SCOOP: Marvel’s Digital Payment Letter To Freelancers Bleeding Cool Comic Book News and Rumors

Whomever was the first to announce royalty payments to creators aside, looks like DC is ahead of the curve of actually implementing it.  Lots of fluff and “working on it” is all I see here.

So it really looks like DC took so long to get in the game because they were getting all the royalty stuff figured out BEFORE they got in the game.  Marvel looks like they did just the opposite.  I wonder if they will give back pay for the digital stuff already sold?

SCOOP: Marvel’s Digital Payment Letter To Freelancers Bleeding Cool Comic Book News and Rumors

SCOOP: Marvel’s Digital Payment Letter To Freelancers
Submitted by Rich Johnston on June 25, 2010 – 10:00 am (0) comments

Bleeding Cool was the first site to run DC’s letter to freelancers concerning digital payments in full. Now we’re doing to the same with Marvel. The following letter was sent out to Marvel’s exclusive freelancer talent on Monday, June 21st, as part of a new communication missive. Non-exclusive talent will receive the letter this coming Monday, as news about digital “incentive payments” will then be released by an official source.

First Joe Quesada addressed the troops saying;

Hi Gang,

Y’know, one of the coolest things about being a part of the Marvel family is recognizing just how extended the family is. Thanks to the leaps and bounds of technology, it’s even easier for those of us here in New York to work with folks all over the country and overseas. We’ve got most of the continents covered and we’re just waiting on Antarctica. Heck, some of you are in a different day than me. How’s the future? Do you guys have Hover Boards yet?

And there’s the point. There’s a lot of stuff to know and an amazing amount of information that is useful to you. Here at the office, we have it all flow past us. We’ve got pretty ready access to getting the questions we all have answered. What’s new with the company?What’s changing, what’s not? What resources are available to me? And, more close to
home, when can I expect my pay? What’s Marvel offering to make my life easier? But forthose of you not in the office, you might feel left out of the loop and oceans away. So we want to fix that. This is the first of a new newsletter email we’ll be sending out periodically to you… our life’s blood, the folks that help make Marvel tick. In it, we’ll do our best to provide answers to your questions. If we’re really good at our job, maybe even before you ask ‘em.

Did you know we’re in the process of building a SketchUp 3D library of everything from Cap’s shield to Avengers Mansion? Are you hip to the fact that we’ve got a print program for our exclusive talent that allows you to easily order special edition prints for you to have at shows and appearances? There’s all kinds of stuff to share. The plan is to make sure we let you know all about it. Oh, and if you have any suggestions, we’re all ears.

So, if you’ve got a question? We want to answer it. If it’s something that you feel your fellow freelancers would want to know too, drop us a line and we’ll include it in the next newsletter. E-mail George Beliard at XXXXXXXXX and tell him I sent ya.

Now, I’m going to let David Bogart kick-off this edition talking about a biggie. Recently, we announced the Marvel App for the iPad to much fanfare. What does this mean to you? Well, I’m not going to spoil it – I’ll let David fill you in. But I’ll say this much… remember that bright future I was talking about up top? Yeah, i think this is definitely a part of it.
Now where’s my Hover Board? See ya in the funny books!

And David Bogart (the man who made me the man I am today) followed with;

We were very excited by the positive feedback the Marvel Comics App received during the release of the Apple iPad. Many of the press reports and reviews mentioned how great the comics looked. Digital formats and distrdmtion are a great opportunity for Marvel to reach new fans and to present your amazing work on new platforms.

Please know that Marvel is working to include digital comics in the Marvel Comics Standard Talent
Incentive Plan.

We plan to make incentive payments for downloadable digital comics by the beginning of August, after the San Diego Comic-Con. Digital downloads of comics – such as through the Sony PSP, and the Ipad/Iphone/Ipod Touch devices – are sold to consumers on a per issue basis, and we can more easily calculate the revenue tied to specific issues.

