DC contract

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

I'm sure this will be floating across the comics blogosphere in no time, but I wanted to point it out here, anyway:

http://albert.nickerson.tripod.com/creatorsbillofrightsfables.html

Dave Sim is drawing three pages of an upcoming FABLES book. He's posted the original contract DC sent him for the work. DC Legal must absolutely LOATHE Sim right now. Sim is drawing a Work For Hire thing for DC and is questioning their lawyers on almost every page of the contract. Don't get me wrong -- he's well within his rights to look over every line of a contract before he signs it and to believe that the vague language present in much of it is troublesome and that DC needs to be held responsible for their accountings, but:

He's only drawing three pages for them. I betcha there are artists working regular monthly series who've never scrutinized their contracts half as much as Sim has looked at this one.

In any case, I look forward to reading all the analyses of this contract that are sure to pop up in the coming days. Someone must be running the numbers, for example, on the percentages given artists and writers on graphic novel sales and those royalties.

-Augie

[pmpknface]

That's awesome! Thanks Augie.

[roach04]

LOL - it's sort of funny how the guy has blanked out Dave's address when it's available in every issue of Cerebus!

Sim's a great guy to talk to and I can so see him doing this. Good for him.

Augie, you should make the trip to the Paradise Con in Toronto some year - Sim is a regular and this year Stan Lee is coming (shooting the shit with Jerry Robinson for 2 hours last year was awesome -- if Stan is that available, I may have to retire from Con going b/c I'll never top it!)

[Deathstroke]

I wonder if DC is regretting the hire now that the contract is to be spewed across the net.

[BronteJD]

Oh wow. Am I having serious fun with this.

::continues to read eagerly::

Patricia who now remembers why she hated contract law

[Deathstroke]

All right, I just read over the notations and his letter.

I think we won't be seeing Dave Sim's work in a Fables GN.

[roach04]

Other question on this - who's the guy who posted the contract? Sim doesn't even own a computer and has never posted anything on-line. This a buddy or something that he showed it to?

[Bright-Raven]

*copies images from site* Thanks, Augie. This really comes in handy. I'm always on the lookout for copies of contracts from different publishers, just to see what kind of legalese they come up with. It helps me for writing up my own contracts through my studio as counteroffers to publishers or with other clientele.

Loved all of Sim's comments. I would be really interested to see the final agreed upon contract to see how flexible DC would be, but I'm quite certain we never will.

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Here's the original link to the contract:

http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/go_read_dave_sims_dc_contract/

"Dave Sim has allowed Al Nickerson to put up a few documents..."

-Augie

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

More discussion on the contract at The Engine:

http://www.the-engine.net/forum/messages.php?webtag=ENGINE&msg=551.1

Interesting stuff in there - Sim isn't doing the work, though. Contract negotiations broke off, it would seem.

-Augie

[pmpknface]

That's a shocker... :D

[roach04]

That is a shocker! Too bad - would've been great to see Sim in the Fables GN. Might still come around though.

[Al Nickerson]

LOL - it's sort of funny how the guy has blanked out Dave's address when it's available in every issue of Cerebus!

Actually, Dave did that. It's his personnel mailing address, not his studio address. :)