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Marvel Crushes The Creator of Ghost Rider

(photo taken from this great article on Gary Friedrich)

Long story short:

1. Gary Friedrich created Ghost Rider while free-lancing at Marvel. He claimed that the rights for the character reverted to him in 2001 and that he was owed money from the movie.

2. Marvel disagreed. So did the courts.

3. Marvel counter-sued, claiming Gary was making money off of their intellectual property (see pic above) and it needed to stop.

4. One artist vs. a slew of corporate lawyers is likely going to end badly for the artist. Seeing this, Friedrich settled.

5. Friedrich now owes Marvel $17,000 in damages and will no longer be able to make a living off of selling signed Ghost Rider merch.

So, with Friedrich now in danger of losing his house, other comic artists have come to his aid. Yesterday, Neal Adams announced that he'd pay for Friedrich's mortgage himself if he had to, but he'd love it if the community would come together to help a fellow artist:

Gary is a victim of the deficiencies of two very bad copyright laws, and the history in the comic book industry of poor practices on everybody’s part. There will be battles in the future, and good will come of them. But this is simply just a bad situation. Gary is one of us. And while we can’t save him from Marvel, and his small place in history, we can help him have a place to live, ongoing. And I can only promise you this. If you find yourself in a bad situation, whether for heath or other reasons, I and others, will join to help you. Just as you have helped to support William Messner-Loebs, Dave Cockrum and others.

While I hope that Marvel would step up and help out too, I can understand that they find themselves in such an unfortunate position that they cannot do so. I would like to believe that they would if they could.

Like many comic fans, I can't understand why Marvel won't "step up". I have no issue with them battling for the rights to Ghost Rider - I'd expect it from them. I am also not surprised that they wouldn't offer Friedrich some additional compensation for his amazing creation - that's not how Marvel rolls. They do not have a history of sharing with the people who helped to build their empire.

What does shock me is that they are going forward with collecting the $17,000 in damages. This guy is not a millionaire. Not by a long shot. Marvel won the case, which is really all that matters. They also took away a key source of Gary's income. Do they have to actually break this guy too?

If you'd like to donate to Gary's settlement fund, go to this site.

If you'd like to join Gary's Facebook Support Page, click here.

It's amazing that other creators and fans take care of their own. I wish the same could be said of Marvel Comics.

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Bonus thought - wouldn't it be awesome if Nicolas Cage paid the settlement for Gary from the money he made off the movie? Anyone got his number?

Assemble Avengers!

No - I didn't get that backwards. This May, you can start assembling your Avengers. I look forward to putting Iron Man's head on Thor's body:

And while you're at it, you can assemble their cool toys too:

Odd that they purposefully aren't showing us Hulk's face. Perhaps it's not done yet?

The Walking Dead + Comic Book Men = AMC owns me this Sunday

Screw the Grammys. For comic fans, the place to be for TV on Sunday is AMC. Not only do we get the return of The Walking Dead, but we also get Comic Book Men:

I'm hoping this new show is as entertaining as Smith is in person.

Preview: Avengers vs. X-Men #1

Looking to get a taste of Marvel's next big event? Here we go!

This April, prepare for the biggest super hero war in comics history as Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Avengers Vs. X-Men #1! From the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert and Olivier Copiel comes a groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Cyclops and his team believe the arrival of the Phoenix Force will save mutantkind, but Captain America is convinced it will destroy the world! But who is right? Don’t miss out on all the action in Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 in comic shops worldwide and on the Marvel Comics app this April!

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com 

Here are the first 7 pages of the book:

Hitting Shelves Today - 2/8

Deadpool turns #50 today. How will he celebrate? He dies. Here's the detailed solicitation from Marvel:

DEAD

If you need more to go on, here's a preview.

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It's pretty early in 2012 to name "mini-series of the year". But if I had to guess, I'd say Penguin: Pain and Prejudice will be still be in the running for the top spot by the end of the December. The final issue hits today:

In the finale of Gregg Hurwitz and Szymon Kudranski's miniseries exploring the motivations of one of Batman's most peculiar foes, the ultimate revenge plot explodes into action. The lives of Gotham City's children are on the line, and The Dark Knight will have to race the clock to save them. But can Batman save them all? Find out in this unnerving conclusion!

For those who missed it, I'm sure a collected edition will come around soon.

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Kevin Keller #1 hits today. Seems fitting that Archie's first openly-gay charater would get his own mini the day after California's Prop. 8 was overturned.

