Love comics? Want to create them for a living? Great! A lot of students would give just about anything to have a career writing and illustrating comics for books, newspapers magazines, and the Web.

That means the competition for jobs is fierce. If you want it, make sure you have the talent!

Work for a big firm

If a major publisher offers to hire you, it will be hard to turn down. Four big firms in the print comic industry are:

• Marvel, in New York
• DC, in New York
• Dark Horse, in Portland, Ore.
• Image, in Berkeley, Calif.

Marvel and DC are the biggest. Most people these firms hire are editors. A beginning editor at either of them can expect to make $25,000 a year. If you chose to work for one of these big companies, you will have to live where they are.

By the way, all four of these firms have committed to going digital, meaning they intend to release comics for digital download on the same day they ship the physical comics retailers.

Want to see a larger image of Night Club?

Night Club

Night Club

These are finished color pages from Night Club, which made its debut in April 2005, from Image.

Copyright Mike Baron and Mike Norton.

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However, there are also small firms in the comic industry.

Send Your Story to Paramount!

1. If a movie production company such as Paramount wants your comic book title (your story) such as Invincible, here's what happens:
2. The company pays you option money. Option money means that, in exchange for a fee (in the thousands of dollars), the company has the right to develop your title for a certain length of time.
3. If, at the end of that time, the company decides to renew its option, it pays more option money.

If the production company actually goes ahead and makes the movie, it pays a production advance, which can be sizeable.

That's your money!

Want to see Detonator in progress?

Detonator

This is what one penciled page from Detonator, which writer Mike Baron owns, looks like.

Copyright Mike Baron.

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Try freelancing

In comics, you can make a good living as a freelancer.

Working on Your Own

A freelancer is someone who works on his own, without a boss. It can get strange. Without social interaction, freelance writers and artists can feel dissociated from people.

If you become a freelancer, get out of the house at least once a day! Make sure you hang out with real people for part of that time.

Detonator

This is what one penciled page from Detonator, which writer Mike Baron owns, looks like. Copyright Mike Baron.

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On the plus side, you're the boss:

• You choose your own hours (and days).
• You live wherever you want.
• You are free to let your artistic vision soar.

But you're also responsible for:

• Health insurance
• Filing your taxes every three months
• Turning in your material on time.

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