So DC is screwing over McDuffie one more time...

[Motown Marvel]

So if the Static one-shot doesnt sell well that somehow diminishes McDuffie's legacy? I have a hard time seeing this as anything other than a hasty cash grab by trying to galvanize support from people who are already well aware of McDuffie and Static. If this was pitched by creators that were friends and admirers of McDuffie and not just devised by the business/editorial wing then I would feel different. I seriously doubt they all got together and said, "Hey, lets use this to make Static a permanent mainstay so no one ever forgets Dwayne!" You think if a creative team really kick ass on Static, they wouldnt pluck them off to work on a flagship book and replace them with scrubs? And if its only a temporary boost in sales I dont see what it really does for McDuffie's memory.

And if boosting sales wasnt their aim, they could put a tribute to McDuffie in the comic without promoting it in the solicits. The entire aim of solicits is to move product. Maybe it wasnt intentional, but it was thoughtless. Its like promoting a special "Japanese Tsunami" issue then giving nothing to disaster relief. DC also had the opportunity to correct the faux pas and instead just went, "Nah, we're still keeping all the money."

if the book doesnt sell well, that it'd mean people dont care that much for the character. i think its immature to paint DC as one dimensional nefarious capitalists. dwayne may have been an employee of DC, but the comic book business is a small family. these people worked together and had mutual respect for each other. anyone who thinks that DC editors were sitting around scheming ways to make a quick buck off of Dwayne's dead carcass is just being ridiculous. they are doing this out of respect to honor a friend and colleague that they lost. he was a respected friend and colleague who was a part of their lives. so how anyone here who knows nothing about anyone involved can sit back behind the internet and criticize how DC responds to his passing is just stupid to me. god forbid they promote a tribute to a respected member of their world.

 

[Shawkur]

if the book doesnt sell well, that it'd mean people dont care that much for the character. i think its immature to paint DC as one dimensional nefarious capitalists. dwayne may have been an employee of DC, but the comic book business is a small family. these people worked together and had mutual respect for each other. anyone who thinks that DC editors were sitting around scheming ways to make a quick buck off of Dwayne's dead carcass is just being ridiculous. they are doing this out of respect to honor a friend and colleague that they lost. he was a respected friend and colleague who was a part of their lives. so how anyone here who knows nothing about anyone involved can sit back behind the internet and criticize how DC responds to his passing is just stupid to me. god forbid they promote a tribute to a respected member of their world.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. However. I would just like to clarify that sometimes people can do things that are tacky and thoughtless without really having malicious intent. It also wasnt that long ago that the company that loved and respected Dwayne so much fired his ass because he divulged the earth-shattering news that writers are sometimes limited by editorial mandates. The comments were really pretty tame in the grand scheme of things, and many other writers are given much more slack.

DC still has the opportunity to prove it wasnt all about money and fix the bad taste they've left in a lot of people's mouths, including many members of the "small family" that is the comics industry, by announcing that at least some of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association or another charity. Hell, they could even release the comic for free online with a plea for donations to such organizations. I mean if its all about that tribute and not about sales, why not?

 

[taskmaster]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. However. I would just like to clarify that sometimes people can do things that are tacky and thoughtless without really having malicious intent. It also wasnt that long ago that the company loved and respected Dwayne so much fired his ass because he divulged the earth-shattering news that writers are sometimes limited by editorial mandates. The comments were really pretty tame in the grand scheme of things, and many other writers are given much more slack.

DC still has the opportunity to prove it wasnt all about money and fix the bad taste they've left in a lot of people's mouthes, including many members of the "small family" within the comics industry, by announcing that at least some of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association or another charity. Hell, they could even release the comic for free online with a plea for donations to such organizations. I mean if its all about that tribute and not about sales, why not?

But it is all about money. You want them to release this book with the intent to donate money to charity. It's still about the money.

 

[Motown Marvel]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. However. I would just like to clarify that sometimes people can do things that are tacky and thoughtless without really having malicious intent. It also wasnt that long ago that the company that loved and respected Dwayne so much fired his ass because he divulged the earth-shattering news that writers are sometimes limited by editorial mandates. The comments were really pretty tame in the grand scheme of things, and many other writers are given much more slack.

DC still has the opportunity to prove it wasnt all about money and fix the bad taste they've left in a lot of people's mouths, including many members of the "small family" that is the comics industry, by announcing that at least some of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association or another charity. Hell, they could even release the comic for free online with a plea for donations to such organizations. I mean if its all about that tribute and not about sales, why not?

being "fired" from comics isnt even a real thing though. you're only "fired" until you get hired back for the next gig. some of my teachers at my college worked for both DC and Marvel. One of them got fired at the beginning of the day and was hired back at the end of the day for a new job. either way, thats all besides the point.

i dont understand why having a tribute necessitates a donation to charity? was money donated from the tribute issue of batman/superman when jeph loebs son died? was money donated from the comics that had tributes to dick giordano when he died? or the numerous other creators who had tributes printed in comics when they passed? no one complained then, i dont know why they're complaining now. DC's intentions is not to raise money for charity, but to pay tribute to Dwayne McDuffie in the launch of a title for a character he created. There's nothing worth complaining about there.

 

[Shawkur]

being "fired" from comics isnt even a real thing though. you're only "fired" until you get hired back for the next gig. some of my teachers at my college worked for both DC and Marvel. One of them got fired at the beginning of the day and was hired back at the end of the day for a new job. either way, thats all besides the point.

i dont understand why having a tribute necessitates a donation to charity? was money donated from the tribute issue of batman/superman when jeph loebs son died? was money donated from the comics that had tributes to dick giordano when he died? or the numerous other creators who had tributes printed in comics when they passed? no one complained then, i dont know why they're complaining now. DC's intentions is not to raise money for charity, but to pay tribute to Dwayne McDuffie in the launch of a title for a character he created. There's nothing worth complaining about there.

I think a key difference in the case with Superman/Batman#26 was that it seems DC had intended to publish the story by Sam Loeb before his death so it had the involvement of both Sam and his father. And there was a charitable contribution involved:

"Jeph Loeb's son Sam Loeb died on June 17, 2005 at the age of 17 after a three-year battle with cancer (in his leg, his jaw, and finally his lung) before finishing the story he was writing for Superman/Batman #26. Jeph Loeb, along with 25 other comic book professionals and artists who had known Sam, worked on the issue, scripting or penciling individual pages. Marvel Comics allowed John Cassaday and Joss Whedon to work on the issue despite their exclusive contracts. All 26 contributors donated their fees and royalties for the issue to The Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund."

How did DC pay tribute to Giordano? If it was just a eulogy on the editorial page that week/month, its not even close to the same thing as using his name to directly promote and profit off a one-shot, probably just one of many being put out that month, that conveniently sets up a series that they were going to put out anyway.

If you were going to attend something that that was promoted as a tribute concert or comedy show, wouldnt you assume that there was some kind of charitable aspect involved? I have never heard of a situation where that wasnt the case.

 

[Motown Marvel]

with the sam loeb issue, it'd seem the talent involved with the book donated their pay, not DC donating profits from the issue. I dont know who the talent is on this forthcoming static shock issue, but they are welcome to do the same if they wish.

also, this static shock issue is also something they were planning on putting out before McDuffie's death. But then he died, so they added a tribute in the issue (Same as a eulogy like they did for giordano and countless other creators) to bring attention to the characters creator. why not promote that? why not make the effort to bring it attention to more people?