Kevin Keller returns to Riverdale in the pages of his own mini-series, from superstar writer/artist Dan Parent. Learn more about Kevin’s background and story before he arrived in Riverdale and met the Archie gang, and pick up the comic that people are already buzzing about. Featuring one of the most popular new characters in Archie history, this series will be a must-have for fans of Archie Comics, Kevin and great comics.

Click here for a preview.

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Here's a list of what's dropping today and how much it will set you back:

Top Cow's New (Non-Digital) Subscription Service

Top Cow recently launched a new subscription service. For $15 a month ($10 + $5 shipping), they'll send you all the ongoing books they publish for the month, plus a variant cover edition.

At first I was like, "Wow! Great deal!". But then I realized the deal only applies to its 3 core ongoing books, bringing the cost to $3.75 per book after shipping - not such a bargin if you live anywhere near a comic store. And less of a bargin if you don't care about cover variants.

In this digital age, it's interesting to see a comic publisher embrace snail mail. As Robot 6 pointed out, not even DC/Marvel offer mail subscriptions for all of their books. So it's an intersting angle.

My gut tells me that with all the digital options Top Cow has on the table, it doesn't make much sense to subscribe to print unless you're a technophobe who lives in a remote area. (And I bet that's a pretty small market).

That said, if Top Cow can keep the handling costs down then maybe this will be a money maker for them. What they lose in subscription numbers, they may make up for in lack of distribution costs.

In any event, I wish them well. And if they ever want to go $10 flat for a 4 book digital subscription...I'm listening!

The Avengers "secret villains" revelealed?

First off, in case you missed it, the Avengers spot from the super bowl:

Now...who are those aliens? It's been flat out stated that the Skrulls are NOT in the movie. SketchcardSaloon.com has a frame capture here. But it doesn't help all that much...until you look at the screen capture, then look at this...hmmm. Check out those suits. They look verrrry similar...

Perhaps Marvel lied to us just to counter the rumors?

Image Expo Programming Announced

February 24-26th will be a great weekend for Bay Area comic book fans. The Image Expo arrives in Oakland and judging by the just-announced programming, I may have to attend both days. I've included a link to the entire program below, but I wanted to list a few highlights here:

The Talking Dead Live
Is watching the recap talk show The Talking Dead after every episode of The Walking Dead part of your weekly viewing ritual? Then you won’t want to miss this panel! Chris Hardwick sits down with creator of The Walking Dead comic and executive producer of the hit AMC television series Robert Kirkman and actor Steven Yeun, who plays the fan-favorite character Glenn, for a lively conversation with The Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick about the latest shocking plot twists and what it’s like working on a show that has taken the world by storm.
Panelists: Robert Kirkman and Steven Yeun
Moderator: Chris Hardwick

Stories and Scripts: Writing Comics
How do comics readers get their vision from their minds, to script, to the drawn page? What do you need to know about successful collaboration with artists? Some of comics’ best writers will talk about the challenges, triumphs, and idiosyncrasies of the comics creative process. Find out how comics like Fatale, Haunt, Chew, Morning Glories and Saga are conceived, written, and brought to the printed page from the writers who knew them from “PAGE ONE, PANEL ONE.”
Panelists: Ed Brubaker, Steve Seagle, Joe Casey, Jonathan Hickman, John Layman, Nick Spencer, and Brian K. Vaughan

Portfolio Reviews with Erik Larsen (a.k.a. Larsen Tears You a New One)
Image Comics partner and Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen, will be imparting artistic wisdom via no-holds-barred portfolio reviews... for those that have the guts! A random drawing will be done during the workshop to determine which aspiring artists in attendance will be chosen to have the brutal light of truth shine upon their work. Larsen's ready to tell you what he really thinks! Can you handle it?

Portfolio Reviews with Whilce Portacio
Whilce Portacio, creator of Wetworks and current artist on Incredible Hulk, will offer thoughtful tips and critiques for artists looking to break into the comic book industry. A random drawing will determine which lucky artists will get a personal review during the workshop. Bring your portfolio for an hour of a guidance from a master of the medium!

Writing Workshop with John Layman
The writer of the best-selling comic Chew (drawn by Rob Guillory) will talk about the fundamentals of crafting a story, drafting a script, and effectively communicating your intentions to artists.

From Page to Screen: Comics on TV
How do producers go about translating comics for the small screen? How does working in comics compare to working in television? A panel of comics creators who have worked in television — whether as producers like Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and Brian K. Vaughan (Lost), writers like Jay Faerber (Ringer), creators like Joe Casey (Ben 10) and Todd McFarlane (Spawn), or a little bit of everything like Blair Butler — will assemble to talk about the ins and outs of the industry.
Panelists: Blair Butler, Joe Casey, Jay Faerber, Robert Kirkman, Todd McFarlane, and Brian K. Vaughan

As I stated in an earlier post, this Expo seems tailor made for the comic book fan (as opposed to WoncerCon/ComicCon, which try to appeal to comic fans, movie fans, Twighlight fans, washed-up TV star fans, wrestling fans, Cosplay fans, etc...). I'm looking forward to it! Click here for complete programming.

