PixelClerks

Have you ever wanted to sell your own comics? How to do that?



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Have you ever wanted to sell your own comics? How to do that?

Don't you just love comics? They cover a full spectrum of things from kids comic books, to adult comic books! I remember growing up reading comics like The Beano with characters in it like Dennis the Menace, The Bash Street Kids, Roger the Dodger and Billy Whizz. Do you remember? And I used to collect them as well and had loads of them once but they were all destroyed when our shed mysteriously burned. And they would all probably be worth a mint today!

You can buy and sell classic comics on places like eBay and that and some people actually make quite a lot of money doing this! What they do is go around places like old book/magazine shops and stores, car boot sales etc etc. And buy old, unwanted comic books and magazines on the cheap and then basically sell these on for a profit! Usually you can buy them old comic books for about a dollar and sell it for up to $10 dollars! Not bad at all when you have hundreds of them to sale so quite profitable!

And also a lot of fun as well I'd imagine! Being able to get your hands on and physically hold a very early release or edition of a comic book and reading the stories inside. Some would probably take you for a walk down memory lane and be quite nostalgic! But that's what makes old comic books so valuable. In fact, some very old comic books can be worth a fortune! Some of them can sell for up to $100+ or more which is a crazy price to pay for an old comic book but just goes to show how much people love em! Have you ever wanted to sell your own comics? How to do that?

What are some funny comic mags you used to read that are worth more today than they was originally?

Other than The Beano, I used to buy and read Viz, Smut and Zit. Because back in the late 80's they was really funny to us! They used to have hilarious characters in them like like Buster Gonad and his unfeasibly large testicles, Roger Irrelevant and Sid the Sexist and Billy No Mates. Just to name a few without offending anyone lol. And while they was crass, they was quite funny and funnily enough, hugely collectible and valuable and profitable for those that do collect and then resell them too!

Could you start your own comic on something, some one character or other funny characters?

Of course you could! And thanks to social media, you'd have a helping hand getting them known about too. You could go online only and release them as ebooks or even make them viewable by purchase only through your site. And of course, go offline as well, find a publisher (much easier today), and than make them and then have them published and distributed to shops and that.

But you'd probably have to be pretty good at art and drawing. Or not necessarily, as you could learn to use some image editing software tool like Photoshop or something and then just make them in that. You'd have to be creative though! You'd have to think about the characters first. They'd have to be unique and original. They could be someone that reflects someone from our time, our generation, or just based on any Tom, Dick or Harry.

I'm not that great at drawing characters and the like. But I did used to have a lot of fun creating my own sort of comics on the back of my school books growing up while bored in class! I'd make comics of people I knew, my mates and that getting into strange situations and things and it would usually end pretty bad for them. My schoolbooks were pretty famous for that lol. Have you ever wanted to sell your own comics? How to do that?

But have you ever considered making and selling your own comic books? Are you good at drawing characters and making up funny stories and scenarios for them? Could you learn how to make them in some software program?

If so, you could be sitting on top of an Empire and not even realize it!

What would be a good way for one to go about starting his/her own comic?

How could someone make use of the Internet today to get it known about?

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keen2write
I use to love reading comics as a kid and often use to sneak them into school many years back and read them under the desk. Good old day's lol I remember Dandy beano comic great read and was my favourite as well.
Have you ever wanted to sell your own comics? How to do that??

Like I say great read really enjoyable , I love the ideas you have about buying cheap comic books and selling them on ebay . I will have to keep my eye out while am around town next time.



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Kakashi2020
I do agree that reselling comic books can be pretty lucrative. I've done it before, I had a collection of comic books which I sold to one seller, it's a bulk sale of thousands of comic books with backboards and mylars. The buyer told me to call him back if I have more, that's the time when I thought of buying in bulk from old bookstores and I bought several thousands more and sold them to my buyer, I earned a lot of money on that deal.



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TheArticulate
I love writing screenplays and scripts, and I've been very lucky to have a brother and sister who are incredibly talented in art (Case in point, check out my sister's work on Instagram). I've started developing the outline of a comic storyline, which I pitched to my siblings about a year ago, who said they'd be on board to help out if I wanted. I have most of the first issue scripted and the page/panel layouts completed, we just need to get the art started!

From the research I did when I was really into producing my own comic, you can be published through Image Comics if they accept your work. Basically, you have to submit a one page synopsis of your entire story along with 6 full pages of completed work of the first issue of your comic. Fully colored and lettered, I believe, in order to be accepted. I don't remember the exact rate, but you get a significant cut of the profits from what Image sells of your comic, too.



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galegatling
I checked your sister's instagram. She sure does do a kind of unique artworks and comics. It's good to see that people are still into such themes in terms of art. Some others wouldn't even like them. I really do like them. I personally think that it is one of expressing your inner thoughts and feelings specially when it comes to one's emotion and the society he or she is living in.



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DenisP
Putting out a comic or manga has been something I've been considering ever since I was a teenager. I used to make little comic strips by hand as a kid because my parents couldn't afford to buy me comics. Then later when I went to college, I bought a drawing tablet and began creating digital comics for fun. Nothing serious, but it was a way to pass the time and it made me consider releasing a web comic series. I should have done it when I had the chance, because at the time the web comic scene was still fairly fresh. These days, like everything else, it is way oversaturated and hard to get into.



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TheArticulate
I know what you mean. I wish I would have buckled down and really ironed out my comic idea and produced it when it was fresh on my mind. Even though the market may be slightly saturated, if your content is compelling and well-done, I think you'll gather a good following regardless, especially if you market yourself well online! What was the general idea of your comic?

I have a story loosely mapped out, but it's really convoluted and complicated, and I'm having a tough time mapping it out into issues right now.



