http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33616
I'm really torn about this one.
On the one hand, I'm saddened that the name "Jack Kirby" is not a mainstream, household name like Stan Lee. You look at the sheer creativeness coming out of Marvel in its infancy and it was pretty much all Jack (except for Spider-Man, which was more Steve Ditko; another creator who was screwed over). The "Marvel" way of creating a comic was Lee and the artist would discuss the basics over the phone. The rest was up to the artist, who would make the panels, design the characters, etc. Lee would come in after and write some stuff in the word balloons. Plus, you look at the sheer amount of creativity and new characters that Kirby would create and design: the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Thor and his Marvel mythology, The Inhumans, etc. The list goes on. Yet, when he left Marvel, the House of Ideas didn't exactly have as many ideas.
And honestly, I've read a lot about Kirby. It absolutely destroyed him that he didn't get as much money, let alone recognition, for his work that Lee took. He couldn't even go into a toy store because he would fume over seeing the Marvel figures on the shelf that he wasn't getting any money from. He had to keep working pretty much to the end because he wasn't getting any kind of royalties.
It really irks me. Creators like Kirby, Ditko, Shuster & Siegel, Bill Finger (co-creator of Batman)...they all got screwed over by Marvel and DC. Everyone knows who Bob Kane is but no one remembers Bill Finger.
...on the other hand, I just don't know if I agree with an estate or heirs receiving much, if anything, in the way of rights. The original creators? Absolultely. But not their family, who didn't do any of the genius creative work in creating those characters. I could understand if the estate got a least some kind of royalties or something. At this point, though, I don't think it should matter as much. If it was the still the original creators fighting over the works, then I'd be 500% behind them. The estates? Not so much.
Thoughts?
I'm really torn about this one.
On the one hand, I'm saddened that the name "Jack Kirby" is not a mainstream, household name like Stan Lee. You look at the sheer creativeness coming out of Marvel in its infancy and it was pretty much all Jack (except for Spider-Man, which was more Steve Ditko; another creator who was screwed over). The "Marvel" way of creating a comic was Lee and the artist would discuss the basics over the phone. The rest was up to the artist, who would make the panels, design the characters, etc. Lee would come in after and write some stuff in the word balloons. Plus, you look at the sheer amount of creativity and new characters that Kirby would create and design: the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Thor and his Marvel mythology, The Inhumans, etc. The list goes on. Yet, when he left Marvel, the House of Ideas didn't exactly have as many ideas.
And honestly, I've read a lot about Kirby. It absolutely destroyed him that he didn't get as much money, let alone recognition, for his work that Lee took. He couldn't even go into a toy store because he would fume over seeing the Marvel figures on the shelf that he wasn't getting any money from. He had to keep working pretty much to the end because he wasn't getting any kind of royalties.
It really irks me. Creators like Kirby, Ditko, Shuster & Siegel, Bill Finger (co-creator of Batman)...they all got screwed over by Marvel and DC. Everyone knows who Bob Kane is but no one remembers Bill Finger.
...on the other hand, I just don't know if I agree with an estate or heirs receiving much, if anything, in the way of rights. The original creators? Absolultely. But not their family, who didn't do any of the genius creative work in creating those characters. I could understand if the estate got a least some kind of royalties or something. At this point, though, I don't think it should matter as much. If it was the still the original creators fighting over the works, then I'd be 500% behind them. The estates? Not so much.
Thoughts?
