Comic Book Script Template
Comic scripts follow a plain-text format so anyone (artist, letterer, editor) can read exactly what happens in each panel. Here’s the standard layout, with a worked example you can copy.
Copy this template
PAGE ONE PANEL 1 A cramped studio apartment at dawn. MAYA (20s, paint-stained hoodie) stares at a blank canvas, coffee mug in hand. MAYA: Okay. Today's the day. PANEL 2 Close on the canvas. Still blank. CAPTION: It was not the day. PANEL 3 Maya slumps into a beanbag chair, mug empty. SFX: THUNK MAYA: Tomorrow's the day.
Examples made on koma.ink
How to read the format
Pages and panels are numbered so nothing is ambiguous. Each panel gets a short description of what’s visible, followed by any dialogue, written as CHARACTER NAME in caps, a colon, then the line. Captions (narration, not spoken by a character on-page) and sound effects (SFX) get their own labeled lines.
This "full script" format is the most common one for work-for-hire and collaborative comics, since it gives an artist everything they need without the writer drawing anything themselves.
- PAGE ONE, PAGE TWO, etc. mark page breaks
- PANEL 1, PANEL 2, etc. mark panel breaks within a page
- A plain line under each panel number describes what’s drawn
- CHARACTER: dialogue for spoken lines
- CAPTION: for narration text
- SFX: for sound effects
How koma.ink writes it for you
You don’t have to fill this template in by hand. Type your idea into koma.ink and the AI writes the same kind of panel-by-panel script, title, cast, panel descriptions, and dialogue, automatically, then draws every panel and letters the bubbles, captions, and sound effects itself. You can still edit any line before it’s drawn, the same way you’d revise a script in this format.
FAQ
What is a comic book script format?
A plain-text layout that breaks a comic into pages and panels, with a short description of each panel and any dialogue, captions, or sound effects written underneath it.
What’s the difference between full script and plot-first (Marvel style)?
Full script describes every panel and line of dialogue up front; plot-first gives the artist a looser plot summary and the writer adds dialogue after the art is drawn. The template above is full script.
How do I write sound effects in a script?
On their own line, labeled SFX, in caps, e.g. "SFX: THUNK". Keep them short, the letterer or AI turns them into stylized lettering on the page.
Do captions and dialogue go in the same place?
No, keep them separate: CAPTION for narration not spoken by a visible character, CHARACTER: for a line a character says on-page.
Can I use this template for a webtoon or comic strip too?
Yes, the same PAGE/PANEL structure works for any format, a comic strip script is just a short one with 3-4 panels and no page breaks.
How do I write a comic script from scratch?
Start with one sentence about what changes in the story, split it into pages and panels, then write each panel as a short visual description plus the dialogue. Keep one idea per panel and read the dialogue aloud. Or type the idea into koma.ink and edit the script it writes.
Does koma.ink use this exact format?
It writes the same information, title, cast, per-panel description and dialogue, in its own structured format, then draws and letters it automatically.