Aldo reads Marvel NOW! (even though you are, and he clearly hasn't learned his lesson)

A Spawn character that Neil Gaiman co-created with Todd McFarlane and they've been fighting about ever since. Todd used the Marvel legal defence that it was work-for-hire and therefore he didn't owe him any royalties, Neil took him to court and won and they agreed they were co-creators as far as SPawn 9, Spawn 26 and three spin-off issues.

Since that legal case, it appears that Neil has bought out Todd's interest completely and is taking it to Marvel as part of his golden handcuffs deal there. No word on the other two characters that were part of the court case, or how this affects the Miracleman fiasco.

he didn't buy it out, he was awarded it by the court. (twice!)

and he obv doesn't have a golden handcuffs deal, as he's doing Sandman #0 right this moment.

It doesn't affect the Marvelman fiasco in any way.

Admittedly I am not the average DC buyer, but once Batman Inc's over, I don't think I'll be buying any of the books, for the first time since around 2004

I'm tentatively buying Batwoman for another month or so. But then I'm sure there've been occasional times since 1996 that Morrison hasn't had a book going at DC and I thus haven't been buying any of them.

(I do feel rly awkward buying Batwoman still, the way DC are treating readers and creators, and felt VERY gross buying Action - if I'd known the end date would keep moving, I would have bailed out around #10. But I've probably been done buying any Marvel ever for a year or two, unless they start paying royalties. Or put covers back on the floppies.)

the other two characters in the court case are acknowledged as being part-McFarlane, and so presumably Gaiman gets to request another audit, and McFarlane gets to declare bankruptcy in order to avoid it again, like after the first court case.

please explain A)golden handcuffs and B)put covers back on the floppies

at least i understand Marvel not paying nobody royalties

He was awarded co-creator credit by the courts. There has to be something else happened since the last court case for him to take it to another company - unless Todd is being paid shitloads by Marvel and I would imagine he'd have them over a barrel if Neil was insistent he was going to use it in GotG. I don't even see what NG's point is in using it, since he doesn't appear to show any affection for the character. He tried to swap it for Marvelman in 97 (which is where that character comes into it) and aiui his court cases were more about royalties and Todd deliberately leaving the issues in dispute out of tpbs.

Todd's a complete dick, but there's something weird going on here.

Didn't know about Sandman #0, retract my golden handcuffs statement. I'm amazed he's gone back to Marvel in that case, let alone to co-write a second (third?) tier book where whatever he writes is going to be retconned away by the forthcoming film in any case, or why Marvel are making such a big deal about it.

Okay, I remember reading about that Gaiman/McFarlane court case, but why would Marvel want to bring some obscure Spawn into the Marvel universe, especially if they'd have to pay McFarlane royalties for it?

"some obscure Spawn character"

that is a question that no one can answer

Waid daredevil is great by the way. Thanks and good call.

Maybe angela is being written into one of the movies?

uuuungh

Or maybe she is key to the eventual spawn reboot... Maybe even at marvel? Is that a thing? Fuck if i keep up with mcfarlanes bizness these days.

But i could see him teaming up with marvel if it would give him the clout to integrate his characters to the marvel u and then get them in avengers 4 and reap the 10% licensing fees.
Nb: i am making this up as i go along

if spawn shows up anywhere i'm throwing all my comics on the curb and reading only magazines and books

I am trying to imagine Spawn and Malebolgia in an Avengers movie and DO NOT WANT

please explain A)golden handcuffs and B)put covers back on the floppies

a) non-existent exclusive contract
b) last Marvel I bought (the first [?] Chris Samnee issue of Waid's Daredevil) was self-cover. gtfo for US$3.50 or w/e

(I bought four issues of Waid's DD and the second Strange Tales mini the year before; they both had covers.)

