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Comics Writing: Story Arcs & Ongoing Series

$249.00

Learn how to create epic stories that captivate readers and have them coming back again and again! It’s time to up your game and start thinking big – really big, like world building big.

Hooking a reader for one story is hard enough — but hooking the reader throughout an entire epic made up of many parts is one of the most challenging aspects of a comic writer’s job. But whether you aspire to create web based, direct market, or mainstream comics, it’s a skill you’ll need to master.

The goal for every writer is in creating the hook for a first issue/chapter that will draw the reader in, and then building action, revealing character, and landing killer cliffhangers that will have your fans clamoring for more.

This course from New York Times bestselling comics scribe Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Deadpool vs the Punisher, GI Joe, Archer & Armstrong, and many more) will have you developing a compelling initial series arc, with an emphasis on structuring story beats, crafting characters and creating individual scenes that will provide you with the best beginning, middle and end acts your initial arc can have — as well as providing you with a story bible that can carry your story beyond comics and into other media.

  • You will learn from professional comic book writer Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man, Taskmaster, MODOK’s 11, Deadpool vs the Punisher, Archer & Armstrong, G.I. Joe, Everything’s Archie, Conan the Avenger, Adventure Time, et al).
  • You’ll get access to all Fred’s video lessons (see Course Content below)
  • You’ll learn to identify character arcs and pace their emotional arcs to best effect throughout a serialized story.
  • You’ll understand how reveals and cliff hangers can be used to keep your readers for coming back for more at the end of each issue/episode.
  • You’ll see how to lay out a “beat sheet” to bring an artist, editor or producer (and any other stakeholder) through the progression of your arc — not to mention tips for adhering to that beatsheet, and when to throw it out altogether!
  • You’ll plan for the arcs after the first like a pro—making them appear seamless when published one after another while always building on what came before.

Fred Van Lente is a six-time New York Times bestselling comics writer, novelist and playwright whose work spans mystery/thrillers to historical fiction to superheroes to comedy.

Van Lente burst onto the scene with his first collaboration with cartoonist Ryan Dunlavey, Action Philosophers, which became a YALSA Best Book for Teens and the NYT called “intensely goofy but intellectually rigorous”.

From there he went on to a long career at Marvel, where he worked on titles like The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America and Marvel Zombies. He’s also written for DC, Archie Comics, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Dynamite Comics, and Valiant, where his run on Archer & Armstrong was nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Continuing Series.

Van Lente has continued writing non-fiction graphic novels, often with his artistic collaborator Ryan Dunlavey, including the bestselling Comic Book History of Comics and the middle grade series Action Presidents. Two entries in the series were nominated for the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. In 2021, the third volume won the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s Theodore Roosevelt Children’s Book Prize.

After years of short story writing (including “Neversleeps,” which shortlisted for Best American Science Fiction), Van Lente graduated to prose novels with the acclaimed mysteries Ten Dead Comedians and The Con Artist.

His Platinum Studios graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens was adapted into a film in 2011 starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, directed by Jon Favreau. The following year, Helen Cho, a character created with co-writer Greg Pak in their acclaimed Incredible Hercules series, made her MCU debut in the blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron. His MODOK’s 11 and Scorpion became Hulu’s Marvel’s MODOK, which named the elementary school in the show after him (in S1 E2).

King Kirby, his play with Crystal Skillman about the life of the legendary comics artist Jack Kirby, was a New York Times Critics’ Pick on its NYC debut in 2014. It debuted as a much-acclaimed free audio drama podcast in 2020 featuring the original cast on the Broadway Podcasting Network.

Featured Work

There is no other course like this one on the internet (or in person) that we’ve been able to find. This is all about putting you in the place of the comics creator!

Do I need to already be a comics writer to take this course?

Not at all! In fact, taking this course will help build your understanding of pacing and story development—something that applies to more kinds of writing than just comics. And best of all, there is no prerequisite for this class, taught be a master storyteller!

Wanting to work in comics is great, but what if I just want to tell my own stories?

Our courses are geared for this exact purpose. No matter where you are on the spectrum, beginner as well as experienced writer, learning from someone who has achieved these same goals and can personally guide you is invaluable!

What do I do in this course?

You’ll learn to pitch and develop your arc or storyline from 10,000 feet, and then break that story down into the best possible serialized segments, using such tools as a map to chart your character’s growth throughout episodes/issues. By the end of the course you will have a “beatsheet” for the entire arc that will be ready for scripting — or submitting to other companies.

Do I need to know a whole lot about comics?

Having at least an interest in comics and a basic knowledge as a reader is helpful, but not mandatory. This is about the craft and the form, so we’ll be going over all of the things you’d need to know.

How do I sign up?

Add the course to your shopping cart and check out, and we’ll send you a confirmation email. If you’ve got any questions or haven’t heard from us within 24 hours, you can contact us at info@comicscxperience.com to follow up. Our email confirmation contains information and instructions, giving you everything you need to get started with the course.

If you want to make comics for fun or become a pro, your comics career starts here.

To enroll in a Comics Experience digital course, you will need:


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