Words for Pictures - by Brian Michael Bendis (Paperback)

About the Book

Step-by-step lessons teach comics writing hopefuls everything they'll need to take their ideas from script to dynamic sequential art. The book's complete coverage exposes the most effective methods for crafting comic scripts, showcases insights from Bendis's fellow creators, reveals business secrets all would-be comics writers must know, and challenges readers with exercises to jumpstart their own graphic novel writing success.

Book Synopsis

Best-selling Marvel Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis reveals the comic book writing secrets behind his work on The Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man, All-New X-Men, and more.

One of the most popular writers in modern comics, Brian Michael Bendis reveals the tools and techniques he and other top creators use to create some of the most popular comic book and graphic novel stories of all time. Words for Pictures shows readers the creative methods of a writer at the very top of his field. Bendis guides aspiring creators through each step of the comics-making process--from idea to script to finished sequential art--for fan favorite comics like The Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, and more. Along the way, tips and insights from other working writers, artists, and editors provide a rare, extensive look behind the creative curtain of the comics industry. With script samples, a glossary of must-know business terms for writers, and interactive comics-writing exercises, Words for Pictures provides the complete toolbox needed to jump start the next comics-writing success story.

Review Quotes

"Brian Michael Bendis illuminates the craft, and commerce, of becoming a comics pro...Words for Pictures covers everything from making a pitch to script writing; the book even goes over the delicate process of creative collaboration."
--David Betancourt, The Washington Post

"Bendis puts his classroom lessons down into a single textbook for aspiring and professional writers to help guide and encourage them in their endeavors to completing their journey towards completing their 10,000 hours and beyond."
--Forrest Helvie, Newsarama

"Highly recommended, Words For Pictures will inspire readers to craft their own ideas and become better storytellers."
--Jorge Solis, MSTARS

"It's an enjoyable read and...for those looking to break into comics as a writer, it's a strong compilation of advice and specific tips to help you survive an industry that's wildly different on the inside than it might seem from a fan's point of view on the outside."
--Augie De Blieck Jr, Comic Book Resources

"A very handsome how-to guide, presenting the information in a visually engaging way and spicing up the text with artwork from some of the industry's top talents."
--Oliver Sava, The Onion A.V. Club

"A fantastic text...comes from the heart of an educator, but more importantly, the mind of a writer."
--Anthony Schultz, Examiner

"Acclaimed bestselling comics writer Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, Alias) has been the main architect of Marvel's universe for a decade, and he gives a step-by-step break down to the art of writing comics, with script styles, art tips, and interviews with his fellow scripters such as Ed Brubaker and roundtables with artists and editors. Only a few guides to comics writing have been produced and this will quickly leap to the top of the list."
--Publisher's Weekly

"With script samples, a glossary of must-know business terms for writers, and interactive comics-writing exercises, Words for Pictures provides the complete toolbox needed to jump start the next comics-writing success story."
--Gift Pick: Forces of Geek

"There is no one better qualified in the field of graphic novels to write this wonderful book."
--Warren Ellis, author of Gun Machine, RED, Transmetropolitan

"There are writers, there are great writers and then there are those very few great writers who redefine the medium like Brian Bendis has with his mastery of dialogue, character, and graphic storytelling. I'm always asked, 'What book should I read to learn how to write and produce comics?' Now I finally have something to recommend, written by the one of the modern legends himself."
--Geoff Johns, CCO of DC Entertainment and Eisner Award-winning writer of Green Lantern and Justice League

"Bendis is a pro's pro, and he probes the creative process of writing visually with the power of an atomic microscope! Any five pages alone are worth the price of the book. Everyone harboring the dream of assaulting the comics universe must begin with Words for Pictures."
--STERANKO

"As one of the definitive comic writers of the last 20 years, Brian Michael Bendis has done more to inspire the medium than almost anyone I can think of. His writing has pushed the field forward not just once or twice, but multiple times, and he remains one of the most vibrant and inspiring writers working right now. There's simply no one better to write a book like this than Bendis. This is exactly the book I'd wished existed when I was a young writer trying to break into the industry, full of insight and terrific advice. The wisdom on writing that fills these pages will prove priceless for new writers and pros alike."
--Scott Snyder, Eisner Award-winning writer of Batman, The Wake, and American Vampire

"This book isn't just dedicated to the craft of writing--it's a master class in it. Packed with thoughtful advice, hard-learned lessons, and obsessive minutiae that I would've killed for, Words for Pictures is the remarkable result of a life dedicated to an art."
--Brad Meltzer, best-selling author of The Inner Circle and Identity Crisis

About the Author

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS is an award winning comics creator and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For the last twelve years, Bendis's books have dominated the top of nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts. As a leading writer for Marvel Comics, he works on their best-selling properties like The Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Guardians of the Galaxy. In addition, his original projects include Scarlet, Brilliant, Powers (currently in development as a TV series at FX), Torso (being developed as a film by Circle of Confusion), and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory. The winner of five prestigious Eisner Awards, Bendis lives with his family in Portland, where he writes and teaches comics and graphic novel writing at Portland State University and the University of Oregon.