1. Comics to Consoles
Antony Johnston

5. Games & Comics: Commonalities
• Interactive
• Outcast Media
• Abstraction of both Iconography & Activity
• Audience controls the pace of experience

7. A Brief Word On Concept
(...Or, why you should ignore movies.)

8. The Worldbuilding Catch-22
• Must support more than one story
• This story can only happen in this world

9. Form & Structure
(...Or, why you should still ignore movies.)

10. Die Hard

11. Die Hard: Hero’s active sequences
(2-hour movie)
1) Recon terrorists 7) Deliver chairbomb
2) See Tagaki execution, 8) Encounter Hans
evade capture
9) Fight terrorists on
3) Fight his way off the computer floor
machine floor
10) Fight Karl
4) Send HO HO HO
11) Dodge FBI sniper fire,
message, more recon
jump off roof
5) Rooftop/pump room fight
12) Shoot Hans, save Holly
6) Fight terrorists in
boardroom

12. Seven Ancient Wonders

13. Seven Ancient Wonders: Hero’s active sequences
(550-page book)
1) Infiltrate mine, take 6) Rescue Mustapha from
pendant Guantanamo Bay
2) Return through Great 7) Infiltrate Louvre, steal
Cavern, escape swamp piece
3) Infiltrate volcano, rescue 8) Scale obelisk, escape
Lily Paris
4) Find + enter Tunisian 9) Infiltrate Gardens, avoid
chasm traps
5) Escape lava room in U- 10) Find piece, escape
boat
11) Final fight on Great
Pyramid

14. The Losers

15. The Losers: Heroes’ active sequences
(Six-issue collection)
1) Stealth takedown missile 6) Fight SWAT at terminal
range guards
7) Escape on speedboat
2) Steal helicopter
8) Scuba through drainage
3) Steal drugs truck with shaft
helicopter
9) Infiltrate airport
4) Infiltrate Goliath HQ,
10) Take out aeroplane
hack computer
5) Infiltrate tanker

16. The Losers: Heroes’ active sequences
(Single issue)
1) Stealth takedown missile
range guards
2) Steal helicopter
3) Steal drugs truck with
helicopter

17. Brevity is the soul of wit
(...Or, Press ✕ to Skip.)

18. Economy
• Of dialogue
• Of exposition
• Of scene duration

19. “Look for the least amount
of words that convey the
most amount of information
with the most amount of
style and character.”
— Warren Ellis

20. Alan Wake

22. Alan Wake
Page 1

23. Alan Wake
Page 2

24. Alan Wake
Page 3

25. Alan Wake
Page 4

26. Alan Wake
Page 5

27. Alan Wake
All pages

28. Alan Wake
(Revised)
All pages
?

29. Alan Wake
(Revised)
Page 1

30. Alan Wake
(Revised)
Page 2

31. Alan Wake
(Revised)
Page 3

32. Alan Wake
(Revised)
Page 4

33. Alan Wake
(Revised)
All pages
Space reduction:
20%
Text reduction:
25%

34. Mass Effect

36. Mass Effect
Page 1

37. Mass Effect
Page 2

38. Mass Effect
Page 3

39. Mass Effect
Page 4

40. Mass Effect
Page 5

41. Mass Effect
All pages

42. Mass Effect
(Revised)
All pages
?

43. Mass Effect
(Revised)
Page 1

44. Mass Effect
(Revised)
Page 2

45. Mass Effect
(Revised)
Page 3

46. Mass Effect
(Revised)
Page 4

47. Mass Effect
(Revised)
All pages
Space reduction:
20%
Text reduction:
25%

48. Script format
(Scrivener)

49. Script format
(Final Draft)

50. “You can write this shit,
George, but you sure
can’t say it.”
— Harrison Ford

51. Transmedia
(...Or, why you should have a go.)

52. Comics transmedia
• Unique and challenging form
• Hones important skills: structure, economy, visual awareness
• Kudos from audience’s recognition of easter eggs
• HAPPY FUNTIME

53. Iteration
(...Or, why you should still ignore movies.)

54. True script iteration
• Writer present at VO
• More willingness to make big iterative changes
• Original writer to make those changes

56. Thank You

57. Q&A