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Dynamite Entertainment's Savage Tales Winter Special 2025 brings together a collection of pulp stories with art by Kubert School graduates.
Posted in: Comics | Tagged: 3 Days In Paris, Kickstartr, mike hawthorne, oni press
Mike Hawthorne Posts Royalty Statement For Comic Book, Goes Viral
Comic book creator Mike Hawthorne tweeted a recent payment slip from an unnamed comic book publisher, saying "I'm not trying to spill any tea, but this is why many comic artists die poor and cynical." It shows royalties from a comic book totalling $354.65 with deductions for prior payments and advances for $353.21 leaving a total of $1.44 payable to the creator.
But how much were those advance payments? And when were they made? How much is yet to be paid off? Hawthorne states "That advance was earned back many years back. The advance was very meager to begin with… that tax on the advance (the 350ish dollars) is on an advance that would have been earned back many years ago. This is a decade+ old collected book… This book sold well for years. This book made money years upon years ago. Got optioned for a movie too." Fear Agent through Image Comics? Ruule: Ganglords of Chinatown through Image Comics? 3 Days In Europe through Oni Press? Queen & Country through Oni Press? They'd all fit the bill, though I don't think Image Comics usually does advances, certainly not back then…
UPDATE: Bleeding Cool has had it confirmed that it is an Oni Press royalty statement.
Mike Hawthorne has more recently switched to Kickstarter campaigns to fund his work. But as he points out, "I just wrapped up my 8th campaign, with more on the way. But shit man, I could make more at Amazon or selling hotdogs." As the tweet went viral, Mike Hawthorne posted, "Wow, I wish you folks liked my art this much". It also helped that Stephen King retweeted it.
You can rather find Mike Hawthorne's crowdfunded campaigns here when he has them and his previous successful campaign projects for sale here, and his Patreon right here. Oh yes, and he is drawing the main Batman comic book for DC Comics. So he should be okay. Still, $1.44 of royalty…
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