And after all those Claremont comics and Marvel dollars, where are they now in 2013?
Marvel pays Claremont not to write comics. From any company.
Claremont is under a Marvel exclusive contract which prevents him from writing for any other company. However Chris just wants to write his beloved X-Men. Marvel said thanks, but no thanks. So, every month Marvel cuts a check to a legendary writer to not write comics. #theMoreYouKnow
Have you read his last stuff? He ruined the Exiles book and his last go on the X-Men was right before Morrison jumped on. It was so-so.
I vividly recall picking up X-Men right at the introduction of Kitty Pride and Dazzler and being impressed at how different, how grown up it was. Whether it was Claremont's writing and/or Bryne/Austin's art, the Hellfire Club and Dark Phoenix Saga deserve every bit of praise it gets. Sometimes a classic is a classic for a reason. This stuff holds up after close to 35 years.
And after all those Claremont comics and Marvel dollars, where are they now in 2013?
Marvel pays Claremont not to write comics. From any company.
Claremont is under a Marvel exclusive contract which prevents him from writing for any other company. However Chris just wants to write his beloved X-Men. Marvel said thanks, but no thanks. So, every month Marvel cuts a check to a legendary writer to not write comics. #theMoreYouKnow
Well, at least he's got a pension. That's better than most former artists and writers get.
Great point. Poor Dave Cockrum had to sue to get a few extra bucks out of Marvel.
I don’t know how Chris’ particular contract works, but the exclusive contracts of the past several years that I know of neither guarantee the creator a specific amount of work, nor do they pay anything for work not done. The contracts of the late ’90s on aren’t nearly as enticing as the contracts of the ’80s, early ’90s. Chris last worked for DC in 2004, so his Marvel contract can’t be more than ten years old. Maybe he has an atypical deal—it’s possible with someone of his stature—but if he’s actually getting paid whether he writes or not (outside of any health care he may be getting, which they no longer give to everyone these days), he is an exception to the general rule. Also, the contracts these days usually allow for the creator to do “non-competitive” work, i.e. a non-superhero creator-owned project, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their contracted work (and as long as it isn’t with DC in the case of a Marvel contract, or Marvel in the case of a DC contract).
It should be said that, even though Marvel’s royalty program isn’t as good as DC’s, I imagine Chris is making a decent amount of money from his past work.
And after all those Claremont comics and Marvel dollars, where are they now in 2013?
Marvel pays Claremont not to write comics. From any company.
Claremont is under a Marvel exclusive contract which prevents him from writing for any other company. However Chris just wants to write his beloved X-Men. Marvel said thanks, but no thanks. So, every month Marvel cuts a check to a legendary writer to not write comics. #theMoreYouKnow
Do you have a link to the source? Curious on the full story. Any fan of pro sports knows this is commonplace there, a lot of major league level players (especially hockey) are paid to not play since they hurt their team so much, either on the field or in the clubhouse. Some sports contracts also pay X millions of dollars, but sometimes the players are still being paid even after they retire. Contract law has always blown my mind how wacky it can be.
Again, another great spotlight episode @Pants! These are the gems as far as I am concerned. Looking forward to the 90's spotlight on the X-Men.
I am wondering if you guys might be prepping a Wolverine special in anticipation of the new film coming out in late July. That could be a fun and informative idea. Touching on his history in the Marvel universe as well as the high and low points of the various interpretations of him.
Of course if I had my way, the next spotlight would be on the Marvel Cosmic Universe, just sayin...
Have you read his last stuff? He ruined the Exiles book and his last go on the X-Men was right before Morrison jumped on. It was so-so.
He had another stint on Uncanny X-Men before the Brubaker run. So, somewhere between issues 450 and 475. It was uneven, but I'd say that at least half of it was definitely "good". The Alan Davis, Roger Cruz, and Chris Bachalo artwork certainly didn't hurt, but the writing itself was way better than that of Claremont's earlier return to the franchise circa 2000-2001 (right before Morrison came on). I can imagine how bad things like Exiles and New Excalibur were, but I do recommend some of his Uncanny stuff around that time.
He also did X-Men Forever a few years ago. I thought it started off very good but descended into madness. I'm not a fan of Tom Grummett art, though, so other people's mileage may vary. I don' t think X-Men Forever was exactly "horrible" . . . but it did leave me thinking that I didn't need to read another Claremont X-Men book for a while.
