Free and paid character slots

ComicInk gives every issue 5 free character slots. Characters added beyond that cost 10 credits each.

How it works

When you add a character to an issue:

• 1st through 5th character: free to add and free to define. Each character image (and each avatar) is then free for its first 5 generations — the initial image plus 4 regenerations — and 10 credits per regeneration after that. See regenerating images.
• 6th character and beyond: costs 10 credits. The character is flagged as a "paid slot" and counts toward this issue's character roster.
• Regenerating the avatar of a paid-slot character: costs 10 credits — the same as any action on a paid-slot character (avatars inherit the slot flag).
• Regenerating pages that include a paid-slot character: costs the normal page rate (50 credits) — same as any page.

Why a limit?

Each character adds a visual reference that gets passed to the AI when generating a page that includes them. More characters mean more reference images for the AI to balance, which slows generation and increases compute cost. The 5-character free quota covers most stories; the 10-credit price for the 6th+ keeps the platform sustainable for long-roster issues.

Sharing characters across issues in the same series

Characters defined in a series are available to all its issues. The free-slot count applies per issue, not per series — so if your protagonist appears in issues 1, 2, and 3, they count as one of the 5 free slots in each issue (15 free uses across the three issues).

A single series can hold up to 50 characters total (and up to 50 reusable assets). Because the roster is shared across every issue and each issue uses only the characters you pick for it, you rarely hit this — and it means you're never forced to delete a character that an earlier issue still uses just to make room in a later one.

What if I run out of free slots and don't want to pay?

Two options:

1. Reuse existing characters — most stories can run on a tight cast. Combine "the bartender", "the bouncer", and "the bystander" into a single named character.
2. Split the issue — if your story has 8 distinct characters, consider whether it should be a multi-issue arc. Issue 1 introduces 5; issue 2 introduces the rest.

Where to see the count

In the issue editor's character panel, characters added beyond the 5-free limit are marked with a "paid slot" badge and the credit cost. The dashboard credit counter updates live as you add characters.

Removing a paid-slot character

You can remove a character from an issue any time. If you've already paid 10 credits to add them, those credits aren't refunded — the cost is for adding the character to the issue's roster, not a deposit.

Updated on: 09/07/2026