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DC Studios' Lanterns co-writer (and DC comics writer) Tom King breaks down the biggest difference between writing comics and TV episodes
From Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, to now Lanterns, Tom King knows a thing or two about writing for comics and television
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Tom King has been busy lately. Between writing his own comics and working on projects for DC Studios, it's been a whirlwind past couple of years for King. King is an executive producer on the upcoming HBO show, Lanterns, about the Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan. The show, starring Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler, is expected to be released in 2026.
As part of our Popversations interview series, our video producer Ashley Victoria Robinson spoke to Tom King about the differences between writing for television versus writing for comics.
"I still write a [comic book] script a week, I still start on a Monday and end on a Friday," King began, "Jason Aaron said this once and it's so true: 'A comic book writer's life, every waking moment you're thinking of an idea, because there's another script coming, there's another story coming.' And that's the big difference between [comics] and TV. In TV, you'll write three episodes every two years, one movie every three years, which is essentially one story. A comic book writer has to do a story in a week. So you're doing 40-50 stories, which is insane."
Comic book writers, especially at the Marvel and DC level where King has been at for years, have to be workhorses. The same also applies for artists who have to draw and make revisions after writers submit their scripts. Frankly, I don't know how they do it. They're all Olympic athletes as far as I'm concerned.
Popverse members can catch the full conversation between Ashley and Tom King here. If you're not a Popverse member, consider joining! With a membership, you'll be able to access tons of content like Popversations and panel videos from C2E2, New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, and so much more.
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