How much do comic pros make???

[Orko Is King]

Not the indie guys who put out a book every few months, I'm talking the big guns...Bendis, Millar, Lee, Ross, Johns, Kubert, Whedon, Cassady, etc.

[SouLeSS]

I would assume its a decent amount. Or at least enough to be self sustaining.

[ookami]

Originally Posted by Orko Is King

Not the indie guys who put out a book every few months, I'm talking the big guns...Bendis, Millar, Lee, Ross, Johns, Kubert, Whedon, Cassady, etc.

Who cares what he makes, he kills the good ones, shouldn't get paid at all.

I have no idea, more than me....that's all I know.

Word of mouth.....

Reg artist: $1, 000 a month
Series artist: $5-8,000 month

Have to complete deadlines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Darthphere]

Originally Posted by ookami

Who cares what he makes, he kills the good ones, shouldn't get paid at all.

I have no idea, more than me....that's all I know.

Word of mouth.....

Reg artist: $1, 000 a month
Series artist: $5-8,000 month

Have to complete deadlines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It really depends, Artists get paid by the page and writers well i dont know.

[Harlekin]

I'm pretty sure writers go by a page-rate as well, so if you've got quite a few monthly books coming out that are hot sellers (see: Bendis, Johns etc.) you'll make a good buck.

[Darthphere]

I think writers get paid by the vowel.

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by Orko Is King

Not the indie guys who put out a book every few months, I'm talking the big guns...Bendis, Millar, Lee, Ross, Johns, Kubert, Whedon, Cassady, etc.

Very Big Bucks, think about it JMS and Whedon obviously find it financially viable and they must be millionaires already.

[PhotoJones]

Originally Posted by Whirlysplat

Very Big Bucks, think about it JMS and Whedon obviously find it financially viable and they must be millionaires already.

uh, no. the comic book is not financially viable. at all.

jms and whedon do it because they like it.

[Darthphere]

Originally Posted by photojones2

uh, no. the comic book is not financially viable. at all.

jms and whedon do it because they like it.

Yeah they get paid in cereal....

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by photojones2

uh, no. the comic book is not financially viable. at all.

jms and whedon do it because they like it.

Explain. Why do DC and Marvel sell them then and I suspect they pay a fair bit to "star writers" if purely for the publicity of being able to use them.

- Whirly

[PhotoJones]

Originally Posted by Whirlysplat

Explain. Why do DC and Marvel sell them then and I suspect they pay a fair bit to "star writers" if purely for the publicity of being able to use them.

- Whirly

why did kevin smith write daredevil? do you think it was because he needed the money?

smith wrote dd because he likes the character. when you're an established writer, be it film or book, it gives you the freedom to do things you want to do. like writing comic books. what publisher would turn down jms, smith or whedon?

on average, and artist that has a monthly gig with marvel would make around $25,000-30,000 a year.
a writer makes a little less. he'd have to write to 3 or four monthlies to get up to $30,000. hardly "financially viable" for someone like whedon.

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by photojones2

why did kevin smith write daredevil? do you think it was because he needed the money?

smith wrote dd because he likes the character. when you're an established writer, be it film or book, it gives you the freedom to do things you want to do. like writing comic books. what publisher would turn down jms, smith or whedon?

on average, and artist that has a monthly gig with marvel would make around $25,000-30,000 a year.
a writer makes a little less. he'd have to write to 3 or four monthlies to get up to $30,000. hardly "financially viable" for someone like whedon.

Your point about Kevin Smith not needing the money is undoubtedly true. However he would recieve a fair bit of money for publicity. The tread starter asked about the Superstars and how much they earn not some random writer. Yes Smith did it because he was a fan, did he recieve a lot for doing so? Probably.

I think you underestimate the publicity value to a company of having Kevin Smith write for them. The superstars do make more money from convention. I think the would earn a fair bit more than 30,000 a year. Thats's barely enough to live on for one, let alone a family. Most comic pros who are well known have families.

The companies have changed a lot since the creator wars. Image, Valaint etc. forced them to as did Marvels errors and financial problems in the nineties. Lees name on a comic can as much as double its sales his renumeration would be high for this.

- Whirly

[PhotoJones]

Originally Posted by Whirlysplat

Your point about Kevin Smith not needing the money is undoubtedly true. However he would recieve a fair bit of money for publicity. The tread starter asked about the Superstars and how much they earn not some random writer. Yes Smith did it because he was a fan, did he recieve a lot for doing so? Probably.

I think you underestimate the publicity value to a company of having Kevin Smith write for them. The superstars do make more money from convention. I think the would earn a fair bit more than 30,000 a year. Thats's barely enough to live on for one, let alone a family. Most comic pros who are well known have families.

The companies have changed a lot since the creator wars. Image, Valaint etc. forced them to as did Marvels errors and financial problems in the nineties. Lees name on a comic can as much as double its sales his renumeration would be high for this.