(when their first issue of Langridge Muppets apparently transliterated the Italian translation rather than accept Langridge's offer of his original English script, just to NOT HAVE CONTACT WITH HIM even though he knew he wouldn't get paid, I reached my "probably no moral twisting I can put myself through to justify buying anything from these cunts ever again" point tho)

He tried to swap it for Marvelman in 97 (which is where that character comes into it)

no, the character came into it when Todd bought Eclipse's assests and then OFFERED to swap him Marvelman for his interest in Spawn characters. he agreed, then Todd continued to never pay him anything, and also didn't send him anything indicating that Todd actually owned even the slightest fragment of Marvelman. hence another 16 years of legal nonsense.

and aiui his court cases were more about royalties and Todd deliberately leaving the issues in dispute out of tpbs.

royalties due to creating characters, and Todd only took the issues out of the TPBs and stopped making multiple action figures of all three ONCE Gaiman asked for his royalties.

let alone to co-write a second (third?) tier book where whatever he writes is going to be retconned away by the forthcoming film in any case, or why Marvel are making such a big deal about it.

he's editing dialogue in one issue AFAIK, not writing a series

and then get them in avengers 4 and reap the 10% licensing fees.
Nb: i am making this up as i go along

c'mon man this is psycho, Marvel don't pay royalties on books and got summary judgments against Kirby's grandkids the week the Captain America movie came out. what world do you think you're living in?

I hope I am living in a world where Spawn never ever ever has anything to do with the Avengers

So self-covering is a thing where they used to print the cover on a different type of paper to the inside and now they don't (but they've improved the interior paper stock)? Can't say I noticed.

no, the character came into it when Todd bought Eclipse's assests and then OFFERED to swap him Marvelman for his interest in Spawn characters. he agreed, then Todd continued to never pay him anything, and also didn't send him anything indicating that Todd actually owned even the slightest fragment of Marvelman. hence another 16 years of legal nonsense.

Ok, I'll rephrase what I said. NG was prepared to swap it for Marvelman. Does that make my point clearer? And yes, we all know Todd didn't actually have the rights he tried to sell in the end. Did you see the part where I said he was a dick?

royalties due to creating characters, and Todd only took the issues out of the TPBs and stopped making multiple action figures of all three ONCE Gaiman asked for his royalties.

Like is said then, about royalties.

he's editing dialogue in one issue AFAIK, not writing a series

Really? Wow. Then it's completely fucking crazy that Marvel are making any press out of it at all, and more than heavily implies that bringing it in was all Marvel's idea. I guess that means there are two main possible explanations for Angela appearing:

It was all Neil's idea

Given he did Marvel 1602 for free just to fundraise so Marvel could beat down Todd, I can't see why he would have the idea of giving Todd money unless its part of some conspiracy to get Marvel to pay him royalties and undermine their position. This only really makes sense if he obtained Todd's rights after the legal thing was over.

It was all Marvel's idea

Joe Quesada woke up one day and thought "I love that awesome character that appeared in 5 issues of another company's comic 20years ago, I should put the character in the MU". That's batshit.

Gaiman is sole owner of Angela.

character makes no sense outside of spawn, unless they throw it in with all the marvel supernatural crap, which could work but that is currently getting some play in x-factor

yeah but X-Factor is ending so that will have to move somewhere if they're going to keep using it

wait, what? they're canning x-factor?

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/04/28/x-factor-is-cancelled-official/

EZ that's what I thought must have happened, which means NG has got Todd's rights after the last court case.

Angela is going to be in Guardians of the Galaxy to start with, which is the book NG is working on.

maybe they'll put her in the movie

okay, putting angela in Guardians makes me feel it's super likely she's a movie character since they're focused on that film

c'mon man this is psycho, Marvel don't pay royalties on books and got summary judgments against Kirby's grandkids the week the Captain America movie came out. what world do you think you're living in?

Image takes a flat fee on every book it publishes.

Ok, so A Ewing's second Avengers Assemble is also VERY GOOD

Bright future that kid etc

AU started off promisingly, but #8 took it way off the rails imo.

