Product Description

Because You Demanded It! 64 pages of comic book lettering tips and tricks from the award-winning Comicraft studio. This full color step-by-step guide is filled to the brim with the wisdom -- and wit! -- of Comicraft founders Richard Starkings and John 'JG' Roshell.

Comic Book Lettering the Comicraft Way features a stunning cover of HIP FLASK by Brian Bolland and two HIP FLASK comic strips created by Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen and Jeph Loeb & Ian Churchill, alongside contributions from a galaxy of comic book stars including J. Scott Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Christian Gossett, Ladronn, Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira, Carlos Pacheco, Joe Quesada, Tim Sale, Kurt Busiek, Joe Casey and Joe Kelly.

Step by Step, Comic Book Lettering the Comicraft Way guides readers through the process of lettering a comic strip digitally. From font design to balloon placement, sound effects, signage, title page and publication design, the creators of The World's Greatest Comic Book Fonts cover every conceivable aspect of comic book lettering. Lavishly illustrated by examples drawn from Comicraft's ten years as America's premier comic book lettering studio, this manual is an essential tool for comic book creators everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #328567 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

Review
An essential resource on the craft of comic-book lettering. --Communication Arts Magazine

I was amazed at the level of scientific thought that goes into directing your eyes and reader voice through letters on the page. I cannot say enough good about this work... if you are going into the industry or hope to, buy this book. (4/4) --Alexander Ness, SlushFactory.com

Want to know more about comics? It's a must-buy. Want to make your own comics? It's a must-buy. Don't miss it. --Maggie Thompson, Comics Buyers Guide

Joe Kelly - (Superman, Justice League)
"A must-have for any would-be graphic designer, fan, or student of the printed arts."

About the Author
RICHARD STARKINGS learned the ropes of comic book production at Marvel UK in London. Moving to California in 1989 he founded the Comicraft studio with John ‘JG’ Roshell and together they revolutionized the art of comic book lettering & design -- introducing US publishers to the practice of digital lettering (covered in detail in their book COMIC BOOK LETTERING THE COMICRAFT WAY) which is now the industry standard. Starkings created the HIP FLASK character as a mascot for Comicraft's line of comic book fonts before developing the critically acclaimed UNNATURAL SELECTION storyline which details the origin of HIP FLASK and THE ELEPHANTMEN.

JOHN ROSHELL a.k.a. Gaushell, JG, Mr. Fontastic and Comicrafts Secret Weapon, graduated from UCLA with a Design degree in 1992, and has since achieved his life-long goal of revolutionizing the comic book lettering industry, one letter at a time.

Customer Reviews

through but scattered
Although the book is a fun and lively introduction of the art and style of comic book lettering, It is scattered and confusing, sometimes sacrificing its readability to its style. The irony of a book on lettering,which requires order, to have this chaotic a book on the subject is odd considering the expertise of the author on the subject. But the book is fun and does give decent instruction on the subject of comic book lettering. Very little is mentioned in the realm of digital lettering,(odd again considering that IS how comicraft exists.) Not a great introduction to the world of lettering...currently DC's book on lettering by Todd Klein is the best resource for digital lettering I have seen. and the best on hand lettering continues to be "how to draw and sell comic strips" by Alan Mackenzie. I would recommend this book to one who has already read these as it it a fine compliment to those

Look elsewhere.
I bought this book in the hopes of an analysis of form similar to Scott McCloud's works. This book was very dissappointing in that it offers some extremely basic information on lettering, was a very short book for its price and also it is SO busy trying to "wow" you with comic art, screentone, etc. that it often overpowers you. Other books, by comparison, are done in a comic format but manage to be far better designed than this one.

I respect the lettering talents and the work of Comicraft, but the delivery kills the message!

An Indispensible How-To Guide
Look through some of the comics that you consider to have the best lettering and fonts, and you may find that a number of them have Richard Starkings or Comicraft in the credits. In this excellent guide, Starkings shares his digital lettering secrets with you - everything from constructing a standard word balloon to text manipulation in creating sound effects to varigating your word balloons based on what's being said. This is an exceptionally useful guide - although the techniques described herein will take some practice to get right. Additionally, to use this guide, you will have to have Adobe Illustrator (this is the standard upon which this book is based). If you've ever had any designs on creating your own comics and want to start lettering on the computer, this is the only book for you.