|
Hello! For the last 6 years, I’ve been lettering comic books. Lettering is the placement of dialogue, word balloons, sound effects, and other kinds of text into a comic book page in a way that tells the story. Here’s a panel I did: I mostly letter comic books for Marvel and Image. I’m currently on Bitch Planet, Pretty Deadly, Phonogram, The Wicked + The Divine, and a bunch of other books for Image, and I work on Invincible Iron Man, Spider-Gwen, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and a host of others for Marvel. In the past, I’ve worked on Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Young Avengers, Cowboy Ninja Viking, and other things listed here in my ComicVine profile. Here are some questions that I’m asked quite often: Wait, people still make comic books? We sure do! And this lettering thing is a real job that people do and get paid for? You betcha! So you’re, like, the writer? Nope! I copy and arrange text written by someone else. So you’re NOT the writer. Afraid not. Sorry. Is [this rumor] true? I have no idea, and if I did, I’m legally barred from confirming or denying it. Sorry. Have you ever met Stan Lee? Not yet. Maybe one day. So, ask me anything you like about lettering comics, working in the comics industry, or anything else comics-related that springs to mind, and I’ll answer whatever I can!
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2015 14:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 14:20 |
|
|
I'll start it with two questions: 1. Do you see digital lettering reducing the number of work opportunities for you in the future? 2. Have you ever lettered a panel and had it returned for revision because it didn't convey what the writer was trying to say? What's the process for that if it ever happens?
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2015 15:19
|
|
|
zharmad posted:I'll start it with two questions: No, not at all. I started off as a digital letterer and no one's asked me to letter something with pen and ink since school. quote:2. Have you ever lettered a panel and had it returned for revision because it didn't convey what the writer was trying to say? What's the process for that if it ever happens? Yes, constantly. Thanks to the efficiency of digital lettering, there are always rewrites of some kind after I finish the first lettering pass. It's not usually about conveying what's being said as it is strengthening the overall story. Either the writer has a better idea, or the editor requests a specific change (add a namedrop here, this sentence makes no sense, "their" not "they're," etc.). Sometimes I'm asked to make something louder or quieter and I re-letter the panel accordingly. Give the text a bold, shouty font or shrink the text a few point sizes, etc. My all-time favorite note from a Ghost Rider editor that said "Make this caption bigger and MORE METAL!"
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2015 15:34
|
|
|
How much of the total effort of an issue goes into lettering?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 16:37
|
|
|
1. Lettering is something in comics that I sometimes take for granted. What do you think about when you read other comics lettering? Like, what's one of your favorite recent comics from a lettering perspective recently, and why? (Maybe one of yours you're especially proud of and one of someone else's?) 2. You mentioned school where you lettered. What kind of school was that? 3. For creator-owned stuff - does the letterer ever get a portion of the ownership like the writer/artist? Also curious about inkers and colorists if you know the answer to that. edit: 4. Do you have a curriculum vitae that you send when you're looking/applying for work? If so, do you send a final product (i.e. actual issues) or something else? Or how do you get contracted for work? Fritzler fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Aug 17, 2015 |
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 17:13
|
|
|
Does VC have some kind of death grip on the industry? Every time I see a comic it's lettered by VC's Someone or other. Also how many books could you letter in a month without feeling like you were killing yourself?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 17:18
|
|
|
I'm pretty sure you've lettered a good 80% of what I've read this year, or at least yours is the most memorable letterer name in the world. For a while I thought you were a studio and not one dude.  Two questions, I guess -So how do you get picked to letter a book? Do you get any say in it? Related - have you ever turned down lettering a book because of content or not wanting to work with the creators or whatever?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 17:21
|
|
|
You said the job of a letterer is the "placement of dialogue, word balloons, sound effects, and other kinds". Does the writer usually tell you exactly what font they want or do you have some say in that? Do you end up designing how sound effects look or is that something the artist does?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 17:37
|
|
|
