How do I start a comic?

[smudgkip]

Uh, Hi, I'm kinda new to tapas and I've been working on starting my comic for quite a while now but i still cant figure out how to start my comic. I've got a plot and stuff I'm just struggling with the first page bit introducing my character in an engaging way so yeah, any tips?

[dewarcomics]

This isn't a rule or anything but maybe try starting in the middle? Right in the action and then introduce your characters?

[Tanako]

"Just Start". lol, there is no rule to starting just like @dewarcomics said.
have an idea, write it out, create a storyboard if you can then jump right into it. don't over think it if not, you won't start. don't wait for it to be perfect because it never will. don't strive for perfection because it "does not exist". continue to work on improving. if you draw a page and you dislike it, you can try to correct it but don't over do it because again, it will NEVER be perfect. with time you will get better. with time you will develop a style.

[dewarcomics]

Yup 100% agree. My prologue starts right in the action. But my art wasn't the greatest. But instead of going back to fix it. I instead decide to move on to the next page and then the next until voila I got a chapter done.

[Shredder]

Try not to follow any cliches that have been done to death, the "hello my name is ______ i am _____ years old and i goto/do/work as _______" is really dry.

I'm not saying don't do that but you can write it/draw it in a way that has your style, for example.

"Hi I'm Aiden, I'm 15, and I go to Generic Highschool"

Can be instead.

"Aiden! Pass the ball!" Mark shouted at me from across the basketball court, we had a few minutes left and under our rival school by two points. Etc etc.

There are easier ways to introduce your characters that can fit the style and theme you're writing. Not every information needs to be given immediately and the reader can slowly be drip-fed information in an easier to digest way which also keeps the reader interested.

Other than that I've noticed a lot of artists draw chapter 0 to showcase their art and story a little, it doesn't really contain much information but tends to look like this: https://tapas.io/episode/1886512 which is just taken off the frontpage at random.

[HGohwell]

It can depend entirely on your genre. For instance, a murder mystery will usually start with the murder, sometimes showing you how it happened, sometimes even revealing the killer so the mystery is more in how the detective proves it and the cat and mouse, and sometimes with the detective with the body. A normal child/person suddenly thrown into adventure usually starts with at least half a day of school/work to show how normal/boring life is pre-adventure. This often applies to romances too. Lots of series who do it like this like to start with an alarm clock wake up or start of the school/work day. And when it doubts, TV Tropes has a list of openings, research which often apply to your genre or just pick on that seems fun and can be applied to your plot.

Beginning Tropes - TV Tropes

[IndigoShirtProd]

First there are a few questions you probably need to ask yourself:

• Do you have the story outlined i.e. do you know how the story is going to begin and end?
• Do you have the character descriptions written down since a lot of the time, we tend to forget details when we don't have a reference.
  *Are you thumbnailing your pages first? By that I mean, are you making smaller sketches of what you plan your pages are going to look like. This is more about quality than entertainment; if your comic is all for fun then don't worry.
• Character sheets? It's another point about reference.
• If you plan to post on tapas, you're going to need a cover and a banner.

There's plenty more to things to think about but if your just starting it's better to be a bit spontaneous.

[Shredder]

Going of what Indigo said above me, those are abosolutly crucial. I've made a 5 second video on how I've organised my novel and additionally a Pinterest to keep me inspired with a massive catelog of cool

500+ Best sci-fi fantasy cyberpunk images in 2020 | cyberpunk, sci fi, sci fi...

[Pizza_Agent]

First
create the story and characters once you are done start drawing a sketch of each episode and then ink and paint them

or

You can create all the things at the same time as publish

[thel3tterm]

Hey Smudgkip, welcome to Tapas! It's great to hear that you're embarking on a comic project. It's an exciting thing.

As many here have already said (and I agree with them) you can just jump in and look back later after you have more of a feel for what the process of making pages is like. Your first page will NEVER be your best work, and frankly that's a good thing.

