The absolute hardest part of writing or drawing is Just Doing It. Seriously. The most difficult part of the job is simply sitting down and doing the actual work. That blank page is terrifying, even for people who do it for a living. You know those doubts -- the ones that go "Oh, man. . . this is terrible!" and "Nobody's going to want to read this!" and "What if people find out that I can't really tell a good story?" Guess what? They never go away. Never. The real courage, the real hard part of being a writer or an artist is overcoming those doubts and putting your heart and soul on paper. You've already done that, and you should be very proud of yourselves.
Something you'll find, as you make more comics and tell more stories, is that it gets a little easier each and every time you do it. That blank page never stops being scary, but you get better and stopping that fear before it paralyzes you. You get better at trusting your own storytelling instincts. Learn to trust those. Learn to develop that trust in yourself the same way you learned to ride a bike or play an instrument or attend a new school -- it was terrifying at first, but as soon as you learned to trust your own instincts, your own sense of balance, your own ability -- it gets a lot easier, and a lot more fun. And the only way to make it easier is practice, practice, practice. I know you're probably all really sick and tired of hearing people say that about everything, but it's true. The good news is that practicing your comics is a lot more pleasant and rewarding than practicing most other things.
Now that I've given you the rah-rah speech, here's the actual advice on how to get started.
First off, if you haven't read it already, go back to my Must-Read Books list and buy all the books on that list. Read them. Read them again. Then come back and read the rest of this stuff. Those authors can prepare you for the art of making comics -- and the harsh realities of self-publishing -- far more eloquently and expertly than I ever could.
Second, I'd suggest making yourself some minicomics. It's a fabulous, inexpensive way to get used to drawing an issue of a comic book --- it can be a whole issue with one long story, or you can gather together many short stories into one book. Minicomics are how almost everyone gets their start --- even the biggest names made minis at one time or another. You can make a hundred copies of your minicomic for about $30.00 at Kinko's, and sell them for fifty cents each --- which will fund your next minicomic. You can also give them away to the pros at comicons, so you can start getting your name out. This brings us to the third point.
Third, go to the local comic shows. Talk to the pros. Hand out copies of your comic to every pro you see, no matter if you know their work or not. Ask a lot of questions. Listen carefully to the answers. Bring your drawings and show them to people. Take constructive criticism to heart -- the pros used to be beginners, too, and all of them had to pay their dues. If they tell you to work on something, (hands, faces, proportions) do so. These guys can tell you what'll get picked up and what won't. On the other hand, ignore malicious criticism. It's the rare artist that will be cruel to someone with a portfolio, but they're out there.
Fourth, don't copy other people's characters. Use them for reference, but always make your own characters. If you like a particular comic, you can emulate it, but never copy it directly. If you like, say, Sailor Moon, then create a new all-girl fighting team, and a planet for them to live on, and new enemies and crimes for them to fight. Give them a new spaceship and new costumes and their own powers and sidekicks. Invent the plants and animals and clothes and social structure on their planet. It's your comic, your world! Make it your own, fall in love with it, spend time in your created world. Try not to do cross-overs with other people's characters, either. It might get you into copyright trouble down the line. The best thing about making your own comic is that it's your chance to really shine - to really show your creative stuff. If you have trouble getting to know your characters, play movies in your head with them. It may sound silly, but that's how I do it. As I fall asleep at night, I put them in difficult situations and watch how they get out of them. You can learn a lot about a character from how they react to a situation.
Fifth, read a lot. Read tons of comics. Find out what you like and what you don't like. Find out how your story measures up to other comics. Find out if anyone's already come up with an idea very similar to yours -- this happens a lot more than you'd think -- there really are only so many ideas under the sun. Read comics outside your genre -- otherwise you'll wind up just rehashing the same superhero, crime, or bishojou stories.
If you have a limited allowance for comics, don't dispair: many local libraries have graphic novels in their Young Adult section. Even if you're poor, you can always get your comics fix at the library.
Sixth, read current comics. I had this guy call me once and ask me about self-publishing his own comic. He said he'd written this great book and wanted to know how difficult it would be to get it picked up by a major publisher. I asked him when he last read comics. "Oh, I read them all the time as a kid." "Have you read any comics during the last thirty years?" I asked. "No," he said. "But comics are comics, right?" Errr... no. Here's an example: Let's say you wanted to be a television script writer. If you hadn't watched television in thirty years, do you really think you'd have any luck pitching a script to "Friends"? A script that would have done just fine on Dragnet won't fly on NYPD Blue. As much as television has changed, comics have changed. Keep that in mind.
Seventh -- Meet your best friend, the internet. Read message boards. Read them often. Here are some good ones:
(These sites contain language that is not appropriate for readers under the age of sixteen.)
Finally, Draw. Draw every day. Take a sketchbook with you wherever you go. Draw in it until you get nervous being without it. Make it your security blanket. Sketch crowds, people in malls, babies in strollers, musicians. Get familiar with people and things and how they look, not how your brain thinks they look. If anime's your thing, visit http://www.howtodrawmanga.com and not only buy their books, but go through their tutorials. They're really good.