Marvel is a supporter of SOPA, the censorship law masquerading as concern for creators who supposedly are losing wages to a nebulous, poorly defined definition of piracy. One needn't look far to see that the big two publishers built their empires on the art of stiffing creators, exploiting their work with a ferocity only matched in its ruthlessness by their refusal to compensate them. It wasn't the fault of pirates that Superman's creators died penniless. And it's not the fault of pirates that Ghost Rider's creator is desperate even as another terrible looking movie is set to be released. The problem with the piracy debates is the implied trust in companies like Marvel that they don't intend to bleed their creators dry, when in fact they are very much in the business of doing just that.
Daniel Best (via The Beat) has an excellent summary of the tragedy of Gary Friedrich's legal pummeling by Marvel:
"As per the courts instructions Friedrich has to account for any and all money that he has received, “…relating to the gross and net amount derived from Plaintiffs’ sale of goods bearing the Ghost Rider image, likeness, or Marvel trademark.” This means that Friedrich has to account for every cent each and every time he sold a print at a convention or any other item to anyone, that has the Ghost Rider image or name on it, and he has to account to all of the defendants in the case, and there’s quite a few of those, including, but not limited to, Marvel Defendants, Movie Defendants, Hasbro, Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. If the defendants don’t like, or don’t agree with, the numbers that Friedrich supplies then they can, and probably will, ask for a deposition whereby they can question him, under oath. It was no secret that Friedrich commissioned artists such as Herb Trimpe, Arthur Suydam and others to draw Ghost Rider images which were then sold as prints over the years. If you bought one thinking you were helping Gary, well, that cash will most likely end up in Marvels pockets. This amount will be factored into any damages that the defendants can claim from Friedrich, all of which will be bundled up neatly into a final judgement so the case can then proceed to the appeal stage."
There are many reasons why so few memorable, lasting characters are created in comics anymore. There's the fanboy syndrome, in which many creators who grew up loving certain characters are relishing the realization of their lifelong dream to play with the characters that they loved growing up. There's the general decay of creativity that comes with a glutted marketplace, and a lack of quality control brought about by a fratocracy. And underlying that is the very justifiable fear that creating a cash cow for either of the big two will gain you nothing but priority at the top of a corporate litigation hit list, and bring the wrath of Disney to your door. So while Marvel is clearly loyal to a small group of creators with an ever-growing list of titles, and DC rewards creators who cannot sustain sales on a single title with THREE titles, that shouldn't suggest loyalty. If you want to know how you'll be rewarded for a creation that makes your publisher billions, you need only look to Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, and Gary Friedrich to see how the big two reward creativity.
Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 11:25AM | 