The incentive plan for digital comics available in subscription services – the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited service on marvel.com – is more complicated, since consumers are granted access to a great number of issues for one flat fee. Our goal is to finalize a plan by the end of this year to pay subscription-based digital comic incentives.

The email continued with links to CGI models of various Marvel buildings and props, and links to an online version of the Official Handbook To The Marvel Universe from 2004-2007 full of extra visual reference material for characters as well…

Quote of the day | Christine Valada, on digital royalties for creators | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

‘Nuff said.  Put up or shut up Marvel!!

Quote of the day | Christine Valada, on digital royalties for creators | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Quote of the day | Christine Valada, on digital royalties for creators

* Posted on June 24, 2010 – 04:00 PM by Kevin Melrose

“This is certainly welcome news for DC creators, who have benefited from DC’s long-standing policy of equitable compensation over the long-term. Marvel has reproduced works in various electronic formats for years, and I can assure you that my husband hasn’t seen a goddamned dime for any such use of Giant-Sized X-Men #1 or anything else he ever created for Marvel. Meanwhile, royalties from DC for a relatively minor character got us through the worst of our past 15 months of hell. Until Marvel takes the steps that DC has to compensate the creators who made the company great, all it is doing is blowing smoke. Anyone who thinks Marvel is the better place to work is just deluding themselves.”

– photographer Christine Valada, wife of veteran writer and editor Len Wein, on DC Comics’ announcement of creator royalties for digital sales

DC digital fallout: Royalty war | The Beat

So the truth comes out, DC pays people a LOT better than Marvel

DC digital fallout: Royalty war | The Beat

DC digital fallout: Royalty war
13 Comments POSTED ON Jun 24 2010 AT 4:25 pm BY The Beat

Lots of reaction and ripples from yesterday’s announcement that DC was at long last joining the digital world with their DC Comics apps for iPad, iPhone and PSP. One of the more amusing developments came from the news that DC was definitely including creator royalties for digital sales, as announced in a widely leaked memo to freelancers:

Subject: A message from Jim Lee and Dan DiDio.
June 23, 2010

To our fellow creators,

Today we set in motion arguably the most significant program in the modern history of DC Comics. Through concurrent but separate partnerships with comiXology, the leading digital comics app developer, and the Sony PlayStation Network Comics Store, DC will now, for the first time, be offering for sale to fans all over the world digital issues featuring the world’s greatest characters. We chose the Sony PlayStation Network Comics Store and comiXology as the first two partners to distribute our titles because of their incredible marketing reach and technological expertise in authoring and optimizing the traditional narrative of print comics into digital form. In short, they make digital comics a pleasure to read whether you are reading them online on your computers, on your iPhone, on your iPad or on your PSP.

As we make this announcement it’s worth noting that, although DC is not the first major publisher to enter the digital comics arena, we are the first to announce a participation plan for talent, thereby setting the industry standard in that regard. Details of our initial compensation plan will be mailed to you in hard copy for your records and should be arriving next week. In broad strokes, the compensation is calculated on a net receipts basis in order to accommodate the various reporting structures of our digital publishing partners. Most importantly, we assure you that your participation in these digital works will be equal to or exceed the participation levels that you currently receive under our additional compensation plan for print.

There are other significant ways our digital program differs from those of our competitors and these differences underscore our belief that this new digital channel will improve our ability to better market and sell comic books to several new kinds of comics readers. Whether they be kids or lapsed fans or new fans coming into the art form through their love of comic book characters in film, TV or videogames, we are convinced our digital program will grow the entire business, not just for DC, but for our traditional book channels and also allow you, the creators, to reach more readers than ever in recent memory. To that end, you will see a wide and diverse selection of digital comics being offered in the upcoming weeks–hopefully some of your very own work!

All the best–

Jim Lee and Dan DiDio
Co-Publishers, DC Comics

This was a clear — and welcome — play to creators fretting about making money in this digital era. But meanwhile, across town, Marvel’s CB Cebulski was pooping in the punchbowl on Twitter:

>yawn< (Not because I’m tired, but because I just saw today’s “news”.)

