Graphic Novel Builder

Graphic Novel Builder: The illustrated guide to making your own comics

Edward Ross

Collins, 2025

160pp., pbk., RRP $A24.99

9780008696047

Decades ago, in the very early 70s when I was an apprentice teacher learning the craft of teaching young children to read and write, our enlightened tutor gave the class some valuable advice.  “Whenever you ask your students to create a story,” he said, “never tell them whether to write or draw it.  Use the word ‘create’ and then wander around and watch who chooses to write first and who chooses to draw their initial ideas. Who “hears” the story and needs to get the words down; who “sees” it and needs to capture the images  Then let them follow their instincts.”  

That was back in the day when the role of illustrations in children’s books was just starting to be seen as a crucial element of helping readers understand the text, rather than just decoration, but it’s advice I have always remembered and implemented. Who hears the story?  Who sees it? Who needs to write? Who needs to draw? Who does both? Who is better at putting pictures to words or vice versa? Will some always be writers while others are illustrators?  Is there a place for co operation and collaboration? How can we harness the combined skills?

Fast forward through the years, and the symbiosis between text and illustration is not only better understood, but the humble comic, once seen as a somewhat lesser form of reading, has evolved into a legitimate format with the grand description of “graphic novel” and its creation viewed as a  valid art form.  But nevertheless, whether it’s words, words and pictures, or the marriage of them, stories still need the same basic elements of setting, plot, characters, problem and solutions regardless of how they are depicted.  And in this unique how-to guide, a group of teens who call themselves  the Graphic Novel Builders, set out to write, design and draw their own comic books. There’s Ash the Publisher, Jay the Writer, Finn the Designer, Rayah the Artist, Sam the Colourist…and Peanut the Pup! Together, they explore all the building blocks of the complete creative process:

• Discovering different types of comics
• Plotting and scripting the story
• Creating characters and building the worlds they live in
• Knowing and understanding what should be written and what should be drawn
• Improving their drawing skills and ultimately, sharing their work with the world.

Probably more for the older student (I requested it because Ms 18 has visions of becoming a graphic novelist) it is a thorough exploration of what goes into this format, with exercises and activities to undertake to understand various processes such as writing realistic dialogue to the technical aspects of creating margins and bleeds on the pages which can either be read as the story of the Graphic Novel Builders, or used as a practical tutorial for each step in the process.  What is apparent is that the creation of this format is a complex combination of being able to both see and hear the story in such a unique way that the product is as sophisticated and worthwhile as any other form of storytelling.

So whether our young story creators hear or see a story in its initial stages, there is a pathway to produce something unique that is continually gathering momentum as technology helps them develop their skills in both writing and drawing. It’s a kind of chicken-or-the-egg conundrum that the astute teacher will foster regardless of the medium chosen to start the process – whichever it is, success depends on having the common foundations of a good story.