Lettering (comics)

Definition

In comics, lettering is the production step of adding words to the page layouts. It is the linguistic device by which characters speak and think, and by which sounds occurring in the narrative are communicated to the reader. Lettering encourages readers to imagine the voices and sounds suggested by text in word balloons and graphical onomatopoeias.

Introduction

Lettering is the step in the production process of comics and graphic narratives in which text representing speech, thoughts, and sound effects is added to the pages. Comic strips are very often personally lettered by their creators; less frequently, creators of comic books and graphic novels may provide the lettering for their own works. In such cases, the fonts used are intertwined with the artist’s drawing style. In some cases, a single artist creates text and onomatopoeias that are harmonious with the drawing style and the page layout; the works of Will Eisner are particularly known for this quality. In most comic books and graphic novels, however, lettering is carried out by a distinct individual known as the letterer.

History of Comics Lettering

With the widespread popularization of political cartoons in the early nineteenth century, word balloons and lettering in humorous and satirical cartoons became familiar to the public. Building upon this form, later artists began to mix illustrations and text in nonpolitical works. Images and text initially appeared in contiguous areas of the page or panel. Later, artists began to combine the two forms more directly, inserting captions and dialogues into the illustrated field and introducing the word balloon.

Early comics creators generally lettered their own works. However, during the comic book boom of the 1940s, a well-defined division of labor began to develop in comics studios. Under this system, different individuals carried out the many separate tasks required to create a comic book, including penciling, coloring, and lettering. Individuals began to specialize, and the letterer became known as a distinct professional figure. This division of labor continues to be a standard production system into the twenty-first century. However, several creators of Modern Age comics perform multiple or all of the necessary tasks. Lettering created by the artist of a comic typically displays similarities to the artistic style used throughout the rest of the work. In some cases, as in well-known francophone comics such as Hergé’s Les Aventures de Tintin (1929-1976; The Adventures of Tintin, 1930-1976), lettering and visual onomatopoeias are embedded in the authors’ overall graphic style.

Main Features of Comics Lettering

Lettering for comics consists of three complementary tasks: positioning bubbles and other enclosing areas used as captions or alternative places for speech or thoughts and choosing for them a shape and dimension correspondent to their linguistic function; writing the verbal texts inside these enclosing areas; and drawing and positioning the visual onomatopoeias the scriptwriter may require.

In balloons, captions, and other text areas, letterers convey specific meanings through various graphical techniques. For instance, variations in the font’s format and size can convey how a character speaks a sentence: Bold-formatted words indicate an emphasis, while tiny text within a large bubble indicates a sentence uttered in a low voice. Text is generally rendered entirely in capital letters, in part because capital letters have no tails, as do some lowercase letters, and thus will not overlap letters on the surrounding lines and make the lettering unclear. Clarity was essential in early comics, as the limits of printing technology made elaborate hand-lettered texts challenging to render. In general, lower-case lettering is used in comics to convey specific meaning nuances, such as an elegant way of speaking. When used systematically, lower-case text can give the comic story a more literary air. Lettering can also involve creating new shapes and semiotic codes for text balloons. Although many classic styles of bubbles already exist, it is always possible to innovate their functions. Significant contributors to innovation in this field include Eisner, Dave Sim, Todd Klein, Osamu Tezuka, and John Workman, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Visual onomatopoeias convey the sounds heard within the narrative, such as “bang” or “crash.” Before the development of digital technologies, letterers generally drew onomatopoeias by hand. Most letterers prefer to create their own visual sounds, adapting style, shape, effects, and colors to specific contexts. Onomatopoeias can describe sounds as distinct elements in a panel, take up two or more panels, or, in some instances, appear as word-shaped panels. In addition to a rich variety of consolidated noises and sounds normally used by most scriptwriters and letterers, onomatopoeias may also communicate particular effects.

Until the 1980s, lettering was exclusively done by hand. However, new methodologies have been developed with the advancement of computer technology. Computers have made it possible to scan handmade alphabets previously used for comics and reuse them digitally. They have also designed new fonts that are aesthetically suitable for comics, the form and style of which expressly suggest a handmade creation. Software programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator have become valuable digital comic lettering tools. The number of custom-created digital fonts can seem almost limitless, and technology has also increased the efficiency of lettering in comics and allowed for increased collaboration among artists. Digital technology has allowed all members of the comics team—from penciling, inking, embellishing, to coloring—to integrate. Further, many comic letterers use hybrid systems combining traditional and digital lettering methods. 

Impact

The comics medium is both visual and auditory: Lettering aims not only to convey “mute” text, but also to conjure certain sounds or even tones and timbres in the reader’s mind. In turn, the impact of lettering on the linguistic, narrative, graphical, and artistic levels of comics stories has had a significant effect on the self-organization of the comics industry, with the birth and development of lettering as a specific professional stage of the production process. Several influential letterers have received critical praise, and a specific prize category for letterers exists in several comics awards, most notably the Eisner Awards. 

Bibliography

Chiarello, Mark, and Todd Klein. The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2004.

Cress, Simon. “How Technology Is Expanding The Storytelling In Comics.” Toons Mag, 30 Apr. 2024, www.toonsmag.com/how-technology-is-expanding-the-storytelling-in-comics. Accessed 10 July 2024.

Jockin, Thomas. “Considerations when Lettering for Comics.” Medium, 11 June 2018, medium.com/type-thursday/considerations-when-lettering-for-comics-bfad2e6f98e8. Accessed 10 July 2024.

McCloud, Scott. Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels. New York: Harper, 2006.

Parille, Ken. “Lichtenstein and the Art of Letters.” The Comics Journal, 24 Apr. 2017, www.tcj.com/lichtenstein-and-the-art-of-letters. Accessed 10 July 2024.

Plummer, Jessica. “What's Up With the Lettering in Comics?” Book Riot, 9 Aug. 2019, bookriot.com/lettering-in-comics. Accessed 10 July 2024.

Starkings, Richard, and John Roshell. Comic Book Lettering: The Comicraft Way. Los Angeles: Active Images, 2003.