Gaiman Wins!

[DrVictorVonDoom]

From Comicon's Pulse:

Update Thursday, 7 pm

GAIMAN WINS

The Madison, Wisconsin jury has awarded victory on all counts to Neil Gaiman his lawsuit against Todd McFarlane.

The jury found that Gaiman had copyright interest in Angela, Cogliosto and Medieval Spawn. In addition, they found that McFarlane and Gaiman had entered into agreements in 1992 and 1997 and that McFarlane had breeched both agreements.

McFarlane's attorney called the verdict “the nightmare we feared." McFarlane himself looked somber.

We'll see how the appeals go, but suddenly things look much brighter.


See also: http://icv2.com/articles/home/1883.html

[Chris Piers]

Good.

[Devilman]

what does this mean to the comics world?

[TheFightingFoetus]

Being a fan of Todd's work, I have to admit that there's no real shock here.

I was once talking to Beau Smith about Todd, and I asked him some general questions about Todd, and one thing he told me was, that money does change people.

Which I thought was odd, considering that Todd was his boss at the time. It's a shame too. Todd isn't the Todd that I remember. (Never really knew him personally, but just in the way that he conducts himself publically, you can see that he's really become...political.)

[DrVictorVonDoom]

what does this mean to the comics world?
It could mean trouble for McFarlane and his comics enterprises, but more importantly to many fans it means Miracleman's one step closer to being reprinted/continued.

[TheFightingFoetus]

Not necesarily, this case had nothing to do with the Miracleman litigation.

God only knows how that will turn out.

[dfbovey]

It might mean that Todd has to pawn his homerun balls...

[DeForgeo]

It might mean that Todd has to pawn his homerun balls...

Bah. . . Everyone knows Todd's balls are worthless, anyway.

Anyway, you beat me to it, Doom! (I just posted this in Announcements. . . And then I see this thread!)

Anyway, I'm happy. Todd's a bumjerk.

[in4pain]

man i missed all of this . i didnt know this was going on. i guess gaiman created the characters? i hope so, if he didnt that could get messy!

[Chris Piers]

Yeah, he created those characters and it can't get any more messy - the court has issued a verdict. It's over, barring an appeal.

[DrVictorVonDoom]

Originally posted by TheFightingFoetus
Not necesarily, this case had nothing to do with the Miracleman litigation.
Some have speculated that if Gaiman holds on to terights to those characters, McFarlane may cut a deal that would allow Gaiman to regain Miracleman.
And even if the case doesn't directly concern Miracleman, it's one obstacle in the path towards resolving that mess.

[TheFightingFoetus]

I don't think Todd could cut a deal if he wanted to. There are like, 5(?) parties who all claim to own a stake in the character.

So, sadly, the only way Miracleman will ever see the light of day again, is through the courts.

[wadew]

Does Todd even make a lot of cash off of Spawn anymore?? The comic drops further and further down the charts every month ? Is the guy even involved with the comic??He's more of an action figure guy these days, with the spawn figs probably being the worst selling of the bunch.

So he can't use Medieval Spawn, Cog and Angela again?

Medieval spawn hasn't been seen in years, Cog does nothing and angela is dead.

On the other hand, when's the last time Neil did anything with Miracleman? What makes you think he'll do anything with the guy now?


........and im not going to take sides because fact is: I don't know either of them and only they know what the hell really happened.

I just want todd to finish his image hardcover story so i can read the dragon's friggin origin!

[TheFightingFoetus]

I just want todd to finish his image hardcover story so i can read the dragon's friggin origin!

Join the club.

And no, Spawn doesn't really turn a profit anymore...I'm pretty sure the Toy company is carrying all of the publishing right now, which actually seems to be only one monthly book, and an occasional issue of the supposedly other monthly books.

Until they get rid of Angel Medina, I think the book is going to continue to spiral out of control. TMP posted a double-page spread of his today, and I can't tell what the hell is happening. Other than I see an index finger, with 5 digits, and spawn's eyes, which are set way too low in his skull, making him look like an alien.

[wadew]

i'll be pissed if the hardcover is scrapped. Erik has said that if there's no hardcover, there's no origin story.

Also, Spawn has always been a comic that people buy for the art.
Who has ever read this comic for the story? WHO??

IMO Medina's stuff is either Ok or confusing. Plus he's not really a popular/"hot" artist.

[southpaw]

I hear ewoks celebrating somewhere .. the death star is destoyed!!

[Bruce]

Originally posted by wadew
Does Todd even make a lot of cash off of Spawn anymore?? The comic drops further and further down the charts every month ? Is the guy even involved with the comic??He's more of an action figure guy these days, with the spawn figs probably being the worst selling of the bunch.

So he can't use Medieval Spawn, Cog and Angela again?

Medieval spawn hasn't been seen in years, Cog does nothing and angela is dead.

On the other hand, when's the last time Neil did anything with Miracleman? What makes you think he'll do anything with the guy now?


........and im not going to take sides because fact is: I don't know either of them and only they know what the hell really happened.

I just want todd to finish his image hardcover story so i can read the dragon's friggin origin!

