The key to keeping your calm is to stay busy. Of course it'll be harder to deal with your in-laws if you have something else to do besides sit next to them and wait to get annoyed or offended. Maybe their lawn needs raking. Maybe you've been meaning to show your wife's grandfather how to work his new DVD player. Maybe you told your mother-in-law that you would help bake dessert this year. Finding an activity to do can help you bond with your in-laws, find common ground, and stay focused on something other than the tension in the air. If you're helping out around the house, not only will you be distracted, but your in-laws will have to like you at least a little more for helping. Plan something for the whole family to do that doesn't cause a stir or take hours to explain. Maybe you can all play a simple fun board game before your Christmas meal, or you can all go for a walk after Thanksgiving dinner. As long as your in-laws don't see the activity as a way of taking over their usual plans, they will be grateful that you found something fun and different to do. Just check in with your spouse and your in-laws in advance to make sure that you won't be stepping on any toes. If your in-laws are visiting you, then you can make sure to incorporate some of their traditions into your celebration, whether it's saying certain prayers, making certain foods, or listening to Christmas carols. Maybe your in-laws like watching football before the Thanksgiving meal; would it kill you to turn on the television? Including your in-laws' traditions in your own celebrations will make them feel more included and happier to be visiting you. If you're visiting your in-laws, then maybe you can share one of your family's traditions with them, as long as it doesn't get in their way. This can be something small, like bringing a potato dish that has been in your family for generations. This is another way to stay busy and active during your time with your in-laws. Your holiday will be a lot more fun if you're not spending the whole time sitting together in awkward silence. Ask polite, friendly questions to make your in-laws feel welcome. Ask them about their jobs, their pets, their plans for the weekend, or about any recent trips they took. Don't make them feel like they're getting interviewed, but make sure to ask questions about their lives and to show genuine interest in their answers. If the question thing is getting old, you can also share some of your own experiences. Consider the stories you'll tell in advance to make sure that they are appropriate. Maybe you know that after four hours with your father-in-law, your head will be pounding. It's okay to admit that before the big day -- better, in fact, than being in denial about the space you'll need. So, make sure you can plan for a quick activity: stepping out to call your folks, going to the store to pick up some extra food or drinks, or taking your kids to the playground. Tell people about it in advance so it won't look weird when you go off on your own for a little while later that day. Remind yourself that there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking some time away from your in-laws. This will be less insulting than sitting next to them, writhing with anger the whole time.
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One-sentence summary -- Find something useful to do. Plan a fun activity. Share traditions. Keep them talking. Plan for some time off if you'll need it.

A "mock-up" is basically a sketch of the entire comic book, page by page. They don't have to be detailed as the bigger issues layout. Instead, figure out how many frames or lines of dialogue fit on each page, where do you want any "special pages" (like full-page frames), and will the format of each page be identical or change depending on mood? This is where you start merging the words to the picturesso have some fun. If you're not artistically inclined, you don't need to worry about hiring an artist just yet. Instead, just focus on the basics. Even stick figures can get the point across and help your visualize the final book. While this is "only" a mock-up, you still want to take it seriously. This will be your blueprint for the final project, so treat it like a sketch for a painting and not some throwaway practice run. one for what should be shown to the reader in the story, what action needs to occur, where character development will go, etc. Other timelines will need to be made for each character, so you know what their life has been so far, where it is going, etc. These will help you keep the pages and stories straight, visualizing where each character needs to be at each portion of the book. Keep in mind pacing, so if your main character has just discovered the bones of a monster in her backyard, the reader gets to have a nice big picture to look at and take their time viewing. Remember that dialogue is actually seen in a comic book, so it literally needs to fit in each box. Try not to jam too much at once. That said, some comic books choose to let the dialogue balloons spill into other frames, creating a somewhat looser, chaotic feel. For longer speeches or monologues, consider connecting the speech bubbles from frame to frame. The same person is giving the same speech, just with different action underneath. Many professionals will use two pages, one for the script and one for the pictures. Remember, the trick of comic books is your balance between words and visuals, and this is easiest to see side-by-side. You can tick off each caption and frame as you work. For example, the script might go: [Page 1.] Spiderman is swinging down the streets when he spots 2 police cars chasing a yellow sports car. Caption1: Hmm it's strangely quiet today... Caption 2: I guess I spoke too soon! [Page 2.] Spiderman is swinging down the street and the two blank caption spaces. If you've been diligent about clean professional work, you might be able to turn the mock-up itself into the book. Otherwise, get to work on the actual thing, using your mock-up as the guide. Sketching, inking, and coloring a comic book is a serious undertaking. But it is also a ton of fun. If you're getting an outside artists, send them the script and ask for samples. This helps you see if their visual style is right for you. Illustrating a comic book is a topic worth its own tutorial, as it is a challenging and exciting art form.
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One-sentence summary --
Use a mock-up to test out your ideas, style, layout and pacing without sinking too much work into the idea. Create several timelines: Divide a blank page into panels for your story. Using your timelines as a guide, fill in the panels with either descriptions or sketches of what action should be seen, and what dialogue should be heard. Keep your script page and graphic page side by side as you work. Hire an artist, or finish the work yourself, once you're happy with the mock-up.