A comic book creator is any one of a number of people working to create a comic book or graphic novel. The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S. can involve a writer, a penciller, an inker, a colorist, and a letterer, typically overseen by an editor.

Depending on the type of production, the different roles can be taken on by different persons:

• In most alternative and small press comics, the same person will write and illustrate, although it is still common for a separate person to produce the color separations, and sometimes the lettering.
• Within the major US comic book publishing companies, (for example, DC Comics and Marvel Comics), a different person is generally assigned to each task, although exceptions - particularly in writing/pencilling or pencilling/inking - do occur.
• In Japan, a mangaka usually writes and pencils his own work, and lets his assistants ink and editor letter.
• In other cases, typically in most European comics, there are usually two or three artists involved: a writer, an artist who provides lettered artwork, and a colorist where necessary.

Editing houses will employ letterers when translating work, and it is not uncommon for them to utilise artists to retouch artwork to make it more suitable for their domestic market.