The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for fine artists, including comic book artists, will increase 4 percent from 2023 to 2033. This is about as fast as the average for all careers.
The outlook for the comic book and graphic novel industries will be good. Comic book fans will continue to purchase comic books and seek out new artists. Marvel and DC Comics movies and TV shows will also keep people interested in comic book characters and storylines. Grand View Research reports that the market size of the global comic book industry was $7.1 billion in 2021, and it expects market size to increase to $17.52 billion by 2030. "Comic books have emerged as a significant part of book publishing and have been acknowledged by librarians and educators as mainstream reading for children and young adults, which is expected to accelerate market growth during the forecast period" [2022–30], according to the data analytics and research firm.
While interest in comic books and graphic novels is growing, it's important to remember that only a small number of people work as comic book artists. To increase their income and employment opportunities, many comic book artists create illustrations and artwork for other industries. Talented comic book artists with strong storytelling abilities and knowledge of software programs for comic book art will have the best job prospects.
- Art Directors
- Art Teachers
- Artists
- Book Editors
- Cartoonists
- Comic Book Publishers
- Comic Book Writers
- Desktop Publishing Specialists
- Digital Designers
- Editorial Assistants
- Editorial Research Assistants
- Editors
- Exhibit Designers
- Fashion Designers
- Fashion Illustrators
- Fashion Photographers
- Fashion Stylists
- Film and Television Directors
- Furniture Designers
- Gallery Owners and Directors
- Graphic Designers
- Greeting Card Designers and Writers
- Illustrators
- Interior Designers and Decorators
- Jewelers and Jewelry Repairers
- Literary Agents
- Magazine Editors
- Makeup Artists
- Medical Illustrators and Photographers
- Motion Graphics Artists
- Multimedia Artists and Animators
- Non-Fungible Token Artists
- Photographers
- Production Designers and Art Directors
- Publicity Photographers
- Tattoo Artists
- Video Game Art Directors
- Visual Interaction Designers