Or any one of a thousand other possibilities.

And don't say, "But, DREW, I do write other things." Because even if that's true...

Every minute you're thinking about comics--every minute you're thinking about writing comics--every minute you're actually writing comics--you are NOT writing any of those other things!

     So, again, I ask why?

Most of us--not all, but most--were drawn to comics as children. We liked the characters. We liked the stories. And mostly that meant super-hero characters in super-hero stories.

But as any kid in America can tell you, you don't need to turn to comics to find super-heroes anymore. You want Spider-Man, you can see him two stories high with stadium seating at your local cineplex. You want Superman, you can get him younger and cooler on TV.

So if it's not the masks, and it's not the capes, what makes comics special?

And don't say, "But, DREW, I hate masks and capes! I discovered comics through Love and Rockets and Eightball!" (Or Sonic the Hedgehog, for that matter.)

Because the question wasn't "Why do I want to write comics?" It was "Why SHOULD I be writing comics?" What can you do in comics that you can't do ANYWHERE else? Why do comics even exist?

And, mostly importantly, how can we use this secret knowledge to our advantage as we become the greatest comic book writers in all of recorded history?

If the answers don't lie in superheroes or in disaffected teen angst or in freakishly fast hedgehogs, where can we POSSIBLY turn?

We have to begin with the fundamentals:

     What's a comic?

The Scott McCloud definition is "juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer." Which is not so much a definition as it is a migraine in word form*.

Comics are a series of pictures, most matched with text, that tell a story. It's a visual medium, like film or theater. But it's also a static medium. No movement. No sound. There are words--dialogue and maybe captions--but you'll never find the sheer volume of text you get in straight prose.

So why comics? "Comics are pictures, most matched with text, one after another."

     (1) Using a series pictures to tell a story.
     (2) Combining pictures and words.

Those are the two things that comics specialize in. The two things that no other medium really does.

And the only two reasons to write comics.

Oh, there are plenty of good reasons to write. And, inevitably, some of those reasons will lead writers to comics. But in those cases the medium is incidental. An accident of circumstance.

The best comic book creators know what comics do best. And take advantage of it.

     Ruthlessly.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be unpacking this idea. We'll be thinking inside the box, to flip the cliche. Pictures telling stories. Pictures and words. Strategies for making the most of the medium.

I've put together a quick-and-dirty overview to get things rolling.

(Note that many of these ideas are artist-centric, which is to say that they involve how an artist chooses to approach their job. In the weeks ahead, we'll also be addressing the question of when a writer can/should influence their collaborators' style.)

1. Comics are just one example of stories told through art. Artists who want to use their artwork to tell stories could also work in animation. Though where animation allows for movement, comics focus the reader in on specific moments. Comics are a moment-centric medium.

2. Each panel respresents one critical moment in the story. Artists must identify that critical moment for each panel. They must choose the best possible angle, distance, pose, etc. They should approach each panel as if it were a work of art. Since it is.

3. The moments that are NOT chosen are just important. Comics tend to have limited page counts, so creators have to be extremely aware of how many panels they devote to any given story thread. In prose, we talk about "economy of language." In comics, there is an "economy of images."

4. Panels should be loaded with information. Since each panel stands on it's own as a unique element that can be studied ad infinitum, it can and should be packed with as much visual information as possible. In some cases, this might mean "a lot goes on in the background." In other cases, it might simply mean that the image chosen is highly revealing of character.

5. Each panel is also a fragment of a larger piece. Artists don't just design individual panels. They design pages, keeping in mind concepts like pacing and flow. The way that panels are sized and organized can itself be an important graphic element or a storytelling element. Two images can be juxtaposed for the purpose of contrast or comparison. Independent threads can be followed simultaneously. Etc.

6. Text should add additional information to an image. When words are used, either in the form of dialogue or captions, they should contribute meaningfully to the story. If you can look at the art and understand what's going on, that's great, but it's also not fully taking advantage of the medium. Comics are words and pictures, and those words should be used to express ideas that can't simply be drawn.

7. Text can also contrast or negate the image. Comics are a terrific medium for irony, as they can clearly show the difference between what we say or think and the way things really are. Imagine the beautiful woman, who looks into a mirror and thinks, "Why am I so ugly?" Or the smiling birthday boy with a caption that reads, "He has never felt so alone."

8. Text can itself function as a graphic element. We see this happen most frequently with the use of sound effects. A laugh or scream might fill an entire panel with text. The text becomes the graphic. We also see fonts chosen for characters to reveal aspects of their nature. Balloons and captions can be altered to intergrate more seemlessly with the rest of the art.

The style of lettering reinforces the style of the art, which reinforces the overall style of the story. In some ways, all three are really one. (And the same could be said about the style of coloring, or even the style of editing.)

So this week I ask you to begin thinking about the stories that you're writing, and the stories that you want to write. How can you use the medium to your advantage? Are you telling stories that would be better told on television? In a book? On radio?

We've talked voice. We've talked work ethic. Now you need to start consider application.

     Next week, more images and more text.

This is one of Drew's classic Think Like Tomorrow columns.

* Which is not to speak ill of Mr. McCloud. I write this column assuming that everyone in my target audience of four has already fully digested his deservedly ubiquitous Understanding Comics. For those who haven't, I say "get thee hence." ("Hence" being an Old English word for "Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics.")