Have you ever read a comic book or graphic novel and the first opening line of dialogue blew you away? The answer is probably no right? Comic books are visual by nature. More should be shown through visuals vs words. But, what if you could have a comic book that really hit you with words?
Simon Spurrier is a great writer who can use a well placed line to drive the story, along with Mark Millar and Max Landis. Yet, its the opening lines that I feel go under polished.
If I ever make a comic book, I would want to try using a great opening line accompanied by a strong image to get people excited. Here are some great opening lines from novels that really demonstrate what I am talking about:
- "A screaming comes across the sky." - Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow
- "Mother died today." - Albert Camus, The Stranger
- "They shoot the white girls first." - Toni Morrison, Paradise
- "It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby." - Julia Spencer-Fleming, In the Bleak Midwinter
The last one made me laugh out loud for some reason. I don't know why. Anyway, these opening lines are great for bringing the reader into an emotional part of the story. Most of these examples are pretty sad, but they have a pull to them that makes people want to read more. It breeds curiosity.
To make your own, whether it be for a comic book, short story, or even a novel, think of the story's setting or character and create a line that is the opposite of what the story is about. Its all about the unexpected. For example, "It was love at first sight."
It sounds like a pretty common phrase, but I bet you would never guess that it was the opening line to Joseph Keller's Catch-22. Give people something unexpected
I think opening with an unexpected, gut-punching line can really put the reader of the comic (or any story) in a great mindset for the story and lead them into the world. Sure, you could say that is the point of the visuals, but sometimes a line with a visual can make a story so much better.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you have even better opening lines? Please let me know in the comments.
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