The issue here has to do with backpay of characters used and toys created.
Todd now owes on things Gaiman "never saw intill they were in print or were on the toy shelves." Gaiman is in for a huge fat pay check. The deal is that right now Todd ownes some of the rights and is the only one in the whole miracleman thing that wont work with the rest to get it republished.
This way gaiman says instead of the money give me the miricalman rights.
Then he takes them to Marvel and Joe Q and reprints Miricalman.

[Zackie Chan]

Originally posted by TheFightingFoetus
Not necesarily, this case had nothing to do with the Miracleman litigation.

God only knows how that will turn out.

That's not true, the 1997 agreement was the one that involved Miracleman.

[Zackie Chan]

Originally posted by wadew
On the other hand, when's the last time Neil did anything with Miracleman? What makes you think he'll do anything with the guy now?

Ummm.....He had the charcter make an appearance in like issue 8 of Hellspawn in is non costumed form. And the storyline was set up so that Miracleman would make a full appearance in like issue 12 or 13 of Hellspawn. But then this court stuff happened and it never flew. I remember the cover that Ashley Wood did for that issue that never happened, it rocked. I don't read Hellspawn though, I just heard that Miracleman was going to be in it and checked out solicitations on Todds site way back when.

[TheFightingFoetus]

That's not true, the 1997 agreement was the one that involved Miracleman.

I'm not sure what agreement you're referring to. All I know is, that there are a number of parties, who seem to actually own a percentage of the character.

[in4pain]

i don't know why i stoped buying spawn. was it the horrible movie? the same crap every issue. hell i don't know, the book just got to the point of knowing exactly what was going to happen every issue.

[Vendetta]

there was a story in the spawn books?

I always though toddy-boy was over rated. I appreciated his backgrounds, layouts and attention to details but I never thought his art was as great as the rest of comicdom

[GroundHog]

I didn't read much of the article yet (time crunch) but I think anyone who works along with someone, then turns around and sues them is pretty messed up.

I like Todd, I like niel too though.

[Vendetta]

yeah but todd cheated Neil, neil had to sue.

[razz007]

I think its messed up that 2 comic creators, who both in the beggining set out to champion the rights of other comic creators, end up sueing each other over the issues they set out to protect creators from. I like Todds art well at least his older stuff and his ultra detailed toylines, but I think he has strayed from the path he had originally set out to take.

raz

[TheFightingFoetus]

Oh, he definetly strayed.

What I'll say about his work is this: I always liked that fact that most of his storytelling was solid, intense, and had a great sense of design.

One day I hope to incorporate everything I liked about his work, into my own, but with the kind of figurework, that I draw.

A lot of people don't realise this, but Todd inked over gesture drawings. He literally pencilled his pages in about 20 minutes...hence all the energy, and flow to his work...but also hence, a lot of anatomical flaws.

[Zackie Chan]

Originally posted by TheFightingFoetus
I'm not sure what agreement you're referring to. All I know is, that there are a number of parties, who seem to actually own a percentage of the character.

The 1997 agreement between Todd and Neil was in short this, Neil gets the percentage of Miracleman rights that Todd bought out from MM's old publisher, which is only a part mind you. Several other people have and/or claim to have percentages too. One of them was Neil, and former collaborater artist Mark Buckingham, Buckingham gave his split share to Neil to control. So if Neil had Todds he would have the a largest percentage of claim to the character, and be able to do more stories. In return Neil would stop it with the dispute over the 1992 claim, over the characters he created for Toddy. *whew*
The sad thing is even if Neil can get Toddys share. Dez Skin, and several others claim to own either full or partial claim to the character. So more court drama would most likely occur.
Not to mention, Toddy can appeal, and could win.

[bindlestitch]

Originally posted by Fastball_Special


The 1997 agreement between Todd and Neil was in short this, Neil gets the percentage of Miracleman rights that Todd bought out from MM's old publisher, which is only a part mind you. Several other people have and/or claim to have percentages too. One of them was Neil, and former collaborater artist Mark Buckingham, Buckingham gave his split share to Neil to control. So if Neil had Todds he would have the a largest percentage of claim to the character, and be able to do more stories. In return Neil would stop it with the dispute over the 1992 claim, over the characters he created for Toddy. *whew*
The sad thing is even if Neil can get Toddys share. Dez Skin, and several others claim to own either full or partial claim to the character. So more court drama would most likely occur.
Not to mention, Toddy can appeal, and could win.
So true, and the saddest part is that Dez Skin said he only made a "gentlemen's agreement with Anglo(sp?) for the rights to the character. No formal documentaion. So for all he knows Anglo may still own the rights.
I would like to see Gaimen finish out his run and get it over with. I'm really wanting to know what he had in mind for the finale. The way things were looking, and from what I've read, it looks like the "utopia" that is MM's world was going to come crumbleing down.
I want to see this thing finished!!

[TheFightingFoetus]

An interesting note in the Gaiman Vs. Mcfarlane case, is that the court ruled that Neil, co-owning a percentage of the characters Cog, and Angela, could use those characters, in non-Spawn related books.

Which opens an interesting angle in the Miracleman story.

[nate lovett]

i know this has been said before but i'm saying it again......
WOOOO WHOOOOO!!!!

i'm gald to see the result of this, and yeah i know there might be appeals, but hey this is a big step to having this whole damn thing resolved.