I talked about creative rights a few posts back and how basically, the Golden and Silver Age comic book creators, who made almost all of the lasting and great characters, still used today, never got a financial share of their creations.

The sad thing I find is that, even today, right now:

The big corporate companies are STILL MAKING MONEY off these comic book creators!

And guess who gets to keep all the profit? That’s right, the companies. And none of it goes to the creators. At the very least, legally their is no right. If they give a hand out, it’s up to the company, and I wonder how much of a share it is?

All you have to do is look at all the Marvel: Masterworks, Omnibus, Essential and other such books out now.

Or the DC: Showcase, Archives, paperbacks published now.

Basically in today’s comic market, the paperback and hardcover books are selling well. Not individual comics.

And more and more there is a drive to publish works by the greats, the likes of a Kirby or a Ditko.

We have $100 dollar books like the Omnibus series being made of the Ditko work. Or the Fantastic Four Omnibus that is all Kirby work.

Or the DC archive $50 books. Ranging from all of the Fourth World to even Kamandi.
While I must admit, part of me is excited and I want and buy these books. It’s because, not thinking about the company, I just appreciate these creators and the work they made. I want to have copies. And I want to read these stories.

A part is also sad, cause I know, these people are not financially compensated at all for this work. And a corporation only benefits.

And not only that, these books keep being reprinted nonstop over and over again. Which makes for nonstop sales for the company.

And that just does not seem right or fair.

As a business, I can understand why they do this, but from a deeper perspective, it’s sad cause most of these creators didn’t lead a good financial life. And many were broke. Yet there creations and stories, and art are making someone else money, and a share they never got.

And I know had this been in other media such as Books or Films, they would be rightfully millionaires.

For example:

You only have to look at someone like J.K. Rowlings who was poor before she wrote Harry Potter and is now a millionaire.

Or a director like Lucas, who gets a stake in all the Star Wars merchandise.

In the above cases, both the creators and their publishers and companies that help produce the work profit financially.

But make no mistake, had Harry Potter been made in the 60’s as a comic book, J.K.Rowlings would still be poor.

And Lucas would have had a comic book series, that he had no financial benefits from.

Yet there are comic book characters who Far Surpass that of the Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other media concepts.

I see a comic world where both the creator and the publisher can financially benefit, but as I said in a previous post, from a financial perspective the comic book history is a Shameful Disgrace in terms of how creators were treated. And in cases like this, it still shows.