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From Al Jaffe to Jerry Siegel and Joel Schuster, there is no shortage of comic book artists, creators and writers getting fucked by publishers. Pretty much as soon as Marvel and DC realized they could cheat creators with money, they started doing it. And according to a new report from The Guardian, the two greats still play the hits, preventing creators like Ed Brubaker and Jim Starlin from reaping the benefits of presenting the world to people like The Winter Soldier and Thanos through ridiculous contract deals and pitiful bonuses.
In a recent newsletter, Brubaker, who already wasn’t feeling good about a Winter Soldier TV show, lamented being so closely tied to the world of the Winter Soldier while being left out of the part that puts food on the table: money. “For the most part, all [co-creator Steve Epting] and I have some to create the Winter Soldier and his story is a ‘thank you’ here and there, and over the years it’s just gotten harder and harder to live with, ”Brubaker wrote.
“I have a great life as a writer and it’s a big part of Cap and the Winter Soldier that brought so many readers to my other job. But I also can’t deny that I sometimes have pain in my head. belly when my inbox fills up with people wanting commentary on the show.
The Guardian goes on to explain that “According to several sources, when the work of a writer or artist features prominently in a Marvel movie, it is society’s practice to send the creator an invitation to the premiere and a check for $ 5,000 ”. It is an option. Several sources have said they also might not receive anything or a rare “special character contract,” which allows creators to claim payment when their characters or storylines are used. An anonymous Marvel creator said, “I was offered a [special character contract] it was really, really terrible, but it was that or nothing […] And then instead of honoring it, they send a thank you note and say, “Here is money we don’t owe you!” and that’s five thousand. And you’re like, “The movie made a billion dollars.”
Sometimes even actions that should amount to polite business relationships, such as invitations to previews, slip through the cracks. The Guardian reports that Brubaker and Epting showed up for the Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a film very indebted to their Captain America running, first night in a tuxedo, only to find they weren’t on the list. Sebastian Stan, who plays the character they created, had to bring them in.
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The Guardian explains how these contracts work:
Comic book creators are “work for pay,” so the companies they work for owe them nothing more than a lump sum and royalties. But Marvel and DC are also pushing popular creators to keep the promise of stable work and what they call “fairness”: a tiny slice of the profits, whether a character they create or a script they make. writing becomes fodder for films, shows or derivative products. . For some creators, the work they did decades ago now provides vital income as films introduce their comics to a wider audience. they reason – and companies seem to agree – that it is only fair to pay them more. DC has a standard internal contract, which the Guardian has seen, that guarantees payments to creators when their characters are used. Marvel’s contracts are similar, according to two sources with knowledge of them, but more difficult to find; some Marvel creators didn’t know they existed.
The whole report is definitely worth reading as it breaks down the loaded story between the people who create comic book characters and the businesses who profit from those creations. Read the full article on The Guardian.
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