Comic Book Production Bible

Article in preparation.

The production Bible is the master reference for a comic book or graphic novel: its creative, visual and technical requirements. Collaborators need to know what has been decided, where to find it and which version is authoritative.

It is broader than the reference Bible in GraphicNovel. That Bible supplies characters, places, objects and continuity; a production Bible also covers style, delivery and the work between people.

01 / Concept

Specify the premise, genre, audience and creative direction. Define the scope, format and intended output. Everyone should know what they are making before they start making different things.

02 / Story

Document the plot, narrative structure, story arcs and key events. Define issue breakdowns, progression and dependencies. This is the overview; the working script remains separate.

03 / Characters

Maintain profiles, model sheets and visual references. Specify appearance, costumes, expressions and development. Record what changes with age or era, and what must remain recognisable.

04 / World and settings

Document locations, environments, props and the rules of the world. Keep reference artwork, environment designs and continuity requirements together. A room should not acquire another door because someone needed somewhere to put it.

05 / Visual style

Specify drawing style, linework, colouring, lighting and visual treatment. Supply approved examples, palettes and references. “You know what I mean” is a poor production specification.

06 / Pages and panels

Specify page dimensions, layouts, gutters and reading order. Define framing, shot types, composition and pacing conventions. Make the constraints clear; leave room for the artist to do the art.

07 / Dialogue and captions

Specify dialogue, narration, captions and sound-effect conventions. Define lettering, typography, balloon placement and text formatting. The letterer needs decisions, not a late discovery that the dialogue will not fit.

08 / Production workflow

Define scripting, thumbnails, pencils, inks, colours, lettering and final assembly. Specify deliverables, file formats, naming conventions and approval stages. Make draft, approved and superseded material distinguishable, and say who can change what.

09 / Continuity

Maintain the canonical record of characters, events, locations and timelines. Track approved revisions across issues. Continuity runs through every section above; this is where the decisions and changes can be found.