I always enjoy reporting on comics and graphic novels. This is a huge part of our ecosystem, and one where indies can flourish, yet one that rarely gets the coverage it deserves. A new report on the industry has some very interesting findings. It suggests this is a market that is at once booming among readers (the market grew 14 percent in 2025) and driving creators to the edge.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
The survey of 689 UK-based creators was run by the Comics Cultural Impact Collective, the Association of Illustrators, and the Society of Authors. Its findings are not dissimilar to those surveying other areas. Eighty-nine percent of those in the traditional publishing ecosystem earn less than the living wage. And most rely on a variety of income streams. It's worth noting that the proportion of those surveyed who earn something from self-published print titles has risen from 20 percent when the survey was last carried out in 2020 to 57 percent.
Revenue Streams and Threats
And a notable 25 percent earn from merch and 30 percent from commissions: figures that illustrate potential revenue streams those outside of comics might not have thought so much about. That commission work is cited as being under serious threat from AI, though, with reports of the likes of logo creation commissions all but disappearing. Other sources of concern cited are the fast and low-paying turnaround times for digital platforms. Which is interesting, but suggestive of a situation in which those within a more structured part of the industry are struggling where hyperfocused indies might not be. Something familiar from other parts of the creative world.
A Broader Question
Mark Williams as always offers a perspective slightly outside that of the usual industry voices. For fear of what might happen to me if I express an opinion, I will refrain from doing so. But the points he makes are ones we should consider. Principle among these is to note that it is wrong to highlight the figure that only 20 percent of those making comics are able to make a living from their creative art. Wrong to highlight it, that is, as an issue with comics. Because it is representative of creative arts as a whole.
And the question he really leaves us with is this: Does producing art mean that one has a right to be paid for producing that art? It is a very question that is different from asking whether rights holders have a right to be paid when someone reads or uses the work to which they have rights. And one that most of us who produce art will at some time face.
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