Comic book illustrator for graphic novels, manga, webcomics and comic strips
AuthorWings offers comic book illustration services for authors with a finished script. One comic book illustrator draws your book from the first character sheet to the final lettered page, and every character is held to a single reference sheet, so faces, outfits and proportions match on every panel.
- From $199 per page
- Lettering included
- Full rights to your art
- 24 pages in 3 to 4 weeks
Comic book illustration samples sorted by format
These sample pages show each format, and each tab follows one story across six images, so you can see a cast hold together from page to page.
Tap any page to see it large.
Graphic Novels
A splash page, a two-page spread, dialogue pages and a black-and-white flashback from one young adult story.
Manga
Right-to-left pages with screentone, speed lines and a two-page spread from one teen story.
Webcomics
Six episodes from one vertical-scroll romantic comedy, laid out for reading on a phone.
Comic Strips
Daily strips, a Sunday strip and a single-panel gag cartoon from one all-ages family strip.
Comic book illustration services by format
Each format reads differently, so each one is drawn differently. Pick the one your story is built for.
Graphic novel illustrator
Full-length graphic novel illustration for middle grade, young adult and adult readers. Splash pages, two-page spreads, quiet dialogue scenes and flashbacks, in full color or black and white.
From $199 per page
See samples
Manga illustrator
Manga pages drawn the way manga readers expect: right-to-left reading order, screentone shading, speed lines and close-ups that carry the emotion. Black and white by default, for English-language or any other market.
From $199 per page
See samples
Webcomic artist
Vertical-scroll webcomics built for phones. Each episode is paced for the thumb, with clear panels, room for dialogue and a cliffhanger at the bottom of the scroll.
From $399 per episode
See samples
Comic strip artist
Four-panel daily strips, Sunday strips and single-panel gag cartoons, with a small recurring cast and a joke that lands in the last panel.
From $159 per strip
See samplesComic book artist for hire, from script to published book
A comic usually passes through a penciler, an inker, a colorist and a letterer, and then a publisher. At AuthorWings, every stage sits under one contract.
One illustrator on your book
The same illustrator draws every page, working from character sheets you approved, so your cast looks the same on page 1 and page 120.
Lettering in every page price
Speech balloons, captions and sound effects are included. Many comic artists charge for lettering on top of the page rate.
Full rights on final payment
You own the finished art, including commercial use, merchandise, sequels and film or TV adaptation. There is no buyout fee and no royalty share.
Formatting and publishing in-house
When the pages are done, our team lays out the interior for print and ebook in book formatting and sets up your release through book publishing.
Comic book illustration pricing
Prices are per finished page and drop for books of 24 pages or more. Every page includes thumbnails, pencils, inks, colors on color pages, lettering, 2 revision rounds, print-ready files and layered masters.
- Full-color page$249$219 from 24 pages
- Black-and-white page$199$169 from 24 pages
- Manga pageWith screentone$199$169 from 24 pages
- Webcomic episode$50 per panel in full color, $40 in black and white, minimum 10 panelsFrom $499$399 black and white
- Four-panel daily stripFull color$199$159 black and white
- Sunday stripUp to 8 panels$299
- Single-panel gag cartoon$129
- Character sheetFree on books of 24 pages or more, up to 4 main characters$199per character
- Cover artDrawn from your character sheets$249
Every page includes
- Thumbnails
- Pencils
- Inks
- Colors on color pages
- Lettering
- 2 revision rounds
- Print-ready files
- Layered masters
Choose your ink
Full colorFlat color with hard-edged cel shading. Best for graphic novels, webcomics and kids strips.
Black and whitePure black ink with cross-hatching and spotted blacks. Best for graphic novels, flashbacks and adult strips.
Manga toneBlack ink with screentone dots. Best for manga.
