More Fun With Archie - The Other Side Of The Story...

Yesterday I posted the legal document that Nancy Silberkleit has filed, asking for $50,000,000 in damages from Archie and Jonathan Goldwater for defamation of character, amongst other claims.  One thing the document has shown is that all is most definitely not well at family friendly Archie Comics, indeed the company is starting to look more like a car crash reality show than the pure of heart Riverdale.  By now I expect that people have read the New York Post links and are probably asking, where did the animosity against Silberkleit originate from?  Well, look no further than Archie HQ itself.

These are the documents at the core of the issue.  These documents, comprising of Silberkleit's employment agreement, emails and a very inflammatory Human Resources report which contains the bulk of the allegations against Silberkleit, were filed as part of the original restraining order preventing Silberkleit from coming anywhere near Archie HQ, physically, let alone having anything to do with Archie on any level.  The HR report documents a litany of employee allegations, ranging from the serious in the form of paranoia, harassment, threats and arguments, through to petty complaints about Silberkleit's personal hygiene.  These are also the documents that were, allegedly, leaked to the New York Post and formed the basis of their reporting, if you believe Silberklet, before they were filed.  As to who leaked them, well that's a matter of debate.  The documents are damning and, depending on who you believe, are either proof that Silberkleit went right off the rails during her time at Archie, or are a cleverly orchestrated attempt to remove her from the company, thus handing sole and complete control over to her co-CEO, Jonathan Goldwater.  Now that the feline has truly tunnelled from and fled the hessian sack to warmer climes, things are heating up.  It's going to take a very impartial, and patient, magistrate to make sense of all of this and lead Archie back into the light.  Perhaps the best thing for all concerned is for everyone to cut their losses, sell the company to a third party and just walk away.

Somehow I just don't see that happening anytime soon.  Expect more soiled sheets to be hung up on the washing line in the not so distant future.

And they all lived happily ever after...

Fun With Archie? Not Likely - Archie Co-CEO $50,000,000 Files Suit...

Archie Comics has been the source of quite a few legal proceedings of late, none more interesting than the obvious fight over the company, which keeps taking more twists and turns each time the sun rises.  The case is a bit more complex to go into here, but in short the fighting is all coming down to the usual issue - control.  At the moment Archie is co-run by Jonathan Goldwater, the grandson of Archie founder John Goldwater, and Nancy Silberkleit, who is the widow of Michael Silberkleit, the son of Archie co-founder Louis Silberkleit. The New York Post has been running stories of the latest goings on at Archie HQ, and they're not nice at all.  You can read them here and here, and there's an excellent summary of the whole thing here.  In short, Archie has filed suit to have Nancy Silberkleit barred from the company, representing the company or having anything to do with the company, citing bullying, harassment and general abuse.  As it now stands, Silberkleit is under a restraining order, preventing her from going anywhere near Archie HQ until the case against her is resolved.  It's not a pretty thing and certainly it's not the image that such a child friendly company would want to present to the public.

Nancy Silberkleit isn't taking any of it lying down though.  She has filed a counter-suit seeking damages of $50,000,000 for emotional distress and defamation of character, citing the New York Times stories and claiming that Jonathan Goldwater is seeking to have her removed from the company once and for all, and is using some very dirty tricks indeed, including serious accusations of theft of intellectual property, sexual harassment and destruction of files, through to the petty accusations, such as a threat to tow a van hired for a tour, car tyres being nailed and cancelled appearances. 

As with the bulk of these cases, the truth most likely lies somewhere between all of the lines, but until it is resolved Archie is heading towards a very public black eye as the dirty laundry isn't just being aired in public, it's being washed, dried, aired, ironed and folded.  I'll be keeping my eye on this one.

Victor Gorelick, Nancy Silberkleit, and Jonathan Goldwater when they were allowed in the same room as each other

An Important Message On Behalf Of Tom Ziuko

Hello -- my name is Gary Mann, writing here on Tom's behalf. You may not know me, but if you read comic-books or grew up reading them, chances are you're familiar with the name Tom Ziuko, and his work.

Tom was recently hospitalised for the second time in less than a year; this time requiring emergency surgery. I've helped to create this Facebook page for Tom in order to bring attention to his current medical situation, and hopefully gain assistance in order to help him out.

Tom is a comic-book colorist by profession -- over the course of his thirty year career he's worked primarily for DC and Marvel Comics; as well as a host of other independent publishers. His credits include work on a wide variety of characters and genres, ranging from Superman, Bat-Man, Spider-Man and Captain America to Dracula and The Shadow; and on titles as diverse as Crisis on Infinite Earths and The History of the DC Universe, from Hellblazer to Looney Toons; as well as dozens of others.

I've known Tom since we were both young comic-book fans back in the 1970's, and I've started up this Facebook page in order to hopefully raise some much needed financial assistance for him. Tom is a freelance artist, unable to afford health insurance, and the last year has been brutal for him -- in December of 2010 he was diagnosed with acute kidney failure; he spent the following months in the hospital being treated for this, and then convalescing at home, during which time he was also diagnosed with neuropathy.

