Comments on: Comiket, Manga/Anime money, Atlas Shrugged. One of these things is not like the others. UPDATED

By: Colleen

Colleen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:43:40 +0000

Heck, Disney didn’t pay me royalties at all! Beauty and the Beast sold 3,000,000 copies.

I realize it sold those books because of the movie, but I never cease to be amazed how large studios fail to compensate talent.

Marvel and DC have far better work for hire compensation than many studios.

By: Torsten Adair

Torsten Adair — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:12:20 +0000

And Disney doesn’t pay royalties past the first printing in the world (which is why Don Rosa’s stories appear first in Denmark, where the circulation can reach 1,000,000, instead of the U.S., where the circulation might reach 10,000).

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:52:33 +0000

OMG! LOL! That is so true!
The pay at Disney is LOUSY!

The bigger the client the worse the pay seems to be! And the contracts! Hoo boy.

I take a lot of these gigs for the credits ONLY. Sometimes there is good training, too. I got some very good experience at Disney. But not only did I get paid a fraction of what I normally do, Disney kept my art!

I will definitely keep you in mind for future! Thank you!

By: SusanDL

SusanDL — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:53:15 +0000

Oh boy–that makes what I’m getting seem a princely sum.

When I was working on the Disneys it was the same sort of reaction (from the uber-fans): on the one hand, they thought we were making money hand over fist, and that Disney paid US to produce the comics (just the opposite on both counts), and on the other, that we should be willing to do it for nothing because… it was… DISNEY! (And also that the comics should still cost ten cents.)

Oy!

I’d be happy to work on future ADS retouch/lettering. Contact me any time, I have a flexible schedule.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:10:05 +0000

OMG, that is what I have been hearing from everyone. Page rates are just lousy.

Matt Thorn once did a breakdown of standard manga rates in Japan. The rank and file artists got no more than about $100 for the whole enchilada. Story and all art. So, an artist doing a 40 page story per month was not making much money, especially considering Japanese high cost of living, and the cost of assistants.

I remember when I first got into manga in the 1980′s, the fans were so unrealistic (and I was one of them.) They seemed to think all manga artists were millionaires. It’s as ridiculous as assuming all American comics artists are just as rich as Todd McFarlane or Frank Miller. Many fans don’t seem to have any concept of the tiny elite at the top, the small middle class, and the huge bottom supporting it all. The artists at the bottom are just squeaking by.

I was so sad to find out one of my favorite (and a very respected manga-ka), worked part time in a shop her parent’s owned because she could not make a full-time living on her manga.

By the way, I may be looking for help on retouches and re-lettering on A Distant Soil in future – a year or more out. Please let me know if you may be available.