Directing Action in Comic Scripts

I usually write comic scripts with a pretty specific idea of what each panel will look like when drawn: the setting, who’s doing what, facial expressions, and so on. What I almost never do is write any of that down. Except for specific actions that characters have to respond to (e.g. John kicks Tom in the shin, Tom: Ow!), my scripts are usually something like 90% dialogue, 10% settings.

The problem with this technique is that while I generally have a clear idea of the action while I’m writing the script, I don’t always remember my ideas when it comes time to draw everything. Sometimes seeing the dialogue is enough to call back the memory, and other times I’m just left with a vague feeling that I wanted something specific out of a scene. Despite this, I still find it just too cumbersome and time-consuming to describe every panel as I write it.

How much of the “action” in a comic do you describe while you write it? Do you just stick to dialogue and the important bits, or do you painstakingly describe each scene? Or do you have a different technique, like thumbnailing as you go along?

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