The estate of artist Steve Ditko has settled with Marvel over ownership of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man. W0rldtr33 leads the November graphic novel sales charts. Bryce Gold, the head of Kickstarter Comics, has left the company. All on Comic Book Club News for December 11, 2023.
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Episode Transcript:
Ditko estate settles with Marvel.
W0rldtr33 leads November graphic novel sales.
Kickstarter Comics head exits.
This is Comic Book Club News for December 11, 2023.
Ditko Estate Settles With Marvel Over Ownership Of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Iron Man:
Disney and Marvel have settled an ongoing lawsuit with the estate of Steve Ditko regarding ownership of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man. And either good news if you’re a fan of the superhero characters, or just news if you’re a fan of artists’ rights, the characters will be staying with Marvel for the foreseeable future.
To be clear, the Ditko estate was not asking for sole ownership of the characters. However, it is unlikely the settlement led to a co-ownership agreement, so much as a financial payout, or some sort of revised credit on projects associated with the characters, a la a similar suit from about a decade ago regarding Superman.
Like similar lawsuits, the issue stems back to who created these characters, and how involved in the creation of these characters they were. In this case, reports vary, but the characters’ final forms above wouldn’t be how they were without artist Steve Ditko. That said? Marvel and Disney argue that when they were created decades prior, it was work for hire, and Ditko was paid a per-page rate.
While the Ditko estate — and history — may not agree, they have agreed to settle for an undisclosed sum of money, and an attorney for the estate told Deadline that, “the parties reached an amicable resolution of this interesting case.”
Given the expiration of certain rights to these superhero characters, this isn’t the first case of this sort — and it won’t be the last.
W0rldtr33 Tops November Graphic Novel Sales Charts:
James Tynion IV has created yet another hit comic, as W0rldtr33 Volume 1 went straight to the top of the November graphic novel sales charts.
While it ranked number twenty on dollars made, according to ICv2, it was number one on units sold. Part of the reason? No doubt that the trade collection of issues one through five of the Image Comics series was sold at an extremely affordable $9.99.
The top five was rounded out by perennial bestseller Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin at number two and spinoff The Lost Years at number three. Saga volume 11 at number four. And Daniel Clowes’s Monica at number five.
Other highlights of the chart include a strong showing for Comic Book Club’s favorite Hallows’ Eve at number nine. And coming in at number twenty, a quickly rushed back-to-print edition of DC Comics’ Bodies, which became a surprise hit over on Netflix.
Bryce Gold, Head Of Kickstarter Comics, Exits Company:
Bryce Gold, the head of comics for Kickstarter, has announced he’s leaving the company. The news was posted on his personal X account, formerly known as a Twitter account.
Said Gold: “Big news – I’ve decided to take on another role and will be leaving my current position as Kickstarter’s Head of Comics. Today is my last day! Shout-out to all of the creators who have brought the most interesting, beautiful, and radical comics to life on @kickstarter these last six months. I am so grateful to have been a part of your process. Although I am leaving Kickstarter, I will not be a stranger in the world of comics and look forward to sharing more soon.”
While numerous other crowdfunding platforms have risen up in the intervening years, Kickstarter is still a huge platform for comic book creation. As The Beat speculates, it’s possible this role, which recruits comic book creators and assists in the creation of Kickstarter projects, may have already been filled internally. As for where Gold will go next? Stay tuned.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And let me be the first to say: stay pony, Gold boy.
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