Real Talk
What you need:
Post-It Notes and paper
Pen or pencil or something to draw with
Some personal experience with something or other
Instructions:
Pick a topic to illuminate and make a list of observations about it. Be as brutal and direct as possible about all the positives and negatives. Be honest with yourself. Look for observations that either everyone knows but never says, or things that no one knows but you.
Use your list as the narration for your panels. Allow some points to become sequences and/or take up as many panels as needed.
Try to use your narration is a starting point, pushing your ideas further or creating context using dialogue and images.
Example:
THE MINUTE YOU TURN 40
Thoughts:
I love making list comics. I love riffing on theme and, rather than trying to construct a narrative arc or weave ideas together, just allow individual moments gather momentum and accumulate into an understanding of some sort. I also think that list comics provide an excuse to highlight certain aspects of a topic instead of feeling pressure to create an all encompassing, comprehensive overview or summary.
Who cares about all the normal stuff that happens at forty?
No one.
Who is interested in the fact that the texture on the back of my hands now resembles chicken skin?
Everyone.
Obviously.