oof, okay. i don't want to get too hyper specific, but i got contacted for some IP stuff after a comic i posted on twitter did well, and then i did that for a couple years (it was like, 250 pages over 4 disconnected projects). not great pay, bad contracts, but i knew that going in. after that, someone i had worked with previously reached out to work on a graphic novel with me, i got an agent, from there a couple people who followed me got me involved in other projects. one of these died on submission, one of these projects has been going about as badly as it could possibly be going, the other is going well.
as for pursuing it, if it's something you really want to do, put together a basic portfolio and some story pitches and start reaching out to agents. this is scary to do, but agents are sort of indispensable, and having one will get you connected to the publishing industry, which is where you need to be.
is it reliable? this depends on a lot of things. how fast you can work, how marketable your art is, how much you don't care what you're working on, how little you're willing to be paid lol. gns are still huge right now and there's tons of work out there, but a lot of the offers that i get i pass on because the schedules are insane and/or the pay is too low to be worth it.
however, if you like comics, you will probably do comics regardless, bc people who like doing comics are insane and unwise (ie. me), so if you can get paid for it, you should, just be careful.
my practical info:
- give yourself buffers on timelines whenever possible, even if you think you can do it faster. shit comes up.
- don't work with people who haven't written a graphic novel before. don't trust that pitch if they don't have it written.
- publishing moves at a glacial pace. it is frustrating
- the basic: for god sake, do hand stretches and stop drawing when your hands or back hurt.