AT&T Time Warner merger

Ma Bell now owns Batman, Bugs Bunny and half of Hollywood???

 

Enjoy your stay.

 

(From Porky Pig's Feat, directed by Frank Tashlin. Original copyright Warner Bros.)

 

Will research and update asap.

Marvel settles with Jack Kirby estate

(Photo taken by Suzy Skaar for "The Art of Jack Kirby" (Blue Rose Press, 1993)

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/marvel-settles-dispute-over-superhero-rights-with-jack-kirby-estate/#/0

It's taken me more time than I thought to comment on this news item, and I hope I've learned a bit more about the artist/employer relationship. When it comes to Jack Kirby, and all the work he has produced, it stirs up a lot of passion in comic fans.

And that's not a bad frame of mind, but it may not be useful when dealing with our current business climate. (My commentary will naturally be biased towards the artist.)

When Disney acquired  Marvel Comics, it seemed like mixing oil and water. I could not see how Disney's wholesome, family image could be balanced with Marvel's gritty superhero themes. Except for the profit motive, of course.

Marvel Comics had been owned and passed along by quite a few different corporations over the years since the first Lee/ Kirby days.The issues of who created which characters, and who signed their rights of ownership away as work for hire seemed to settled.

No one knew who would create the next Mickey Mouse or Superman, so these guys cranked this stuff out just to earn a paycheck. Comics were considered disposable, like old newspapers. Case closed, or so it seemed.

However, I learned recently from a debate on LinkeIn that the families of Siegel and Shuster, the creators of Superman, had been getting some kind of royalties, or share of the profits that the Superman character had generated for DC comics over the years. 

"With great power comes great responsibility"

(Simpsons copyright Fox)

Even though I'm a comic fan, I missed this information somehow. My assumption is the public having an image of the families of the creators of Superman being "left to starve" created bad press. And so a new arrangement was made to cut the heirs of Shuster, if not Siegel, in for some of the profits. Guess I need to hang out at more comic conventions. 

Oi.

Getting back to the settlement with the Kirby estate, a commentator on LinkedIn noted that this Lee/Kirby feud may have been old baggage that Disney did not want to lug around anymore. I can just picture their reluctant hands going down a little ways into those deep pockets and tossing the Kirby descendents a few bones. 

Whether the DC/Siegel and Shuster settlements set some kind of legal precedent will take more digging on my part. (Hooha!) But knowing the image Disney wants to portray may have spurred them into pouring oil on these troubled waters, even though it's quite late in the game.

Another thing that surprised me was how a faceless organization like Time/Warner could have made such a "warm and fuzzy" move with the Superman heirs. By faceless I mean that Disney had Walt, and Marvel had Stan Lee. But Time/Warner has no real "faceman", other than Bugs Bunny. 

Rant time: Business is business, and a deal is a deal, but maybe the world is getting tired of these huge media conglomerates winning ugly. Or else these corporations just want to avoid any more embarrassment.

But here's to Jack, still the King!

Space Jam 2 - update

Too much up in the air. No one can confirm if LeBron is in or out. If it means jobs in Los Angeles, that's fine. But there must be a way to give Bugs and Daffy relevant exposure without turning them into second bananas to celebrities who will become quickly outdated.

(My cleanup of Taz for a Kool-Aid commercial, Taz copyright Time/Warner)

Story ideas: Have Bugs take on world hunger, organic foods and factory farming? Put Daffy Duck on Wall Street? (He should have gone there years ago after Chuck Jones turned him into a whiny, greedy, little backstabber). Have Elmer Fudd confront the NRA? The sky's the limit, but remember the grief Brad Bird went through with the Iron Giant.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/warner-bros-developing-space-jam-2?utm_source=asDaily_newsletter&utm_medium=sailthru_newsletter&utm_term=Blogs%3A%20asDaily%20V2&utm_campaign=Blogs%3A%20Animation%20Scoop%20Daily%202014-02-22

Update:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/space-jam-sequel-is-in-the-works-96410.html

Space Jam 2

Back in the 1990's, I was still new to animation. My days working at Warner Brothers Classic Animation were some of my happiest and proudest times of my life. (Although some folks there thought I was a naive fool for believing that. That's their problem.)

                     (Foghorn Leghorn copyright Time-Warner)

Here's one of my cleanups of Foghorn Leghorn in a Space Jam uniform. It's actually from a McDonald's TV ad we did at Warner Classics, although I did freelance on the film.

But the news of a Space Jam sequel leaves me with mixed feelings. Will it be hand drawn? Will the work be done in the U.S.? Will it be a dud like Looney Tunes-back in Action? (Although I appreciate the work in LT-BIA. I even sort of like it, especially the scenes on the Warner backlots, and the plot device of Daffy Duck getting "fired" to go on an adventure with Brendon Frasier.)

At the time, I was glad to be working on another animated feature. Then a friend pointed out that a star like Bugs Bunny (yeah, he's a fictitious character) should NEVER play second banana to any live action actor or sports celebrity. After taking her to see a private screening at the Warner lot, she nearly clawed my eyes out. It seems I helped write a big corporate love letter to Micheal Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Oi vey.

I admit, the excitement and hoopla at the time completely carried me away. I wanted to show my devotion to animation, and the success of the project. Live and learn I guess.

Just recently, there was a rumor that LeBron James might be in the sequel. But now the news is he is out already. Being a Cleveland area native, it's even harder these days to root for my home teams, especially after LeBron abandoned the Cavaliers. Hey, it's just business right?

http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/lebron-james-space-jam-sequel-dick-ebersol/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/254411461352100/

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/22/space-jam-2-is-happening?utm_campaign=fbposts&utm_source=facebook

Cute Stuff - Part I

It's been a while since I've posted anything original on Animation Re-creation. After scribbling for years, I've got some work I'm proud of. But I'm still self conscious about showing it. Here's why:

Animation artists and cartoonists seem to be split into two camps: the majority seem to be easy going... well, to put it bluntly, nerds. But I've seen a smaller group, the more macho, athletic group who practice martial arts, mountain biking and other deadly weekend pursuits. They make me feel lame as I'm shoving that extra piece of pizza in my face.

So, it appears I fall in with the majority. It's hard to pose as a too-hot-to-handle "weekend warrior" when I'm drawing cutesy stuff like this:

This is my "Cubcake" character. She's a tough, but sweet amalgamation of girlfriends from my past. She's also a mixture of squirrel, bunny, kitty and a few other critters mixed in. I figure she can give Bugs Bunny a run for his money.

C'est la Vie.