I’m not sniping at DC, just correcting misinformation that’s being sent out freelancers, some who work for both companies.

Sorry, DC, but despite what your nice letter says, you are NOT “the first to announce a participation plan for talent” for digital comics.

I’m thrilled I can read my DC Comics digitally now and this really shows the new age @JimLee00 and @GeoffJohns0 are ushering in for them!

Marvel editor Tom Brevoort joined in the sniping:

So today, DC invented the digital comic and payments for same. Interesting approach, taking a leadership position from the back of the line.

While public ribbing is par for the course for these crosstown rivals, it did raise the question of why DC is comfortable publicly announcing their incentive plans, which Marvel can only do so via passive-aggressive snark on a social networking platform.

After doing a little digging, we found out what really happened. It seems that on Monday of THIS WEEK, Marvel sent out a letter to its exclusive talent announcing a royalty program for their digital publishing — something that had been missing before. The plan is thus far only the promise of royalties — none have been paid — and hasn’t been announced to non-exclusive talent yet. The timing would suggest that Marvel got wind of DC’s impending announcement and wanted to head off any questioning by Marvel talent.

This does raise the larger question of Marvel’s entire royalty program, however. While Marvel creators we talked to were all happy as a clam with their compensation deals, and Marvel is winning the propaganda war for overall creator satisfaction and talent development, they are definitely wayyy in second place as far as royalties go. Their existing royalty program runs for a few years, as opposed to DC’s which runs in perpetuity. Also, and more famously, Marvel pays NO royalties on foreign sales, despite the huge success of Marvel properties around the world.

DC does. And that’s a very significant amount of income for creators.

The question of Marvel paying digital royalties for digital comics is one that had been uncomfortably bandied around in some interviews with Joe Quesada and others. The fact that Marvel has had to quickly pony up the announcement of a plan with DC announcing theirs shows that both companies consider digital publishing a key component of their future — not including creators in the payout simply isn’t a option for the future pixelated world of comics.

From where we sit, if Marvel and DC want to get into a war over who treats creators better and pays more royalties — it’s one of the BEST thing that could happen for comics.

UPDATE: I’m informed that the announcement to talent
was part of a long planned roll-out which included other information. If nothing else, this proves two things:

a) Marvel is very serious about making sure its creators are paid fairly for digital publishing

and

b) Marvel freelancers are a lot more tight-lipped than DC creators!

Top 5 Reasons Why the Legion of Super-Heroes is Cooler than the Avengers

As most of you already know, DC and Marvel both relaunched two of their titles with number one issues on the same day a few weeks ago.  For DC, it was the Legion of Super-Heroes, and for Marvel it was the Avengers.

Although I have to admit I have always been a big DC fan, as well as a HUGE Legion fan, one fact became clear pretty after reading both of those issues.

The Legion of Super-Heroes is cooler than the Avengers.  Here are the top 5 reasons why:

5. The Legion doesn’t kill, period.

I am not so sure that you can say the same for some of the Avengers…

---

4. The Legion doesn’t use weapons

Check out your line up from Avengers #1

You got:

1. Thor – hammer
2. Hawkeye – bow and arrow
3. Spider-Man – web shooters (borderline on that one)
4. Wolverine – razor sharp claws
5. Captain America – shield, gun, knife
6. Iron Man – high tech armor

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3. The Legion has time machines

Time sphere – check

Time viewer – check

---

2. The Legion has flight rings

‘Nuff said.

---

1.  The Legion never stopped being heroes.

While Marvel is trying to recover from its “Civil War” and start a new “Heroic Age” for its heroes.  The Legion, no matter what its incarnation, never stopped being heroes and a inspiration for comic fans everywhere.

Movie Review – Iron Man 2

Those of you that know me know that I haven’t been a big fan of Marvel Comics for a while now.  The main reason being that Marvel’s super-heroes aren’t really “heroic” enough for my tastes, or at least how I think a super-hero should be.  Whether that will change with the new “Heroic Age” that Marvel is starting soon remains to be seen.

