Pay in comics is… not good. Rates haven’t changed much in years and creators often work long hours to make deadlines on multiple projects to make ends meet. The teams behind the scenes don’t fair much better with low wages with the “privilege” in working in a publisher’s sandbox being the draw. Dustin Nguyen posted on Instagram his displeasure with working with Marvel and the unlikelihood he would in the future.
He went on to post along with the message:
Getting hits earlier than expected from this one, and I’m kinda glad because I got words.
but really if this bothers you I’m sorry, @marvel has been undercutting creators from the start, unless you’re getting 6-7k a cover- then godbless. I hope you’re getting a piece of the MCU and after sales.
between them and @dcofficial , they are the ONLY one that DOESN’T pay a royalty for overseas sales- THINK- AMERICA is the originator of Superhero comics( Japan has manga which we love, Europe, has that cool ass shit we love but can’t describe) and wtf? they’re not paying creators a piece? COME ON. FUCK this FUCKING SHIT. also, merch? lunch boxes and tees- good luck.
I got a buncha dms from
people telling me I gotta be careful, ” don’t cross Marvel, they’re a major player, the only two in the mainstream”.omg fuck them.
man, like I give a FLYING FUCK. FUCK @marvel comics, fuck anyone that I’m NOT in directly working with.( I LOVE my marvel editiors because they get you your BOOKS OUT TO YOU ON TIME )the direct staff has no control, they don’t juggle the stupid fucking numbers.
I’m gonna break it into simple ass fucking terms-
you’re an artist. you draw shit. you wanna get paid for shit. now. in the future. FOREVER .
you draw NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. IN COUNTRIES EVERYWHERE INCLUDING THE ONE YOU DON’T LIVE IN.
fuck this current Marvel contract. I’m too small in the tier and can’t negotiate a better one for you. those in control, those whose work pull, please work for the rest of us.
DC isn’t far from them because after all, they are a conglomerate of things- owned by WB doesnt help your argument. BUT when I ask for things, DC works with me.
I’ve asked Marvel for like.. I SWEAR, $75 PAGE RAISE in the past 15 years( the minimum wage in CA is doing better than them, probably in a decade, even that asshole Trump will do better than Marvel given a month) , I don’t even need that shitty chump change, but I want to see how cheap they are. all this equalling maybe a royalty that’s the, ” please sir, can I maybe have .15 cents after you’ve made your thousands”, in things.
no response. so what am I treading carefully for again? I seriously forget.
Nguyen’s post had other creators speaking up as well:
Sean Gordon Murphy
Seconded. This is why I’m more loyal to DC.I recently found out I’ve been blacklisted from Marvel for around 10 years. I tried to fix it, without much success. Maybe if I offered to cut my DC rate by 1/3 and take a 3rd tier title for a few years, they’d consider hiring me.
J.H. Williams III
You’ve lit a firestorm. Got your back.
Yanick Paquette
Marvel as been taking advantage of it almost monopole of mainstream comic for years. EVERYBODY pay me better for a cover. DC, Boom, Image, DarkHorse, Oni, some joe starting a Kickstarter. Marvel is dead last. Their argument is that the Original would sale better (and they are right of course) but the original sale revenue is mine, we fought for this, and paying under the market is their way to claw back at this extra revenue.
Jason Shawn Alexander
My Marvel experience was a joke and DC has only been marginally better. But they’re currently screwing me on my own book. Lol. No need to be polite anymore, that’s how they got here. Artist timidity. Fuck those guys.
Zoe Thorogood
The only time I worked with marvel was for a character design (they paid me $100 lmao but I thought it would be cool just to have done it so I agreed) they then, without my knowledge, used my concept art as a cover with zero compensation and I got so much hate for it because IT WAS NOT COVER ART, IT WAS AN $100 SKETCH. Anyway,
Chris Stevens
Cheers. I stopped working for them in 2018. I asked for a rate increase. I didn’t ask for a specific amount, just ANY increase and they wouldn’t do it. Id been doing covers for them for 10 years and still had the same rate. They dont need us though. They know someone will gladly take the job for peanuts, so they have little incentive to pay better.
Steve Wands
It has gotten harder and harder to stay in this business, exploited because we love it
Chris Sotomayor
You are 100% correct.
Marc Deering
Bravo, sir. Bravo. I told them to take a hike in ’23.
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