I Made You a Comic, but the Publisher Eated It

When you are paid to do creative work for someone else, who owns what you create?

It’s a question asked in more industries that just comic books; who owns creative content? Seeing as this is a site dedicated to comics, we will be exploring Television and Film intellectual property in this article. Just making sure you are paying attention, let’s talk comics. Comic creators, much like comic fans, are given unique opportunities in our medium of choice. For creators, the big decision is whether to work with existing characters, or try their luck with a personal creation.

Big name publishers attract the top talent by offering exclusive deals and opportunities to work with historic characters. Creative teams used to take a far back seat to the stories and art they produced, going so far as to not even being credited for their work. Recently DC and Marvel have done a much better job recognizing and naming creators for the work they create while under their employ, most books list not only the current teams, but their originators as well. Is the lure of working on Batman or Spider-Man causing talented people to forego their own creative endeavors? Are we losing brilliant creator owned books to the draw of big publishers and titles?

There is no shortage of great talent producing great books that are creator owned, but even when ‘big name’ creators venture away from established properties for their own creations, they run the risk of failure. Getting in as a creator on a high profile book provides an established sales base and exposure to fans that might not otherwise have found your work. Many comic professionals start out the same way, as comic fans. Growing up reading, watching and wearing things from Marvel and DC can have a powerful influence over the direction of a comic creator’s career.

Publishers recognize the power of their characters and use it to their advantage to lure in the top talent. They understand that creators who arise from the talented and diverse pool of comic fans, have already dedicated a lot of time thinking about their products. I know I personally have pages of notes drafted about Wonder Woman, not to mention countless hours engaged on forums and at cons. Essentially this is free training for publishers like DC and Marvel, and they would be suspect to NOT pull creators from their fan base.

Exchanging renown and royalties for unfettered creative control and ownership is a choice almost all creative professionals face.

Creating under the banners of Marvel and DC can open doors and let a creator add their spin to a legacy that will most likely outlive their career, and possibly their life itself. At the same time it means you are not in control of your own destiny, if DC decides your book will be part of the summer’s big cross-over event, you have to comply. You can do anything you want, as long as it fits within their corporate, brand and character guidelines, as well as being approved by the editorial staff. Even with these restrictions creators are able to do amazing things with the characters, putting new spins on 70 year old origins, and even sneaking in their own creations as supporting cast and villains. But at the end of the day, the publishers retain the rights to the the material created while under their employ. Your characters are now theirs to do with as they wish.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is self-publishing. For those creative souls seeking complete control and ownership of the fruits of their labors, this is the only way to go. Creators that have the burning passion to see their creations in print, not just their ideas for other’s creations are much more likely to face adversity and languish in somewhat obscurity during their careers than those who choose to write Batman. In return they get total control over their work, and the possibility of Ninja-Turtle-like mainstream success. Who knows, with a little luck, you too could end up married to a Penthouse Pet. I hope this lofty goal is not what drives most independent comic creators, but the thought of that possibility has to always be lurking close in mind.

Ownership of the fans or ownership of the creations. While not mutually exclusive, these are the main paths creators take when venturing into the wonderful world of sequential art that is comic books. It is up the the individual creative talent to decide their destination. Both choices offer strong reasons for pursuit, both come with their share of potential and pitfalls. One thing is for sure, no matter which path a creator takes, we the comic fans reap the rewards.