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Pyramid,I definitely have sympathy for the feeling of being taken advantage of in terms of establishing oneself in the comics industry. Congratulations on receiving some offers, even if they aren't appealing offers, it's a sign you're on the right track.But I wouldn't say that back-end deals are inherently a sign that a publisher or collaborator seeking to work on those terms is motivated solely on the idea of "taking advantage of" naive talent. It's simply the brutal economics of the lower end of the comics marketplace. Sales figures aren't that high. To break in, there's unfortunately got to be some sacrifice to get your work seen at first.I'm on the other side of the same challenge, as a new comics writer. The challenge from my end is having to pay out-of-pocket for artwork. Some pro writers have advised me against doing this. However, when I place advertisements on the popular sites (Digital Webbing, Penciljack, etc.), I find that the quality level of the artists willing to work for back-end versus those who charge a page rate is pretty significant. It's a choice I'm making. I'd rather pay the price and be associated with a higher quality product. But, the terrain is very difficult to navigate. I've found that many artists can be fantastic and incredible and deliver brilliant work on schedule, but I've also found that many artists can disappear, be extremely late, and sometimes even fraudulent. I've had to learn some tough lessons, and at times I've felt taken advantage of. But I'm afraid it's just the reality of the marketplace at this point in time. The one place I'd somewhat disagree is the statement "hope the writing, coloring, editing, and marketing is up to snuff" - those of us at the low end of the hierarchy cannot afford to simply "hope" those things are good - we need to take some level of ownership of those things, even if they aren't the things we're directly responsible for. We need to exercise good judgement in finding quality collaborators and when working with them find ways to push everyone's capabilities to their highest limits. Writers need to be able to have a good eye for art, and artists need to have an appreciation of the writing side.Best of luck.
Intent aside, there still remains a possibility that the artist will not get paid with a back end deal.
That's why pros are advocating page rates and paying up front.
The artist also does not have control over who writes, unless it's a collab project, colors, or markets, that's the editor's job and their responsibility.
As for me, I will continue to exercise good judgment and avoid the possibility of not getting paid.
I hope Comic Con does the same and posts no back end deals.