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Howard Mackie
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Armed and Dangerous

Joined: 16 February 2005
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 4:40pm | IP Logged | 1  

<<Joe Kubert has been known to produce 8 pages per day, pencils and inks.>>

Hack! 

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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 4:43pm | IP Logged | 2  

How many pages per day can YOU pencil. See I was SPOILED as an editor.

••

There's a trap in that question, and it is one into which many artists allow themselves to fall.

Few years back, I did a JLA job, pencils only, that fell out of my pencil at the rate of about five or six pages per day. Those pages can be seen HERE. Recently, I did a JLA CLASSIFIED job that came out at about 2 pages per day. Those pencils can be seen in the same gallery.

Personally, I think the JLA job looks better than the JLA CLASSIFIED job, tho both are, as with everything I do, the best work I could produce at the time. No corners were cut on the JLA job, no extra care was taken on the CLASSIFIED job. But a four-page-per-day difference. Why? Can't say. But I can say there are a lot of artists who would look at a six-page-per-day output and think Okay, this is what I can do all the time. And SNAP goes the trap!

Over the span of my career, I have mostly been a three-page-per-day man, dating back to pencils only on UNCANNY X-MEN, up thru layouts and inks on NEXT MEN. On WCA I penciled three pages per day.

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Kirk Melton III
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 4:59pm | IP Logged | 3  


 QUOTE:

Remember that's before self-employment taxes as well as personal healthcare, pension/savings, etc.  Wittles down that fifty grand significantly.

Sad but true....



Edited by Kirk Melton III on 19 February 2008 at 4:59pm
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Kirk Melton III
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:01pm | IP Logged | 4  


 QUOTE:

Over the span of my career, I have mostly been a three-page-per-day man, dating back to pencils only on UNCANNY X-MEN, up thru layouts and inks on NEXT MEN. On WCA I penciled three pages per day.

STILL lighting in a bottle and spun gold compared to many of the pros today.



Edited by Kirk Melton III on 19 February 2008 at 5:01pm
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John Byrne
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:04pm | IP Logged | 5  

But, thanks to the indoctrination by Todd McFarlane and the Image boys, such speed is now looked upon as an indicator of inferiority. To be any good, a book must be late (because, you know, the idea of working far enough ahead that deadlines present no problems is an alien concept to the idiots who buy into the "growing roses" crap).
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Kirk Melton III
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:13pm | IP Logged | 6  

I suppose superior comic creation means: poor storytelling/pacing, crappy blocking per panel, spotting blacks to cover any type of mistake, horrid anatomy, no backgrounds and a poopload of black lines on figures instead of hinted line placement..

and the fans will get that once the creator has a hankerin' to get it done ....

but what do I know?



Edited by Kirk Melton III on 19 February 2008 at 5:14pm
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Frank Balkin
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:35pm | IP Logged | 7  

I think that the far worse sign of unprofessionalism in our business than artists who take longer than one month to draw a "monthly" book is artists who are not keeping their prior commitments but take on new ones.  For example, the "hot" artist whose book is 16 months late but somehow finds the time to draw a cover for some other book.  Keep your f---ing commitment, then, if there's time left over, do "outside" projects.
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Dave Aikins
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:46pm | IP Logged | 8  

So....in genral over the years of comics, what happens if a writer is late? Or if editorial is late?
Do the comic publishers pay more for a rush "I just screwed over the art team" fee?

I was talking to a comic artist friend of mine (for one of the big two) who said that on time an editor called Friday night needing a cover for Monday. Let's say this had nothing to do with the artist- to me, that's a job that would require double the budget...

or are comic companies too far removed from normal client /freelancer procedures??
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John Byrne
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:49pm | IP Logged | 9  

When people sometimes refer to comics as "commercial art" I have to laugh. I have worked in the commercial art field a few times, and the demands are much more stringent, and the pay much higher. The professional structure in comics is really a joke, compared to the "real world".
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Aaron Smith
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:53pm | IP Logged | 10  

Maybe these perpetually late artists haven't spent enough time working other jobs in their lives. I've got a job writing a monthly comic for a small publisher right now, and it doesn't even occur to me that I might ever be late getting a story done. I've been working a 40+ hour a week job for 15 years, and guess what? If I'm late all the time for that job and don't do my job, I won't have a job. Why would I not apply the same responsible behavior to doingcomics as I would to any other job?
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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 6:05pm | IP Logged | 11  

If I'm late all the time for that job and don't do my job, I won't have a job. Why would I not apply the same responsible behavior to doingcomics as I would to any other job?

Aaron - I am not a comic penciller or writer, but I have wondered the same thing !

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Posted: 19 February 2008 at 6:07pm | IP Logged | 12  

JB -

Are the higher output artists (more comics per month) generally paid the same amount per page as the lower outpout artists?  Or are there incentives for those with a higher production capacity?

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