With all that said, overall Iron Man 2 was a truly great movie!    There was action, suspense, great special effects, with some humor mixed in for good measure.  Back in the day, I actually read Iron Man for a quite a while.  I don’t remember why I stopped, but this movie actually made me want to start reading it again.

Iron Man 2 was just as good, if not better, than the first movie in my opinion.  This is really hard to pull off but I think that the fact that they are staying pretty close to the original source material (from what I remember anyway), has a lot to do with it.  This is usually the fatal mistake that Hollywood makes when making a movie based on a comic book character.  The two Hulk movies are a great example of this.  The first one strayed too far from the original material and was horrible, the second one was a lot closer, even pulling from the 70’s TV show that was popular at the time, and was so much better for it.

Even though I really enjoyed Iron Man 2, I still had some issues with it.  More on that after the jump.  I must warn you, spoilers abound from here on out.

Read more

[Press] Spider-Man Is Targeted For Death In The Grim Hunt – Mavel.com

Spider-Man Is Targeted For Death In The Grim Hunt

Spider-Man’s been put through some of the worst moments of his life and it’s all been leading to this-The Grim Hunt! Beginning in Amazing
Spider-Man #634, acclaimed creators Joe Kelly and Michael Lark present the final endgame of the Gauntlet as two women claiming to be the wife
and daughter of Kraven target Spider-Man for extermination. Everyone close to the wall-crawler is in danger and by issue’s end one of his
closest allies will be sacrificed to prepare to attempt an unholy resurrection. After facing the savagery of the Lizard, the heartbreak
of the Rhino’s return to crime, and over a dozen of his rogues both old and new, Spider-Man is at the mercy of the Kravinoff family as their
carefully plotted revenge is finally at hand.

Plus, Amazing Spider-Man #634 marks the beginning of two exciting new features! The legendary Stan Lee teams with Marcos Martin for a 2-page
“Spidey Sunday Feature,” bringing the real world into Spider-Man’s world. And J.M. DeMatteis, author of the classic “Kraven’s Last Hunt”
returns to the Amazing Spider-Man with Max Fiumara to explore an unknown confrontation between Kraven and Spidey’s violent doppelganger Kaine…a
battle which promises ramifications on the Grim Hunt itself.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #634 (APR100537)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #634 VILLAIN VARIANT (APR100538)

Written by JOE KELLY, STAN LEE & J.M. DEMATTEIS

Penciled by MICHAEL LARK, MARCOS MARTIN & MAX FIUMARA

50/50 Covers by LEINIL FRANCIS YU & MIKE FYLES

Villain Variant by JOE QUINONES

Rated A …$3.99

FOC-5/27/10, On-Sale-6/16/10

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit
http://www.comicshoplocator.com

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics).  Marvel’s strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world, including feature films, consumer
products, toys, video games, animated television, direct-to-DVD and online. For more information visit www.marvel.com

Marvel goes international only with comiXology – comiXology

Best comic app for the iPhone!

Marvel goes international only with comiXology – comiXology

Marvel goes international only with comiXology
Tuesday March 16, 2010 09:20:55 am

Today we’re proud to announce that Marvel Comics are now available internationally through Comics by comiXology, the #1 iPhone OS application for digital comics.

Comics by comiXology is the only iPhone OS app selling Marvel outside the United States.

Since October 30th, 2009, top Marvel comics have been available on the iPhone through Comics by comiXology, among other iPhone OS comic store apps, in the US only. With this latest partnership, Marvel and comiXology will team up to make Marvel’s digital catalog available worldwide. The relationship marks Marvel’s first international agreement for digital comics on the iPhone OS.

Marvel Comics’ publications are available immediately on the iPhone and iPod Touch in all countries where the Comics by comiXology app is available.

