It's old news to me because artists are always raped like this. Honestly, every artist goes through a company doing this. Sure, the contract itself is new, but every artist usually has to go through losing moral rights. It happens way too many times that someone has to heed to executives to satisfy the public. It's not new to me. Am I saying losing moral rights isn't a bad thing? No; it's awful. But, sadly, published art way-too-often comes from "I'm doing something I love 8D!" to "I'm doing something for money"; whether the artist or executives say that, it differs.
Not every artist gets raped like this, actually. Yes, almost everyone has a shitty first job, but that's not how it always is and definitely not how it SHOULD be. And particularly, not everyone just gives up their moral rights.
I felt like he claimed the same things over and over and picked and pulled at it; plus i was biased since he started it all with 'I hate Tokyopop'. It's only a Pilot; they're bound to be paid more if it picks up, unless I'm mistaken? Again, I'm not seeing this aimed at artists like O'Malley. More like 18-year old, hidden talents that have that one last shot at anything.
He repeated them because they came up again and again in the contract. And he prefaced with saying he was opposed to Tokyo pop because this isn't the first time controversy has come up about their treatment of young creators, and because he's someone that might be expected to like them considering it's really obvious he loves manga and anime if you read his blog or his comics.
You don't suddenly stop having a chance when you get past 18. Where does 'one last shot' come from? And good work is worth money no matter how old the person doing it is.
Also, young artists underselling themselves too much makes it harder for everyone else, because why would someone as mercenary as TP pay a proper rate when they can just capitalise on the army of teenagers who will work for peanuts?
I see what they mean. I still take no offense to it; they're saying it's fancy since it's French, and that's a joke. Albeit not exactly PC; I honestly don't care. You can be PC, PIC, or Racist. I'm PIC (Politically Incorrect). The pact also says that your creation no longer has moral rights, but it seems they'll 'fairly' change it around. That's what they seem to claim; whether they will or not I do not know. We'll have to wait and see I guess. I know myself how important my creations are, but, of course, that is why you do not publish creations near and dear to you. Again, do you think I'd want someone to mess around with my characters'? No. That's why you do not publish it; you publish something lesser. I know that it is pretty bad that they can do this, but a lot of times comic companies will say "You must change this to please ze publicz!" (In a german accent), and you MUST or else. That's just how it is.
I really couldn't care less if they were not PC. I'm not talking about offending people. All that does is make them look a bit lame. The problem the fact they use that as a deflection to belittle a really important thing, in a contract clearly aimed at kids who might not be good enough at critical reading to see past it. Moral Rights ARE a major thing and should be considered seriously, and this bluffs over them as if they don't matter, throwing in a silly crack about the French for people to pay attention to instead. That's really manipulative, far more than legalese is.
If nobody ever published anything they feel really strongly about, comics and literature would SUCK. Editing and making changes to make your project a little more marketable, and dropping your Moral Rights are not the same thing. An editor might say 'I need to you change this'. That's fine, because you can argue against it, and it's up to you to make those changes. Without your moral rights, they don't have to ask you. They can even get someone else to make stuff based on your intellectual property without you having any creative control input on the other project. (They would pay you, yes, but you still wouldn't get a say if you've signed off your Moral Rights.) But still put your name on it to help sell it, of course.
>_> I could get the jift of all the sh!t they meant when I took my first read-through. Again, this Pilot program isn't aimed at adults; more like 18-year olds. Companies are. Sure, maybe not as 100% rough, but they are shifty and secret.
Which makes it worse. They're taking advantage of kids.
The nonsense about microscopic boiler plate at the start of the thing is bull. I've read (and even signed) professional publishing contracts. A deal of my friends have too and we often discuss them. And yes, they are difficult to read BUT they're not in some kind of sneaky code. Through hiding behind fake jovial language, the pact thing is actually more dishonest than a normal contract.
Did I say it was? I know this is unfair, but this isn't aimed at someone like you or the creator of Scott Pilgrim; it's honestly aimed at the 18-year old Weeaboo who wants his stuff published. I don't see he or she reading any form of contracts to begin with.