Maybe he has an atypical deal—it’s possible with someone of his stature—but if he’s actually getting paid whether he writes or not (outside of any health care he may be getting, which they no longer give to everyone these days), he is an exception to the general rule.
Yeah, that's probably an understatement, actually. I don't have a source for this, but I've heard multiple times over the years that sometime in the late '80s or early '90s, Marvel bought Chris Claremont his own private plane. And not a small one, either. I'm not joking about this and I don't think it's just a rumor. A reliable source for this is probably out there somewhere. To their credit, I think Marvel in the '80s was very much aware of how Claremont's contributions had given them a whole franchise of high-selling titles that they wouldn't've had otherwise. Still, in '91 Harras decided to side tell Claremont that Jim Lee should basically be his boss.
Yeah, that's probably an understatement, actually. I don't have a source for this, but I've heard multiple times over the years that sometime in the late '80s or early '90s, Marvel bought Chris Claremont his own private plane. And not a small one, either. I'm not joking about this and I don't think it's just a rumor. A reliable source for this is probably out there somewhere. To their credit, I think Marvel in the '80s was very much aware of how Claremont's contributions had given them a whole franchise of high-selling titles that they wouldn't've had otherwise. Still, in '91 Harras decided to side tell Claremont that Jim Lee should basically be his boss.
I heard that Marvel bought Claremont a small Caribbean island and pays for native girls with bleached white hair shaved into a mohawk, to meet his every need and desire.
Yeah, that's probably an understatement, actually. I don't have a source for this, but I've heard multiple times over the years that sometime in the late '80s or early '90s, Marvel bought Chris Claremont his own private plane. And not a small one, either. I'm not joking about this and I don't think it's just a rumor. A reliable source for this is probably out there somewhere. To their credit, I think Marvel in the '80s was very much aware of how Claremont's contributions had given them a whole franchise of high-selling titles that they wouldn't've had otherwise. Still, in '91 Harras decided to side tell Claremont that Jim Lee should basically be his boss.
Even if Marvel didn't buy that plane directly, they certainly paid Claremont enough in royalties for Claremont to buy it himself. (And Claremont buying a plane with his royalties and jokingly saying, “Marvel paid for that,” would certainly start the rumors you are referring to.) But that was during the big boom years. Post-bankruptcy, Marvel wasn't throwing cash around like that. They don’t even send comps to their creators anymore. That’s why I’m highly skeptical of this pay-for-no-play contract. It’s possible, but highly unlikely.
Have you read his last stuff? He ruined the Exiles book and his last go on the X-Men was right before Morrison jumped on. It was so-so.
He had another stint on Uncanny X-Men before the Brubaker run. So, somewhere between issues 450 and 475. It was uneven, but I'd say that at least half of it was definitely "good". The Alan Davis, Roger Cruz, and Chris Bachalo artwork certainly didn't hurt, but the writing itself was way better than that of Claremont's earlier return to the franchise circa 2000-2001 (right before Morrison came on). I can imagine how bad things like Exiles and New Excalibur were, but I do recommend some of his Uncanny stuff around that time.
He also did X-Men Forever a few years ago. I thought it started off very good but descended into madness. I'm not a fan of Tom Grummett art, though, so other people's mileage may vary. I don' t think X-Men Forever was exactly "horrible" . . . but it did leave me thinking that I didn't need to read another Claremont X-Men book for a while.
You are absolutely right! Claremont wrote "The New Age" era of Uncanny X-Men which had one of my favorite story arcs, End of Greys (with Chris Bachelo). The first issue was called 24 Seconds because that's how long it took the Shi'ar Death Commandos to wipe out Jean's whole bloodline right in front of Rachel. Talking about brutal? Every death had an introduction of the family member...old, young, likes, dislikes, dreams etc. I got Claremont to sign the issue. I also bought the Rachel bust based on the cover of #468. Then the title suffered for a bit because Claremont had a stroke and someone had to step in for a while before Brubaker took over the title.
His New Excalibur was so-so...he had a good cast to work with, Nocturne, Dazzler, Captain Britain, Juggernaut, Pete Wisdom...
Have you read his last stuff? He ruined the Exiles book and his last go on the X-Men was right before Morrison jumped on. It was so-so.