Spazzle posted:How much of the total effort of an issue goes into lettering? I don't have an exact number, but I'm guessing 5% or less. It really is the writer, artist and editors who do the heavy lifting.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 18:03
|
|
|
Fritzler posted:1. Lettering is something in comics that I sometimes take for granted. What do you think about when you read other comics lettering? Like, what's one of your favorite recent comics from a lettering perspective recently, and why? (Maybe one of yours you're especially proud of and one of someone else's?) I think "I really wish I wasn't a letterer sometimes," because I'm constantly analyzing everything on the page. Like, "that tail isn't pointing at the mouth" or "the reading order is off" or "that's a REALLY great sound effect!!!" That's my bar now, if I can read a book without noticing the lettering, then I know it's good. Anyway, er, here are some favorite books I've liked for lettering because I can't pick one: -Anything by James Stokoe, but especially his Godzilla stuff. I can't believe his gift for sound effects. -Most books lettered by Rus Wooton, but especially Black Science and Deadly Class. He is the master of finding a unique style for any book you throw at him, and it's stupid as hell that he didn't get a Harvey or Eisner nom this year. -The Sandman Overture by the great Todd Klein. So many unique voices. I have no idea how he came up with them all. -Aaaaand Casanova because Dustin Harbin's lettering is just great to look at. Such pretty text. quote:2. You mentioned school where you lettered. What kind of school was that? I went to the Joe Kubert School and graduated in 2009. I'm not sure if this is still true (the curriculum underwent a massive overhaul almost immediately after I graduated), but Lettering was a required class for every 1st year student. quote:3. For creator-owned stuff - does the letterer ever get a portion of the ownership like the writer/artist? Also curious about inkers and colorists if you know the answer to that. Sometimes, but not often. I've done deals like that before in lieu of a page rate, if I thought the property was worth the risk, or if I really like to work with everyone else involved. But for the most part, I just go with a page rate. quote:edit: 4. Do you have a curriculum vitae that you send when you're looking/applying for work? If so, do you send a final product (i.e. actual issues) or something else? Or how do you get contracted for work? I made up a résumé to go with my portfolio when I first started out, but I haven't really had to use either since I hooked up with VC. They take good care of me, and everything I do that isn't through them came from other creators seeking me out. But if I had to seek work now, I'd probably cherrypick a few pages from different titles of varying styles that I thought turned out okay with an updated résumé.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 18:26
|
|
|
zoux posted:Does VC have some kind of death grip on the industry? Every time I see a comic it's lettered by VC's Someone or other. Nah, just Marvel. And even there we don't letter everything. quote:Also how many books could you letter in a month without feeling like you were killing yourself? Between 15 and 18 is where I feel most comfortable, and I think I'm on 21 right now. Last January I lettered something like 700 pages and I was about ready to light the biz on fire.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 18:30
|
|
|
A Tin Of Beans posted:I'm pretty sure you've lettered a good 80% of what I've read this year, or at least yours is the most memorable letterer name in the world. For a while I thought you were a studio and not one dude. Sometimes! I was approached to do all of my Image books by their respective creators, but at Marvel I mostly go where I'm told. Either the manager will offer me something or an editor will request me. quote:Related - have you ever turned down lettering a book because of content or not wanting to work with the creators or whatever? Without getting into specifics or naming names, yes, but very very rarely. For the most part, I get to work with people who treat me great and whose ethics and politics line up with my own.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 18:41
|
|
|
Senor Candle posted:You said the job of a letterer is the "placement of dialogue, word balloons, sound effects, and other kinds". Does the writer usually tell you exactly what font they want or do you have some say in that? Writers/editors/artists/etc. don't usually ask for specific fonts (though some have), but they'll request a style. Like "Make this book look gritty" or "This book should look like this other book in the same franchise" or "Make this guy sound like Daft Punk." Sometimes I'll throw in a custom voice if I think it helps, but I mostly keep things simple for the sake of efficiency. quote:Do you end up designing how sound effects look or is that something the artist does? That's almost always me, unless the artist draws the sound effects themselves (like Alan Davis or Chris Samnee).
