1. You Probably Won't Make Your Millions
MarvelQuite the opposite, in fact. The reason that Stan Lee is the only real household name in comics should tell you something, because he hasn't written a really successful comic book in about forty years, and he's just one writer out of an industry that's seen hundreds if not thousands of talented scribes pass through their doors. It should probably also tell you something that Lee isn't actually as rich as you'd think, considering the amount of hugely successful properties he's had a hand in creating. He's not broke or anything, but he's not Hugh Hefner either. If you get into comics because you want to get rich quick, then the door's that way, buddy. If you get into comics because you want to get rich at some point, then you might still wanna consider heading for the exit. Even if you get into comics because you reckon it'll be a steady pay cheque, you may be left wanting. That's simply not how the industry is structured, and it never has been. There's certainly opportunities to make money, and people like Mark Millar have ridden the Hollywood gravy train all the way to the bank, but they are few and far between. The reality for most writers, artists and editors is very different. Most of the comics industry still runs on a freelance basis, meaning that they don't have real "employees" and the people who work for them get paid a set rate. That also means they don't get any of the benefits of a proper job, like health insurance or not having to spend hours crying over your tax returns because you're technically self employed. It's one of the darker secrets of the industry, something which gets swept under the carpet until
particularly tragic examples of its effect turn up. We're not trying to put you off working in the comics industry with all this, by the way. Far from it. We're just making sure you're getting into it for the right reasons. Because the people who flourish in comic books, the ones who will really make their mark, whose work will become iconic at some point down the line - they're in it for the love. That's why you're reading this, presumably, because you love comics and you want to somehow get involved in making them. Well, now you know, and if you still love them, then you have our blessing. Unless you're a Mark Millar type. We've got our eyes on you.