Platinum Studios
What's In Your Copyright?
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 27, 2008 - 09:22
Newsarama interviewed some of the creators, including Park and Barbara Lien-Cooper, who entered Tokyopop's comics contest. Heidi MacDonald comments on the ongoing Platinum and Tokyopop stories and Lea Hernandez weighs in again on the Tokyopop contracts.
While I'll admit I do get annoyed at the more judgmental commentators on these stories, I do think that work-for-hire contracts giving the publisher the copyright to original material is horribly horribly wrong for comics. It's great for companies interested in amassing IP for sales to Hollywood. But that IP-centric model -- especially when such companies don't really get around to publishing comics -- somedays it seems a lot like the company that buys up a lot of patents without any intent to actually manufacture anything.
Platinum Pays DJ Coffman
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 27, 2008 - 09:10
DJ Coffman blogs again about his ongoing issues with Platinum over the Hero By Night comic. Coffman states that he's now paid in full and that Platinum has terminated his consultant contract with them. Final results? Coffman paid what he's owed; Platinum boxing up Hero By Night like the Ark of the Covenant. Platinum owns the copyright on it so it can do what it wants, including never doing anything with it again.
A Year of Zuda
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 25, 2008 - 09:44
Comics Worth Reading writes that it's been a year since DC announced the coming of Zuda (the site actually went live last October) and this July, Zuda will be holding the "Zuda Comics 2008 Invitational" sort of a supplemental contest to their regular monthly contest. It will feature 10 comics selected by "fan response".
Zuda is essentially another IP farm, like Platinum, TokyoPop (and Marvel and DC...) and now that it's had a number of "winners" I'd really like to see some stories on how the winners are faring and whether their experience with DC/Zuda has lived up to their expectations.
DrunkDuck Founder Dylan Squires Moves on From Platinum Studios
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DrunkDuck.com founder and administrator Dylan "Volte6" Squires announced yesterday at the DrunkDuck forums that he has left Platinum Studios to pursue new opportunities. I caught up with Squires via email to fill out the story.
Webcomic Wire - 6/24/08
Submitted by NightgigTim on June 24, 2008 - 13:25
Drawn from sources who get their news from the Daily Show because it feels better in my soul-like region…
Platinum Studios announced in their newsletter that they recently had an independent firm perform an IP asset valuation and came up with the estimated worth of a little over $150MM.
Heidi MacDonald has a great post about how [...]
Another Platinum/DJ Coffman Update
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 23, 2008 - 14:02
DJ Coffman blogs more about his attempts to get some of the rights to Hero By Night returned from Platinum. Earlier this spring Coffman blogged about shutting down production on the comic book Hero By Night because Platinum hadn't been paying him and other creators working on the book. Coffman, understandably, has tried to be careful to layer his concerns within praise for Platinum -- he remains one of the company's biggest boosters online. One wonders if Platinum will do the right thing by Coffman or just not do anything at all...
In related, but better for Coffman news, his other webcomic Yirmumah returned to Keenspot this month.
Updates from the World O' Webcomics
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 16, 2008 - 16:43
Thanks to our current sponsors: the webcomic Please Rewind, and the Learn to Draw the Human Figure video series. More sponsorships available - CHEAP!
The June issue continues here at ComixTalk: an Interview with the creator of SPQR Blues -- Carol "Klio" Burrell; an interview with Faith Erin Hicks who just won the Joe Shuster award for Canada's Favorite Comic Book Creator, an interview with Dylan Meconis, the creator of Family Man; and Dr. Haus reviews Gun Baby.
TOOLS
Digital Strips blogs about the release of Jerry Stephens' new webcomic management system - BitArtist. If anyone gets a chance to test this out please let us know what you think of it.
WRITING
Howard Tayler's podcast Writing Excuses covers plot twists.
JUSTIFY MY HYPE
Jim Zub has written a story for the Pop Gun 2 anthology with artwork by Chris Stevens. It looks awesome!
Could it be? Is Caleb coming back to webcomics?
Funny -- Webcomic Warrior Action Figures!
THAT'S HOLLYWOOD JAKE
Lots of superhero movie casting rumors at Blog@Newsarama including this interesting bit that Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to star in DreamWorks/Universal’s Cowboys & Aliens, based on the Platinum Studios graphic novel by by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley, from an idea by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
Short Interview with DJ Coffman on Platinum Payment Woes
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 11, 2008 - 16:12
Webcomic Wire - 6/6/08
Submitted by NightgigTim on June 6, 2008 - 14:14
Drawn from sources that are listening to webcomic podcasts today…
A new set of Heroes webcomics is reportedly on the way.
Platinum Studios continues to send out press announcements about how great their doing, but nothing from them about thier payment issues relating to Hero by Night creator DJ Coffman. The latest, ‘Final Orbit’ will be made [...]
Webcomic Wire - 6/3/08
Submitted by NightgigTim on June 3, 2008 - 18:17
Drawn from sources all over the world…
Hero By Night publication suspended due to lack of payment. Not a good mark for Platinum Studios and The Comic Book Challenge. Good luck to DJ Coffman!
EV1 server outage hits the webcomics world.
ComixTalk catches up with John Allison.
If you haven’t seen The Process it is super cool.
A new comic [...]
