Twisted History is an independent comic anthology exploring alternate takes, reimaginings, and subversions of real or mythologized historical events, figures, and eras. The goal of this project is creative experimentation, storytelling, and publication—not commissioned work-for-hire.

This anthology is designed for emerging and independent creators who want the opportunity to publish a finished comic story as part of a curated collection.

This is not a paid commission.

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Project Scope • Story Length: 8–16 completed comic pages • Genre: Flexible (historical, speculative, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, satire, etc.) • Art Style: Open • Format: Print-ready (black & white or color) • Deadline: March 2nd, 2026

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Creator Rights & Ownership • Contributors retain full ownership of their work at all times • Twisted History is granted exclusive publishing rights for 12 months from the anthology’s release date • After the 12-month exclusivity period, all rights fully revert to the creator, and the work may be republished, expanded, or monetized elsewhere without restriction • The anthology retains the right to continue hosting the original published version as part of the collection

This is a limited exclusivity agreement, not work-for-hire.

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What Contributors Receive • Publication in a professionally assembled digital and print anthology • Full creator credit • Promotional support via Simple But Complex platforms • A completed, published comic suitable for portfolios • Eligibility for a cash prize awarded to selected submissions

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Important Clarifications (Please Read Carefully) • This project does not offer page rates or guaranteed payment • Participation is voluntary and optional • This opportunity is best suited for: • First-time comic creators • Artists and writers building a portfolio • Creators who want publication experience • Hobbyists or storytellers interested in creative collaboration

Creators who rely on comic work as primary income or who require paid commissions may find this project is not the right fit—and that is fully respected. How to Submit

Full submission guidelines and requirements can be found here: https://simplebutcomplex.com/Submit.html

i am looking for someone to do the first issue of my comic, which will turn into more issues and eventually a graphic novel. it is a superhero/horror story and i would prefer a collaborative partner that is willing to take less money to work together on this. i am not a professional writer, i am a guy that works minimum wage, so at MOST i will be able to pay $20-$30 per page. if you’re willing to start a beautiful partnership and discuss payment as more than basic insert unrealistic amount of money for normal person terms, dm me and show me your art. thank you!

Putting out a collab call for a horror comic publisher’s open submission. They’re after a minimum 22-page script (can go up to 4 issues) and need 5 finished art pages for the pitch.

This is for a proper publisher with over 60 books released, so we’ll want to present a professional-level pitch that looks and reads like something you’d see in a comic shop.

I’m not here with a set idea. I’m looking for a creative partner. I’ll handle the scripting, you handle the art, but we come up with the story together. Or, if you prefer, I can pitch ideas based on the kind of horror you like to draw.

This is unpaid upfront with 50/50 ownership.

If it gets picked up, you’ll be paid by the publisher to complete the rest. I will pay for an editor out of my own pocket to ensure we are pitching and presenting something that feels ready to publish. My career background involves a lot of pitching of creative media, so I can confidently create a professional looking package for us.

If the publisher doesn't go for it, we’ll still have a strong portfolio piece we can pitch elsewhere.

If that sounds like your thing, DM me and let’s make something cool and spooky! You can check out my scripts here: www.coldsnapcomics.com

Previous collabs from this sub:

Vanity Brand - Urban Fantasy and Revenge.
Fundamental Properties of Sound - Retro-Futurism and Love.

Putting the feelers out to find an artist to work with for around 40 commission based splash pages. These aren’t for a comic/graphic novel but a comic adjacent project. Work will mainly include:

Expressive character portraits Detailed land/Cityscapes Animated scenarios

Moebius/No color

Strictly R18 + (minimal nudity). Sensitive themes (sex, occult, drug use, crime, ideology, politics, religion)

Taking submissions based on your interpretation of one of the characters.