For a bit more specific advice: I suggest starting in a way that shows off the traits of your main cast. For instance, if your main character is shy, perhaps begin with them struggling to talk to someone. Are they violent, heroic, thoughtful, edgy? Show those traits in action!
An introductory scene does a lot of heavy lifting and it can certainly be a struggle to figure out something that will perfectly encapsulate your cast, world, and ideas while hooking new readers, but try not to sweat it too much on your first project. Comic making is a skill best picked up by doing.

Also, regardless of your opinion of this show, this particular video does a great job breaking down a well done introductory scene for a character. I suggest giving it a watch if you can!

[liamnaughton7]

Woah woah woah. Don't overcomplicate this. There's a lot of information about this subject but the truth of it is clear and simple.
Your first comic will be garbo. No doubt about it.
The one and only hurdle is to make it. That's all. Cross the threshold and make at least one issues worth.
That is a big enough hurdle on its own.
Everything else will come in time.

[Legendofgenii]

You don't necessarily have to start with hello - you could give them a slap in the face instead.

I decided to start off with a more exciting scene (it's fantasy/adventure themed) so I went with a prologue (set in the past) first. I was worried about launching with chapter one, seeing as that is just an introduction to Gen's boring rural life - and the action doesn't pick up again until Page 15.

What's it going to be about?

[jcmraz]

There are a lot of ways to start any type of story. That depends on personal preference and a lot on the story you're trying to tell. We can't just tell you "this is how you start your comic" without any information about it. There aren't really even any tips anyone can give that would be useful with no context. Best I can say is google different ways writers introduce characters

[darthmongoose]

My secret technique: Bulletpoints!

I bulletpoint out all the things the reader needs to know to understand what's happening. Stuff like:

• These characters are knights in a modern setting.
• Urien is in charge. He's kind of a dick. His Squires are called Rekki and Sarin.
• Rekki is not very talented, but she's gutsy. Sarin is smart and good at magic, but hesitant.
• Rekki and Sarin are BFFs!
• They are in a haunted ruin.

When you go through the first pages of my comic, you can see me deliberately putting in scenes or conversations that tick off these bulletpoints. We see Rekki being bad at magic, Urien being a dick about it, Sarin being good at magic and a supportive friend, and them noting that the ruin is "super haunted". So when you get to the thing that kicks off the plot, ten pages in, which is them stumbling across Excalibur, because those bulletpoints are all ticked, you know who's there and what they're about.

Then, as I just hinted there, a big thing happens that changes the protagonist's life! In my case it's "they find Excalibur, a magic sword that gives everyone cool magic but also unleashes demons in the world!" but it could be "Your people-hating protagonist gets a weird new room mate!" or "Your protagonist gets their dream job... but the CEO is an evil robot!?" or "Protagonist is just a poor servant boy... but then he finds a magic lamp and gets three wishes!" It can be big and fantastical or gritty and realistic, but it should ideally shake up the protagonist's life in some way.

[smudgkip]

Thank you guys for all the suggestions it helped a lot. Hopefully this will help me to stay one schedule and have my comic up by my goal date.

[PaleOcra]

Just start! Generic advice no?

• Know who your main characters are.
• The first scene that happens in Chapter 1

You don't really need to know your story 100% when you make Chapter 1, I personally don't even have character sheets, and I thought about important plot points halfway after several chapters.

[pencilinpain]

Keep it simple. Focus on a single episode or a couple pages and make sure you get that done.
Don't worry if it's not that good. Finished is better than good.
Look, you produced a comic out of nowhere. Congrats,
On to episode 2.

[ble]

Depend on the comics, like if is long story then uh plan ahead.

If is like a short 4panel gag comic, you could start whenever as every page is self-conclusive.

[seiraph]

My prologue begins with a flashback of my MCs as kids, beginning with the scene leading up to the key event that shapes their lives

The prologue ends on quite a dark tone then chapter 1 contrasts it with a slice-of-life esque scene of MC1 in present day with some hints of darker events that happened between the prologue scene and present day. It later switches pov to MC2 and we see that he isn't in such a good situation. we learn more of his role in the dark events mentioned previously, what it means for MC1's future, and how he plans to 'fix' it which acts as the opening for the first story arc