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Baburra
I know what you mean. I also once thought about it and looking back I wish I at least attempted so I would know now if I could possibly have done something with it. I think it's still never too late though. As much as the market is already saturated, there will always be a hunger from the public to find new content and new media to consume, and as long as you make a good product then it will eventually find an audience.



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JoeMilford
DenisP,
I've been interested in getting into digital comic writing and imaging for a while now but just don't really know how how to start. What software were you using when you were creating your web comics? Or digital comics? What is the best way to draw the characters and to map out the page with panels? I need a push into this. I think I am going to check out some Youtube videos about it, but I would like to hear about your experience with this as well.



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JoeMilford
DenisP,
Still, though, you should not give up! Every day people come up with fresh new ideas in every genre of the arts. You could still, if you have the passion for it, get into this business and make it work for you. You should never give up on your dreams, seriously. Do you still have those old digital comics from your college days? A good idea and a good story is always FRESH! No matter how saturated the market is.



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fishmonk
I used to draw some manga style art as a hobby. I went to take some lessons. However, I think digital art is the new thing nowadays so I stopped drawing as I had other commitments. Nowadays, I prefer creating storyboards and writing. Occasionally, I still do some single art pieces now and then. I am pretty rusty but hopefully will be able to improve my skills this year. It's important to be consistent when you wish to draw your own comics. A good storyline and nice art is pretty key to having a successful comic. I find it really time-consuming though so this venture is better done as a collaboration.



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TheArticulate
You make great points. It's also great that you're focusing what time you do have to scripting and storyboarding. While I agree, artwork can make or break a comic, but so can the storyline. If you're developing outlines for your stories, at least you'll have a framework for when you do have time to revisit them to add artwork, or to give to someone else to produce art for. I think you're doing the right thing and focusing your energy in the right places!



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fishmonk
Thanks. These are my thoughts exactly. Always focus on what is important or what you do best. In this case, we can get better quality and a sense of direction in our endeavors. As a single person, it is impossible to do everything especially since I already have a full time job. Good things require time to produce and be successful. It is not good to rush and come out with poor work which may drive away readers.



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JoeMilford
fishmonk,
Could you apply what you learned in your manga classes to the digital art which you are interested in? A good story-boarder is invaluable, that's for sure. I can see how this could become more of a hobby and that it would require a lot of time and hard work considering your process or how fast you generate copy and ideas. I think that putting together a solid comic is a lot harder than most people probably realize.



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thisfreespirit
This comment has been split into a new thread here.



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tingavai
Back when I was little, in my country there was almost no comic book, the ones we did have was thanks to our friend's father being a well known businessman who travels abroad a lot, back then it was quite hard to travel in and out of the country, and each time he came home he always had some comics for me and my friends, but they weren't called comic, they were called manga and we all treasure every single title that we had, I had dreamt of being able to publish one my own for a long time before the reality hit me that I have no talent whasoever in art in general, so my dream died.



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fishmonk
Do you mean Japanese Manga? Oh, well you can try creating storyboard though but drawing comics are not easy. I can create artworks but unable to maintain consistency to draw comics. I really admire how those artists can draw and make it easy.



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plasmablutte12
Japanese manga writer was best of this. I just simply notice, their strategy to make people to attract of their work was create common fantasies; Like vampire, zombies, cultures. Also to add the emotions and the storyline connected to the scenes created to one another. Makes a comics best to buy. It will pull people out to pour interest to the comics.



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Martinsx1
I had a good skill in drawing some comics when I was still a teenager but age and adulthood coming in, I happen to drop that skill and it's something that I have come to regret today. Comics seem to doing well in our society today, I know a lot of people who are making a good amount of money off comic stories.



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ballyhara
It happened to me too. I used to draw a lot when I was a teen, not just comics, but nature, animals, famous buildings. But eventually I dropped the hobby, focused in books, and obviously I don't have same skills I used to have. Drawing was very relaxing, and based on the fact nowadays stress is everywhere, it would be good to take it back.



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Martinsx1
Yes exactly, you are very correct my friend. I have a mentor whom his hobby is drawing even though his drawing is isn't on any comic subject but he's got a pretty good skills when it comes to drawing anything he wants to draw. He is more into drawing arts of nature and they look very intriguing.



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ballyhara
Seriously, I really love when people just feel like drawing, and they can be in a park, having coffee with you, and suddenly you realized your friend has amazing skills on drawing. I had a friend from China, she was studying English with me, and just one day she started doing some drawing at home, something like a boat on a river, and I was shocked by her skills. Definitively, there's people gifted on drawing.



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Authord
Having the ability to pull up a great comic from the virtual plane to the psychical plane is one thing and selling your comics is another thing. because you can't pull up tarted drawings from empty space and be expecting someone to buy your crap.
So the first step is learning how the basic and fundamentals of comic drawings work and how to interact with them in paper, then drawing the comic you have to be prolific in front of paper and having some sense of fiction and good sense of creativity. put these things together and you don't even need to advertise or beg people to buy your comics, nature will take it's full place.



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Judas2018
My advice to make and then sell your own digital comics would be to first take some tutorials whether online, or locally. Second, study other peoples style - but don't copy it. Also you will probably at some point need to find a distributor if you don't already have an official online space to release your work to.



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Barida
You're right about researching about how to go about doing and selling comic books on the internet. One thing about doing so is that it will enable the person to understand the rudiments of doing such business better before going into them.



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Martinsx1
I'm very sure that there are so many online sites where you one can possibly sell his or her own comic drawing. I believe advertising your work would go a long way in getting more people know about your work and probably purchase them. I have seen someone who advertise his work on Twitter, and he is getting serious demand order from people online.



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nrnlss
I agree, there are sites and magazines that pays well for one chapter of comics.



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