140-4008 ImgWe have stayed away from what has become known as THE RICK OLNEY MEGA-THREAD, because, well, it’s like 10,000 posts long. Maybe if we get snowed in and the lights flicker out. We keep meaning to post our own sure to be humorous photo album entitled “One Night In Herkimer”, but you know, we don’t even have time to mop the floor let alone do that. Maybe one of these days.

Anyway, word has come of a new website called UNSCREWED where creators wronged by Olney and his Tight Lips Productions — and their friends — are uniting to produce a benefit anthology. Here’s the press release:

Creators get UNSCREWED!

People working their way up the ranks in comics, or other creative endeavors often become acquainted with the phrase “Paying Your Dues”. Often times paying your dues winds up with you not getting yours.

Speak with any creator about their “war story” and you’ll likely hear tales from their first few years, working on projects that never paid out, publishers who vanished like thieves in the night, or have even worse horrors wrought upon them.

One thing that unites most creative types is they all have at least one of those stories to trade. In some cases more than one, and therein lies a problem. Over the years a phrase has been coined speaking of “weekend publishers” people who come in, with pie in the sky promises, and deliver nothing, hurting only those that sought to create.

The UNSCREWED! anthology one-shot, to be released later this year, is intended to benefit victims of a large scale scam that has been perpetrated over many years by one such individual, uniting in a single volume dozens of voices that scream for accountability, and for getting just deserts.

Once relegated as being “just one of those things” goes through, this situation is now being challenged. No longer will people have to pay the ultimate cost for being conned.

There will be an auction to benefit those affected by this all to common occurrence. Countless items will be offered, from Names You Know to Names You Don’t, But Will Soon!

Look for one-of-a-kind specialty items, all offered for a worthy cause.. The proceeds of the book will go to a fund and be dispersed to those that fell victim to hollow words, and even more hollow actions.

In a world where we feel all alone chasing our dreams, where we fall prey to the dark nightmares lurking in desperate times, we are in reality a family, a community. What affects one of us will assuredly affect all of us, if it is left unchecked. Together we will stand up to abusive practices and declare that our business is not just an idle hobby

For more information concerning this project, visit http://www.unscrewedcomic.com for details and how YOU can join in the battle for accountability.

1 COMMENT

  1. At first I just saw the picture and thought “Oh, I wonder if that’s the Herkimer in upstate NY near where I’m from” and then I was embarrassed as I read the name Rick Olney and realized it was indeed the same herkimer.

    This seems so strange to me whenever I read about as I was there for the gestation of Orca- I was a member back when it was called the Utica Comics Club. I was but 11 or 12 at the time, and they gave out free comics at their meetings.

    If that wasn’t freaking awesome I don’t know what is.

    I don’t know when this dude went crazy. I guess maybe he was always crazy but it wasn’t a big deal when he didn’t try to run conventions or publish comics. When he was just trying to sit around with some comics readers and talk about comics for a few hours twice a month, no harm done.

    Now I just feel sort of embarrassed by the fact that I know him, and some comics that I thought were totally awesome when I was a wee lad came from his foolish group. Maybe I”ll put that autographed copy of Gambit and the X-ternals up on ebay, just to get rid of it’s dirty scent.

    Yeah, Age of Apocalypse was hot stuff when I was a wee lad.

  2. Thanks for running this Heidi!

    We’re all hoping that it gets enough attention for a good cause. We need to make sure everyone knows about this situation. As a warning to creators, and to people that think they can pull this kind of mess.

    Keep checking the Unscrewed! website. Hopefully we’ll have some information from the likes of Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, Scott Shaw! Gail Simmone, and Val Staples. ;)