Comic artist PJ Holden, best known for his work on 2000AD, has just self-published US Comic Book Layouts: A book to help you do layouts for your comic books. It’s a Creator Support Project Book which does exactly what it says on the cover – and he has more aids for comic professionals in the works, including a Comic Book Pro Project Diary.

A 20-year veteran of the comic book industry, PJ Holden’s work spans multiple genres from adventure to humour, from comics for tots to teens, including 2000AD, and beyond. In that time, he’s drawn thousands of pages of comics, and every good comic starts with some thumbnails, and that’s what this book will do for you. Thumbnails!

“It’s a layout sketchbook,” PJ further explains, “nine thumbnail layouts per page (with a blank facing page) and the spine is white for writing what it is. There’s 120 pages with 60 pages with layouts on them.”

This is his first self-published layout book, with others, 16:9 Storyboards, and “an insanely niche” Comic Book Pro Project Diary, due for release soon, all via Amazon.

The titles may not be exactly catchy, but I’ve always been impressed by PJ’s organisation as a creator (which puts mine to shame, owing to squirrels). Check out his first now and keep an eye out for the others, available soon, because he’s clearly on a roll!

• Buy US Comic Book Layouts: A book to help you do layouts for your comic books (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)

• Keep an eye out for more self published books from PJ Holden on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

• PJ Holden is online at www.pauljholden.com | Twitter

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek Magazine) and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War and “Dan Dare”. He’s the writer of "Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies" for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News

Tags: Creating Comics, downthetubes News, PJ Holden, Self Help