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 18:48
|
|
|
Minister of Sound posted:I think "I really wish I wasn't a letterer sometimes," because I'm constantly analyzing everything on the page. Like, "that tail isn't pointing at the mouth" or "the reading order is off" or "that's a REALLY great sound effect!!!" That's my bar now, if I can read a book without noticing the lettering, then I know it's good. Does subpar lettering ever keep you from reading a book? I've been dipping my toe in the indie lettering waters, and even with my extremely limited expertise, there are a few books that I know are good that I just can't read, because every time I pick them up, all I see are tangents and tails jutting out at odd angles. Conversely, when you see something that's really great, particularly something out of your usual wheelhouse, do you squirrel it away for later use? I know there are definitely styles of lettering, like Rus Wooton's propensity for circular balloons, or John Workman's, ... well, ... everything, but it still doesn't seem like the kind of thing where someone's work can be easily pinpointed in the same way people can tell JRJR and Liefeld and Hitch and Ramos apart.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2015 20:44
|
|
|
I almost asked "Is Tom Orzechowski the best letterer of his era?" before remembering that I already have an opinion on that (it is 'yes') so instead let me ask "How is Tom Orzechowski's lettering on those Claremont-era X-books so bloody good?"
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 01:24
|
|
|
How often do mistakes happen? Make any that still annoy you? Every so often I'll see a text bubble that should clearly be pointing to someone else's face, or a word will be repeated on the next line etc. Any repercussions to this or is it an editors fault for letting it slip by?
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 01:42
|
|
|
Minister of Sound posted:I mostly letter comic books for Marvel and Image. I’m currently on Bitch Planet, Pretty Deadly, Phonogram, The Wicked + The Divine, and a bunch of other books for Image, and I work on Invincible Iron Man, Spider-Gwen, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and a host of others for Marvel. Jesus you work on some of my favorite books right now (Spider-Gwen and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl). Thank you for your great work. Are you working on any of the Secret Wars books and if so which ones?
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 04:53
|
|
|
Inkspot posted:Does subpar lettering ever keep you from reading a book? I've been dipping my toe in the indie lettering waters, and even with my extremely limited expertise, there are a few books that I know are good that I just can't read, because every time I pick them up, all I see are tangents and tails jutting out at odd angles. Yes, constantly. I know this is snobby as hell, but comics are an expensive habit, and I'm not going to spend money on a book that apparently treats my livelihood like an afterthought. I do like that lettering like that make me and my peers look like we know what we're doing, but at the same time it smacks of unprofessionalism, and it really is a disservice to the reading audience. quote:Conversely, when you see something that's really great, particularly something out of your usual wheelhouse, do you squirrel it away for later use? I know there are definitely styles of lettering, like Rus Wooton's propensity for circular balloons, or John Workman's, ... well, ... everything, but it still doesn't seem like the kind of thing where someone's work can be easily pinpointed in the same way people can tell JRJR and Liefeld and Hitch and Ramos apart. Sure, sometimes. I'll draw inspiration from stuff, if that's what you mean. Like if someone colors a sound effect in a cool way, or uses a font creatively, I might make a note of it for later. The word balloons in Pretty Deadly were inspired by the asymmetrical balloons from Mara. They added a zing to the page, and I thought those sort of balloons would look especially good over Emma Ríos. This might be because I'm way too close to everything, but I do think anyone can tell letterers apart if you look hard enough. I think no one really thinks to, though, since our job is to basically be invisible. When I started out I couldn't tell any of the dialogue fonts apart, but now I can call a Todd Klein or a Pat Brosseau or a Chris Eliopoulos book without reading the credits. Even us VC guys have certain quirks to their styles that you only find in our respective books, and we're all using the same tools.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 12:22
|
|
|
