Graphic Novel Reviews: The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering

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Title: The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering

Published by: Image Comics, Inc.

Written by: Nate Piekos

ISBN: 9781534319950

Ages: 12+

Become a professional! 

Step into the shoes of a graphic novel letterer with The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering.

Author Nate Piekos turned his love of graphic novels into career motivation. He has been working as a freelance letterer since the late 90s, and his works include Peanuts and The Umbrella Academy. In this non-fiction novel, he offers a candid glimpse into his career as well as the conventions of the trade in The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering.

In ten, quick chapters, Piekos covers the full scope of his job. The primary goal is to support readability with clear and emotive text positioning. Learn the anatomy of text balloons and the differences between layer and stroke methods when developing lettering templates. Readers are introduced to professional terminology such as the description and function of ‘grawlixes’ and ‘sqinks.’ He also offered font styling advice such as when to use a barred I or a slash when positioning the script. Step-by-step demographics of software make the process feel approachable. Screenshot examples illustrate the process and help the readers see a successful page from a problematic page. Piekos offers advice on developing design skills. He goes beyond the actual tasks of the job and includes recommendations for working as a freelancer. He is candid and personal when he reveals his work schedule, project agreements, and negotiating with clients.

The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering reads like a private conversation with a personal mentor. The text is deeply personal. Piekos makes his love of his career and his genuine desire to help newcomers apparent.

Who should read this book? Aspiring letterers, of course, also anyone casually interested in the graphic novel creative process, or workers in the graphic novel field for a better understanding of teammates’ responsibilities. When readers finish this book, they will be itching to grab a stylus and try lettering for themselves.

Angela Dabrowski, Senior Library Assistant

Angela Dabrowski
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