ComicMix’s Glenn Hauman posts his memories meetings with MARVEl people SIX YEARS AGO:
–which leads into yet another story of how I was brought in to discuss digital strategies with comic companies. This time I was brought in to meet with Gui Karyo, at the time the CIO of Marvel, in March of 2001 to discuss the status of their archives, digital and otherwise; their upcoming CD-ROM archives, and digital asset management in general for the company. I pointed out that Marvel’s in house archives were a disaster, certainly in comparison to DC’s– Marvel didn’t even have complete printed runs of the comics they published, with gaps as recent as the previous decade. Their film for publication had been stored in a warehouse in Arizona, and hot climates are always where I want to store four decade old film.
One of the things I had suggested was taking the time to build a system for digital asset management, so that the company would know what they had and everyone in the company, plus freelancers and licensees, could access it easily. As a demonstration, I pulled out a thousand dollar comic book– Man Of War Comics #1– and said that I could make a decent argument in either direction on whether Marvel owned the rights or not.
For a variety of reasons, Marvel still hasn’t done it, and as a result their own freelancers are now shelling out money to get reference that the company should be providing.
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You know it’s odd, because one of the (MANY) things I did at Marvel was the Archives and no one visited me about this. But I would bet Gui wouldn’t tell me about it he was too busy having me counting extra comics. And by 2002 I was not only running the digital archives, hell I was creating it. Those files I’m guessing are now what is being used for the new Marvel on-line books. Well it’s good to see that some of my Hard work is being used.
Wilson Ramos Jr.
He sure is making a big deal that he’s actually been in business meetings. Is looking for a new job or just attention?
I believe Ralph Machio’s Spider-Man collection was used to create the CD-ROM archive.
If one assumes that every title in the Essential line is now digitized, then the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is available for reference. Of course, even a lack of reference does not explain the bizarre figure on the recent Spider-Man : Back In Black hardcover dust jacket.
Nope, I’m happy where I am. I’m just pointing out how big companies can move, and why online scanners have been eating their lunch for over half a decade– and that it got so dumb with the big players that it required me to go out and create my own company to get around them.
And I wanted to make it perfectly clear that nobody can say they weren’t warned– in much the same way that they can’t say that they didn’t see the problems they created that caused the rise of, say, Image Comics.