Comic Script
A comic script is a set of instructions for the artist. It should tell them what to draw, what the reader hears, and how the panel connects to the next one.
Success criteria
- I can write a panel-by-panel script with clear visual instructions.
- I can separate captions, dialogue, and sound effects.
- I can write dialogue that sounds like speech and fits a balloon.
- I can plan what happens between panels, not just inside them.
Script format
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Panel number | The order of the panel on the page. |
| Visual | Shot size, angle, setting, character action, and expression. |
| Caption | Narration, time, or place. Use sparingly. |
| Dialogue | Speaker and exact words. Keep each balloon short. |
| SFX | Sound effects that matter to the moment. |
| Gutter note | What changes between this panel and the next. |
Model script
Page 1: The locked room
Panel 1
Visual: Wide shot, eye level. A narrow hallway. A single door at the end, slightly open. Mara stands small in the foreground.
Caption: “The house had been empty for three years.”
Gutter: Hold on the door before moving closer.
Gutter: Hold on the door before moving closer.
Panel 2
Visual: Close-up of Mara's hand on the handle. Her knuckles are pale.
SFX: click
Gutter: The door opens off-panel.
Gutter: The door opens off-panel.
Panel 3
Visual: Medium shot from inside the room. Mara framed in the doorway, backlit. We cannot see what she sees.
Mara: “Hello?”
Gutter: A beat of silence.
Gutter: A beat of silence.
Panel 4
Visual: Reverse angle. A table set for two. One chair pulled out. A red thread tied to the chair back.
Caption: “No one had lived here for three years.”
Gutter: Mara steps inside.
Gutter: Mara steps inside.
Panel 5
Visual: Extreme close-up of the red thread. Mara's fingers reach into frame.
No text.
Gutter: Cut to the sound of a door closing behind her.
Gutter: Cut to the sound of a door closing behind her.
Panel 6
Visual: Wide shot. Mara turns. The doorway is now a blank wall.
SFX: thud
Gutter: End of page. Turn to page 2.
Gutter: End of page. Turn to page 2.
Dialogue rules
- Read it aloud. If you run out of breath, it is too long for one balloon.
- Cut greetings and filler unless they do character work.
- Let images carry information. Do not have a character say what the reader can see.
- Use silence when the pause is the point.
- Keep each speaker's voice distinct: vocabulary, rhythm, and what they avoid saying.
Your script
Plan six panels. You do not need to draw them yet. Focus on clarity and pacing.
Panel 1
Visual:
Caption:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Panel 2
Visual:
Caption:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Panel 3
Visual:
Caption:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Panel 4
Visual:
Caption:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Panel 5
Visual:
Caption:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Panel 6
Visual:
Caption:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Dialogue:
SFX:
Gutter:
Checklist
- Every panel has a visual instruction, not just dialogue.
- Each gutter says what changes between panels.
- My dialogue can be read aloud in one breath per balloon.
- The images carry information that the dialogue does not repeat.
- The final panel makes the reader want to turn the page.
Write for a collaborator. If another student can draw your script without asking what you meant, it is ready.