Happy 2025! Kickstart with a Great Read!
My Book Review on "Graphic Novel Builder" by Edward Ross
I love the fresh start, and the beginning of a year sounds like a great place to begin.
Last year, I shared the joy of keeping a journal. I still live by daily planners and gratitude journals (I call them my “soliloquies”), and I still recommend giving them a try if you haven’t already.
The other day, I read on the KidsComicsUnite newsletter about creating vision boards. That sounds like a fun and amazing idea as well! Check out the post if you haven’t already!
I look forward to sharing with you everything I love about comics and graphic novels this coming year. I have read so many great titles and series, and I could not wait to share with you all. (Woohoo!)
Since it’s the beginning of a year, I want to share with you a book I think you’ll find both interesting and helpful. The title of the book is Graphic Novel Builder: The Illustrated Guide to Making Your Own Comics by Edward Ross (Publisher: Collins. March 11, 2025).
(Disclaimer: I have received an advance copy from the publisher for an honest review.)
First off, I am a big fan of Edward Ross’ work. I read both his previous graphic novels Filmish: A Graphic Journey Through Film and Gamish: A Graphic History of Gaming, and they are both wonderful.
But back to Graphic Novel Builder.
I have read a lot of books on making comics and graphic novels. The ones that immediately popped up in my mind are the how-to-manga books written and illustrated by famous mangaka. (I read Akira Toriyama’s Manga Lessons over and over again when I was in high school.)
But, the truth is, while I enjoy reading manga, I am not working in that industry. My focus is on graphic novels. While there are definitely a lot of similarities, there are also a lot of differences between making graphic novels and making manga series.
Generally speaking, most manga series are long. Their story arcs span more than 20 books. Graphic novels are literally novels with graphics. Even when the novel is a series, the story usually does not go beyond 7 books. (Usually. Coz I can already hear someone screaming “Dog Man!” in the background.)
So, if you want to learn specifically about making graphic novels, then Ross’ Graphic Novel Builder is a perfect book to start.
From getting ideas, to selecting a genre, to ways to design your characters (both from a story perspective and from an art perspective), to a how-to guide in world building… etc etc, Ross explains it in a fun way in comic format.
There are helpful tips, such as creating mood board and figuring out how to build a story arc.
Perhaps you only want to write the graphic novel. There is a chapter on that.
Perhaps you want to learn about the art execution process. The book covers it.
What about approaching publishers? Pitching? Attending comic conventions?
It’s all in there.
If learning more about creating graphic novels is one of your new year goals, Graphic Novel Builder is a great book to look into. It will give you a great foundation and a lot of solid advice.
Plus, it’s such a visually fun read!
Graphic Novel Builder will be available on March 11, 2025.
(Recommended reading age: 11+)
Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and The Maze is one of the finalists selected for the Cybils Award!
Check out all the other fantastic graphic novel finalists here! They are so great! I feel so honored! Thank you!
Also, Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Battle of the Beasts (Book 2) will be released this summer: August 19, 2025!
You can Pre-Order today at your favorite bookstores! (Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Target, Amazon… etc.!)
What are some of your new year’s goals? Any fun reads recommendations? I look forward to hearing from you. 🙂
Happy new year!