If you want to break into comics via by following the traditional corporate path instead of freelancing, you might try your luck at being an intern.

There’s usually no money involved, you can get some college credit and you’ll be doing important comic book work like getting coffee for the office or picking up someone’s dry cleaning.

But you’ll get to see how a comic book company works from inside its cubicles and that will either thrill you or horrify you. Companies often hire from their old intern pool when staff jobs become available so this is also a way in, should you do a good job, impress the heck out of the right people, and network like all those books tell you.

Viz Media, the San Franciso-based manga and anime company has a 2010 Fall Internship Program bursting with part-time opportunity in a number of departments: Animation Production, Design, Editorial, Information Technology, Licensing, Magazines, PR & Marketing, and Sales & Retail Development.

Tokyopop, the Los Angeles-based manga company, also has a bunch of internships available in Business & Legal, Design, Film & Televsion, Marketing, Editorial and one that sounds like you’d really better keep your wits about you: “Internship to Founder & CEO.”

Marvel Comics has a ton of internships available this fall in a wide variety of departments, some on the east coast in Manhattan, and some at Marvel Studios on the west coast, in Manhattan Beach.

The Time Warner Entertainment Group - the movie and TV division based in Burbank - has a complete internship program that you can apply to for placement in various departments. One added bonus is that the division also oversees DC Comics, so when that company moves west, you’ll already have an in.

As with any job, there are things to look out for, and earlier this year, The New York Times posted some sobering advice to those seeking internships.

[Artwork: Batman with Robin, the first super-hero intern, © DC Entertainment]