Consider the following characteristics and provide a compelling portrait along with your pricing to [email protected]

RUNNY-COMB (nickname assigned by school bullies: runny eyes, only eats honeycomb)

•14-22 years old • Completely non-verbal, but understands everything • Exaggerated features • Has medical condition that causes constant watering of his eyes akin to crying but; • Perpetually wares a knowing grin • He thoroughly enjoys heavy metal music and wears a t-shirt of his favourite band “Brain Rot” • Instils an immense feeling of compassion from women

Hey everyone, 👋 I'm currently working on a one-shot manga project and looking for an artist to collaborate with. ✍️

To be clear upfront — I'm not asking for free work, and I understand good art deserves fair pay. My current budget allows me to offer $80–$90 for around 15 pages. I know that's quite low for the amount of work, so I’m only reaching out to artists who are okay with that rate and interested in a potential long-term collaboration.

The full one-shot will be around 31 pages, and I’ll be handling the rest of the pages myself. If the project moves forward, there’s definitely room for future profit-sharing and continued collab on upcoming stories.

If you're interested or want more details, feel free to DM me. Thanks for reading!

I'm a writer with a lot of stories at the moment which I would love to be made into a comic format. However, my art skills are lacking quite a bit, and I don't want that to hold me down. Additionally I'm a student, and can't pay 80 bucks per page, or else I'd be sleeping in a not so nice spot under a bridge every night lol

I know this question is probably asked quite a lot, but what I would like to know is; do any artists actually accept this kind of work?

My current scripts are short (I have one made, in the workings of another) of just a couple of pages. My plan is this - create short stories, and when people start reading them set up a Patreon for them to help out with the production.

I don't want to make these comics behind a paywall, but I also don't want to starve the artists of money for their time. Patreon is the only idea I have at the moment, and proceeds will go towards the artists (and seeing as how I'm human I might take something around 30%, will discuss with the artists about this though at the time of making comics)

TLDR; can't pay right now as broke, will pay when Patreon, how likely for this?

My best guess is the American comics industry is losing marketshare to manga, causing a decrease in work available

Edit: also I meant a lot of these people who have been working professionally for years as well

Hello!

I'm a queer comic illustrator and I'm currently writing a series of YA superhero graphic novels featuring queer kiddos... including trans kids. To this point, the story has mostly introduced the kids and the team so being trans hasn't really been a focus - but I'm hoping to change that in the next few books, and I would like help.

I have trans friends who I can go to for suggestions and feedback, but I'd really rather find someone who is already involved/motivated in creating content for YA readers, and I thought I'd see if someone like that is in this group.

Obviously, good collaboration involves much more than just writing a storyline for a single book so I'm not trying to rush anything. I'd want to make sure our styles mesh well and our goals align before committing to something more long term - and I'm not looking for free labor.

Anyway, if there's anyone interested or if there's anything I've forgotten, please feel free to reach out and thanks in advance for giving this a read.

Cheers!

And maybe I would like to be able to publish it in the future. This is a thriller/fantasy that neither disturbs nor scares. Unfortunately, I can't afford to spend that much on a single page right now, unless some crazy person volunteers and looks for another deal. Depending on the price, the drawings will be monthly or slightly less. Thanks if anyone replies!

I know it might be a big ask for an artist without pay, but I'm 16 and I don't currently have a way to make money. The art style isn't going to be too complicated or overwhelming(unless you want it to be)

Title "Charlie the Axolotl"

Quick Summary: Charlie, and anthropomorphic axolotl, is the princess of Axolotia. Although she doesn't mind being queen someday, she wants to have fun a little and goes on many fun adventures with her best friend Wax the fennec fox.

The comic will be more episodic, like a cartoon where every episode is self contained and its own story. There is overall lore which I am still working but have a lot of it done. The episodes aren't all fully planned because I'm going to make it up as I go on to give it a more random feeling, I want to keep it coherent though. The ending is going to be planned, but the middle isn't and I want it to be something we can have fun with, if you have any input on chapters then of course you can also help with that whenever you want. I want it to be something we can have fun with, if you're interested please DM me.

39 pages, black and white, with a color cover. My previous artist flaked on me

Please DM a copy of your portfolio. I will send you the script and further instructions

EDIT: Thank you to all who messaged me. I looked at every person's portfolio who sent me one as of 12/6 and will reach out to you if I am interested. I am sorry but there are way too many to respond to every single person.

