--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Comics are expensive. Don’t make me…" description: "\"Comics are expensive. Don’t make me resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your script must either move the story along or demon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png" --- # Comics are expensive. Don’t make me resent the money I… ![“Comics are expensive. Don’t make me resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your script must either move the story along or demonstrate something important about the characters — preferably both — and every panel that does neither is a sloppy waste of space.” quote by Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png) > “Comics are expensive. Don’t make me resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your script must either move the story along or demonstrate something important about the characters — preferably both — and every panel that does neither is a sloppy waste of space.” [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A comic should use every panel to advance plot or reveal character; otherwise it wastes space and money. **In simple terms:** Every panel must serve story or character. Key Takeaway Eliminate unnecessary panels. Themes storytelling efficiency visual narrative Mood critical analytical Type instructional professional When to use this quote - script editing - budget planning - artist collaboration Key Concepts plot development characterization panel composition Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide if a panel is essential? - What balance between plot and character feels right? A Different Perspective Readers may still miss subtle cues if panels are too sparse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Single mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-mom/) [Single moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-moment/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Waste of space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-of-space/) ## Related quotes > [I prefer working, period. I think that I like doing film more just because when you get a script, you have the story from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addison-timlin/i-prefer-working-period-i-think-that-i-like-doing-film-more-just/) [Addison Timlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addison-timlin/) > [Usually, you get a script and you have the whole story. All the acts are there, for a play. You know what happens in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/usually-you-get-a-script-and-you-have-the-whole-story-all-the-acts/) [Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/) > [The most important thing is the story. Not the script, but the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-zanuck/the-most-important-thing-is-the-story-not-the-script-but-the-story/) [Richard D. Zanuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-zanuck/) > [Stories matter to me. I look for a good script, story, and a strong part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/disha-patani/stories-matter-to-me-i-look-for-a-good-script-story-and-a-strong-part/) [Disha Patani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/disha-patani/) > [It all starts with a very solid, well-executed script, where the story is very clear and everybody is rowing in the same direction. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/it-all-starts-with-a-very-solid-well-executed-script-where-the-story/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [My parameter of judging a script has not changed over the years. I still go for a script where the story interests me. Yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkummar-rao/my-parameter-of-judging-a-script-has-not-changed-over-the-years-i/) [Rajkummar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkummar-rao/) > [I envision the script as a story in my mind, memorize the entire thing and have it play out. It helps me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quvenzhane-wallis/i-envision-the-script-as-a-story-in-my-mind-memorize-the-entire-thing/) [Quvenzhane Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quvenzhane-wallis/) > [This basic thing I always do: 'What happened between the character's birth, and page one of the script?' Anything that's not in the story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/this-basic-thing-i-always-do-what-happened-between-the-character-s/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [Now, before you make a movie, you have to have a script, and before you have a script, you have to have a story;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/now-before-you-make-a-movie-you-have-to-have-a-script-and-before-you/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [No other aspect of filmmaking has tempted me to do a film other than the script and the story itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/no-other-aspect-of-filmmaking-has-tempted-me-to-do-a-film-other-than/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) > [When you are working on a script, the story itself is not difficult. You say this would happen and then this, resulting perhaps in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-malle/when-you-are-working-on-a-script-the-story-itself-is-not-difficult/) [Louis Malle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-malle/) > [My first love is a wonderful script. It's the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-okonedo/my-first-love-is-a-wonderful-script-it-s-the-story/) [Sophie Okonedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-okonedo/) > [“What kind of party?” “The good kind.” “Yeah, right.” Greta knows that for me there are no good parties. I’m okay with one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/what-kind-of-party-the-good-kind-yeah-right-greta-knows-that-for-me/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [If I cannot offer some relief to our world, if I cannot inspire our generation to join me, then I feel I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masiela-lusha/if-i-cannot-offer-some-relief-to-our-world-if-i-cannot-inspire-our/) [Masiela Lusha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masiela-lusha/) > [So meh mom wont let me go outside today because I deleted the messages off of her phone between me and my friend niccole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/so-meh-mom-wont-let-me-go-outside-today-because-i-deleted-the/) Patience ## More by Mark Waid > [The nice thing about working with BOOM! on 'Irredeemable' and 'Incorruptible,' man, was they let me have my head. No one said boo about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/the-nice-thing-about-working-with-boom-on-irredeemable-and/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Captain America is an interesting character because it makes you ask those questions in yourself as a writer. What do we want as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/captain-america-is-an-interesting-character-because-it-makes-you-ask/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I'm a big believer that if you buy a comic, you ought to own it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-m-a-big-believer-that-if-you-buy-a-comic-you-ought-to-own-it/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Real science is the greatest, most exciting springboard I have available to me as a writer, and I don't feel the least bit constrained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/real-science-is-the-greatest-most-exciting-springboard-i-have/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [To my mind, a mix of veterans and rookies is number one on the list of 'things that make a good Avengers team.