Letterer

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Interior page from The Mighty Thor #346, showing John Workman’s distinctive lettering. Art by Walter Simonson (1984).
Interior page from The Mighty Thor #346, showing John Workman’s distinctive lettering. Art by Walter Simonson (1984).


A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book’s text. The letterer writes the letters in the word balloons, draws in sound effects, and usually designs a book’s logo. The letterer’s use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout of the words inside the balloon all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer is an essential member of a comic-creating team, which may also include a penciler, inker, writer, and colorist.

While many comics are still hand lettered, most mainstream American comics are now lettered using a graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator and a font that usually resembles lettering done by hand. Many cartoonists who formerly lettered by hand now use a computer font made to match their handwriting.

Both the Eisner Awards and the Harvey Awards have a “best letterer” category.

Leading letterers in the comics industry include:

Cartoonists known for the lettering on their own comics include:

Whaam!, a 1963 pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein, incorporates onomatopoetic comics lettering.
Whaam!, a 1963 pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein, incorporates onomatopoetic comics lettering.

Companies that provide computer lettering include:

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