DivineCoffeeBinge posted:I almost asked "Is Tom Orzechowski the best letterer of his era?" before remembering that I already have an opinion on that (it is 'yes') so instead let me ask "How is Tom Orzechowski's lettering on those Claremont-era X-books so bloody good?" He's got The Sight, man! I really wish I knew for sure. I read an interview with him once (I wish I could find it), and I could be remembering this wrong, but I think for most of Claremont's first Uncanny run, Orzechowski was working from home, so he didn't have to conform to the in-house lettering rules as much as the rest of the staff. So maybe that's it. But yeah, he's awesome.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 12:25
|
|
|
Marf Revus posted:How often do mistakes happen? Make any that still annoy you? Every so often I'll see a text bubble that should clearly be pointing to someone else's face, or a word will be repeated on the next line etc. Any repercussions to this or is it an editors fault for letting it slip by? Here and there, but lucky for me, most of the mistakes I make involve pre-press stuff that would keep the books from going to press (like exporting the wrong page from InDesign or something). Things like typos or wrong speakers or butting errors are usually called as "the editor's fault", but it takes a lot for anything serious to come out of it. Editing is a tough job and most people in the business are sympathetic when something like that happens. The grind gets to everyone. Which isn't to say it's tolerated, but no one's even been fired or replaced for letting "Valerie Richards" go to print. I only get in real trouble if I do something deliberate, like hiding messages in alien cypher text or something. I got busted for using the term "God Dammit" in this thing a year and a half after it came out: http://kierongillen.tumblr.com/post/33908757892/journey-into-mystery-transcript-of-norse-runes
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 12:35
|
|
|
SalTheBard posted:Jesus you work on some of my favorite books right now (Spider-Gwen and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl). Thank you for your great work. Are you working on any of the Secret Wars books and if so which ones? Aw, thank YOU man! I'm on a whole bunch of Secret Wars titles and they've been a blast. I'm on: -1602: Witch Hunter Angela -1872 -Age of Apocalypse -Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies -E is for Extinction -Hail Hydra -Inhumans: Attilan Rising -Korvac Saga -Marvel Zombies -Red Skull -Runaways -Siege
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 12:38
|
|
|
Do you have any career aspirations? Or is lettering comics a kind of job for life dealy.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 13:08
|
|
|
Jeza posted:Do you have any career aspirations? Or is lettering comics a kind of job for life dealy. The dream is to write and draw my own stuff one day. I mainly got into lettering as a networking tool, but ended up falling in love with it. It's not what I ultimately want to do, but I love my job, and I'll probably keep lettering books for my friends after retiring from full-time lettering.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 13:23
|
|
|
Minister of Sound posted:I only get in real trouble if I do something deliberate, like hiding messages in alien cypher text or something. I got busted for using the term "God Dammit" in this thing a year and a half after it came out: http://kierongillen.tumblr.com/post/33908757892/journey-into-mystery-transcript-of-norse-runes Ha ha! That's awesome! There needs to be a tumblr with all the hidden messages letterers leave in comics. How do you seek to improve your lettering? It seems like there's a definitive wall of GOOD LETTERING/BAD LETTERING with awareness of linebreaks and how far to stretch tails, etc, but after that, is it just a matter of trying a bunch of styles and pushing yourself to be more creative? How often have you done a test page (or pages or whatehaveyou) with a specific style and had to scrap it after a writer/artist/editor voiced their concerns? Inkspot fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Aug 18, 2015 |
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 16:28
|
|
|
This is probably the stupidest entry level question possible, but are you actually writing the letters in the word balloons or just using a font?
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 18:54
|
|
|
You should really visit the Making Comics thread. I'm pretty sure the debate resolved with a solid "whatever, bro."
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 19:06
|
|
|
DivineCoffeeBinge posted:I almost asked "Is Tom Orzechowski the best letterer of his era?" before remembering that I already have an opinion on that (it is 'yes') so instead let me ask "How is Tom Orzechowski's lettering on those Claremont-era X-books so bloody good?" This made me laugh because that era of X-Men was my favorite comic and Tom my favorite letterer. MoS I'd love to see more examples of your work. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 20:33
|
|
|
How do I make my handwriting better?
