How Much Does Marvel Pay Its Cartoonists and Creators?

How Much Does Marvel Pay Its Cartoonists and Creators

When you think of large firms such as DC or Marvel , it is normal to imagine that all their workers earn a good salary. Ultimately, these are globally successful brands that sell and make a lot of money. However, the reality is not as idyllic as some believe and an American media has been commissioned to demonstrate it. How? Unveiling what comic book creators charge from Marvel. Spoiler: it ‘s a real pittance.

Fixed check and an invitation to the premiere

The American medium The Guardian have been in charge of uncovering this uncomfortable topic. According to the publication, comic creators who work for Marvel Studios or for DC charge for specific commissions, generally receiving a fixed and invariable amount regardless of the potential of their work or the subsequent income that it will report to the company.

This amount is set, in the case of Marvel Studios and according to three different sources, at 5,000 dollars and an invitation to the premiere of the film, a figure that sounds insufficient considering the millionaire amounts that the firm later pocketed. Although Marvel has been specifically more singled out this time, as we indicated this modus operandi is also common in DC / Warner Bros (from AT&T), according to The Guardian .

Related to this, the Gizmodo medium remembers the case of Ed Brubaker . This writer who, along with Steve Epting, Frank D’Armata and Randy Gentile, designed the Captain America comic series that would serve as the basis for the hit movie The Winter Soldier , recently confessed that he has gained virtually nothing despite the fact that the character made the leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe by appearing in several movies and even on a TV series – not to mention that he was even invited to premieres.

Honoring the truth, Brubaker also acknowledges that this is not always exactly the case. There are times that special contracts have been made to some creators that guarantee future earnings in case their stories are adapted. The problem is that these agreements must be requested by the interested parties themselves (who are often unaware of their existence) and they are not always fulfilled …

Confusing and uneven agreements

According to the Guardian article, both DC and Marvel have contracts that guarantee different types of remuneration if their work is adapted. The problem is that in the case of the Disney firm, it is very difficult to access them and “some Marvel creators did not even know that they existed.”

This generates a great inequality not only between workers within the company but also between the same creators union even when it comes to similar orders in the same firm.

Disney+ - Marvel

A Marvel spokesperson has stated that there are no such restrictions on the information of the contracts by the creators, but has not wanted to confirm or deny the fixed figure revealed. In the case of DC, they have refused to respond to requests for information from The Guardian .

In any case, the issue is controversial to say the least: many also think that the company is fully entitled to commission a specific job, pay for it what was agreed (and accepted by the beneficiary) and then do with the material what it wants (earning more or less money depending on how to take advantage of it).

And you, where are you from?