- Whirly

i don't know where this idea of "giving them money for publicity" comes from. the comic book industry is not bursting with money. marvel comics wouldn't have money laying around to just GIVE to someone for "publicity". you obviously have no idea how the industry works.

[Electro UK]

We could always ask Mr Slott how he's doing financially... if he doesn't mind telling.

[Harlekin]

Guys like Kevin Smith et al I believe go with a normal page rate since they're rolling in the big bucks already. They get paid, but it revolves around them having their fun, not the cash.

[PhotoJones]

Originally Posted by Harlekin

Guys like Kevin Smith et al I believe go with a normal page rate since they're rolling in the big bucks already. They get paid, but it revolves around them having their fun, not the cash.

exactly.

[Harlekin]

Nobody's in comics to make money, but to do what they love doing. Some guys, who really do write the big monthlies, and/or write a lot of them will be getting a quite buck. I doubt people like Busiek can be considered poor (probably earns more than the average too), but I really wouldn't call the business 'financially viable'.

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by photojones2

i don't know where this idea of "giving them money for publicity" comes from.

Hmmm, it's a new concept called......... Wait for it............. Advertising

Originally Posted by photojones2

i don't know where this idea of "giving them money for publicity" comes from. the comic book industry is not bursting with money. marvel comics wouldn't have money laying around to just GIVE to someone for "publicity". you obviously have no idea how the industry works.

The Comic Book industry is not burstng with money, hmmmm, licensing, toys, films, hmmmmmmm. It's not just about comics. Marvels "brand is everywhere". That aside this thread is about the "stars". They do not earn $30,000 a year, conventions alone earn them twice that.

Some Sales figures at Marvel

http://bw306.blogspot.com/2006/03/fe...s-figures.html

Stan Lee wins $10,000000 not big business......... lol

http://www.tcj.com/269/n_paul.html

Lees annual salary in the article was $1,000,000 a year

We all know what went wrong in the nineties. lol

- Whirly

[PhotoJones]

Originally Posted by Whirlysplat

The Comic Book industry is not burstng with money, hmmmm, licensing, toys, films, hmmmmmmm. It's not just about comics. Marvels "brand is everywhere". That aside this thread is about the "stars". They do not earn $30,000 a year, conventions alone earn them twice that.

Some Sales figures at Marvel

http://bw306.blogspot.com/2006/03/fe...s-figures.html

Stan Lee wins $10,000000 not big business......... lol

http://www.tcj.com/269/n_paul.html

Lees annual salary in the article was $1,000,000 a year

We all know what went wrong in the nineties. lol

Marvel are brighter now..... see here.

CNN money

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/busin...5925/index.htm


- Whirly

okay, then. do you consider adam kubert to be a star? because he makes a little above base pay: $230 per page.

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by photojones2

okay, then. do you consider adam kubert to be a star? because he makes a little above base pay: $230 per page.

He's not going to have the effect Whedon or Bendis has on sales I suspect.

As I said any Company that can borrow $500,000,000 is doing OK

- Whirly

[Harlekin]

Using Stan Lee as an example doesn't work. He comes from a time that characters weren't immediately licensed to the company. Through his own clever use of the contract, the man is rolling in the big bucks now.

Beyond that, Adam Kubert is about as much of a star as Bendis, really.

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by Harlekin

Using Stan Lee as an example doesn't work. He comes from a time that characters weren't immediately licensed to the company. Through his own clever use of the contract, the man is rolling in the big bucks now.

Beyond that, Adam Kubert is about as much of a star as Bendis, really.

I will disagree about Kubert. As I have no available figures I can't prove this. I do though doubt the $15,000 - $30,000 a year figure that has been bandied around for someone like Miller. Sidebar licensing was forced to change because of the likes of the Toddler and Jim Shooter. Although the Toddler has appeared very dishonest himself hence the lawsuits by Gaiman etc.

Anway my views are out their and until someone can provide evidence of what Kubert earns like a pay slip or even the source of said statement (I suspect it is more than $30,000 a year lol), I am the only one who has produced any figures. Point to bear in my mind, people do not tell the truth over earnings.

- Whirly

[Harlekin]

I remember Dan DiDio (when he was still a writer) showing the folks at ComiXfan a picture of his paycheck. I haven't come across it yet, though.

[Whirlysplat]

Originally Posted by Harlekin

I remember Dan DiDio (when he was still a writer) showing the folks at ComiXfan a picture of his paycheck. I haven't come across it yet, though.

That would be interesting. Although DiDio is not a superstar imo.

- Whirly

[Harlekin]

He isn't but it gives an indication of a writer's usual salary. Also, you really haven't produced any figures. Sales? Yes, and Stan Lee. Stan Lee is an exception, as was already noted.