Which is messed up. People SHOULD read contracts. If they're a minor, their PARENTS should be going through it with them. The whole point of these blog articles and LJ rants on the subject is to expose what's in these contracts, because people should be aware. It's up to them if they want to do it. They can sign up if they want. It might be worth it. But I do think it's important to point out what is actually being said, and that not all of it is as simple and friendly as the pact makes it up to be. The informality is a smoke screen and it's totally worth cutting through.
And "oh it's just weeaboos" doesn't stand. Like I mentioned before, it leads to everyone getting undercut. And everyone has an equal right to their intellectual property. If they do want to sign it away, fair enough. Everyone sells out a little bit, that's now you make enough money to eat. But you need to know what you're doing and just how much you're signing away, which that pact glosses over a bit. I mean, that argument boils down to 'It's okay to exploit their interlectual property by glossing over moral rights, they're just kids.'
Shouldn't we be, y'know, protecting the kids from stuff like this?
I'll read the links later; I don't honestly care much about it, I just wanted to say my 2 cents and see if anyone would fight with me since it's so much fun to argue 
. Not like I'm gonna be an artist, not like I'm gonna submit to the program; I'm just playing the bad guy to see what happens 8D. I knew no one would say something if I showed the other side that says it's not right, but if I say something completely controversial, everyone will attack me. That's how trolls operate 8D.
And don't tell me to GTFO because I do have the view of what I said above; whether 50/50 or not, I don't know.
'GTFO' is a rubbish argument
. You don't have to agree with me. I can see where you're coming from, I just don't agree.
It's important to realize if you're gonna publish something, every company wants your art for your money, not your art. Once you get by that hill, you'll realize your friends are the peers, not the company who will toss your art around like it's sh!t. *sigh* Companies didn't use to be this bad anyway.
That's what agents are for. And also, there is a line. Not all companies are as bad as you say. A lot of creators have a lot more control over their product. Yes, you still sign some things away, but not everything. Getting past the 'Getting Published = Selling Out and All That It Entails' idea is another hill that people need to get past. Publishers aren't all moustache-twirling baddies.
Speaking of which, Manga is a forging of Eastern, Traditional Drawings, and Western Comic Books such as Superman and DC Comics; if you dislike manga but love Superman, it's not ironic, but if you love manga but dislike Superman, it is 8D.
And Western culture has an awful lot of influence on Japan after America helped build what it destroyed :3. btw, anyone who says it was a War Crime is full of sh!t; the 'rules of war' allow you to attack civilian cities. It's cruel, but it's war. *tsktsk* Why can't we forget the past and move onto the future?
And thinking you can reduce western comics down to DC is about as blinkered as thinking everything Manga is Pokemon
. (Besides, didn't manga come more from Mickey Mouse than Superman. You can see it even more if you look back to 50s manga like Osamu Tezuka's stuff. They're also heavily influenced by film in their use of panelling and angles.)
Haha, also a lot of straight up comic fans don't even like Superman, there are far more interesting super heroes (not to mention all the non-super hero books out there, of which there are MANY). Although I hear Grant Morrison's All Star Superman book was good...
The Americanisation of Japan is a really complicated thing. A lot of traditional Japanese values have been eroded by it, for better or for worse. Not to mention the paranoia and xenophobia to come with it. The whole thing as lead to some interesting art and literature. Just watch Paranoia Agent. (And I'm not getting into Nuclear Politics, wtf. XD)
A lot of Manga fans never really bother to look hard at the culture that makes the comics they love so much. There are some really subtle but profound differences in the Japanese way of storytelling (just like European and american stuff is often pretty different as well, though a little less so).
They're all comics though, really.
8D OMFG YES 1/3 of this post isn't even about TP and their contract 8D. See how much I loveith to ramble? Or is it secret trolling? Your call; i'm just being an ass 8D
A little from column A, a little from column b...
Wow, this post ended up kinda epic...
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