Pros and cons, huh? Okay, I know some things! NOTE: None of these things are strictly necessary to make comics, but they're neat things to try and see if they work for you!
Digital stuff:
Clip Studio Paint (formerly Manga Studio)
Pros: one of the best comics-creation softwares out there. If you need it to do a comics-related thing, it can do it. Specific tools for panelling, lettering, speechbubbles, perspective, 3D-models for backgrounds, page-presets, screentones, and some of the best digital colouring tools in the business. Is also relatively cheap in comparison to other software, and they have frequent flash-sales so you can get the whole thing for as low as $15. Available on two different version - the regular and the Pro version (when it was still Manga Studio, the fancier version was known as Ex) - with the Pro-version giving you access to some fancy extra functions, like multi-page files.
Cons: Not many that I'm aware of. Crashes occasionally, but so do all software.
Drawing tablets
I can personally vouch for Wacom. I bought my Cintiq 21UX 12 years ago, and it still works like the day I picked it up out of the box. If you're going to be drawing seriously, you owe it to yourself to get a decent tablet. It doesn't have to be a cintiq, and it doesn't have to be a Wacom, but it's worth investing in something that is good quality.
Non-digital stuff:
Inking brushes
Pros: Inking with a brush gives you a more fluid line and it's easier to vary line-widths. It also tends to be easier on your wrist than inking with pens, because you don't need to push hard into the paper with it to get results. Very versatile, in that the same brush can give you a thin, fine line as well as broader, heavier ones.
Cons: Messier than inking with pens and nibs, prone to ink-spatter if you haven't got the technique down, you don't have the same steady control over line-width as with a pen. Also, most paintbrushes are very slim, which means holding them can be a strain on your hand - one solution is to wrap the handle of your brush with cloth or invest in one of those rubber-slip on grips that were popular when I was a kid, to increase the width of the part of the handle you hold.
Price-point: Varies greatly, depending on size and type of bristle. Natural bristle is more expensive, synthetic bristle is cheaper. I find synthetic brushes do the job just fine most of the time, especially since you will inevitably wear the brush out, and it hurts a bit less to have to throw it away when it's cheaper.
Nibs (can be switched out for fountain pens)
Pros: You can do all the crosshatching you've ever dreamed of, neat as you please. Greater line-variation in a single nib than you'd get with a fineliner, and with the right nib you can draw super thin lines (though if you're hoping to print, you don't want to go too thin, as it might not print well). The tool all your favourite mangaka use!
Cons: Takes a lot of practise to get the technique down. You need to get good paper, or you'll find yourself scratching right through it with your nib, building up wet paper-gunk in the nib itself, which means you have to stop and wipe the nib more often. And, of course, you have to stop and dip it in the ink to refill every now and then - same as with the brush. This last problem doesn't occur with fountain pens, though.
Price point: You can get a set of 3 G-Pen nibs for as little as $4, but there are all kinds of options, price-wise.
Brush pens
Pros: Does all the things a brush does, with none of the drawbacks of spatter, stopping to refill, or you accidentally doing a poor job cleaning them up afterwards and ruining the bristles. Seriously, these are a great invention, and worth a try for any artist. There are a wide range of options, with all types of bristle and flexibility - and there are even a few that use a kind of flexible felt-nib rather than bristles. Experiment and see what fits you!
Personally, I recommend the Pilot Pocket Brush Pen - both Soft and Hard versions. It squeaks like a tiny kitten whenever you brush the felt tip against paper, but I swear to you it's magical. It isn't waterproof, and it isn't refillable, but it draws like a dream.
Cons: They're not always refillable, which means you either have to a.) jury-rig a refilling method (which is messy and doesn't always work), or b.) buy new ones whenever you run out. Also, the ink isn't always waterproof.
Price point: Again, a wide range from $2 to $30 and beyond. The Pilot Pocket Brush Pen I mentioned is $5 and so worth it.
Drawing table/Lighttable
Pros: You're not drawing hunched over the kitchen table and hurting your back! Instead, you've got a (preferrably at least somewhat) portable surface dedicated entirely to drawing, and it's adjustable to suit the angle you need to draw well, and the lighttable is a magical way of letting you ink your sketches without actually inking right onto your sketches.
Cons: Can take up a bit of space, lighttables (or lightboxes) can cause a bit of eyestrain if you aren't taking breaks properly.
Price-point: Lighttables/lightboxes can be expensive, but drawing-tables are basically just a board with an adjustable support on the back, so they're a lot cheaper. I have a homemade lighttable, which cost me maybe $50 in materials and a bit of time and knowhow to put together.