― What makes a man start threads? (WilliamC), Thursday, May 16, 2013 3:22 PM (2 weeks ago)

yeah after that one I was basically thinking to myself "why am I reading this again"

― AMERICA IS ABOUT RESSLING (DJP), Thursday, May 16, 2013 3:27 PM (2 weeks ago)

Damn if Bendis didn't steer it back towards sensibility. I'm not a fan of Peterson or Pacheco, though.

Okay Mighty Avengers looks like it will be THE SHIT

thank u based Al

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=45933

Monica Rambeau
She-Hulk
White Tiger
Luke Cage
Power Man
Otto-Man
Falcon
Ronin
Blue Marvel

yes I'm buying this

nice to see Ms. Rambeau back

so the Otto-Man thing stuck huh? i kinda thought that would've been reversed by now

Really wish it wasn't Greg Land, but Al's Avengers Assemble issues were great.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/4eb4350bb02eb0e8117d42b181fb4e05/tumblr_mo16vd5VQL1qznhs5o1_500.jpg

It's possible that this won't rule. But it's not _very_ possible.

There are so many great Avengers/Avengers-affiliated books out right now, it's crazy

Might end up in the pub with Al this evening - will endeavour to convince him to cover Greg Land's art with as many dialogue boxes as possible. The Marvel Method works!

Make it so.

So, the indicia of AoU #10 says Marvel owns Angela lock, stock and barrel now. I guess that sorts out the debate above over whether .NG bought out Todd, which he must have done if he's sold it on. (Other option is that .NG sold his shares to Marvel leaving Todd in a 'name your price' position, which would constitute a bit of a fuck you to NG given how long he spent in court)

maybe he sold the character to them as some kind of consolation considering how the whole Marvelman thing faded out. i could see him just wanting to completely forget the whole thing at this point, or maybe he figures it'll be a huge pain in the ass for Todd to fight Marvel on it

So, the indicia of AoU #10 says Marvel owns Angela lock, stock and barrel now. I guess that sorts out the debate above over whether .NG bought out Todd, which he must have done if he's sold it on.

Seems far more likely that he was given the character as post-bankruptcy settlement.

maybe he sold the character to them as some kind of consolation considering how the whole Marvelman thing faded out.

it's unsettling to see a successful creator flogging a character to Marvel at all. but the idea he'd have to console them is weird - if Marvel aren't happy with ongoing sales on the 1602 collection, it's their problem for neither marketing nor keeping in print their collected editions. or if they're not happy with the sales on their Marvelman books, they shouldn't have paid a weegie wideboy for the rights (either 1 pound or the rumoured high amounts) nor published material nobody in the marketplace was interested in. and Gaiman already wrote The Eternals AS "thanks" for the royalties on the 1602 floppies!

oh yeah, i totally forgot about that book

you guys, Hawkeye #11

holy shit

I mean seriously, this may be the best single issue comic book I've read in years; the last time I had this strong a positive reaction to a book was We3 (which, given the POV of Hawkeye #11, is a big lol)

PIZZA DOG

http://kibblesmith.tumblr.com/post/53934553463/lyrics-by-mckelvie-sorry-it-took-so-long-i-had

I haven't read a single comic in about 5 weeks. This no internet and away from LCS thing is killing me.

I really love the way perspectives are used in this series; it sometimes feels like lazy storytelling when a book does the whole "here's what happened from so-and-so's perspective" but Fraction's decision to use the perspective overlap to anchor parts of the story together in terms of timeline and character motivation (this is the third time we've seen that confrontation between Clint and Kate, right?) and to expand the web of the story (the way the Clown was brought in).

Yup. Hawkeye #11. Insane.

So did people read Infinity? In the end, I really liked it. The conflicts were all sorta handwaved away, but that is still better than the fistfights normally thrown. And it was just constantly half mythically grand and half insanely batshit, and the structure was just weird. In the end, most of the Builders storyline was in Avengers while Thanos was in New Avengers, except that the whole point of the Builders agression was explained in this one issue of New Avengers which was a weird interlude from everything.