The Business of Comics for September 14, 2026

Creator question 1: Can you provide some best practices for dealing with unwarranted accusations? This is in response to last week’s story about the Ed Brubaker lawsuit and my comment that you might face attacks on your reputation even if you didn’t do anything wrong.

Now before I answer this question, keep in mind that this isn’t legal advice, it’s more interpersonal observations. And it’s not really about comics. It’s more about life, which isn’t really what this channel is about. Finally, what I’m about to say isn’t original. It's paraphrased from Sun Tzu who allegedly said something like “do not rely on the enemy not coming. Rather prepare for their arrival by making your position unassailable.”

What does this look like in the reality of the 21st Century?

First, assume accusations will come with success. The more you have in terms of money, status, and reputation, the more you will attract negative attention. That’s a cost of doing business.

Second, build defenses before you need them. That could be making sure you have supporters, attorneys, PR people, or even accountants if the accusations are coming from tax authorities, because nobody wants that.

Third, have receipts. The more justifications and proof that you have for your words and actions, the better off you will be if accusations come back at you.

Fourth, increase the cost of attacking you. People are generally risk-averse. If they know it’s going to cost a lot of time, money, energy, reputation, or stress to come after you the less likely it is that they will do it.

Fifth, reduce the benefits of attacking you. Yes, some people are trolls just for the love of the game, but most human actions are self-interested. If there’s nothing to gain by coming after you, most people won’t bother.

Finally, understand that there are levels to this game. A lawsuit is different from a DMCA takedown notice which is different from an accusation on TikTok. Some accusations are not worth addressing. Others, just prove that you have people’s attention.

Creator Question 2. To what extent do you account for the money Disney put into the MCU when understanding its valuation? This is in response to the post about Disney’s four billion dollar investment in Marvel, which is now valued at fifty-four billion.

Now, I have not analyzed every 10K and 10Q Disney has released over the past 17 years. I don’t know the total amount they put into development, production, or distribution for all the films and television shows, or how that’s offset by licensing revenue, tax credits, or leveraged debt. I’m also not smart enough to calculate their earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization. Which is a long way of saying I don’t know. But this question is a good example of understanding the difference between gross and net.

Simply speaking, gross revenue is all the money you make from your comic. Net revenue is all the money you make from your comic, minus the money you had to pay to get the book out into the world. For example, let’s say you made $25,000 from a Kickstarter campaign. That’s your gross. Let’s also say you had to pay $15,000 for the artwork, printing, shipping, marketing, crowdfunding fees, and taxes. That means your net is $10,000. This becomes important both when understanding the financial success of your project and for calculating things like royalties and other profits. Paying a royalty of 10% of the gross is very different from paying them 10% of the net. Understanding the difference between gross and net won’t help you understand how much money Bob Iger made with the MCU, but it will help you with the accounting and negotiation process for your own comics.

Creator Question 3: Is an oral agreement sufficient for a comic book contract?

If you’re talking about a freelance work-for-hire agreement, where an artist transfers their intellectual property rights in exchange for a page rate or some other type of compensation, then the answer is no. A transfer of copyright ownership is not valid unless there is a written instrument signed by the owner of the rights being transferred. If you’re talking about a creator-owned agreement, where a creator gives a publisher the exclusive right to publish their comics, then the answer is also no, because the law treats the granting of exclusive rights in the same way they do a transfer. If you are an independent publisher granting non-exclusive distribution rights to your comics and use of your trademarks but not transferring ownership of the IP, then the answer is yes, but I wouldn’t advise it.

If you grant any type of right to your comic with an oral or handshake agreement and there is a dispute, then the actual terms of that agreement will be decided by an arbitrator, a court, or a judge, and only after you’ve spent a considerable amount of money using lawyers to argue on your behalf. The simple rule is clear. If you want to make a deal for your comic, get a contract, no matter what type of deal it is. Not a handshake, not a set of text messages or emails. Get a clear agreement that nails down your rights, revenue, responsibility, and recovery. It can be a lot cheaper than the alternative.

New Format, New Marketing: I recently about Webtoon’s rollout of reader-based AI functions and the need for creators to be careful about what rights they are giving to Webtoon when they post on the platform. Well, a colleague of mine at Webtoon clarified the information I provided in that post. Webtoon is launching AI-based interactive chat functions, but only in the Korean market. Those features are not planned for release in the US. Webtoon is releasing an AI-based auto-translation program in the US, to allow certain creators the ability to translate their comics into different languages without using a human translator.

The translation function creates an opportunity for Webtoon creators to reach new audiences, but keep in mind that if you release a new version of your comic in Spanish, French, or Cantonese, but none of your marketing is translated into any of those languages, or you’re not driving traffic to each language format of your comic from audiences that speak that language, then the amount of benefits that you’ll get from the translated edition will be limited. The amount of time and energy you have to create new marketing and sales funnels for each new language can have a direct impact on the number of new readers you can attract from different territories.

ICON Comes to LA: On Nov. 7th and 8th in Los Angeles, the inaugural ICON Festival of Comic & Narrative Art will be a two-day celebration of original art by some of the most popular and influential comic book artists working in the medium, including Nick Dragotta, Alex Ross, and Dan Panosian. Unlike mainstream comic book conventions, this event will focus on original narrative art and commissions, instead of movie premieres, celebrity autographs, and cosplay.

It is similar to the Orlando Art Expo, which is held every February, and is another example of how comic book artists can supplement their income, since page rates have been infamously flat for the better part of twenty years. It is also a good example of why freelance creators need to negotiate credit in their agreements. Many aspiring comic artists gain A-list status by working on high-profile titles, but if they don’t get credit for their work, then it is harder to translate their craft into big-ticket commissions and lucrative creator-owned projects. Having your name on a book is about more than pride and personal satisfaction, although that’s nice too. It can become a source of revenue years after you stop working on the book.

Have fun.

Gamal

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE A CONTENT, LICENSING OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUE, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.