So.... Jesus Is Getting His Own DC Comic

[Kon93]

Ppl lobby to make things happen or to stop them every single day, acting like because what you wanted got hit this time, doesn't mean it isn't right, cause the next time it will be on the other side that gets the hit.

BTW I love having the right to bitch, it means you live in a free world, and if you don't have that I feel bad for any who don't

[ArsonoptiX]

On no version of planet earth can a writer walk into a multinational media conglomerate and say "you know that contract we signed and that 5 figure sum you have spent on my book? Well can you tear that contract up and write that money off ?" And the company say "of course. No problem" unless something has gone drastically wrong.

If it was that easy to do every single creator who ever did anything for the company would be asking for their contracts to be torn up and their rights returned and DC would own nothing.

Well apparently on THIS earth it happened. And it was the creators of the series who confirmed what they did (walk into the office, ask for the rights, and walked out with the rights to the series). While we don't know the reasons....DC was apparently agreeable enough to let the rights to go. Creator owned works are easier in that regards. The book possessed no established characters and impacted nothing in the Vertigo universe. It wasn't censorship or because of the Christian horde...it was just two entities who determined it was best to part.

[iron chimp]

Well apparently on THIS earth it happened. And it was the creators of the series who confirmed what they did (walk into the office, ask for the rights, and walked out with the rights to the series). While we don't know the reasons....DC was apparently agreeable enough to let the rights to go. Creator owned works are easier in that regards. The book possessed no established characters and impacted nothing in the Vertigo universe. It wasn't censorship or because of the Christian horde...it was just two entities who determined it was best to part.

Good news for alan moore then if its that easy.

[The Darknight Detective]

Good news for alan moore then if its that easy.

If Moore wanted the rights back before his work was released (as is the case regarding the Jesus Christ book), it might have also been relatively easy.

[ChaoticScholar]

And on this day, Vertigo became Vertigo in name only.

[Osiris-Rex]

And on this day, Vertigo became Vertigo in name only.

Kind of makes a person a little dizzy.

[iron chimp]

If Moore wanted the rights back before his work was released (as is the case regarding the Jesus Christ book), it might have also been relatively easy.

And he'd never get another gig at dc again because the company would be out of pocket for a 5 figure sum and no commissioning editor at dc could trust him to deliver a project or see out a contract.

The commissioning editor would be called into publisher's office to explain why there's a slot missing in next 3 months solicits and a fall in revenue for next 3-6 months until they can rush something out to fill the gap.

If you can get dc to pay for development time then get them to tear up contract and hand rights back every single creator would be doing it.

[The Darknight Detective]

And he'd never get another gig at dc again because the company would be out of pocket for a 5 figure sum and no commissioning editor at dc could trust him to deliver a project or see out a contract.

The commissioning editor would be called into publisher's office to explain why there's a slot missing in next 3 months solicits and a fall in revenue for next 3-6 months until they can rush something out to fill the gap.

If you can get dc to pay for development time then get them to tear up contract and hand rights back every single creator would be doing it.

Except we're not talking about coercing DC into tearing up a contract, iron chimp, but both sides coming to an amicable decision.

[CaptCleghorn]

And he'd never get another gig at dc again because the company would be out of pocket for a 5 figure sum and no commissioning editor at dc could trust him to deliver a project or see out a contract.

The commissioning editor would be called into publisher's office to explain why there's a slot missing in next 3 months solicits and a fall in revenue for next 3-6 months until they can rush something out to fill the gap.

If you can get dc to pay for development time then get them to tear up contract and hand rights back every single creator would be doing it.

Just because one instance happens, doesn't make the event easy. And Vertigo contracts are different than DC contracts as far as rights are concerned. Alan Moore's stuff will be making DC money for a long time. Second Coming probably won't. It may get DC more good press by giving the rights to Russell. Without a handle on details with the original contract, any discussion would be flawed. Only speculation will exist. Not that that ever stopped us.

[iron chimp]

Except we're not talking about coercing DC into tearing up a contract, iron chimp, but both sides coming to an amicable decision.

For no apparent reason he walked into editorial office asked for his rights back and for no apparent reason found DC entirely amenable to returning them. What a charmingly whimsical day for all concerned. What a fortuitous day for him tho - all development money paid and his own IP. Many have walked in before and asked for their contracts to be torn up or their IP returned and found DC in an entirely different mood. A historic day for all creators.

And I'm sure DC paid up the artist, letterer, and colourist for their contracts as they are now out of work too.