I am sorry I am not able to afford to pay more, but I am also an artist (a writer) struggling in a difficult industry. I have been in the same situation, where I have had to choose between working on a project for whatever amount the client was able to provide, or simply turning down the offer and looking elsewhere. In my case, I usually chose to accept the offer. However, I completely understand if you choose not to. If this opportunity is acceptable to you, then I would love to work with you.

EDIT: I have found an artist. Thank you to all who messaged me.

I said words that were a little bit rude to a young creator in here. His comment seems to have been deleted, but I would just like to say that I wasn't being unkind to you, I was just telling the truth.

Read this up, because I'm only going to type it once: unless you're a seasoned writer, a person whose name spells success, you don't get to ask artists to work for free. Either post short scripts and hope artists come to you, pay for their services, or learn how to draw yourself (nobody will give a damn if it's bad, but they will certainly appreciate that you're trying. One Punch Man started as godawful webcomic, but it had a great plot and gathered so many fans it became an anime with worldwide success).

This is not the first time time I write about working for free in here - I'm a big advocate of charging what you're worth, even if it's just a symbolic fee to get started. I also believe artists should pay their writers if they're the ones starting the comic, but that's a whole different nest of wasps I don't wanna poke.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS ENLIGHTENING DIALOGUE. I'll START A NEW THREAD ABOUT CROSS-PROMOTING AND COLLABORATING (COLLECTIVE ACTION).

This is obviously a question that I'm hoping to provoke a healthy conversation with. It's not meant to condescend or be hostile, so please don't take it that way. I just think this Sub is a force for good in Indie Comics (I've worked with 33 artists met via this sub in the past 10 months and reached out to ever more that I'd like to work with). This community is brimming with talent and I feel like if we could collectively organize our support for each other we could crowdfund and publish semi-sustainably.

There are 18k weekly visitors. Obviously that number comes with a qualifier on activity, but if a fraction of the broad community supported crowdfunding campaigns with a single 1$, whole campaigns would be successful right out the gates with funds to spare for the next book. That's not even buying the digital pdf let alone the book. There are enough people here to sustain hundreds of new books a year at a minimum level. Those are potential numbers that exceed what any individual Indie publisher puts out in a year.

*(NEWLY MODIFIED) If its not money, surely we can organize to support each other in other ways. The community has numbers, numbers have power and create visibility. I don't want to get hung up on the financial aspect of this. Can we brainstorm ideas that can utilize this community beyond offering a gig here or there?

Forgive me if you've read this before. Humor me if you have. How do we organize this community to create the more sustainable industry we all want?

Hello everyone, I’m a writer currently looking for an illustrator. I want to be upfront and transparent: I’m tight on money and unfortunately can’t afford to pay at the moment. I understand that this may mean having little luck, or potentially connecting with someone who’s looking to gain experience—and that’s perfectly okay. I still wanted to take the chance, because you don’t get anywhere without betting on yourself.

I’ve fully planned and outlined a six-issue limited run. With the help of an illustrator, the goal would be to craft this into a complete, finished project, as well as a pitch package to submit to companies. While publication would be amazing, the main objective is ultimately to tell this story in a complete and polished form.

I’m more than open to discussing any details, questions, or concerns you may have. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I’ll be honest, my mind can draw. And I can write those drawing down with great detail and imagination, but once pen hits paper I’m out.

I have 8 pages and an outline of a dark comedy Aquaman story, inspired by the absolute series, and I would love to partner with someone to get a mental visual of what’s possible.

I have a feeling that if I could make a real connection with someone who is as equally passionate about making this tiny project come to life, it could really have an impact on some people.

I am 21 so the funds for commission are slim but possible if necessary.

Dm if interested or have advice :)

I'm Jonathan an author where I have written five books, and I'm working on a superhero manga series that I'm truly passionate about. However, due to budget constraints set by my guardian, I'm looking for a collaborator to work with me willingly.

I'd like to propose a partnership, with anyone willing to create a superhero series and share both the creative workload and revenue on a platform called GlobalComix. I understand that unpaid work might not be ideal but I rather say something than keep it in the dark. If you're interested please feel free to comment.

If you want to see any of my previous works you can look from this link:

https://www.webnovel.com/profile/4323673739

Hello all, I am Malhaloth ( call me Mal for short ). I am the studio lead artist and owner, and I am in need of a few more Drafters/pencilers and story-boarders.