All comic work is drawn in our Comic & Sequential Art style. See all nine illustration styles
How your comic gets made
You approve each stage before the next one starts, so nothing is redrawn late. New to comics? Our guide on how to make a comic book walks through every step, and our graphic novel terms guide explains the words you’ll see along the way.
Script and page breakdown
Send your script. We split it into pages and panels and agree the page count with you.
Character sheets
Your cast is designed first, with turnarounds and expressions, and you approve every sheet before any page is drawn.
Thumbnails
Small rough layouts of each page show panel shapes, camera angles and where the speech balloons will sit.
Pencils
Full-size drawings of every panel, ready for your notes.
Inks and colors
Clean final line art, with spotted blacks or screentone where the style calls for it, then flat colors, shading and lighting on color pages.
Lettering and final files
Balloons, captions and sound effects are lettered, and print-ready and web-ready files are delivered with layered masters.
Print-ready comic book files
- Comic page trim6.625 x 10.25 in (standard US comic) or your chosen trim. Compare comic book sizes
- Color art300 DPI at print size, CMYK master, RGB copy for web
- Black-and-white line art600 DPI at print size, pure black
- MastersLayered PSD files with flat exports
- WebcomicsVertical-scroll episode files exported to your platform’s upload width, plus a high-resolution master for print collections
- MangaRight-to-left or left-to-right page order, as you choose, with screentone kept as true dots for print
How to self-publish a comic book or graphic novel
Self-publishing a comic book means you pay for the art and production, and you keep full control of the book and every sale. Whether it’s a 24-page comic or a 200-page graphic novel, comic book self-publishing comes down to five steps, and the last one shapes everything else. Prefer a traditional publisher? See which comic book publishers accept submissions. Still deciding on the format? Start with what a graphic novel is and how it differs from a comic book.
The five steps
Finish and letter the pages
Lock the script, art and lettering before production starts. Changes after that point cost time and money.
Format the book for print and ebook
A standard comic is 6.625 x 10.25 inches, and graphic novels often run larger. Drawing the pages yourself? Start on our free comic page templates, with the bleed and safe area already marked, and use the settings in the file specs above.
Design the cover
It has to work as a thumbnail on a phone screen, with a spine and back cover for print.
Get your own ISBN
A free ISBN from a single store only works in that store. Your own lets bookstores and libraries order the print edition, with you listed as the publisher.
Choose how to print and sell it
This sets how much you spend up front, what each copy costs and where readers find the book.
Four ways to self-publish a comic
Print on demand
Each copy is printed when someone orders it, and the book is listed on Amazon and online bookstores.
Best for: graphic novels and collected editions
The catch: each copy costs more, and comic shops rarely stock it.
Offset print run
You order hundreds or thousands of copies at once.
Best for: conventions, comic shops and signed editions
The catch: you pay for every copy up front and store the boxes, though each copy costs less.
Crowdfunding
Readers pre-order through a campaign, and their money pays for the print run.
Best for: creators with an audience, and special editions
The catch: running the campaign and shipping every order is a job in itself.
Webcomic first
You post episodes online to build readers, then collect them in print.
Best for: long series and first-time creators
The catch: platforms can change or close. One major North American webtoon platform announced in September 2026 that it’s shutting down, so keep your own files and rights.
Many creators self-publishing comics combine these routes: a webcomic to find readers, a crowdfunding campaign for the first print run, then print on demand to keep the book available after the campaign ends.
Self-publish your comic with AuthorWings
We take your comic from script to published book under one contract. One illustrator draws and letters every page, at the page prices above. Our team then formats the interior with book formatting, creates the cover with book cover design, and releases the book on Amazon and IngramSpark with book publishing. Every account is opened in your name, and you keep 100% of the rights and royalties.
Comic book illustration FAQs
Short answers on prices, schedules, rights and files.
How much does a comic book artist cost per page?