Then in September he was dealt another life threatening blow -- he had to have emergency surgery to repair his strangulated colon. He was facing a possible colostomy -- but I'm happy to report that his surgeons were able to save both his life and his colon.

After spending another month in the hospital, Tom is currently recuperating at home, although still unable to return to work full-time. Early last year, Tom's friend and fellow freelance artist Alan Kupperberg mounted an effort to help raise some funds for him; and a great non-profit organisation, The Hero Initiative, has played a major role in helping Tom to survive during this last year, keeping him afloat and literally saving him from becoming homeless. But Tom continues to face a mountain of medical bills, personal expenses and debt.

And so I appeal to those of you who may have been touched by Tom's work over the last three decades; in that you might be able to contribute to assisting him financially while he continues his recovery. I know that times are tight right now for everyone, but any contribution you might be able to make, no matter how small, would be both beneficial and greatly appreciated by Tom.

We have a Paypal account set up if you'd like to contribute over the internet then you can do so using this email address. And whether you're able to contribute funds or not, you can write to Tom directly here on Facebook, or at his email address in order to send him get-well wishes, to say hello and wish him a speedy recovery, or just to let him know if you've enjoyed his work over the years.

If you want to contribute directly to Tom's assistance fund, you can do so at Paypal

On behalf of both Tom and myself -- thank you so much!
- Gary Mann

 

The Trials Of Superman - Available Now & FREE!

From the introduction:

...in 2001 DC Comics had reached an agreement to license and control the Siegel’s 50% stake – they already control co-creator Joe Shuster’s 50% share, until 2013 when the Shuster heirs are expected to file suit – when talks fell apart and the Siegel’s walked.  The other side of the story is that DC changed the terms of the deal at the last minute leaving the Siegel’s with no choice but to terminate the negotiations.  DC have since counter-claimed that the Siegel’s were led into withdrawing from signing the contract in 2001 at the eleventh hour by their current lawyer, Marc Toberoff.  As it stood the Siegel’s then filed suit, in 2004, against DC Comics, seeking to validate their ownership, in addition to seeking further rights and to also demand that DC Comics give a full accounting of the money that had been realized since 1999 by the Superman franchise. 

The argument was that DC Comics had undervalued Superman and licensed the rights to exploit the character in movies and television by dealing with their parent company, Warner Brothers.  DC argued that it had always done the right thing, that the deals negotiated and that the payments received, going back to the Salkind era (the 1970/1980s Superman movies with Christopher Reeve) and extending through to the current deals, including the television series Lois and Clark and the highly successful Smallville, along with the most recent movies, were more than fair and indeed over market value.  The argument to resolve this was taken to a ten day bench trial, at which time DC Comics would have to prove that it had not undersold Superman, and the Siegel’s would have to prove otherwise.  The trial gave a great insight into the machinations of comic books and motion pictures along with the true value of Superman, as a multi-media concept.

This book, which will only be available as a digital download with a new, stunning cover designed by Michael Netzer, captures the entire trial, from start to finish.  Every word uttered in court is here - with one notable exception - and the testimonies of Mark Evanier and Paul Levitz are fully intact.  You'll read Levitz explain the many deals done for Superman from an insider point of view and how DC Comics very nearly bought Marvel Comics in the late 1990s.  You'll read Evanier discussing how Siegel and Shuster have been screwed over the decades, along with mention motion picture and entertainment experts giving their own views on just how valuable the Superman property is.

Also included are a smattering of rare images, the final court findings, plus two further court appearances in the form of status reports.  Best of all the entire book, over 1,000 pages, is totally free and available for download by clicking this link, or by clicking the cover art below, right now.

The Trials of Superman is published by Blaq Books, cover by Michael Netzer, compiled and edited by Daniel Best and is copyright © 2012 by Daniel Best
ISBN: 978-0-9807655-2-6

Newton Comics: Cover IDs

I'm entering the home straight for my long overdue, long awaited Newton Comics book.  As with such projects, more information is coming in each and every day, including an incredible set of documents that arrived just last night - I'm glad I held off from the original publishing date.  As it stands I need to finally, and fully, id the origins of the following covers.  If you know where they first appeared, either as covers or as interior art, and who drew/painted them, then let me know in the comments section or by sending down an email.  Make sure you include your name as you will be thanked in the final book.

Here goes!

Swap Card Album

Tales of Horror #4

Fantastic Four #5

Giant Man-Dr Strange

Hulk Annual #1

Monsters Unleashed

Newton Four-In-One #1

 

Newton Holiday Spectacular

Newton Spectacular

Newton Annual

Origins

POTA #11

POTA #12

POTA #13

POTA #14

POTA #15

POTA #16

POTA #16

POTA #17

POTA #18

Science Fiction

Newton Spectacular #1

Sub-Mariner #1