Bookending your start - The prologue

If you’re looking to open your comic by establishing the scene, theme and/or tone of the rest of the narrative then you might consider using “the prologue”. Derived from the Greek term, prologos, meaning, “before word”, the prologue serves as a mini story that is set before the main narrative unfolds. However, it still relates to the overall events in some way, often tying into events later on.

The beauty of the prologue is that it can take place any time before the story takes place be it days, months, years or even a century ago, provided the events in this minisode directly impact what is going to happen in the future, adding much needed context. If your main story can be told without a prologue then it may be best to skip it altogether.

Keep the prologue short. Then intention should be to set up the context of how and why the events will unfold. If your prologue is too long, maybe you need to write a prequel rather than tack it onto the front of your comic. The prologue is the trigger. So fire it quick.

As the prologue is a snapshot of a pivotal event prior to the main narrative it should focus on the relevant action or details. This is the opener to your story, so it needs to be attention grabbing. Avoid lengthy exposition or infodumps at this stage. If you must include some lore or world building, try and weave it into an event. By doing this you’re keeping the reader interested and the prologue essential to the rest of the story.

Do you have a prologue in your comic? Do you think comics should have prologues?
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