Comic book illustration costs $249 per full-color page or $199 per black-and-white or manga page at AuthorWings, dropping to $219 and $169 from 24 pages. Every page includes thumbnails, pencils, inks, lettering and 2 revision rounds. A 24-page full-color comic comes to $5,256, with character sheets for up to 4 main characters included. Across the market, freelance page rates start lower, and studios charge $250 to $600 or more per page.
How long does a comic book take to illustrate?
Most 24-page comics take 3 to 4 weeks from approved character sheets to final files, depending on panel density and detail, plus your review time. A single page or comic strip takes 5 to 7 business days. Longer books are scheduled in your quote.
How do I hire a comic book artist for my graphic novel?
Send your script or a story summary with your page count, format and ink choice. We reply with a quote and a schedule. Once you approve it, your illustrator starts with the character sheets, and no page is drawn until you sign off on your cast.
Do I need a finished script before I hire an illustrator?
Yes, for the pages. The illustrator draws from a script that says what happens in each panel and what each character says. Character sheets can start earlier, from character descriptions alone. If your story is still an outline, finish the script first, so you are not paying to redraw pages when the plot changes. Our free comic script template shows the format illustrators work from. Still choosing a story? See our 40 comic book story starters.
Is lettering included?
Yes. Lettering is included in every page price: speech balloons, caption boxes and sound effects, placed so they never cover a face or a key detail. Many comic artists quote lettering separately, often per page, so check it when you compare prices.
Who owns the artwork?
You do. Full ownership of the finished art transfers to you on final payment, including commercial rights for the book, marketing, merchandise, sequels and film or TV adaptation. There is no buyout fee and no royalty share. The illustrator keeps only the right to show finished work in a portfolio, which is standard across the industry.
Will my characters look the same on every page?
Yes. Every character gets a design sheet with turnarounds and expressions before any page is drawn. One illustrator draws your whole book from those sheets and checks every page against them, so faces, outfits and proportions stay the same from the first panel to the last.
What files will I get?
You get print-ready pages at 300 DPI for color or 600 DPI for black-and-white line art, CMYK masters with RGB copies for web, and layered PSD files. Webcomics come as vertical-scroll episode files sized for your platform, and manga pages come in the reading order you choose.
What does a graphic novel illustrator do?
A graphic novel illustrator turns a script into sequential pages. That means breaking the story into panels, then drawing thumbnails, pencils, inks and colors, and keeping every character consistent across the whole book. Many also letter the pages, as ours do.
Can you illustrate manga for an English-language book?
Yes. We draw manga pages in right-to-left or left-to-right reading order, as you choose, with screentone shading, speed lines and manga pacing.
Do you draw vertical-scroll webcomics for a weekly series?
Yes. We draw webcomic episodes sized for phones, in sections that stack into one long scroll, and deliver them on a schedule that fits your release calendar. Your cast is locked on character sheets first, so episode 40 matches episode 1. Episodes are priced at $50 per panel in full color or $40 in black and white, with a 10-panel minimum, so a 10-panel color episode is $499.
Can you draw a single comic strip or a gag cartoon?
Yes. We draw four-panel daily strips from $159, Sunday strips of up to 8 panels for $299 and single-panel gag cartoons for $129. You can order one at a time or as a series with the same recurring cast.
Can you publish my comic after it’s illustrated?
Yes. Our team formats your comic for print and ebook in book formatting, then sets up your release on Amazon KDP and IngramSpark through book publishing. Every account is set up in your name, and you keep 100% of your royalties.
Do you design comic book covers?
Yes. Your cover art is drawn by the same illustrator who draws your pages, from the same character sheets, for $249. Title type, spine and print wraps are handled by our book cover design team, from $399 for print and ebook files. For a series that needs a logo and one look across every issue, the Illustrated cover tier at $999 adds series branding.
Hire a comic book illustrator for your story
Send your script or a summary with your page count and format. You will get a quote and a schedule, and your character sheets start as soon as you approve.
A mutual NDA is available before the call on request, and nothing is signed until you decide.
