There has been a lot of talk recently (again) about the lack of income in having a career in comics. The problem is that many creators think of making comics as a business, when it’s really an art form. Yes, art can be a business but I’m not talking so much about the monetizing of it as much as I’m talking about the reasons for doing it. I’d like to suggest that we treat comics, not as a for-profit business but as a non-profit business. When you’ve stopped laughing, let me explain the difference.

Ever experience self-doubt about being a pro or not? Go through this bucket list and find out! Have you contributed to an anthology? Do you self-publish a creator-owned book? Have you been asked to autograph your book? Have you done a Kickstarter? Have you gotten a good review on your book? Have you been in the Diamond Previews Catalog? Have you been published by an Indie Publisher? Have you ever made money through Comics? Been invited as a guest at a Comic Con? Has someone cosplayed as your character? Have you attended San Diego Comic Con? Ever been part of…

By our nature, artists and writers are crazy or at least a bit neurotic. Since joining a bunch of comic book related groups on Facebook, I’ve been guilty of posting things about my work in hopes of likes and shares. Whether it was artwork, reviews, or just innocuous questions about comics, it was like I was addicted to affirmation from my fellow comic book creators. It got so bad that I was spending too much time on Facebook and not enough time actually creating. Luckily, I realized that being a comic book creator isn’t all that I am. I am…

Greetings all! As if I haven’t said it enough, we must take care of our health! I was recently hospitalized for 5 weeks and though I am now home, I am by no means fully recovered. But having faced my own mortality and now finding myself easily fatigued, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate what activities are truly important to me. Of course, making comics is still on the list. But what other related efforts are still worth it and which ones are not? Here’s what I came up with:

I just launched my newest crowdfunding project. A Kickstarter campaign for my “Historical Science Fiction” adventure… Test pilot Alex Ozuka discovers her father may have survived the doomed Challenger space shuttle and history may not be what we think. Currently seeking funding on  Written by Ramon Gil. Art by Ian Waryanto. Colors by Macareña Cortes. Cover by Mikiko Ponczeck and Kevin Stone. Edited by Marta Tanrikulu. Support the KickStarter and read the rest of Senturies #1

Over the last two years, I’ve been trying to find out as much as I can about pitching your project to a comic book company. Here’s what I’ve learned: Have A “High Concept” Idea. Which is basically an idea that people are familiar with or can relate to BUT turned on its ear or with an interesting twist. Pitch The Relationships/Backstory Who the characters are and what they’re dealing with is much more relatable to people than the actual story, setting or plot. So talk more about that in your pitch. Have Your Own Voice Don’t pitch a story using the latest, current hot genre…

Are you an aspiring comic creator who would love to see your work get published? On Saturday, March 11 at 3:00 pm, indy publishers will be looking at comic book work to see if they can find the next comic creator superstar! You can submit your artwork, writing samples or finished comic story for consideration! Publishers will include Atlas Unleashed, Pronto Comics and Scifies! To enter, you must send 5-10 pages of sequential art, script pages or finished comic pages to ramon@scifies.com and be prepared to make a presentation on March 11 at Big Apple Comic Con in New York City. Deadline for…

One of the most common issues discussed on social media by comic book creators, lately, is money. It costs money to hire an artist or artists don’t get paid enough money. It’s the biggest obstacle that I hear coming from aspiring writers. And artists are often not paid enough for the many hours that they spend on a page. Well what if I told you that you it didn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time? What if I told you that fame and fortune could be yours even if you don’t have the…

In a recent Comics Experience webinar,  Brian Michael Bendis started off the conversation with this little nugget. “If you can remove money from the equation or desire for fame, it gets a lot easier.” I’ve thought about this a lot and actually came up with a list (I love lists!) of reasons that makes it easier to do it for the pure love of comics. Here are TEN amazing things that happen when you do what Brian suggests: You can focus on making the stories YOU want to tell and not stories for other companies or what ever’s popular. You…