Kiel Phegley: Phase two of this controversy comes from Rob Liefeld, logged on to Twitter and “As the guy that created, designed and wrote his first dozen appearances, Shatterstar is not gay. Sorry. Can’t wait to someday undo this. Seems totally contrived.”
As the Editor-in-Chief, how do you respond to that? It’s one thing to have disagreements internally at Marvel creative summits, but do matters change when those internal debates become public?
Joe Quesada: I’ve got to be honest with you, this is the first I’ve heard about Rob’s comments, so I can only react to what you’re telling me here, but there really isn’t much I can say about it except scratch my head. I like Rob, but Peter is the creator who’s writing the book, and ultimately while Rob is one of the guys who created Shatterstar, Shatterstar is a Marvel character and not a Rob Liefeld character. If this was done to a character in “Youngblood,” then Rob has every right to do what he wants to with it.
I hate to be that cold-blooded about it, but I’ve created characters for Marvel as well and at the end of the day, they’re Marvel’s and not mine. What Marvel wants to do with them is what Marvel wants to do with them. That’s my clear understanding of how things work when I do work-for-hire, to claim otherwise would be silly. It is work-for-hire. The characters are Marvel’s, and if that’s the way the characters are written, then that’s the way the character is. If Rob wants to publicly disagree with that, that’s his right, and I respect that. But if Rob is intending on flipping what Peter has written, he will have to wait to discuss that with the next Editor-in-Chief.
I took the above quotes from a great Comic Book Resources Interview, click link above. I did however put in bold text some points I would like to highlight.
The above point in concern to the Shatterstar comic book character, is just another clear example of how a creator of a character can have one intention. But basically that intention means nothing if you have no ownership rights over your character.
Basically, whoever owns the character can do whatever they want with it. Even if the person who made and created the character completely objects to how the character is being portrayed.
Ir really is a messed up situation when you think about it. And I guess comic books are one of the industries this still happens in.
Peter David had NOTHING to do with the creation of Shatterstar. It’s also funny that he is a great writer. But he is great at writing other people’s creations. His most famous being his Hulk writing. A character he also never created. On his own, he’s never created a character that has had a lasting impact. At least in terms of the average comic fan knowing and acknowledging the character and book he created on his own.
Rob Liefeld created, designed, and named Shatterstar. Without Liefeld, there would be no such character at Marvel comics. Yet, just like all those Golden and Silver Age creators, comic creators in the Modern Age of the early ’90′s still had no real ownership and creative rights to their creations in the Work-For-Hire companies. And this is in regard to the Big Two companies.
Though there is a royalty incentive since the 1980′s, it’s never been made public just what those percentages compile. Is it just comics? What of other merchandise? But my instinct tells me what you get percent wise, is nothing like the percent and ownership you’d have if it were in another field such as book publishing, or in the film industry.
This also brings up another good point I’ve mentioned before and that is: Why create any new characters you have, and bring them to a work-for-hire company?
You really should not in my opinion.
This is not the the 1960′s or even the 1980′s. Where for all intents, you really could not have a successful comic book published outside of the big two companies. And one wherein you owned the rights to your creations.
With other publishers out now such as IDW, Dark Horse and especially Image Comics. Their are means and ways to own your characters nowadays, in a way that really did not exist before.
Could you imagine for example Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” comic published by Marvel? It would have been watered down by now, and the book forced into meaningless crossovers.
By being owned by Kirkman, the books integrity is still their.
That’s another problem with Work-For-Hire, and that is keeping a books integrity.
It really is all but impossible to work for a publisher, and keep your book title and vision for the series isolated. And to therefore build how you see that world in your book. Another great example of this is writer JMS leaving the Thor series. And the main cause it seems is Marvel wants to force a company wide crossover into the Thor book. And writer JMS really does not want a crossover interfering with the integrity of his Thor series and what he is trying to create.
When you look at Marvel and DC Comics over the last ten to twenty years, how many new characters have been created that have had lasting power? It really is no wonder with the above creative rights examples, that new characters should not be created and added to their already robust character rosters.
Besides, you would probably make more financially by owning your own book and character, then to settle for a small percent royalty fee from the Big Two publishers. And with Hollywood looking for any comic property they can get, they might be knocking at your door.
And if it does not work out, you could always sell your book and creations to another publisher. This option does not exist or work in reverse, if you don’t already own your character and book.
The only real downside for the Big Two is, new characters bring new creative ideas with them. Without new characters, new ideas will not flow. And how long can you keep putting the characters you already have through the same motions before it becomes boring and trite.
But I suppose the opposite side should also be mentioned: If you do create new characters for the Big Two, know what you are getting into. And don’t complain after the fact how they are portrayed and what little financially you may get. Ignorance is Not Bliss in comic books anymore. This is not like the 1960′s where your options were limited. You have much more creative publishing freedom in today’s comic book market and it does not hurt to take advantage of that.
In fact, it might be in your best interest to take advantage of that.