I didn’t break into comics to write fairytales or crime comics.

Meaning of the quote

When Mark Millar started working in comics, he didn't want to write stories that were like fairy tales or crime stories. He wanted to do something different, something that would stand out from the usual types of comics. Millar was looking to create his own unique style and not just follow what everyone else was doing.

About Mark Millar

Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer known for his work on popular superhero series like The Authority, The Ultimates, X-Men, and Avengers. He has also created numerous successful creator-owned series, such as Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Jupiter’s Legacy, some of which have been adapted into films and shows. Millar has been recognized for his contributions to the comic book industry, including being appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013.

More about the author

More quotes from Mark Millar

I didn’t break into comics to write fairytales or crime comics.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

The breadth of the potential readership is also a factor.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

The books are all very, very different so the publishers really had to be different too.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I’d love to do something else for Avatar after this.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

It’s been the most creatively liberating thing I’ve ever done and so I’m bringing some of that mad enthusiasm to Marvel for the next couple of years as they let me loose on some Marvel Universe titles you’ll be hearing about soon.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

Likewise, I see no shame in writing Captain America or Wolverine.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

Marvel books also feed into the smaller publishers and the fact that this is happening in the same month we’re launching Ultimate Fantastic Four is no coincidence.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I don’t see one as bring better or more literate than the other and there’s a real buzz to not only writing about a character I love like Superman, but also writing something that kids can enjoy.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I spent as much time writing proposals in ’98 and ’99 as I did writing scripts.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I think American audiences are quite interesting in that they can handle almost any amount of violence, but the moment the violence becomes sexual violence it immediately becomes an issue.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave the readers reeling.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

The animated books pay the lowest rates at the Big Two and you can forget about royalties.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I’m honestly as happy writing Superman Adventures as I am writing Wanted.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

However, if I can expand this to Top Cow or Avatar I’m helping the sales, however small, on my Marvel books because I’m almost certain to pick up some new readers.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

We’ve had really good mainstream publicity for these books and both Wanted and Chosen were snapped up as movie deals before each series even ended so I’m honestly just pinching myself.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

Wanted has gone into second, third and fourth printings of the individual issues and the north American printings of Wanted #1 are now close to 100,000.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

I didn’t want the headache of having a publisher reviewing everything I wrote in advance.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

The trick was really finding the appropriate publisher for each of the projects I’d devised.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

Being the first to do something like this also registers a lot of attention that the line might not have gotten if all four books had just appeared from one company.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

Artists, no matter how good their intentions, are always slower than they think.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

At the moment, I have it planned as a six or seven year experiment, but the books will only ever appear in bursts like this every couple of years and only with the best quality artists.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer

Their argument, and I think it’s a correct one, is that they’ll make more money from the trades and the hardcovers if nobody messes with the creative team.

Mark Millar

British comic book writer