"Before Watchmen" - Good idea or Bad idea?

The comic world was abuzz yesterday with news that DC will be publishing seven mini-series that will expand the Watchmen universe:

This summer, DC Entertainment will publish all-new stories expanding on the acclaimed WATCHMEN universe. As highly anticipated as they are controversial, the seven inter-connected prequel mini-series will build on the foundation of the original WATCHMEN, the bestselling graphic novel of all time. BEFORE WATCHMEN will be the collective banner for all seven titles, from DC Comics.

“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. “After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”

Alan Moore's response
Fans of the series are already aware that Watchmen creator Alan Moore is less than pleased with DC doing ANYTHING with the Watchman universe. He was recently quoted as saying "I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago."

So - is Moore right? Is revisiting the series just a shameless money-grab from DC, who are out of fresh ideas? Or does Moore just refuse to accept that comic book companies are a business, and that making money is a good thing?

My 2 cents - it's a little of both.

It's all about the Fans
But what it boils down to is not what DC wants or what Moore wants - it's what the fans want. And the fans, as always, will vote with their pocket books.

I can practically guarantee that these minis will be among the top selling books each month, and that the trades that will surely follow will be under many X-mas trees. Why? Because people love these characters.

Will the stories live up to the awesomeness of the original series? No. I don't think anyone in their right mind - including Dan Dido - honestly believe that. Just as DK2 failed to live up to the original Dark Knight series, so will this venture.

But would it be so bad if the minis in question turned out to be just "good"? I mean, the talent is there (Straczynski, Azzarello, Hughes, Kubert to name a few). So what's the harm in giving the fans some more of what they crave? (And making some money off it in the process?)

It's been 25 years since the original story was printed. I think that's enough breathing room so that Watchmen will not be judged by these upcoming spin-offs, just as "Gone with the Wind" wasn't affected by "Scarlett".

Moore said in a recent interview, "As far as I know, there weren’t that many prequels or sequels to ‘Moby-Dick.'" He's right. But if there were, the fans would have happily bought them. 

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UPDATE: Here's Straczynski's take on Moore's complaints. And I think he makes a great point.

Hitting Shelves Today - 2/1

Winter Soldier #1 arrives today:

Steve Rogers most trusted partner and a former Captain America, Bucky Barnes, must tackle his greatest challenge yet as Winter Soldier #1 hits store shelves everywhere this February! After going toe to toe with the Nazis and being assumed dead for decades, Bucky Barnes went through hell and back as the Soviet Union rebuilt his war torn body into their own one man army known to all as the Winter Soldier. But what if he wasn’t the only one?

From the blockbuster creative team behind Captain America, Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice send Bucky back into the shadows to take down the remaining ex-Russian sleeper agents and dismantle their diabolical plot. Teamed with the Black Widow, the former Captain America will have his hands full when he finds out that he trained them all AND that Doctor Doom is involved! With the entire Marvel Universe thinking he’s dead, Bucky will have to tackle this threat head on with limited resources. Get in on all the action this February in Winter Soldier #1!

I did a preview here a while back. I dig that artwork!

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For those of you who haven't discovered Animal Man yet (one of the best New 52 titles for sure), now is the perfect jumping-on point. Issue #6 hits today, and it sounds like its a stand-alone story before the next arc starts:

Before he and his family became hunted by The Rot, Buddy Baker starred in a low budget indie Super Hero film. Now we get to "watch" the movie, courtesy of director Jeff Lemire and guest cinematographer John Paul Leon!

There is a story (complete with preview) on this issue over at The Hollywood Reporter.

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Is Alpha Girl #1 "The Walking Dead meets Juno"?:

It's 1984, and Judith is your typical 17 year old. She chain smokes, cuts class, sells her tampons to perverts, and she just might be the last sane woman left on the planet. When a third-rate cosmetics company creates a pheromone that turns women into crazed man-eaters, the world dives into chaos. Judith must break her little brother out of juvie, all the while dodging rabid women and the men who hunt them. Already a proven survivor, she picks up some interesting strays along the way and kicks some serious zombie ass! Judith is Alpha Girl!

Here's a preview.

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Here's a list of what's dropping today and how much it will set you back: