>> PAYTON: This copy of Marvel's "Civil War" is unusual, not just because bringing it up means unsolicited thoughts on Civil War I did not ask, but because the entire second half of it is a dedicated script book.

There's a lot here.

The first pass script.

Annotations by the writer and the editors, rough sketches.

It's not often you get to see this transparent of a look into the comic-making process.

But no matter how many of these bonus materials you come across and comb over, historically when people ask, how do I start writing a comic book, the answer is generally... >> PAYTON: Hello, friends, and welcome to "Flyover Culture," your guided tour to pop culture in the Midwest.

I'm Payton Whaley.

The comics industry is bizarrely all over the place.

On one hand, the big two publishers are the company that already owns everything, and the company that would like to own everything, thank you, please.

On the other, it's rare for comics creators to have steady income, healthcare, you know, luxuries.

And on the creative side, for newbies and veterans alike, things can kind of be like the wild west.

How do you get started?

Where do you break into the industry?

That's where Steenz Stewart and Camilla Zhang want to help.

>> If you ask someone how to write a script, there's a pause, and then they say, well, here's how I write it.

Or they will give you, like, well, here's how this person writes it and this person writes it.

My name is Steenz.

I am a cartoonist on "Heart of the City," and an editor of many comics of different sizes.

And I also teach comics at Webster University in the fall.

>> I'm Camilla Zhang.

I'm currently a senior editor at Z2 Comics, and I have been in the comic industry since 2005.

>> I run a discord server for BIPOC creators of marginalized gender.

Oftentimes, we have weekly discussions about different topics, and one of the discussions that week was scripts.

How do you write your scripts?

How do you like to receive your scripts?

How do you want to write your scripts?

And we're kind of all working slightly different, but kind of have the same base.

For the longest time, I've just realized how comics has no standards from, like, beginning to end.

>> PAYTON: Just last month, Steenz and Camilla took to Women Write about Comics, to unveil what they call the standard comic script.

It's a standardized color-coded script template that tries to keep in mind all the elements of a book, words, pencils, inks, colors, lettering, et cetera.

So that the line of communication across a creative team is as clear as possible.

>> Comics needs a standard script for new creators.

People are well within their rights to write a comic script however they like.

I just think that the standard comic script is a very helpful tool for people who are just getting into the industry.

If you don't really know where to begin, start with the standard comics script, and then work with your artists and figure out, well, what do you like out of this script?

And what do you need?

Is it working for you?

>> PAYTON: The idea is that this is the first domino tipped on the way to improving the industry, but more on that in a bit.

>> It is something that could be useful to folks who are already established.

I'm of the opinion that you can always learn something new, and you can always perfect your craft or you can always perfect your method.

>> PAYTON: The duo workshopped their script all across the comics and publishing industries before letting it loose.

>> The group is filled with not just artists, but also writers and editors and people just a part of the comics industry.

So all of them in that group, and that group has got, like, 200 plus members.

But then we also reached out to editors at publishers and not just comic publishers, but traditional publishers as well, like Random House and Macmillan.

Professors, specifically professors who were teaching comics or had comics programs like SVA, CCAD, letterers, colorists.

If you looked at the script and you use it in any shape or form, we need to get your feedback.

Once we released it, we heard a lot from two major groups.

One of them were editors who were happy they don't have to translate a script before they can edit the script, you know?

>> As the editor, I really -- I spent hours translating scripts.

It's time consuming.

It shouldn't be necessary.

And it's not -- it's not really an editor's job to translate a script.

>> And then the other was people who work in IP.

There are artists out there who are just trying to, like, get this comic out and done and approved, and if they are spending too much time trying to figure out how to read a script, that takes the project and makes it a lot slower.

>> PAYTON: You might be thinking okay, but a script is a script is a script, right?

But when teams are scattered around the world, and vary month to month, that's not always true.

Flip through some screenplays, and the format pretty much looks the same.

