10 Harsh Truths You Don't Want To Admit About Comic Books‏

4. Artists And Writers Make No Money

A lot of the harsh truths we've covered on this list have been there since day one, and this one is no different/less harsh. It is a truth universally acknowledged that as long as you work for the Big Two publishers, as a writer or an artist, you are going to be consistently screwed over. You are going to be screwed over on the rights to your work. You are going to be screwed over in terms of the workload in relation to the remuneration. You are going to be screwed over when it comes to royalties, especially if stuff you did ends up in a movie. You are going to be screwed over when you're older and your career as a freelancer has left you with no insurance or money to pay for medical care. It would be nice to think that every comic book writer, penciller, inker, colourist and letterer lives the same charmed life as Stan Lee. Fawned over by fans, rich beyond their wildest dreams, an inspirational figure. It also makes it easier to continue buying comics which directly fund the company that's screwing them over by keeping all the money you spend to themselves. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were given about ten cents for the rights to Superman back in the day, not seeing another dime for their creation until they'd gotten through a costly series of legal battles. Batman co-creator Bill Finger still doesn't get any credit, nor his estate any royalties, thanks to his douchey ex-partner-in-crime Bob Kane. Things aren't all that much better now. Are you excited to see Guardians of the Galaxy? How about throwing some money Bill Mantlo's way, since he created Rocket Raccoon and has struggled to pay for necessary medical treatment following a car accident that gave him brain damage in 1992. Why is he struggling? Cos Marvel paid him basically nothing for his work, never gave him health insurance, and owe him no royalties for his creations. The big comics publishers you love go out of their way to ruin the lives of the people who produce the very comics that make them money. That is one bitter pill to swallow.