This has to be one of the most biased articles Ive read in a while, and it really makes me angry. The two creators of Superman were ripped off. Superman was their creation, they sold it to the company that became DC, mostly due to their naivety. I do believe that their family should be getting some continuos percentage of the earnings that character made. Thats fair. However, Jerry and Joe created other characters for DC. Dr Fate being among them. There is no mention of that character in any legal fights. The Kirby family battles are different. They are trying to argue that they deserve a share of the money being raked in at the moment thanks to The Avengers and tier related film projects. Every single one of those characters was created while Kirby was an employee or a contractor for Marvel comics. The article argues that Kirby was responsible for a lot more of their creation than was ever documented. In all honesty, tough shit. If he wasnt working for marvel, I doubt he would have created any of those characters. He was hired, and paid - maybe badly - to do a job, which he did magnificently. Its why they continued to pay him. All those characters belong to the company that paid to have them created. This article tries to play the evil corporation line, but its bullshit. And the obvious bias the writer puts in their is borderline disgusting. Yes, I am also a comic artist. Characters like RoboToon, Randomman, the Woodville characters, the Cyborg Vampire Women from Space, they are all mine. I will never sell them outright, even if one day I do sell particular ancillary rights like tv or film. If someone wants to use them, they will pay me for it, because I came up with them on my own merit. But if I get hired by a company to create a character, and i wasnt smart enough to get some measure of the profits written into my contract, then more fool me. The Kirby estate - Jacks kids and grandkids is what Im talking about - are just being greedy. Where was this lawsuit 10, 15 years ago when Marvel filed for bankruptcy? It wasnt till Avengers hit the billions mark that they started coming out of the woodwork. So dont give me this poor, starving artist shit. Jack Kirby, because of his talent, got work at a time when those in his industry didnt, and continued to get work right up till his death. His contribution to the medium is incalculable. Im not arguing that at all. It wouldnt be what it is without him. And if he was still alive, like Stan Lee, I am pretty damn sure that Marvel would be sending him some rather substantial cheques. But I have no tolerance for these greedy little heirs who come sniffing around the end of the rainbow and soon as they get a whiff of a pot of gold. nytimes/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26observer.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 10:58:03 +0000
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