How to Make a Comic Book or Graphic Novel Online, No Drawing Required!
Have you ever wondering how to make a comic book or graphic novel online? Well, you’re in the right place. Storytelling is one of the best forms of entertainment in the world today. Books, novels, magazines, and comic book strips/graphic novels can tell powerful stories that resonate with people.
If you ever read the Sunday Funnies, you will see that comic strips can be entertaining while sharing important themes in everyday life.
We want to help you create comic books and graphic novels that capture your ideas and bring your stories to life in a fun, interactive, and meaningful way.
To help you plan your comic book, we put together a 3 step guide on how to plan your comic book, from creating your main character to mapping out the plot, theme, and setting.
Ready to learn how to create a great comic book? Great! Let’s jump right in!
The 1st step in creating your comic book is to brainstorm ideas/think about your main character!
First things first! Every great comic book has a beginning, middle, and end, and usually centers around one main character. The protagonist of the story typically must overcome an obstacle to get to an end desired result. Brainstorming your story idea can help you conceptualize your main character and bring about the big idea of your comic book.
Questions to brainstorm:
Who is the main character?
What is the main character's goal?
What is the conflict they must overcome?
What is the resolution?
⚡️ACTION STEP ⚡️
[INSERT Your character] must learn to [Theme] despite the [Obstacle] if the character wants to [MAIN GOAL]
Example: Sally must learn to be brave despite the dragon if the she wants to save her city!
Character: Sally
Theme: Bravery
Obstacle: Dragon
Main Goal: Save city
The 2nd step on how to create a comic book is figuring out your comic books theme/plot.
Now that you have brainstormed some character ideas and the concept of your comic book, it is time to think about the theme. A theme is a central part of your story and should be at the forefront of your plot! To help pinpoint your comic book's theme - ask yourself these questions:
What is the purpose of my comic book?
What is the BIG idea of my story?
How does your theme (BIG IDEA) connect to the main character?
How does the character change/grow because of this big idea?
Some popular theme ideas seen in comic books include good vs. evil, courage, bravery, love, overcoming adversity (to name a few).
⚡️ACTION STEP ⚡️
[Your character] learns [Theme] and [ Grows / Develops]
Example: Theme = Bravery
Sally learns to be brave and becomes a hero.
The 3rd step in how to create a comic book is thinking about your story's setting(s).
Okay, now that you have your comic book mapped out, it is time to think about the setting. Some questions to ask yourself when planning your setting
Where does my story take place?
Is there one or more settings?
How does the setting relate to my character?
Comic books and graphic novels are visual stories! Make sure you have a clear vision for your setting and that it makes sense for your characters to be in that particular environment.
Many stories have one or more settings. Depending on your ideas, think about how you will incorporate settings into your story to add dimension and depth to your comic book.
⚡️ACTION STEP ⚡️
Action Item: [INSERT Your character] must travel to [Setting] + [Description] to learn how to overcome [Obstacle].
Example: Sally travels to Iris, a mystical land full of magic to learn how to defeat the dragon.
Here are a few other things to consider when planning your comic book!
Character development: Create an in-depth character portfolio by developing your protagonist. Try to answer these questions:
What is my main character's backstory?
What are some of their character traits?
What drives my character?
What do they want?
What motivates them?
What do they have to do to get what they want?
How will my character change or grow?
Developing your character and answering these questions can help you create a realistic protagonist that people relate to which will help your comic book resonate with your audience.
Supporting Character: Adding supporting characters to your comic book can help create a rich story and bring diversity to your main character. Having supporting characters can help move and push your plot forward.
The hero journey: A great way to outline your comic book is to use elements from the 'hero's journey'.
Example: Hero Journey
↓Setting / World-building
↓Characters are called to adventure
↓The trials or obstacles they must overcome
↓How do they overcome the obstacles
↓Why must they overcome them
↓The reward for overcoming obstacles
↓The transformation they have
↓ The return to 1st setting
Now that you have your comic book planned, it’s time to bring it to life!
With Storyspread’s easy interface, you can create your online comic book with easy-to-use drag-and-drop features. No drawing required!
So, what will you do first?
Choose a premade layout or customize your own: Storyspread has premade layout templates to choose from, or customize your own. Your template can be as long or short as you would like!
Choose your border colors: Yep! We offer border customization so that your online comic strip matches your ideas. Pick from 11 different border colors.
Choose your characters, With so many characters to choose from, your online comic book strip can have 1 or 13 characters.
Choose props: Your story would not be realistic without having some props! Use our prop gallery feature to add items to your characters or settings. Shapes, flowers, utensils, and more - you can create scenes that depict your story!
Choose Scene: Your online comic strip or graphic novel will probably have a different scene or two. We have created multiple settings you can choose from including, a beach, library, schoolroom, and living room (to name a few).
Add text: After creating your online comic strip, you can keep it simple by keeping it a picture story or adding text for more depth. Use our textbox feature to create a dialogue among your characters.
Easy to drag and drop features make creating your online comic strip not only easy but fun, too!
Next - Save, download, or share your story!
When your comic strip is complete, you can easily save your story or download and print it to turn it into a hardcopy comic.
If you would like, you can also publish your comic on the website for all to see, read, and enjoy! Share with your friends and family or with other comic lovers online.
The best thing about Storyspread online comic book creator is that it is FREE! Make as many comics or graphic novels as you would like, bringing your ideas to life in a fun and interactive way.
More Benefits and Features of Storyspread Online Comic Creator
Benefit #1 We know you love creating comics. We also know that you love reading comics, too! Our website has stored published comics from other creators. Read and see what fun graphic novels other people have created.
Benefit #2 We love spreading a positive and fun community. Our website welcomes all and encourages you to be creative with your stories. You will have access to other comics, allowing you to build a community. Support, and encourage other comic creators.
Benefit #3 With so many ideas running around in your head, you can FINALLY have a place to bring your ideas to life. You do not have to spend hours drawing your comics. Use our easy software to create your comics fast and easily.
Last but not least!
We want to make your comic creation process simple, even if you are not an artist (or good at drawing). Not only is it a great way to let your creative juices flow, but you can let your imagination run wild, creating stories and graphic novels that represent your creative ideas.
Create and share your comics with an online comic strip maker created just for you. You can bring your ideas to life through comic books over and over again and have fun doing it.
Are you ready to start creating? Great! Sign Up and try out our beta software today!
Hi, Welcome to Storyspread.com!
Comic creation made simple. Create graphic novels with a single click. Add character, backgrounds, and more.
Easy to use. Say goodbye to searching far & wide for an expensive illustrator.
Tell your story. Join other creatives, readers, and hobbyist in producing high quality & beautiful comics
Read. Read other’s comics for FREE and share with others
Grow. Grow an audience you love with the stories YOU imagined
Were you can create a comic and graphic novel WITHOUT drawing. Simple and easy! Made for all skill levels. Click-n-drag comic book characters, scences into panels.
Create a comic just like this! Here.