I suggest he go ahead and register his creations and characters with the copyright office. Couldn’t hurt and might help.

An FYI

For you published or aspiring novelists out there who are doing or considering writing media tie-ins…

Work-for-hire does NOT cover novels. They are outside the criteria.

But if you want to work in the comics “business”, then you’ve got to know the business, and not complain about it when you don’t. This guy acts like he didn’t know what a work-for-hire contract was, thinks that Platinum Studios is the only one who uses them, didn’t read his own contract that he signed and then complains that he didn’t get the deal he wanted. (Of course, he had no complaints when he took their money.)

Would you expect that Platinum would had over money to you without reading your pitch or seeing your artwork? Then why would you hand over your creation to them without reading their contract?

Cheers.

Contracts can be changed from one creator to another. Maybe Platinum simplified their contract since then, maybe not. No accusation here, just comment.

Telling a creator not to get attached to a project because of what the contract says is like promoting abstinence to teenagers.

Sometimes art is made with your heart not your head.

But you should still read contracts and wear condoms!

If you want to sign away your creation knowing the ramifications, that’s your biz. But, you know, I first read about what happened to Siegel and Shuster when I was, like, 11 years old (I’m 35 now). Then there was the fight over Kirby getting his artwork returned, Alan Moore disowning Watchmen over his deal with DC, Marv Wolfman’s unsuccessful lawsuit over Blade, and so on and so on. It’s hard to believe that anyone who’s serious about comics doesn’t have a rudimentary understanding of this stuff, even if all they’ve read was The Adventures of Kavalier and Klay! Even if you’re not a lawyer, this history should make you aware enough to know what to look out for. It’s NOT an iron-clad rule that you get shafted in your first contract! It does happen a lot because young artists’ enthusiasm and inexperience often outweighs their business sense, but there’s nothing that makes getting screwed (or LETTING yourself GET screwed) inevitable.

Thanks for the thoughtful outline I no doubt will save as a nice resource. I am so sad to hear this happen time and again and really the comic community owes itself to better protect their artistic voyage and rep. With POD readily available, there’s little reason for suspect publisher’s to get away with this kind of crap in the numbers they have. Have at thee.