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 23:42
|
|
|
Inkspot posted:Ha ha! That's awesome! There needs to be a tumblr with all the hidden messages letterers leave in comics. Kinda. I'm not consciously pushing myself to be more creative as much as I am avoiding complacency and trying to do what's best for each book stylistically. Established house styles are that for a reason, and there isn't much reason to deviate from it on most super hero books, but if something hits me or the book inspires me to try something different, I'll pitch it to the team and see what they think. I did that with the rough balloons and sound effects in 1872 to play up the grittiness of the book, and people seem to dig it. My ideas aren't usually shot down (I'm lucky enough to work with a lot of cool and open-minded people), but sometimes the rest of the team will have other ideas to try, and the books are always better for it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 14:17
|
|
|
zoux posted:This is probably the stupidest entry level question possible, but are you actually writing the letters in the word balloons or just using a font? 99% of the time I'm using fonts, but I do have to write stuff by hand sometimes. Usually if the text needs a glyph from a non-English language.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 14:18
|
|
|
Dick Trauma posted:This made me laugh because that era of X-Men was my favorite comic and Tom my favorite letterer. You got it! I can't think of any individual pages to post, so here are some previews for books I did that come out today (please pardon my shamelessness): 1872 #2 Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies #3 Loki #17 (the last issue  )Runaways #3 Secret Wars: Secret Love #1 Wolf #2
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 14:25
|
|
|
bromplicated posted:How do I make my handwriting better? Use a font. They'll never know the difference.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 14:27
|
|
|
Why do some letterers seem to randomly bold words? I get that it's used for emphasis but there seem to be so many cases in modern comics where it just doesn't seem appropriate. Also are you running a secret competition with Jordie Bellaire on who can work on the most books per month?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 14:51
|
|
|
irlZaphod posted:Why do some letterers seem to randomly bold words? I get that it's used for emphasis but there seem to be so many cases in modern comics where it just doesn't seem appropriate. That's almost never our doing. Bold/italics are requested by the writers or editors, and I'll only do a b/i myself if I think an editor will request it later. quote:Also are you running a secret competition with Jordie Bellaire on who can work on the most books per month? Not anymore! In 2012 we were working on the same number of books, and I don't think she ate or slept the entire year. I love Jordie very much and I don't want her to die.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 15:00
|
|
|
Minister of Sound posted:That's almost never our doing. Bold/italics are requested by the writers or editors, and I'll only do a b/i myself if I think an editor will request it later. Minister of Sound posted:Not anymore! In 2012 we were working on the same number of books, and I don't think she ate or slept the entire year. I love Jordie very much and I don't want her to die.  She's awesome.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 15:13
|
|
|
I feel kind of bad because so many people itt have favorite letterers. I guess I kind of overlook their contributions, what should I look for in order to better appreciate lettering?
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 17:12
|
|
|
zoux posted:I feel kind of bad because so many people itt have favorite letterers. I guess I kind of overlook their contributions, what should I look for in order to better appreciate lettering? Well, I would say "don't", unless you want to end up a hyper-analytical weirdo like me! But if you do, start with the stuff you're already reading and examine the lettering there, see what stands out to you and decide whether it's "good". That's how I studied the craft when I first started out. I already knew the basic rules and had read the Comicraft Guide to Lettering (which is worth looking at if you really want to get technical), but checking stuff out in the wild is where the real learning happens. If you're looking for universally-acknowledged great lettering, you can't go wrong with the touchstones. Sandman, Claremont's Uncanny X-Men, Walt Simonson's Thor. I also have a big soft spot for books done by Comicraft earlier on, like the first issues of Generation X and Battle Chasers. Early digital lettering was pretty wild and technically excellent, and it looks pretty different from the way things are done today.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2015 19:27
|
|
|
What font would a potato use?
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2015 00:51
|
|
|
PotatoesJones posted:What font would a potato use? One of these.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2015 01:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 14:20 |
|
|
Minister of Sound posted:if something hits me or the book inspires me to try something different, I'll pitch it to the team and see what they think. What does pitching to the team mean? Is there a group email where everyone talks about book? Also, why would you turn down a job?
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2015 21:49
|
|