The WGA make a deal with a comic book publisher? Where'd THAT come from?
Today's big news for comics fans is that Marvel Studios struck a deal with the WGA allowing their superhero-themed projects to get back on track. "Marvel Studios' signing of an interim agreement with the Writers Guild is more good news for our membership," said WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric M. Verrone. "Marvel is
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Yes, I admit that the WGA made the deal with Marvel Studios and that they are treated fiscally and administratively as a separate entity from Marvel Publishing - you're correct to call me out on this. Well pointed out.
Am I going to change the title though? No, and because despite them being separate entities, their very nature means they are for PRACTICAL purposes the same company, just different departments of Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL).
Even if this is not enough to dissuade you, Marvel Studios owes its existence to Marvel Publishing in a direct manner. The financing which allowed the company to begin producting films (specifically the combined budget/distribution fee with Paramount of $500 million USD) is made up of loans secured using Marvel Character Rights - specifically the rights to producing Marvel Characters in any media: including publications. This is made clear in the Annual Financial Report printed last year and available on the public domain.
If Marvel Studios fails to meet its financial responsibilities to Marvel Entertainment, Marvel themselves stand to lose the rights to even print comics of, say, Captain America. As it stands, the deal is likely to be lucrative and there is likely little risk of this, judging by the phenomenal response from mainstream audiences as well as comic book fans to trailer footage of Iron Man, and stills from The Incredible Hulk.
That, and Marvel Studios exists simply to produce Marvel movies and Marvel properties, they aren't going to be producing anything other than movies about their stable of "intellectual property licenses"/characters - and in this they are inextricably connected to Marvel Publishing.
Not to mention the fact that one of the chief editors at Marvel Comics has gone on record as stating that they approve of the deal, muddying the waters anyway from an official source. People already interpret this as a WGA deal with the publisher, I'm not doing anything unusual or damaging by saying this.
After all, if you read the post I put up here on my blog, it should be clear (and I apologise if it's not) that I wholeheartedly approve of the WGA's attempt to get a fairer deal for writers in media for whom they are unionized to protect. It's also clear based on the demands that the WGA originally posited to the AMPTP that the WGA wanted increased scope for their unionization by requesting juristiction over Reality TV, Animation and Video Game writers in order to extend the protection and benefits they offer to other groups: something to which I'm unopposed.
The point of my post, if you read it (which I must assume you did because of what sounds like a dig at comic book writers compared to other classifications of writers), was to show that by treating themselves in statements online as the same entity - Marvel themselves are pontificating while being near-hypocritical over their treatment of writers. I'm making the point that if Tom Brevoort wants to point out the mote in the eyes of the AMPTP (and it's a large mote indeed, no question), he should take care of the plank in his.
Finally, your suggestion that comic book writers have no stake in this is a fallacy. If the rights to characters are lost, so too goes financing which means job cuts and other knock on effects in a company which remains an iconic American tradition and institution, because it's a source of work lost.
They may not have as much to lose as the WGA writers, but that's more down to circumstances and the lack of a union.
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