Comic scripts are a whole different mess.

>> It is a visual media.

So if you have an idea, and you want this vision to come to life, you should make sure that your artist is able to understand what you are saying.

A script is a tool.

A script is a tool to get the story from the writer to the artist and the artist to the reader.

And trying to find a way to explain something visual without just outright drawing it, it can be difficult.

So it's really nice to be able to have a tool like the standard comic script as a good starting point.

>> A lot of naysayers of standardization say, well, the script is really like a love letter or a letter between the -- from the writer to the artist.

That could be true, but if you are wanting to teach someone who doesn't know how to write a script, like, that -- that language, that very specific relationship between a writer and an artist isn't going to translate to every other pairing.

>> PAYTON: Sites like Comics Experience, collect sample scripts from a ton of different creators, and while it's good to get a look at how they do it, it also puts into perspective how wildly varied the scripting process can be.

And it's only some of the time that miscommunication gives us a gift like the X-Men lioncloth thing.

Usually it's just a headache.

Others might react with, well, who are they to tell -- insert comic's visionary/second coming of Alan Moore and/or Christ -- how to write their scripts?

Well, one, they're not.

And two, the less pretty realization is that comics are an industry.

Deadlines have to be met.

Fill-in artists and writers have to hop in to make sure a book comes out on time.

If page counts and ad space have to be standard, why can't the script?

>> It shouldn't be one size fits all, but at the same time, there should be certain, like, kind of must haves.

You know, like a table must have at least three legs to actually stand upright.

>> PAYTON: If you've stuck around so far, well, for one, I and the algorithm thank you, but you might still need convincing why a unified format for writing comics is a big deal.

Camilla and Steenz's hope is that if scripting becomes more standardized, other parts of the industry will follow.

>> All you need to do in order to be a comics retailer is have an account with Diamond.

That's it!

So you can be selling it out of your basement, and you are considered a comic store.

You can pay your employees in store credit!

That's fine.

So it's just like there's all sorts of standards that are just nonexistent.

And I was like, it's gotta at least start with something.

Unfortunately, a lot of the people that are in the comics industry are not employed.

They are contractors, you know?

So while unions are great for editors and design people, and everyone behind the scenes, which is great, that still kind of leaves out the people that aren't employed by those companies.

Definitely, if I think about, like, today versus 2012, for sure!

>> Yes.

>> There's definitely been a change, which is a good thing.

I mean 10 years is 10 years.

But, I don't know, it feels kinda nice to know that 10 years ago was worse than today.

[ Laughter ] You know?

>> Having a cycle of inspiration, I think that's what's going to propel the industry even more forward because, you know, to know that, like, yeah, I do have the ability and power to do this.

You know, like, these two nobodies from, like, whatever, you know, like, they thought they could do it.

Like, why not me?

You know, like, heck, yeah!

>> PAYTON: Steenz and Camilla hope the standard script cracks open the door to the industry so that a new generation of creators can kick it wide open.

>> I go to a lot of class visits, and the question that I get the most out of people is, like, when do you know when to start?

And in my head, it's like you start when you have the urge to create!

If you have gone in, and this is your first foray, and you just got the template, congratulations, because it takes a really big step to tell yourself that you can do it, even if you have fear that you may not be able to.

>> The fear, that, like, little voice in the back of your head that says you are a nobody, who the hell do you think you are to, like, create this thing?

I think almost every creator I've ever spoken to has that voice.

So know that you are not alone.

You've gotta, like, basically tell that voice to STFU.

Maybe the way that you can allow yourself is by saying to yourself, this is just for me.

This is just for me.

I don't have to show anybody.

I just have to please myself.

You've got the template, now go have fun.

>> PAYTON: Thanks to Steenz Stewart and Camilla Zhang for taking time to talk comics with me.

They also mentioned that the template is coming soon to the apps Scrivener in and Fade In, if that's more your jam.

Go make something cool!

Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.