Creating a Comic Chapter (Production behind the scenes)

Here's a sneak peek into the back of our studio. Have you ever been curious about what goes into creating a comic chapter? You're about to find out our method. Let us take a look at Wake The Dead.

Creating each chapter of Wake the Dead is an immersive journey that takes over two months of careful planning and artistry. Before it appears on your screen, every chapter moves through a series of creative stages to ensure it’s crafted to perfection. Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes:

Stage 1: Storyboarding

Our process begins with our artist reading through the chapter, capturing the story’s flow and visualizing each scene. Storyboarding sets the foundation, focusing on cliff-hangers, easter eggs, humour, and intense fight sequences—all the moments that keep you on the edge of your seat. Every panel is strategically mapped, providing a clear roadmap and helping us avoid potential missteps. This stage takes about a week.

Stage 2: Sketching

Once the storyboard is complete, our artist dives into sketching. With only one artist, this step can take a month or more, depending on the complexity of the scenes. While we release chapters in two parts, the entire chapter is sketched at once. Not every sketch makes it to the final cut—some evolve or are replaced by new ideas that surface along the way. Sketching is crucial, laying down 80% of what eventually appears on the page.

Stage 3: Rendering

Next comes rendering, where the characters and scenes truly come to life. Only the part set for release is rendered at a time, a process that takes about two to three weeks. During rendering, characters gain depth, settings become immersive, and lighting adds atmosphere. At this point, the chapter looks nearly complete—but it’s missing one key element: words.

Stage 4: Lettering

Lettering is where we bring context, emotion, and pacing to the visuals. Unlike sketching, which centers on the artist’s vision, lettering is focused entirely on the reader’s experience. From dialogue and monologues to sound and visual effects, this step pulls the story together. Our letterer selects fonts that match Wake the Dead’s unique tone, usually wrapping up in about a week.

Stage 5: Review and Upload

Finally, we conduct a review for any mistakes, clarity issues, or potential improvements. Only after it passes our quality check does the chapter get scheduled for upload, ensuring you experience the story in its finest form.

Our goal is to give you the very best with every chapter. We hope this behind-the-scenes look into our production process adds an extra layer to your reading experience.

This is a summary of our process. If you would like to create your own comic, or are just interested in what generally goes into making a comic and would like further reading, click here

Writtten by: Ofunne Egbunike