Benjamin Woo<\/a> is studying the working conditions of today\u2019s Kirbys and Ditkos, the creative professionals that produce comic books, webcomics, and graphic novels. \u201cI\u2019m trying to gather information about who makes comics and under what conditions,\u201d he says.<\/p>\nAs part of his project, Woo surveyed 570 creators, including artists, writers and editors working in the field of comics production. He gathered information like the creators\u2019 age, gender, place of residence, as well as their economic well-being, job quality, and satisfaction. He\u2019s also completed a round of follow-up interviews to add additional depth to his picture of what it’s like for creators trying to make a living from comics.<\/p>\n
This project is part of a larger conversation in the cultural and creative industries about the perceived fairness of how rewards are distributed. That is, are creators getting their fair share of benefits compared with the large corporations that own the copyright to their imagination and skill? And who has access to these professions?<\/p>\n
Woo is also interested in the growing group of creative professionals who are self-publishing their comics\u2014and the increasing diversity of this group and their audiences. For example, the cartoonist Raina Telgemeier currently occupies five of the ten spots on the New York Times paperback graphic book bestseller list. Her comics target young adult audiences of mainly (but not exclusively) girls.<\/p>\n
Once an aspiring cartoonist himself, Woo is a leading early-career researcher in the field of comics and graphic novels. He also researches contemporary \u201cgeek\u201d or \u201cnerd\u201d subcultures, popular culture industries, and audience, reception and fandom studies.<\/p>\n