Elvira will tackle H.P. Lovecraft’s racism in a new comic book. The Amazing Spider-Man is teasing a mystery villain in Gang War. Comic book page rates have dropped in the past 14 years. All on Comic Book Club News for November 22, 2023.
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Episode Transcript:
Elvira vs. H.P. Lovecraft’s racism?
Amazing Spider-Man teases mystery villain.
Comic book page rates drop.
This is Comic Book Club News for November 22, 2023.
Elvira To Tackle H.P. Lovecraft’s Racism In New Book:
H.P. Lovecraft was an iconic horror fantasy author, who has influenced multiple genres and mediums. He was also very overtly racist. So when Dynamite announced a new comic titled Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft featuring the classic, goofy horror host, some eyebrows were sure to be raised.
However, fans of the often very good comics should be pleased to know that writer David Avallone won’t ignore Lovecraft’s checkered past.
Said Avallone via a press release provided to Comic Book Club News: “True Lovecraft fans will find a lot of echoes and Easter Eggs from his work. My dad had a copy of The Dunwich Horror and Other Stories when I was growing up, and I read it at a fairly young age. I was blown away by the writing and the imagination: it felt like ‘what if Poe wrote sci-fi?’
“I also noticed, even then, that so much of his horror reflected his fear of the “other” and the unknown, and how it turned ugly when those fears extended to his fellow human beings and not just tentacled space monsters. We deal with that head on and — I hope — find comedy in this early 20th century ghost, with all his fears and prejudices, having to face a very different world from the one he left behind, as he embarks on this crazy quest with a woman who will take no crap from him.”
The plot of the ongoing series follows Elvria and Lovecraft as they try to find the last copy of the Necronomicon to stop the Old Ones from destroying the planet. Will they solve racism at the same time? You can find out more when the first issue hits stores in February.
The Amazing Spider-Man Teases A Mystery Villain:
In today’s issue of The Amazing Spider-Man the Gang War storyline finally kicks off. And with it comes the reveal — or lack of reveal — of a mystery villain. Spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #38 past this point. In the issue, we see gangster Hammerhead doing a classic switch-em-up, pitting various gangs against each other by framing other gangs. He’s working for two other gangsters, Silvermane and Count Nefaria.
As Nathan Fielder would say: the plan? Pit the gangs against each other so Silvermane and Count Nefaria can consolidate control. Unfortunately, someone is controlling them. First, Silvermane chokes Nefaria seemingly to death. And then pops his own head off his robot body. Then out of the shadows steps a mystery figure who seems to be eager for the Gang War to begin.
So who is this mystery villain? The solicits for the next several issues of Amazing Spider-Man — the event runs through issue #44 — are relatively vague. Madame Masque is mentioned as a target in this issue, and seems to be the final boss in issue #44. Other possibilities include Hobgoblin, Beetle and Diamondback, all of whom are teased in upcoming solicits for the event.
But one character who isn’t mentioned, who has been a key figure in past Marvel gang wars? The Rose.
The Rose is an identity who has been used by multiple characters before, including Richard Fisk, the son of the Kingpin — who also appears in the event. And Richard Fisk was recently resurrected, so with his father relatively out of power, it’s possible he could be looking to consolidate his own control out of the chaos.
Whoever is behind everything, we should know when Gang War wraps up in April.
Comic Book Page Rates Have Dropped In 14 Years:
For our final story of the day, we’re back on the topic of comic book page rates. Recently Mark Millar noted that friends of his told him they were getting $90 a page, while he used to get $1000 a page. That’s pretty wild, but perhaps even wilder is what former Harris Comics EIC Bon Alimagno has revealed: page rates have dropped over 14 years.
In a post on Facebook, as reported by The Beat, Alimagno revealed the basic page rate he used to pay in 2009. $110 a page for a writer, $190 a page for pencils, all the way up to $1000 for a painted cover. However, a quick look at FairPageRates.com, which only has data going up to 2016, shows the average pay rate was $80-$100 for a writer for a mainstream comic — meaning DC or Marvel — while covers had dropped to $600-$700.
In case it isn’t clear, that’s less than before. And not only that, it doesn’t take into account inflation.
Certainly comics have gotten more expensive to produce, distribute, and market. But at the same time, imagine if minimum wage didn’t increase over time to match inflation. Sorry, I’m just getting word that minimum wage also hasn’t kept up with inflation, and in fact is 40 percent lower in 2023 than it was in 1970.
Wow, working is bad!
Beyond that the main takeaway here is that with increased salary transparency, it makes it easier for artists and writers just starting out to know how much their work is worth, what they can ask for, and if a publisher is trying to short change them. And it also makes it easier for publishers to make their rates more competitive, which will hopefully drive pay up across the board.
Or, you know. It won’t do that.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. Hey, maybe H.P. Lovecraft is the mystery villain in Amazing Spider-Man! That would be fun.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
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