Admit it; you’ve always wondered just how much your favorite comic creators are being paid to bring you 22 pages of entertainment every single month unless the book ships late. Luckily, someone at Millarworld asked that very question, and Mark Millar answered:

Rob [Liefeld] made 22 million dollars personally in 1992. Crazy days, yes, but not unusual. Even back in the early eighties, there were several pros at Marvel making well in excess of 250K a year. I don’t know the exact numbers other people get, but even in the BUST years a couple of friends of mine got 40K an issue writing for some of the Image guys. This is WAY after Todd was paying Neil, etc, 800K an issue on Spawn. I’m talking the dying years of the late 90s when Top Cow, etc, were throwing really good money out there for name writers.

The industry right now is even better. I’ve turned down several US and British TV gigs– one top-rated show in America and one top-rated show here. Partly, because I didn’t have time. Partly, because writing comics is what I liked doing best. But also partly because the pay wasn’t as good as comics pay.

Another poster, Aris, pops in with some hard figures to contrast the above:

Lets do this as a starting penciler for Marvel Age FF.
Page rate $175 per page x22 pages = $3850.00
Cover rate is page rate x1.5 = $262.50
Your monthly gross is about $4,112.50
Yearly $49,350.00

Nothing to sneaze at certainly. But after taxes, and benefits (which as far as I know are not generally given by the big two to non-signed artists) thats nott enough to raise a family.

And far as I know this is what you can expect in comics generally, and comics is a pretty small industry meaning…there are only a few jobs considering the market and compettion is tough.

Millar isn’t hearing any of that:

I don’t know the Marvel Age figures, but that’s certainly much lower than any artist I know working at Marvel, DC, Top Cow or even Harris. I can’t say how much the NAME artists get but it’s HUGELY more than that. HUGELY. Even average guys are getting twice that. I’d say comic art is one of the highest paid types of graphic design jobs. Again, Hitchy had to take a HUGE pay cut to work on Dr Who. He could never afford to live off BBC wages.

It’s just a pet peeve of mine and something comic bosses like to perpetuate (maybe so people don’t ask for raises elsewhere). But comics is an amazing way to make a living. And nobody really fucks with your art/ scripts. It’s pretty perfect.

Also, every time you sell a creator-owned mini as a movie you’re averaging 800K. Some go for more, some go for less. But that’s average you sell at with an upfront option of maybe 20% to lease it for a year or two. And then there’s trades. Don’t let anyone tell you that working professionally, full time in the biz isn’t crazy cash.

Again, someone else (Patrick Gerard) disagrees:

Not saying it’s not lucrative but my point is that people who write for comics are generally people who could (and/or do) make better money elsewhere.

You sell 400,000 copies, the rewards are great.

But consider the number of indies who never break 12,000 copies.

I don’t look down on comics at all, Mark. I’d love to write them.

But I don’t think it’s fair to you or anyone else of your calibre to suggest that you get paid for doing nothing or that you make the kind of money that screenwriters get.

A guy who writes one title for the Big Two and doesn’t have a day job is going to make serious sacrifices for the art and for the fun. Not saying that it’s wise to do so but I know that a number of pros who were thought of as hot new talent on monthlies who were waiting for the day they could raise their kids or quit their day job.

Again, Millar disagrees:

Sorry, but you’re talking about a situation that doesn’t exist or you’re talking about small press comics versus big two (which is a very different thing).

If you’re working full time as a comics pro you’re doing more than one book a month. The absolute bottom rung guys at Harris Comics are getting $3000 an issue for scripts and Marvel generally pays more. I don’t know any regular Marvel freelancer who just writes one book. I write at least two and other guys write four or five. A comic takes me 2 weeks to write, but most people can easily do one a week. I’m lucky in that I make a lot in royalties, etc, but the guys on books that do half my numbers (say 40-50K) make a very nice living. I’ve never met anyone who works at Marvel or DC and needs to do another job to supplement their income… It really is nonsense to suggest that anyone working at the big two in particular would be in this situation. Especially artists. If you’re unable to write or draw to meet a companies needs or are in the very, very early stages of your career, yes, but there’s a lot of even mediocre writers and artists working at both companies making tons more than this. It’s simply a fantasy.

So, now you have it. Comics = Goldmine. As long as you’re not working in indie comics, and sell above a certain number of books. I’d add “and working on a certain number of books,” but apparently if you’re working fulltime as a comics pro, you’re doing more than one book a month. But anyway - Saying that comics don’t bring crazy cash to all involved is nothing but a fantasy! HUZZAH! I’m quitting my job and pitching Dan Didio right now!

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