He had another stint on Uncanny X-Men before the Brubaker run. So, somewhere between issues 450 and 475. It was uneven, but I'd say that at least half of it was definitely "good". The Alan Davis, Roger Cruz, and Chris Bachalo artwork certainly didn't hurt, but the writing itself was way better than that of Claremont's earlier return to the franchise circa 2000-2001 (right before Morrison came on). I can imagine how bad things like Exiles and New Excalibur were, but I do recommend some of his Uncanny stuff around that time.
He also did X-Men Forever a few years ago. I thought it started off very good but descended into madness. I'm not a fan of Tom Grummett art, though, so other people's mileage may vary. I don' t think X-Men Forever was exactly "horrible" . . . but it did leave me thinking that I didn't need to read another Claremont X-Men book for a while.
You are absolutely right! Claremont wrote "The New Age" era of Uncanny X-Men which had one of my favorite story arcs, End of Greys (with Chris Bachelo). The first issue was called 24 Seconds because that's how long it took the Shi'ar Death Commandos to wipe out Jean's whole bloodline right in front of Rachel. Talking about brutal? Every death had an introduction of the family member...old, young, likes, dislikes, dreams etc. I got Claremont to sign the issue. I also bought the Rachel bust based on the cover of #468. Then the title suffered for a bit because Claremont had a stroke and someone had to step in for a while before Brubaker took over the title.
His New Excalibur was so-so...he had a good cast to work with, Nocturne, Dazzler, Captain Britain, Juggernaut, Pete Wisdom...
You're right. Some of his recent stuff wasn't that great but I did enjoy these issues of X-Men that he did. The death of the Gray's was great! I also have a bit of a soft spot for his Sovereign 7 series.
Oh, I'm enjoying this X-Men Bronze Age EP. Didn't mention that Wolverine FIRST being called "Logan" by some "elves (?)" was in #102. Oh, and those Imperial Guard costumes in #137? Not only are the costumes classic Cockrum, but the characters are basically the Legion of Super Heroes. Anyway, thanks Chris, Pants, and Murd for that episode!
Okay. So because these episodes have been sooooo good. I've gone to my local comic shop and picked up Classic X-Men 1-10 from 1986 reprinting Giant Size X-Men 1 in issue 1 and 94-102 in issues 2-10. One thing i noticed, which i found real interesting and i was wondering if anybody else did, is in Classic X-Men 6 (the re-print of X-Men 98) where the Sentinals make their return, on the first page, Nick Fury makes a cameo! Bottom right of the first page. It's not explicitly stated that it's Nick Fury, but it's a rather handsome gentleman with an eye patch, a cigar, wearing a blue outfit underneath a brown coat, i would think it's a safe assumption that it is indeed, Nick Fury. Did anybody else catch this? I'm surprised nobody on the show mentioned/caught this.
Comments
It should be said that, even though Marvel’s royalty program isn’t as good as DC’s, I imagine Chris is making a decent amount of money from his past work.
I am wondering if you guys might be prepping a Wolverine special in anticipation of the new film coming out in late July. That could be a fun and informative idea. Touching on his history in the Marvel universe as well as the high and low points of the various interpretations of him.
Of course if I had my way, the next spotlight would be on the Marvel Cosmic Universe, just sayin...
He also did X-Men Forever a few years ago. I thought it started off very good but descended into madness. I'm not a fan of Tom Grummett art, though, so other people's mileage may vary. I don' t think X-Men Forever was exactly "horrible" . . . but it did leave me thinking that I didn't need to read another Claremont X-Men book for a while. Yeah, that's probably an understatement, actually. I don't have a source for this, but I've heard multiple times over the years that sometime in the late '80s or early '90s, Marvel bought Chris Claremont his own private plane. And not a small one, either. I'm not joking about this and I don't think it's just a rumor. A reliable source for this is probably out there somewhere. To their credit, I think Marvel in the '80s was very much aware of how Claremont's contributions had given them a whole franchise of high-selling titles that they wouldn't've had otherwise. Still, in '91 Harras decided to side tell Claremont that Jim Lee should basically be his boss.
His New Excalibur was so-so...he had a good cast to work with, Nocturne, Dazzler, Captain Britain, Juggernaut, Pete Wisdom...