What comes to mind when people hear the phrase ‘comic book artist’? Over the years, I’ve heard a surprising range of answers. I’ve had to explain more times than I can count that I’m not an animator, I don’t work on The Dandy or The Beano, and yes, being a comic book artist is absolutely a real job.
What we actually are is something quite simple, and very specific: visual storytellers, in the truest sense of the word. Whether it’s working for the giants like Marvel or DC, or with smaller or regional publications, our job is to tell stories – page by page, panel by panel, in the worlds of superheroes, science fiction, fantasy, and adventure. And we do it at a fast pace: a brand-new issue, every four weeks, ready to hit the stands.
It’s a job you have to love doing. I mean really love. You wake up each morning excited to work, but that energy has to come from a deep place. Comics take an incredible amount of time and a serious level of skill-based learning; it’s not something you can fake your way through. Breaking in is hard, but I’m glad to say that it’s becoming more and more common for Irish artists to make it into the upper levels of the industry. There are more of us working for Marvel and DC now than ever before.
So, what does making a comic actually involve? Each issue typically runs to about 20 pages. Once I’m handed a script from the editorial team, my role shifts entirely. I become the director. It’s now my job to bring all the tools I have – pacing, layout, acting, design – to tell the story in the most effective, impactful, and exciting way possible.
One of the most unforgettable experiences I’ve had in this job was after I signed an exclusive contract with Marvel. As part of it, I was flown over to Marvel’s headquarters in NYC for a pure storytelling workshop with some of the biggest creative minds in the industry. We spent five days inside the Marvel offices just breaking down how to translate scripts into visual storytelling. No distractions, no deadlines, just an intense focus on the craft. It was like getting to peek under the hood of the engine that makes comics run, and it was thrilling.
People often ask me if everything’s done on computers now. The answer really depends on the artist. Some artists work entirely digitally, others stick with traditional methods, and many use a combination of both. There are big upsides to each approach. Working traditionally, for instance, means you’ve got original pages that you can sell, and that’s a huge plus when you’ve drawn on big titles like Star Wars or Spider-Man. But digital also gives you speed, flexibility, and less clean-up. Everyone finds the workflow that suits them best.
With the popularity of comics, original pages have become very collectable, especially over the last twenty years. I have some originals from some of my own favourite artists, and every once and a while I’ll work traditionally if I think the piece will be wanted, especially for covers.
For me, comics mean everything. I’ve worked in all kinds of art-related industries over the years, but this is the one I connect with the most. It’s the one that gives me the greatest reward and the most satisfaction. It’s also, strangely, a very meditative job. I usually start my day around nine in the morning, sit down with a page of script in front of me, and then spend the day drawing. A lot of that time is spent in a kind of zen state, completely absorbed. Hours pass without me noticing. That’s been my daily routine for close to two decades now: wake up, draw, finish the day’s work. The fewer interruptions, the better.
Looking back over my career, there are a few projects that stand out. Two titles, above all the others, really shaped my time in comics: Spider-Man and Star Wars. When I first broke into Marvel, I got the rare chance to do a long-extended run on a single character, Spider-Man 2099. That was a massive milestone. Just this week, my collaborator on the project, Peter David, sadly passed away. It’s made me reflect a lot on that time, and honestly, all I can remember is how surreal and exciting it was. I couldn’t believe I was actually working on something so iconic. Every page felt like a dream job. I hope every young artist gets to experience that moment where a lifelong goal becomes a reality and you go from “someday” to “I’m actually doing this”. Those were really special years for me.
One of the other incredible parts of this job is how public facing it is. You’re out there. Your work is seen, loved, debated, critiqued, collected. You get to meet fans face to face. I’ve done signings at New York Comic-Con, Cork Comic Expo, and countless places in between. No matter where I go, someone hands me a Spider-Man comic to sign. It’s a reminder that you’re part of something much, much bigger than yourself. That means a lot to me, and it always will.
In more recent years, I’ve been working in the Star Wars universe. The process there is a little different. It’s very tied into the films and broader franchise plans. But that’s what also makes it such a thrill. You feel like you’re contributing to a much larger galaxy, and getting to peek behind the curtain of that world was unforgettable. Just last year, they released a lightsaber based on a character called Ren who I designed. If you’d told me when I was a kid that would happen someday, I wouldn’t have believed it for a second.
Lately, I’ve also moved into the world of creator-owned comics. That means the characters and stories I’m working on now are mine. I co-own them with my collaborators, and that changes everything. When you work for Marvel or DC, you’re helping to carry a legacy. When you work on creator-owned books, you’re starting one. It’s a big leap for readers too, because they’re discovering something totally new. It’s been incredible to see our book, The Shrouded College, take off. Now it’s being developed for television by Seth MacFarlane and Universal. I can’t wait to see how it gets adapted for the screen.
But maybe the most rewarding part of this whole journey is the impact it’s had on younger artists. I’ve lost count of how many portfolios and drawings I’ve been handed by kids who dream of one day drawing Spider-Man. And now that I’ve been in the industry for a while, I’ve seen some of those kids grow up, hone their skills, and break in, some of them in a big way. That’s the real full circle moment. Knowing that something you did helped inspire someone else to follow this path. That’s powerful. That’s why we do it.
So, yeah. When people ask what a comic book artist really is, we’re essentially storytellers. And if you love storytelling, there’s no better job in the world.
Will Sliney, Artist on Spider-Man and Star Wars, Creator and presenter of Draw With Will on Sky, Storytellers on RTE and director of Droid Academy.
