Comic Biz in the US

[kL52]

Hey folks!
I´m from Germany and also a big fan of MAD´s work...

Hopefully some of you can answer me a question about the American Comic Biz cause in Germany we don´t have something like this, earning money by drawing comics, inking and stuff... we don´t even have many comic labels doing their own stuff, just some distributers bringing out the american stuff...

so I was pretty amazed that MAD started working by the age of 16... Is this normal in the US???
Working in this biz in europe e.g. in France as i know with studying etc. could only start by the age of let´s say 24-26 and then you may also only got the possiblilty to work low classified... ok there are also a lot of young suprise stars, but generaly it goes that way...

so had MAD only luck because he was so talented or is this usuall???

thx 4 answers!!! ;D

[MadforMAD]

Mad was lucky to make into the comic biz because he got an internship at Marvel, the largest comic company in the industry. He was able to show some people his work, which was of course good, and so they offered him a job penciling a few books. Before you knew it, he was the hottest young talent working on the hottest comic book (Uncanny X-Men). But in all likelihood he made it because he the best comic artist ever. So, to answer your question, to enter comics at the age of 16? No, that's not normal. Does happen, but not normal. Have you seen his art from Uncanny, issues 320-350?? Oh, my, God!!!! Undeniablly the best art in the history of that book.