Comic Book Script Formatter

Comics are a team sport. The writer’s script goes to an artist who draws every panel and a letterer who places every word, often in different countries and time zones. A clear full script saves everyone time: every page and panel numbered, every balloon labelled and counted, and pages flagged before they become too crowded to draw. This formatter takes a loosely typed script and produces exactly that.

Typing the script

Write “Page 1” to start a page, optionally with a note in brackets such as (splash) for a single full-page image. Write “Panel 1” for each panel, followed by a description for the artist. Lettering goes on its own lines: NIA: The map says the library is two streets past the clock tower. Use CAPTION: for narration boxes and SFX: for sound effects. Add a modifier in brackets for special balloons: (WHISPER), (THOUGHT), (RADIO) or (OP) for a speaker who is off-panel.

What the formatter adds

Pages become PAGE ONE, PAGE TWO and so on, with the panel count after each heading. Panels are numbered within the page, and balloons and captions are numbered straight through the page — the numbering letterers use to place them in order. Sound effects are listed but not numbered, since they are drawn into the art.

Word budgets

Too many words is the most common problem in new comic scripts. Lettering takes space from the art, and a crowded panel reads slowly. Rules of thumb vary, but around 25 words per balloon, two or three balloons per panel and about 200 words per page keep pages readable. The tool counts words for every balloon, panel and page and warns when any guide is exceeded; adjust the limits for your format, whether a manga-sized page or a large European album.

Left and right pages

Readers see two pages at once, so a reveal on a right-hand page is visible before the reader turns to it. Most single issues open on a right-hand page, which makes odd pages right and even pages left. With that setting, the page table shows each page’s side, so you can put cliffhangers at the bottom of right pages and surprises at the top of left ones.

Exporting

Copy or download the formatted text to send to collaborators, or download a Courier PDF with page numbers, optionally starting each comic page on a new sheet so artists can print and annotate one page at a time.

A worked example

The sample opens with a splash page of a flooded city, followed by a three-panel page with two characters in a boat. Formatted, it reads “PAGE ONE (1 panel, splash)” and “PAGE TWO (3 panels)”, with Teo’s whispered line as balloon 3 on page two. The whole sample carries 36 words of lettering.

Pacing across a page

Think of each page as a beat of the story. The first panel sets the scene, the middle panels move the action, and the last panel either lands a moment or pulls the reader to the next page. Vary panel counts: a quiet conversation can hold five or six panels, an action peak may need two or one. When the page table shows six dense pages in a row, a splash or a wordless panel gives the reader room to breathe.

Related tools

Write screenplays in the Fountain Screenplay Editor, plan the story arc with the Story Beat Planner, sketch thumbnails in the Storyboard Generator, or count words across a whole script with the Word Counter.