the kind with the stick and the cloth?) WE WANT TO HIDE THE FACT THAT IT’S A FEMALE UNTIL PANEL 6!!
CAPTION: Deep within these caverns rests the one heavenly trinket that man yearns for most.
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 03We can see the KNIGHT walking down the path in the cave His sword still out and holding onto the torch. There are pieces of armor with skeleton bones coming out of them, and swords stuck into the ground. Many men have died trying to possess the jewel.
CAPTION: Its location has been widely known, and yet that it still alludes capture has driven the wisest of men to madness.
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 04We can see an opening in the CAVE a small room, We are looking at the back of The KNIGHT who is on the LEFT, she is standing there, and her sword is lowered and the torch up. To illuminate the room. The JEWEL (it is a red jewel) is there on a small mound of skeleton bones. The jewel is on the small mound as nobody can touch it with ANYTHING without dying. The mound is just past the KNIGHTS chest in height off the ground.
BETWEEN the KNIGHT and the JEWEL we can see dozens of skeleton bones lying there on the ground.
CAPTION 1: Kings have spent fortunes and lost many brave souls trying to obtain it.
CAPTION 2: Minstrels sing ballads pertaining to the allusiveness of the jewel, and how no man will ever possess it.
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 5 (small panel)Just the feet of the hero as she’s walking and has dropped her helmet. There are skeleton bones on the ground.
SFX: Tink! (metal helmet hitting the ground)
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 6We can see the KNIGHT face and long hair now. We can tell it’s a girl!! She is just about to touch the JEWEL (like INDIANA JONES and the gold statue from Raiders of the Lost Ark :)) the Jewel is glowing now.
CAPTION: But I’m no man!
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 7We can see the KNIGHT is turned into a skeleton in a flash. JUST an effect like you’d draw a body in the fire. But this is a skeleton.
SFX: Foosh! (like a blast of energy or fire)
SFX: Ahhhhh!
Jewel of Man By Kelly Bender
PAGE 01 (8 PANELS)
PANEL 8We can see the SKELETON fingers of the woman falling away from the jewel.
TOP CAPTION: The end
BOTTOM CAPTION: Story: Kelly Bender Art: James Leong Letters: Micah Myers
The Artist’s Rough Sketch:
The Finished Comic:
Summary:
As I said, this was one of the hardest stories I ever had to write, as it took me forever to figure out how I could have a complete story in a 1-page comic.
How is it possible to have a complete story with a beginning, middle, and ending in
- 1 page
- 8 panels.
- 3 acts.
- 1 complete story.
Did I do it? You tell me?