Comics by comiXology has been in the top 20 Book Apps on the iTunes app Store since launch in July, 2009, making it the top selling comics store and reader application available on the iPhone OS.

Cup O’ Joe: Political Controversy & The Heroic Age – Comic Book Resources

The picture in the comic was taken from a REAL SIGN at Tea Party rally!!

Classic!

Cup O’ Joe: Political Controversy & The Heroic Age – Comic Book Resources

The book was getting ready to go to the printer, it was on fire already from a deadline standpoint, but the editor on the book noticed that there was a small art correct that needed to get done. On the first page featuring the protestors, the artist on the book drew slogans into the protest signs to give them a sense of reality and to set up the scene. On the following page featuring the protestors again, there were signs, but nothing written in them. From a continuity standpoint, this omission stood out like a sore thumb, but was easily fixable. So, just before the book went to the printer, the editor asked the letterer on the book to just fudge in some quick signs. The letterer in his rush to get the book out of the door but wanting to keep the signs believable, looked on the net and started pulling slogans from actual signs. That’s when he came upon this one.

Art Imitates Life..

FOXNews.com – Tea Party Jab to Be Zapped From Captain America Comic, Writer Says

I hate to give Fox News any press, but I had to comment about this.

First I was shocked that those Tea Party people can actually read, let alone read comics.  Someone had to point it out to them i bet.  Second, I have something to say to the Tea Party group.  Grow up and get the fuck over yourselves!  If something as little as this hits a nerve, maybe you should take a long hard look at what you are doing and how you are doing it.

To Marvel: SHAME on you for falling under this kind of pressure from a bunch of lunatics.  Do you think these people are really going to hurt your bottom line?  Or did the Mouse force you to do it?

FOXNews.com – Tea Party Jab to Be Zapped From Captain America Comic, Writer Says

Tea Party Jab to Be Zapped From Captain America Comic, Writer Says

By Joshua Rhett Miller

– FOXNews.com

A “tea bag” reference in a recent Captain America comic book that has angered the Tea Party movement will be removed by Marvel Comics in future editions, the story’s writer told FoxNews.com.

Writer Ed Brubaker told FoxNews.com that Marvel Comics will remove a “tea bag” reference from future editions of Captain America No. 602.

A “tea bag” reference in a recent Captain America comic book that has angered the Tea Party movement will be removed by Marvel Comics in future editions, the story’s writer told FoxNews.com.

In issue No. 602 of Captain America, “Two Americas, Part One,” the title hero and The Falcon, a black superhero from New York City, stumble upon a protest rally in Boise, Idaho. They see scores of protesters carrying signs that say “Stop the Socialists!” and “Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!”

Captain America says the protest appears to be an “anti-tax thing,” and The Falcon jokes that he likely would not be welcomed into the crowd of “angry white folks.”

Ed Brubaker, who wrote the story, told FoxNews.com he did not write the “Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!” sign shown in the edition, insisting that the words were added by someone in “lettering or production” just before being shipped to the printer. It will be changed in subsequent editions, he said.

“I don’t know who did it, probably someone who thought it was funny,” Brubaker wrote in an e-mail. “I didn’t think so, personally. That’s the sign being changed to something more generic for the trade reprint, because I and my editor were both shocked to see it.”

But the change may come too late to placate a chorus of critics who noticed the apparent jab at the Tea Party movement and who accused Marvel of making supervillains out of patriotic Americans.

Michael Johns, a board member of the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, said he felt the “juvenile” dig will ultimately do more damage to Marvel’s brand than to the Tea Party movement. He also disputed the insinuation that the growing movement lacks diversity.

“The Tea Party movement has been very reflective of broad concerns of all Americans,” Johns said. “Membership is across ethnic, religious and even political lines.”

Johns accused Brubaker of “blame-shifting” and questioned why an apology or retraction hadn’t been issued as soon as the writer or Marvel executives noticed the politically charged signs.

Brubaker, meanwhile, has made no secret of his political leanings.