[iron chimp]

Just because one instance happens, doesn't make the event easy. And Vertigo contracts are different than DC contracts as far as rights are concerned. Alan Moore's stuff will be making DC money for a long time. Second Coming probably won't. It may get DC more good press by giving the rights to Russell. Without a handle on details with the original contract, any discussion would be flawed. Only speculation will exist. Not that that ever stopped us.

You are quite right - we do not know what's gone on here at all but something's gone on because the narrative of man walks into dc - asks for his work to be returned and gets his contract torn up and his work returned from an IP farm seems somewhat lacking in some very important details.

Oh it gives DC great press - so you can get them to pay for all your development and then just ask for it back and take it somewhere else - awesome - it's like a Xerxes grant. Every creator will want a piece of that and I'd hate to think they wont get it when Russell can. Great for the industry too as it means smaller publishers dont need to pay for development as Dc will do that for them.

Anyway - I will leave it there - the story will come out at some point in the future. Just for sport though my prediction is DC will give him either a black label book, prez will be finished, a Harley Quinn mini, or an ongoing main universe B list book as a thank you for taking all the heat and being left out to dry by the publisher whilst the art team will be paid up for 6 issues and a new book promised to them.

[The Darknight Detective]

For no apparent reason he walked into editorial office asked for his rights back and for no apparent reason found DC entirely amenable to returning them. What a charmingly whimsical day for all concerned. What a fortuitous day for him tho - all development money paid and his own IP. Many have walked in before and asked for their contracts to be torn up or their IP returned and found DC in an entirely different mood. A historic day for all creators.

And I'm sure DC paid up the artist, letterer, and colourist for their contracts as they are now out of work too.

First of all, please refrain from adding sarcasm with your posts.

Secondly, I mentioned a while back why DC would have had no objections in regard to jettisoning a project this controversial if the opportunity appeared. Had it been a non-controverial project with big bucks attached to it, I doubt we would be having this discussion. Now if you want to insist DC is the big bad here, that's fine. But until there is evidence that confirms this, I'll go by the existing evidence that the creators initiated this (which does happen in the business world).

[Ilan Preskovsky]

I kind of can't believe just how many people are standing up for DC on this. This isn't a question of "censorship" because such a thing doesn't really apply to private companies but is about a comic book company that was once the company of Watchmen, Preacher and Morrison's Animal Man; boundary pushing in a way that Marvel seldom was. Now, they're wimping out and toning down or cancelling anything that might be even vaguely controversial and are doing so in a way that has little rhyme or reason. Just a few months ago Vertigo and Black Label were heavily promoted as continuing in the great tradition of DC of the '80s and '90s, now they've been neutered to the point that they may as well be cancelled. Even Mister Miracle, a notably adults-only book, that was marked as such, still had its swearing distractingly censored. Comics have struggled for decades to be taken seriously and moves like this feel like a regression from a company that once led the way in showing the true potential of the comic book. Films, novels, TV shows, even video games, understand that different ttles can be geared towards different age groups and audiences; DC, as it stands, refuses to allow R-rated material to be shown in R-rated books and, even as Preacher enters its fourth season, the cmoc book company that spawned it acted in such a way as to cause the creators of a book that perhaps satirizes a religious figure to want to take it elsewhere - and for DC to readily agree to that.

And, I'm sorry, but if you think that "safe" (though still often violent) superhero comics are all that DC is about then you clearly haven't been reading comics from the company for very long.

[Ascended]

Ppl lobby to make things happen or to stop them every single day, acting like because what you wanted got hit this time, doesn't mean it isn't right, cause the next time it will be on the other side that gets the hit.

BTW I love having the right to bitch, it means you live in a free world, and if you don't have that I feel bad for any who don't

Oh, I'm against special interests lobbying in general. At least when it comes to preventing or boycotting something.

Way I see it, you dont *have* to like or support something, and have every right talk about why. But you dont have the right to try and take it from others.

If the creators of this book wanted to pull it, that's between them and DC. They dont have to provide the product if they decided against it. Perhaps the creators figured they could get a better paycheck at the indies, and maybe DC wanted to avoid another "bat-penis" style scandal by pissing off some prudes. I dont know. But it'd make me sad to think that this happened because one group (who largely werent gonna buy any comics to begin with) got a hair across their ass and ruined it for the rest of us.

[The Darknight Detective]

Oh, I'm against special interests lobbying in general. At least when it comes to preventing or boycotting something.

I'm not partial to them myself, though I have a soft spot for the Boston Tea Party.