That’s appalling. I wouldn’t be half as professional as you about it, and would probably get myself sued for libel or something by airing all the dirty laundry 🤦🏽 also there’s the added fact that several J-pop stars were abused by their company owner, so that just makes this writer extra weird and unprofessional in my book. Congrats for getting free of her, but I mourn for all the lost art these people stole.
I learned long after I got out of anime/manga/jpop fandom that the sparkly twinkly world was pretty cutthroat and exploitative. When I wrote about things I'd observed in the early 1990's, fandom came at me with an axe. I was eventually proven right, but by then, I was long gone from those fandom/pro spaces. The people at the top get rich, most of the talent gets wrung dry. Just like in the West.
Aw, geez. And I thought the skeeviness in literary publishing was bad. Sincere sympathies: I’m currently moving, and I came across reminders of several magazine projects 30 years ago where I busted my ass to make deadlines for projects where the publishers ghosted me and everyone else when we asked about when we could expect payment. Nearly a third of a century later, and the only balm is that every once in a while, they’d come back to see if I was interested in getting involved in “new projects,” and they disappear when I make new work contingent upon getting paid for previous work.)
My very feeble recollection of the Russell/Wolfman matter is that it happened as Russell described — or at least so he claimed.
The rationale, however, is that except for the copy — the script — the story was all Russell’s, actually done on spec without anything on Marvel’s end til Wolfman provided copy. So words were Wolfman’s, everything else Russell’s. So Wolfman got all his words back.
My even feebler recollection is that art was split 50/50 writer and artist, with the artist’s share being split between penciled and inker. To be clear, that’s my recollection but I wouldn’t swear to it.
The economics of the funnies has always been weird and bizarre, only how so changes over time…
I know they gave writers some, I just don't think it was 50/50 as a "standard". I'm disappointed how many writers demanded a share of the physical labor work. I'm especially disappointed in Mantlo.
Not true. Crossing out the clause on the check doesn’t accomplish what people think it does. I’ll have to go into this later, but a contract on a check is dicey anyway. Marvel was still stamping that clause on checks when I first started there, but I never had trouble getting art back from Marvel.
He’s amusing. I am less judgy of memories than I used to be since I re-read my old diaries. I was amazed how my perceptions changed over time. I don’t assume people are telling tall tales, I think memory warps and rewrites and people believe what they say.
P Craig Russell told a hilarious story about his artwork for the Doctor Strange annual in 'The Art Of P Craig Russell' and he talks about it in his latest podcast. https://www.artofpcraigrussell.com/?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=67b23d99db49c436c400ded9&ss_email_id=67b2404b734210556852d69c&ss_campaign_name=NEW+PODCAST%3A+P.+Craig+Russell+on+Marvel%E2%80%99s+Master+of+the+Mystic+Arts%21&ss_campaign_sent_date=2025-02-16T19%3A45%3A33Z
That's going to be some juicy listening. Thanks for the link!!!!!
This is so insightful and is just so funny. It is so brilliantly written you feel wrapped in the story! Great start to the day :)
Wow. Scary life lessons for hard working artists. Thanks.
That’s appalling. I wouldn’t be half as professional as you about it, and would probably get myself sued for libel or something by airing all the dirty laundry 🤦🏽 also there’s the added fact that several J-pop stars were abused by their company owner, so that just makes this writer extra weird and unprofessional in my book. Congrats for getting free of her, but I mourn for all the lost art these people stole.
I learned long after I got out of anime/manga/jpop fandom that the sparkly twinkly world was pretty cutthroat and exploitative. When I wrote about things I'd observed in the early 1990's, fandom came at me with an axe. I was eventually proven right, but by then, I was long gone from those fandom/pro spaces. The people at the top get rich, most of the talent gets wrung dry. Just like in the West.
Aw, geez. And I thought the skeeviness in literary publishing was bad. Sincere sympathies: I’m currently moving, and I came across reminders of several magazine projects 30 years ago where I busted my ass to make deadlines for projects where the publishers ghosted me and everyone else when we asked about when we could expect payment. Nearly a third of a century later, and the only balm is that every once in a while, they’d come back to see if I was interested in getting involved in “new projects,” and they disappear when I make new work contingent upon getting paid for previous work.)
Whoa. What a load of shit you've had to shimmy through. You stand tall now, Colleen.
The industry back then was pretty grubby.
My very feeble recollection of the Russell/Wolfman matter is that it happened as Russell described — or at least so he claimed.
The rationale, however, is that except for the copy — the script — the story was all Russell’s, actually done on spec without anything on Marvel’s end til Wolfman provided copy. So words were Wolfman’s, everything else Russell’s. So Wolfman got all his words back.
My even feebler recollection is that art was split 50/50 writer and artist, with the artist’s share being split between penciled and inker. To be clear, that’s my recollection but I wouldn’t swear to it.
The economics of the funnies has always been weird and bizarre, only how so changes over time…
There was never a time when it was standard to split art 50/50 with the writer.
Y'all missed my caveat. Feeble recollections per se are sketchy.
I didn't miss your caveat, I just replied that no, it's not true.
Thanks for the clarifications.
I know they gave writers some, I just don't think it was 50/50 as a "standard". I'm disappointed how many writers demanded a share of the physical labor work. I'm especially disappointed in Mantlo.
Jim Shooter wrote about this on his blog. It might help: http://jimshooter.com/2011/09/many-happy-returns-and-some-unhappy.html/
Supposedly Steranko kept a lot of his original art by just crossing out the but giving away his rights before he cashed the checks.
That’s apocryphal.
Not true. Crossing out the clause on the check doesn’t accomplish what people think it does. I’ll have to go into this later, but a contract on a check is dicey anyway. Marvel was still stamping that clause on checks when I first started there, but I never had trouble getting art back from Marvel.
What? Steranko telling tall tales? I’m shocked!
Well, it may just be how he remembers things, I don’t really know him.
I’ve only chat with him briefly online. But he does have a reputation for bombast.
He’s amusing. I am less judgy of memories than I used to be since I re-read my old diaries. I was amazed how my perceptions changed over time. I don’t assume people are telling tall tales, I think memory warps and rewrites and people believe what they say.