He said he wrote the script “four or five” months ago, which was shortly before he posted critical messages on his Twitter account regarding former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former President George W. Bush.

“Memo to Bachman and the rest of the tea crowd — We had a revolution already, it’s called an election,” Brubaker tweeted on Nov. 5.

Nine days later, he wrote: “What did we learn this week? That Sarah Palin is a lying idiot. Hey, welcome to 2008 again.”

But Brubaker was adamant that he did not intend to imply that the group of protesters in the comic book were Tea Partiers.

“I was simply using them to show the mood in the country in various places outside Captain America and the Falcon’s usual home, New York City,” he wrote. “It’s very similar to other things we’ve done in the comic, showing leftwing protest crowds back during the election season in 2008.”

A spokeswoman for Marvel Comics did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Herb London, president of the Hudson Institute, a think tank based in Washington, said the protest scene in the comic book is merely the latest attempt in a “systematic effort” to chastise the grassroots Tea Party movement.

“I was perplexed by this,” London said. “It seems to me there was a clear effort on someone’s part to undermine the Tea Party movement.”

London said the comic strip insinuates the protesters are “loonies,” and he questioned The Falcon’s reference to race.

“It involves sensitivities,” London said. “There’s no reason for something like that to be included.”

Marvel Begins Exciting New Direction in May 2010 | Marvel.com News | Marvel.com

This is long overdue in my opinion

Marvel Begins Exciting New Direction in May 2010 | Marvel.com News | Marvel.com

Marvel: The Heroic Age
Marvel Begins Exciting New Direction in May 2010

Posted: 2010-01-27 Updated: 2010-02-02 10:57:58

Marvel Comics is proud to announce The Heroic Age, the dawn of an exciting new era of heroism in the Marvel Universe! Beginning in May 2010 with the release of AVENGERS #1, The Heroic Age ushers in a brighter Marvel Universe and a bold new era for the world’s greatest super heroes as they emerge from darkness with a renewed sense of hope and optimism, leading to the formation of all new teams with new members…and brand new characters! Titles branded with the Heroic Age banner offer a perfect jumping on point for readers new and old alike, as the top comic book creators in the world deliver a Marvel Universe like you’ve never seen before!

Over the past few years, the Marvel Universe and its citizens have found themselves living in a dark age of despair. Beginning with the disbanding of the Avengers, the heroes of the Marvel Universe have been caught in a demoralizing downward spiral that has included the genocide of the mutant population, a divisive civil war between heroes, the assassination of Captain America, a worldwide subversive alien infiltration and invasion, and the media-fueled and publicly-supported ascension of the Green Goblin’s civilian identity, Norman Osborn, to power and control of the United States. Now, the heroes have united once again, stronger than ever and are prepared to face the dangers that lie ahead.

“Our heroes have experienced some of their greatest trials and tribulations recently, but now there’s going to be a renewed hope among their ranks,” said Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer & Editor-in-Chief Marvel Entertainment LLC. “As our heroes emerge from the darkness, the Marvel Universe is going to be a more optimistic place than we’ve seen in a quite awhile. But that doesn’t mean we’re making things easy for our characters!”

From the tone of the storylines, to the stunning new artistic look, The Heroic Age ushers in a dramatic new vision of the Marvel Universe. Marvel’s most elite characters will be at the center of The Heroic Age, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and more!

David Gabriel, Senior Vice-President of Sales & Circulation, Marvel Entertainment LLC. added “We’ve been working out the details of THE HEROIC AGE for about a year now. The plan is to give old and new fans alike the perfect place to jump into the Marvel Universe without feeling like they’ve missed out on anything that’s come before. If there’s a Heroic Age banner on one of the books, we’re serious when we say ‘the Marvel Universe Starts Here!”

A new Age of Heroes dawns this May as THE HEROIC AGE begins and changes the face of comics as you know them! Join Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, John Romita Jr, and more of the industry’s hottest creators as they bring a bold new era for the world’s greatest super heroes, with a stunning new look for the Marvel Universe!

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