Written and Drawn by Henrietta ( Family Comic Friday)

  A few months ago, I reviewed a book published by Toon Books. 'Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Logic' was a brilliant collection of comics written and illustrated by French cartoonist,  Phillips Coudray. Not only was the book smart and funny, the book had great features like creative writing activities. The publisher also included a great article on the age appropriateness of their line of books.

    I couldn't sing Toon Books praises loud enough and my latest venture with the company was no different.

    'Written and Drawn by Henrietta' is a delightful tale about a creative little girl who wants to write her first book. Assisting Henrietta is her pet cat, who like real cats often makes the creative process more of a challenge than it really should be. But he does have some great one-liners!

    Beautifully crafted by celebrated Argentinian cartoonist, Liniers, the book changes scope frequently from the real world to Henrietta's storybook. When we are taken to the world she is crafting, the art looks let's like a cartoon and more like it was hand drawn by a five-year old.

   This art technique may not seem like much but it made the story more realistic, like it really was written by a precocious tot. Also being able to change art styles is harder than it looks and it's a mark of a master artist.

   Henrietta's start was very entertaining. I originally only chose this book because it was published just this year. But I found myself laughing often and thought the entire read was a journey to an unexplored world. In other words, that's exactly what every reader should experience when they open a book.

   Children aged 5-8 will delight in this clever tale. Don't be surprised if the adventures of Henrietta inspires your child to create their own book. Be sure to check out the last couple of pages in this book fit more ideas on how to help your aspiring author make their own children's book.

   A masterpiece in graphic novels- not just for young readers but in the genre as a whole.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Values of Reading Scripts (Lessons for an Aspiring Comic Book Writer by an Aspiring Comic Book Writer)

 If you're looking to get into the comic book industry like I am, then one section of comic trades that I suggest you never skip is the original scripts. Recently a few trades I read included those in their directors cut sections. Both 'Batman, Volume 4: Zero Year- Secret City' and 'Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher' include the script to the first issue in the back of said volumes. Along with aspiring comic writers, I would urge anyone whose looking to become a script writer or playwright to use those two books as resources)

   Normally, I would skip these. But now as I'm submitting proposals and trying to develop story ideas, those inclusions have been great training tools for me. There are books about writing comics and I own a couple. But as I'm trying to develop my own writing style, I've decided to forgo reading them right now. I'm very cautious that I write with my own words and not start copying some author's techniques.

    However, as I write up scripts and proposals, I've been a little hesitant to put too much information in them. Well, I'm here to tell you that's a mistake. (If you're writing a proposal, yes do keep it to less than 3 pages, but do not be afraid to describe your characters, sets, or story ideas. How else are you going to get your green light if you can't sell the story to your publisher or producer?) As a scriptwriter, you're crafting a story without a strict narrative form. So, the director, artist, or set designer reading your script is going to need to know how to frame and design your ideas.  So, be as descriptive as possible but don't go off the rails and describe everything.

    If a coffee mug is important to your story, I've learned from these scripts that you should that. But you don't have to say that the coffee mug is navy blue, has chips on it, and is filled with Diet Pepsi. That is unless it's important that the reader know that  your character is a fan of the Duke Blue Devils, extremely clumsy, or on a diet. It's important to keep the information in your scripts relevant.

 Another thing I've learned is that while the writer has a vision for their story, it's not always going to translate from script to art. Both scripts have had things that were omitted. Maybe the editor didn't like it, maybe the artist had a different vision, or maybe after completion, the writer contacted the artist with a different slant. So, be flexible but don't compromise the soul of your script either.

   Though I've only read 2 scripts, that doesn't mean that they're aren't more out there. Why, I've probably overlooked scripts included in the back of a trade before and just never realized it. I'm a little embarrassed by that fact as well as a bit upset at myself for skipping out on countless training exercises. They say the worst thing for an aspiring writer to do is to put off writing if they don't have the next great novel in them yet. Even if you don't have a proposal accepted yet, you can do like I do and polish your craft by writing reviews, articles, or just silly short stories. You never know when inspiration might hit.

   The same goes for scripts. If you're looking to write them one day but don't know what you want to create just yet, then do the next best thing: read scripts. Study them, break them apart, explore the option of 'what if they did this?" Even if you don't have the spark in you, you can get warmed up reading scripts such as these because where there's heat- eventually will come fire.

"99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style"

WORTH CONSUMING!

This is truly a unique concept. Take a simple story of a guy turning off his computer, goes to his refrigerator but is interrupted by his girlfriend as to ask what time is it. The man responds, and goes back about his business only to forget what he is searching for. 

Now tell this story 98 other ways.  

I did not think it was possible, but there is! And they range from creative ways to draw or frame a scene to providing homages to some of the industries best and brightest (like Herge or Kirby). There are even parodies of the Charles Atlas ads and EC Comics’ horror titles.  

But not all are great, especially the calligraphy version, which seemed very long and tiring to read, much less understand. Thankfully, many of the complex techniques are explained in a glossary to help shine light on things. This should be essential readings for all comics’ fans- once you get to college, of course. There is some mild language and kids might not get as many of the styles being used and not appreciate what the writer is intending. And appreciation is key, especially in the parodies and homages. (And yes, even I didn’t get all of them!)