There are several great sources explaining the comic book writing process. I know because I own several of them, including the ones pictured in this blog. The first thing you have to understand about writing stories for comic books is that it is a dynamic process. It is often over looked and sadly an under rated function when creating a title by many upcoming creators. But it is the story that makes comics work. Many are artists that do not understand the complex writing process, other just under estimate how important the actual story is compared to the art in the pages of a comic.
The Creative Process
The comic writing process is not complicated but a bit complex. There are several parts that you need to become not only familiar with but very comfortable working in. There are books dedicated to the whole process so I'm not going to be able to give you everything in one article. Its just not going to happen. But what I will do is share the process in parts, starting with creative process. Most of these books have a similar beginning so I'm going to quote an excerpt from
The Art of Comic Book Writing by
Mark Kneece.
"There are three fundamental questions you should always be asking yourself: How much do I know about the subject? How much do I care about the subject? And How objective can I be about the subject?" As you begin to brainstorm for new and creative ideas to write about you will need to consistently ask yourself theses questions.
Knowledge about the subject
Comics have a wide variety of genre's and an even wider range of readers. This is the main reason why you need to research the subjects you write about. Your readers are going to judge your story as they read. If there are inconsistencies or facts that are just completely wrong you and your story will lose credibility and possibly lose a reader. Granted that many of the stories we will write about are fantasy based. But even with this truth it is important to use popular or familiar ideas in your writing or you risk the chance of losing the attention of your audience. For example, I write a story called
The Legend of Old Cuban Samurai. I had to spend some time researching the Cuban and samurai culture for the story so that my audience would feel that the story is authentic. Stan Lee said in his
Top Ten Tips for Writers,
"Be totally factual, or else so vague that you can get away with knowing nothing about your subject. But whatever you do, don't fake it."
Your personal interest in the subject
You need to have a personal stake in the story in order to really bring out your best writing. When you make the writing enjoyable, especially about subjects you care about, it brings your stories to life. There is a feeling of genuineness to the comic book. This will draw readers into your story. Your passion is also contagious. This also translates to a theme and to a message you want to share with the reader. Let it be a question about a situation or why you feel so strongly about a certain scenario. Write about things you care about.
Be objective about your subject
(Read more about this article in issue #01)
Comics have a wide variety of genre's and an even wider range of readers. This is the main reason why you need to research the subjects you write about. Your readers are going to judge your story as they read. If there are inconsistencies or facts that are just completely wrong you and your story will lose credibility and possibly lose a reader. Granted that many of the stories we will write about are fantasy based. But even with this truth it is important to use popular or familiar ideas in your writing or you risk the chance of losing the attention of your audience. For example, I write a story called The Legend of Old Cuban Samurai. I had to spend some time researching the Cuban and samurai culture for the story so that my audience would feel that the story is authentic. Stan Lee said in his Top Ten Tips for Writers, "Be totally factual, or else so vague that you can get away with knowing nothing about your subject. But whatever you do, don't fake it." 
You need to have a personal stake in the story in order to really bring out your best writing. When you make the writing enjoyable, especially about subjects you care about, it brings your stories to life. There is a feeling of genuineness to the comic book. This will draw readers into your story. Your passion is also contagious. This also translates to a theme and to a message you want to share with the reader. Let it be a question about a situation or why you feel so strongly about a certain scenario. Write about things you care about.