Serious topic today.  Yeah the strip was too, but that’s beside the point.

As many of you know, have heard, or should have known; Gary Friedrich – creator of Ghost Rider – is being sued by Marvel Comics/Disney for $17,ooo, he is no longer aloud to make the claim that he created or even co-created Ghost Rider, can not sell anything with Ghost Rider on it, advertize/market himself as the creator of Ghost Rider for profit, or autograph anything Ghost Rider for profit.

Now, Gary kind of poked the bear when he sued Marvel (who was not Marvel/Disney yet, but was already working on its 5th time to file bankruptcy) over not getting royalties or consulted for the first Ghost Rider movie (if you didn’t see it, don’t worry, you didn’t miss much).  Gary lost the case.  Marvel/Disney (this is after Disney saved Marvel from its 5th bankruptcy) turns right around and sues Gary.

Gary is unemployed, failing health, and from what I understand, he may lose his home.  So $17,000 is a lot to someone like him.  Shoot, its a lot to someone like me and I work multiple jobs and my wife works too!  But to Marvel/Disney, it is nothing.  And to make the money matters worse, Marvel wants their money RIGHT F-ING NOW!!!!!  There have been several groups and individuals who are personally crusading money drives to help Gary.  You can follow some of those links HERE or HERE or HERE or HERE.

Some people are also calling for a boycott of the new Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance movie that is opening this weekend.  Some are calling for a boycott of all Marvel movies that are coming out this year.  Some are calling for a total boycott of Marvel.  I can’t tell anyone what to do, but I can tell you that I am done with Marvel.  I’m not telling you to drop you comic subscriptions, or go ripping the walls of the comic book shops down.  Destructiveness never helped anyone.  Decide what is best for you to do.  The only thing our family was reading was the Wizard of Oz stuff and now we have dropped that (sorry Scotty).  But we are not doing anything crazy like going out and getting ride of all our Marvel books, movies, cartoons, toys, and clothes; but Marvel is no longer welcome in this big, creepy house.

I guess I can deal with the money thing, or that he can’t advertize himself as the creator of Ghost Rider for pay, or sell Ghost Rider stuff.  I mean, Gary did work on other books.  But to say that he can never again make the claim that he created or co-created Ghost Rider is an infringement of his intellectual rights!  Marvel/Disney may own the character, but just like Bob Kane is credited with creating Batman, and Siegel and Shuster created Superman, Gary’s name needs to be on that “Created By” line.  A company is not capable of sentient thought because it is not a living thing.  So it can not say “Created by Marvel Comics Group”.

There have been letters to Nick Cage, who is an avid fan of Ghost Rider and plays him in both movies.  In fact he even took a substantial pay cut just so that the second movie could be made.  Will he help?  Don’t know.  That’s his call.  There have also been petitions to Marvel/Disney to drop the case.  I have signed one myself.

When it gets right down to it, you need to decide for yourself, are you going to let and artist be financially and intellectually raped by huge corporations?  Or are you going to take a stand, even if it is a small one?

Think about it.

-A-