Our studio is wrapping up multiple comics that have been in pre-production for the past few months, so as those comics hit production we need to fill up the team positions.

I will be hiring for 6 positions, 2 separate job titles:

• Experienced Storyboard Artist: You’ll be working alongside another drafting artist whom you’ll work with on the flow/pacing of the story based on the script give. Pay is $200 per chapter.

• Experienced MANHWA Drafter/Penciler: This position is essentially the Lead Artist for the ManHwa you’ll be working on. You’ll be working alongside the story-boarder, line/inker, and color/lighting artist. Pay ranges between $400 a chapter based on how many panels you’ll be able to complete while remaining faithful to the style and quality requirements. This can increase to $600 a chapter if you either can ink yourself, or do the storyboarding yourself.

The pay per chapter is based on webtoon format webcomics. The average panels per chapter is 50 (40-60 range). The deadlines differ between clients. Our corporate clients require WEEKLY chapter deadlines vs our indie clients require BI-WEEKLY or MONTHLY chapter deadlines.

Please do not show me any or other than MANGA, MANHWA, or WEBCOMIC/COMIC panels, concept art, character sheets, environmental art, or story boards. If you do I will ignore your submissions I’d assume you did not read what I’m looking for.

So if you think you got what it takes, I’d love to welcome you as the newest member of Studio Malhaloth :), goodluck!

If you haven't worked with one of the fetishes listed above, don't message. Payment will be discussed in DMs

I am making a short story about a comedic psychedelic trip that leads a man named Ringo to confront his personal issues with Loneliness, Abandonment, and Resentment. There are 3 times the story changes art styles.

Script, Illustrator notes, and panel layouts are completely finished

$20 PER PAGE: It's low, but I'm looking for new artists that might need flexible schedules and aren't at the point where they are doing $100 commissions yet. Ideally I would love to help three different artist and my photographer buddy all build out their and my portfolios.

Artist A (7 pages)- Starts at Lake Gregory in Crestline, CA. This is the calmest part of the high where he is talking to ducks near a lake and gives the story its intro. It also circles back at the end to this artist before it switches to real photography that ends off the book.

Artist B (8 pages)- This story takes place in outer space and includes a lot of cool visuals such as Space sea turtles, a journey through a wormhole that turns out to be a vagina and a talking planet that loves weed.

Artist C (10 Pages)- This is the most controversial part of the story as it shows Ringo as a baby being homeless and getting hurt while his mom literally drops him to the ground and walks away from him. There is also warmhearted moments though as it also shows him being brought to a civilization of stray dogs that become his family.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not trying to disrespect all the great established artist that are worth paying really high. This post is geared toward people like me just trying to practice/make portfolios and get their foot in the door. As I can't offer high compensation for the artwork.

If your interested comment bellow and IF you have any existing portfolio you can drop it in the comments

Hello fellow creative, I am a writer that is trying to build a profolio I'm definitely not a beginner as far as writing goes and I don't think you will be disappointed with the results of us working together I like to help others with their writing even if you just wanted to spitball some ideas around or have me give a second opinion on something I'm completely open to it. Please DM me if you're interested I can send you some examples of my writing style I even have some ideas if you need inspiration.

Is this subreddit a "collaboration" in the truest sense of the word, or is it a job board for comic book artists?

A collaborator works jointly on an activity or project, like an associate (e.g. collab with story board artist, screenwriter, other comic book artists, etc).

But the posts on this subreddit seem more like comic book artists looking to get hired for paid work.

Please let me know what I can improve and should this be used as back cover or a front cover .

This goes specifically against long time lurker who's been following my work and suggesting future projects until today, taking the leap to ask for free sequential art. Yes, it is valid to speak out on this matter because this person knew I was only taking commission work.

Sadly I'm not the only illustrator who was been requested similar by this individual so please just take note as a caution and avoid aggression towards people looking for compensation. Apparently he goes chasing artists and try to take advantage when there's a slot.

There is no artist is here that will work for free or for a split of profit in this sub, so if your looking for art and don't have cash money, move on, all your gonna is downvotes...