Making your own Japanese comic is challenging, but fun.
Writing and designing a Japanese comic book (known as "manga") is a challenge, especially to the newcomer. But it can also be fulfilling to see your own literary and visual work come to life in an eye-popping, unforgettable way. And manga isn't just for the Japanese---talented artists all over the world have made lifelong careers out of designing and self-publishing manga. All it takes is a good story, a fair amount of drawing ability and a heavy dose of imagination.
Instructions
1. Develop your manga's storyline. From beginning to end, write what will happen in a one or two-paragraph synopsis. When you're finished, ask yourself if the story will fit into the length of the manga without sounding too stilted or contrived. There's no set length for a manga, but short stories are usually as little as 10 to 20 pages (short enough to fit into a magazine) while longer mangas can run for several chapters and are separated into volumes. Don't worry that an idea seems too bizarre; manga is probably one of the mediums most accepting of unlikely plots, as long as the story holds the reader's interest.
2. Draw sketches of each character on separate sheets of paper, with descriptions of their personalities and back stories. There's no single way to draw a manga character (for example, they don't need to have large eyes) so use your imagination to its fullest potential. Some common conventions for characters include small, narrow eyes for serious or evil characters; crescent-shaped lines like upside-down U's in place of eyes for cheery or mischievous personalities; long hair for feminine characters, even males; and pointed features for characters with a magical or deity-related background. Tall characters have status, and short ones are often used as comic relief. You can use these conventions as they are, or surprise your audience by changing them. When developing your characters, decide how each one feels about the others, and how they will interact.
3. Use a storyboard to outline the progression of your manga and how it will look on each page. (A storyboard includes a rough placement and generalized picture of each panel.) Will you draw it in Western style, from left to right, or the Japanese right-to-left style? Usually a manga will have between five and seven panels per page. You can draw more panels, as long as the reader can clearly understand the story's progression. There are no strict rules in pacing your story, as every author has a separate style, but usually the reader should either catch a "teasing glance" at the backstory in the first chapter before the present story starts, or an introduction to each main character. Unless you plan to write an epic story involving many clans and families, it's best to stick to a maximum of four main characters. Cliffhangers aren't required at the end of each chapter unless you think they're important.
4. Draw each panel, using the character sketches you've created. Keep in mind how they move, and what they would look like in different positions. Background images can be static, or blurred to show the character moving at a rapid pace. Speech bubbles shouldn't take up a lot of space in the panel, but make sure you have enough room to write the words legibly. If you're not sure draw certain pieces, consider buying a book on drawing manga characters or backgrounds to help you work on your weak points.
5. Assemble your manga by punching holes along the sides and attaching "brads," or tabs that fit inside the holes and hold the papers together. The size of the book can vary, but it will normally be the size of a regular manga book (5 inches by 8 inches).
