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My first experience in comic publishing haunts me. Here's what happened and what new folks in the industry need to avoid. Featuring contracts + payment + communication.
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I was approached at the beginning of my career (which wasn't that long ago lol) by a smaller publisher looking to run a new series. It was a Work for Hire job and they had provided a very minimal pitch on the project. I was super excited!
I received a contract. Here's my biggest mistake. Within the contract it stipulated that everything I do for this project would be owned by the company, and if they deemed my work unfit to publish, I would not get paid.
To be honest, I didn't think it would get that far. Everyone was super great to me. I signed the contract without talking to my new agent (it was a new world to me) and got started. I outlined and reoutlined, I defined characters, worlds, and proposed new styles.
The pitch I got was bare bones, a rough idea for characters, a theme and an enemy. I spent a lot of time fleshing them out, building the sets, including references, outlining and writing scripts.
This process went on for months. I'm talking half a year and I had finished multiple full scripts.
I was working with an editor who was very kind, but the process took a lot of constant back and forth. Eventually, when I was starting the second to last issue, I was informed that the project was going to be canceled.
I know these things can happen, hell I've scrapped so many things in my life. Since it never went to press, I assumed I would not be paid. It was something I worked hard on for multiple months, so it was a bummer, but I'm a workaholic optimist
Later, I find out that the comic I once worked on has been given to another writer and is being printed! I had been told this project was cancelled, so I went to check my contract and Ah! I don't retain anything, they can remaster and rebrand and reuse however they see fit.
Based off of the material released, I could immediately spot the "new" project because of how similar the themes, ideas, and concepts were to my own pre-pro work.
I was never notified of this new series or of the reuse of my work, because they don't have to notify me.
Although I won't know for sure until I can read the final work, I did share this contract with industry folks and have been told multiple times it's "one of the most predatory contracts they've ever seen."
I don't know if it's industry standard for work for hire. Maybe it is, but if this is the practice, especially for new and emerging writers with strong voices, it really shifts perceptions on "putting your work out there."
If you ever and I mean EVER get a contract, please have someone with experience look it over. You need to know all the nooks and crannies, all the possible ways you might lose time and original ideas that could be put to use in your own work, even if it's a dream job.
I can now never use those concepts I've come up with thanks to this predatory contract. Even if they don't use everything, I lost everything I made for it, with no compensation.
Furthermore, as someone who struggled to get a foothold, as queer poc, it really took me by surprise. I've done plenty of work for hire, but never faced such a deadlock. Love yourself, know the value of your labor and be precious with your work.
