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Comic artist David Cassaday is one of the most recognizable names in the comic book industry today. The 36-year-old started his career in film school, but found happiness when he presented his portfolio of characters to some publishers at the 1996 San Diego Comic Book Convention. “He knew how to draw mood and emotion, not just pole dancers in superhero costumes,” noted editor Mark Waid.
Once he made his contacts, work began to come in, first at smaller publishers and then at DC and Marvel Comics. Cassaday went on to illustrate “Astonishing X-Men”, “Captain America” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Cassaday says of his job: “As a kid, I had free time every day and I brought stories to life. It’s a wonderful thing.”
The nature of the artist profession requires you to be a self-starter who can multitask, meet deadlines, be disciplined, weather tough times and ultimately work as a freelancer. At the beginning of your career you will need patience and your tasks will not necessarily be handed over to you. Some artists work on contract for long-term projects spanning an entire comic series, while others source work on multiple graphic novels from multiple sources.
Generally, good graphic novels fetch $100 to $300 per page, although professionals who have been in the industry for a long time can charge up to three times that much. In fact, one elite illustrator was charging up to $1,000 per page (in a 22-page comic book)! Most of the popular titles artists like David Cassaday work on are monthly issues that end up earning him a six-figure salary. The back-end royalties on merchandise, paperbacks, and movie royalties are also generous.
Your success often depends on your personal motivation. Mike Mignola, Hellboy’s comic artist, says he works in his home studio, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., taking breaks throughout the day when needed. That’s an advantage of this job; that you are relatively free to create your own schedule, although there are deadlines. “Typically, when you work for a comic book publisher like Marvel or DC Comics, you have to turn a five to six page strip in about three weeks,” says British comic book artist Jim McCarthy. “A graphic novel takes much longer – from the initial idea to the finished book it can take eighteen months to two years.”
The good news about the industry is that it appears to be doing very well, especially given the overall box office success of the comic book film offerings. Therefore, it is likely that there will be many jobs for the particularly talented comic artist in the future. There are other benefits of being an established comic/graphic novel artist as well, most notably publisher-sponsored travel.
“I’ve probably flown to every major city in the United States to sign autographs,” says Dave Dorman, a freelance artist who has worked on Star Wars, Aliens, Indiana Jones, and Batman. Artists love the creativity, the wide schedule and the glamour. Artist Tom Mandrake admits: “You become very famous in a very small market. It’s great to go to a convention and hear people say they’ve read your comics their whole life.”
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