Unlike the group participation typically involved in the creation of comic books, comic strip artists usually work alone or in a partnership with one other writer or artist. Comic strip work can branch into other markets such as advertising, but most comics are produced for newspaper and internet publication. Comic strip suppliers called “syndicates” sell and distribute the comic strips to newspapers. Like the children’s book market, newspaper syndication is difficult to penetrate.
It’s best to investigate the syndicates, the type of strips they each carry, how their strips are formatted, and the history of the field to fully understand how to best proceed and succeed with one’s creation. Many comic strip artists get their start by publishing a strip or panel in local venues such as a town newspaper, in a specialty magazine, on a blog or website, or in a newsletter. This provides the cartoonist with a training ground that can potentially lead to a wider distribution of their feature by way of syndication, or by having their work picked up by a publication that has a wider audience.
Piranha Club © 2014 King Features Syndicate, World Rights Reserved / Bud Grace
Zippy The Pinhead
© 2014 King Features Syndicate, World Rights Reserved / Bill Griffith