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/to-my-mind-a-mix-of-veterans-and-rookies-is-number-one-on-the-list-of/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I respect people of faith, but I'm not one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-respect-people-of-faith-but-i-m-not-one/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [There have been many days when I have had to work up to writing 'Irredeemable' because I just didn't feel like wallowing in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/there-have-been-many-days-when-i-have-had-to-work-up-to-writing/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I love writing comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-love-writing-comedy/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Artists are not helper monkeys; they’re not in it to visualize 'your' story, because it stopped being 'your' story the moment you engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/artists-are-not-helper-monkeys-they-re-not-in-it-to-visualize-your/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Serial fiction is a conceit of comic books and soap operas. As one goes, so goes the other in terms of public consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/serial-fiction-is-a-conceit-of-comic-books-and-soap-operas-as-one/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [In a 22-page comic, figuring an average of four to five panels a page and a couple of full-page shots, a writer has maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/in-a-22-page-comic-figuring-an-average-of-four-to-five-panels-a-page/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [You're a superhero. Shut up and enjoy having superpowers. This makes me crazy. This is why the Marvel movies kick DC movies' asses right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/you-re-a-superhero-shut-up-and-enjoy-having-superpowers-this-makes-me/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I knew I really wanted to work in comics in 1979.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-knew-i-really-wanted-to-work-in-comics-in-1979/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [If you go back and look at the first issue of 'Indestructible Hulk,' if you have a sharp eye, you'll catch something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/if-you-go-back-and-look-at-the-first-issue-of-indestructible-hulk-if/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Teaching is good for me. It forces me to articulate ways of doing things or rules of thumb that I've sort of taken for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/teaching-is-good-for-me-it-forces-me-to-articulate-ways-of-doing/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) [Explore all 124 Mark Waid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) ## More Buying quotes > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I'm being called in by all the great casting directors. It's no longer based on a headshot. I realize now what they're buying is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-gonzalez/i-m-being-called-in-by-all-the-great-casting-directors-it-s-no-longer/) [Nicholas Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-gonzalez/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [I think buying a home is the best investment that any individual can make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paulson/i-think-buying-a-home-is-the-best-investment-that-any-individual-can/) [John Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paulson/) > [The more a prospective customer clicks on you and your stuff, the easier it is for them to make a buying decision in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/the-more-a-prospective-customer-clicks-on-you-and-your-stuff-the/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/) Will Advise > [Every kid looks forward to buying their first JanSport backpack for school - you know my kids did!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/every-kid-looks-forward-to-buying-their-first-jansport-backpack-for/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [What is the focus of the new image infrastructure? Attention. It's all designed for capturing, tracking, quantifying, manipulating, holding, buying, selling and controlling attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mau/what-is-the-focus-of-the-new-image-infrastructure-attention-it-s-all/) [Bruce Mau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mau/) > [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [The truth is, if I was maybe better or funnier or prettier, wouldn't I have starred in a movie? I can see it objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/the-truth-is-if-i-was-maybe-better-or-funnier-or-prettier-wouldn-t-i/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) [Browse all 1,598 Buying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Comics are expensive. Don’t make me resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your script must either move the story along or demonstrate something important about the characters — preferably both — and every panel that does neither is a sloppy waste of space.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Waid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resent-the-money-i-spend-buying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resent-the-money-i-spend-buying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71e/mark-waid-3704_buying_comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resen_3131321.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Comics are expensive. Don’t make me resent the money I spend buying yours. Every single moment in your…” — Mark Waid", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Waid", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Comics are expensive. Don’t make me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resent-the-money-i-spend-buying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/comics-are-expensive-don-t-make-me-resent-the-money-i-spend-buying/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```