CBR Live! Archive
What's the Deal with Icon?
- by Brian Cronin
- in General
So, in the aforementioned JMS piece, he mentions his title Book of Lost Souls is "in limbo" at Marvel, as it was part of Marvel's ICON line of comics. I thought ICON was a clever idea by Marvel. It's basically a Marvel "rewards program" for exclusive creators, to give them a place to publish creator-owned properties. And it's reserved for the creators that Marvel would want to "reward" - their big guys, Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Ed Brubaker and JMS (with David Mack being a part of it, as well, but I am unfamiliar as to the terms of his being at ICON - was it a deal with Mack himself, or was it part of Bendis' deal?). It's good for Marvel, as it allows their top talent not to worry about losing out on creator-owned work by being "stuck" at Marvel, and it's good for the creators, because it is a lot easier to publish your creator-owned titles through Marvel than elsewhere.
Okay, but what's the deal if you are no longer an exclusive? What are the rights? Apparently, if you're no longer exclusive, Marvel will no longer publish your comic (which is totally fair enough), but are you completely free and clear to do with it as you will? I imagine so, but I honestly do not for sure.
Anyone know for sure?
- Posted on February 25, 2008 @ 08:29 AM
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9 Comments
Chris Hill
February 25, 2008 at 8:53 am
That's what I was wondering when I read that. If it's creator-owned, can't he just take it elsewhere?
BizarroBeachHead
February 25, 2008 at 9:39 am
I really wish Marvel would just fold their MAX line into Icon, and use it as their Vertigo.
Glen Newman
February 25, 2008 at 9:56 am
I presume it'll end up something like the situation with Ennis' & Robertson's The Boys where they where allowed to take the property anywhere other than Marvel.
Mory Buckman
February 25, 2008 at 10:57 am
JMS said in the recent Fanboy Radio podcast that he can do whatever he wants with Book of Lost Souls.
comb & razor
February 25, 2008 at 11:13 am
yeah, i always assumed that ICON publishing Kabuki was more or less a move to appease Bendis.
Da Fug
February 25, 2008 at 11:30 am
Does he say "in limbo" or "in limbo at Marvel"? I would guess the property is "in limbo" because JMS isn't an indie publisher (is he?). So he has to find somewhere where he can take the property and get a deal akin to the one he had at Marvel or find a way to publish the thing himself. Probably not an easy task.
Ray Cornwall
February 25, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I had thought that the implication for Book of Lost Souls was undetermined-i.e. he could still publish it at ICON, or take it somewhere else. I could be wrong, though.
Colleen Doran, his partner on the book, doesn't know what's up, either.
GRANT!
February 26, 2008 at 1:00 am
I'm wondering why Mark Millar has a creator owned book at Image AND Icon coming out? Is it because Tony Harris is drawing one and John Romita is drawing the other.
Glen Newman
February 26, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I doubt it. Tony Harris is currently doing a Spider-Man mini series