Any suggestions on good books about creating 3D comic books? I heard that Creating 3D Comix by Mortier is not very useful. Also, has anyone heard of any software that is dedicated specifically to comic book creation? (2D or 3D) Thanks.

Not specifically, but I did find out that the film Road to Perdition was bsed on a graphic novel (glorified comic book). You might want to take a look at that for some ideas.

How about books on creating non-3d comics? There are tons of those. If you're talking about printing and publioshing them, Dave Sim's Cerebus' Guide to Self-Publishing is indispensable. As far as other books, I don't have recommendations on specifics, except get one on making comics, not on drawing comics. Also read Wizard. And I think they have articles on Wizard World.

"The Art of the Comic Book" by Scott ----- (I forget the last name; he drew Zot. He's also got a second one out that's pretty good too. And again I forget the name, Will Something, who drew The Spirit. He also has a bunch of books on the craft of doing comics.

Scott's last name is McCloud and Will's last name are Eisner. Both authors are excellent. :) Jay

I posted a question similar to this over in the Comis forum, you should go look over there. Based on a recomendation I bought the book "Panel Discussion" which is excellent. Unfortunately, now everytime I see a movie I translate into panels .... sigh yet another way to confuse my head

First, I will say that I fell that ANY book by Mortier is not worth it, and the 3D Comix one is no exception! I would echo a post above by saying that you should look into books about creating traditional comics and then simply apply those principles using 3D programs. I don't think there are any books on 3D comics, but I could be wrong. The best book in the world, IMHO, is called "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. Not only is will you learn a lot about how comics work but you will also get a great history of comics and art in general, and the book is an invaluable reference to graphic design in general. ANY artist would benefit greatly from reading this book. Next I would suggest looking up books on drawing, such as "how to draw comics the Marvel way" and other similar titles. This will give you insight into how traditional comics are constructed from step 1 to final coloring and they usually include info on perspectives, staging, composition, frames, page layout, etc. Great stuff. And finally I would recommend a book called "The Writers Journey" by Christopher Vogler. This book gives the story teller a great set of tools to use for creating complete stories of any kind that really move an audience. The book is a fairly easy read and the information in it is possibly more valuable to you than any of the other books on comics themselves. Best of luck! It's easier than it sounds to make 3D comics and fun as can be! I recently made my first ever 3D comic and now I'm hooked! I made this using Poser characters rendered in Vue, with some Lightwave models thrown in for sets and props.

The best book in the world, IMHO, is called "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. YES! YES! YES! I was trying to think of that one but I couldn't dredge the name or author up, so I remained silent because it sounded better than 'Um, there's one but I don't remember what it is or who it's by' There are other books to look at too -- comics. Good ones. Sandman and Death books. Claremont, Kirby, and Miller stuff. Mark Schultz (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs). Dave Sim (Cerebus). Watchmen. Kingdom Come. Marvels. Uncle Sam. Hell, anything Alex Ross worked on. Use them as examples of what to strive for. Try reproducing a page in Poser form. If you do well, go read the post I'm about to make.

Can't emphasize enough the usefullness of comics themselves. Buy 'em, read 'em, then go through them again and look at the art. Examine how panels are laid out, and each panel leads into the next. Then, make your own. Start with a simple one-shot story, and write out the script, panel by panel. Then start creating your panel art, one panel at a time. I know, that's more information than what you originally asked for...but it works. I'm living proof. :-) ChromeTiger aka David J. Hebbe Digital Colorist "Bubba the Redneck Werewolf" from Brass Ball Comics Diamond Previews 'Certified Cool' for February, Due on shelves April 2003 PS: If you (or anyone else in the RO community) happens to be attending MegaCon in Orlando this weekend, drop by and say hi!) PPS: Dodger, watch your email...I'll be in touch.