DC Comics Names Jerry Robinson "Creative Consultant"

[The Toyroom]

Hmmmm...classy move by DC or pre-emptive strike in order to stop a potential lawsuit by Robinson in regards to copyright claims on characters he created (ala The Joker)?

[thunderbolt]

were there any grumblings from Robinson about a potential lawsuit?

[samurainoir]

Probably a bit of both. Given their deep pockets, it hurts Time/WB/AOL/DC nothing in relation to the millions that the Batman franchise has made them to send Robinson a regular paycheck in exchange for the positive PR and heading off any potential lawsuits.

I think they learned their lesson after Siegel and Shuster in the seventies.

[The Toyroom]

were there any grumblings from Robinson about a potential lawsuit?

Not that I know of but considering the problems they're still having with the Siegel estate over Superboy it wouldn't surprise me if they're just trying to get all their ducks in a row...especially with the role The Joker will be playing in the upcoming film.

They probably weren't too concerned when The Joker appeared back in the '89 movie because Bob Kane was still around back then and was a consultant on the movie (supposedly having created everything himself anyway). Now with Kane out of the picture I can see then quietly trying to stem off any potential challenges from Robinson with a steady paycheck and a fancy title.

Nothing against Robinson but the guy is 85, has been out of the comic book business for years....what could he possibly consult about that DC doesn't know already anyway? His style is not their style anymore...

[davidb]

Don't forget the Carmine Infantino lawsuit, too (is that still going on?).

Regardless, I wish that the possible intentions were better, but I'm glad to see DC starting to wise up and honor some of the men who built their universe. Even if it's only an honorary job, it's still a paycheck that he may be able to use. Look at Siegel and Shuster. They started fighting (and eventually won) royalties from DC in 1975. What about the other guys who have passed on, like Gardner Fox, Jack Burnley, Bill Finger, or Mart Nodell? I just wish that something like this could have happened to honor them as well.

[The Toyroom]

Don't forget the Carmine Infantino lawsuit, too (is that still going on?).

To my knowledge this was settled between the 2 parties out of court....

[Earth 2 Chris]

DC has been "taking care of" folks of late. During the push for Batman Begins, DC gave substantial checks to both Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, specifically for their creation of Ra's Al Ghul, and their work on Batman in general. Legally, they didn't have to give them anything, as Ra's was created before DC instituted their royalty participation program in the late 70s/early 80s (largely due to Adams championing the cause of Siegel and Shuster to get some compensation for Superman. He eventually got them just that).

The creation of the Joker has always been murky to me. I don't trust Kane's stories, but the Joker's appeparance HAS to be based on Conrad Veidt's "Man Who Laughs" character. Just by all I've read, I'd say the Joker was equal parts Finger and Robinson, with some Kane thrown in...maybe.

Chris

[jds1911a1]

I think that Dc is playing it smart. a check to an elderly writer to "quiet" them costs alot less than a lawsuit and the public backlash if they play hardball "you were our employee and created intellectual property for us". of course I think they will only make these gestures to those whose properties would have a big other media potential like batman villians

[samurainoir]

Regardless, I wish that the possible intentions were better, but I'm glad to see DC starting to wise up and honor some of the men who built their universe. Even if it's only an honorary job, it's still a paycheck that he may be able to use. Look at Siegel and Shuster. They started fighting (and eventually won) royalties from DC in 1975.

Just to clarify, Siegel and Shuster began fighting in the legal arena in the forties after the second world war with varying degrees of success. My understanding is that money did change hands during those early rulings centering around Superboy.

Siegel launched an unsuccessful lawsuit in the sixties.

In the seventies just prior to the release of the Superman film, Siegel and Shuster basically shamed DC/Warner into paying them with a press release and threat of further negative publicity. It wasn't royalties that they won, but an annual fixed amount and perhaps more importantly, the return of their credit as the creators of Superman.

Interestingly, Bob Kane by comparison never stopped receiving money from DC. My understanding is that he successfully negotiated his credit and royalties from the very beginning. Jerry Robinson and Bill Finger and all the other Ghosts were never credited because they were essentially unknown subcontractors since it was Bob Kane that held the contract with DC. At that time of the creation of Batman and Joker, they weren't actual employees of DC/National.

I think it's a positive thing that they are giving Jerry Robinson some $$, but I'm sure it's not a completely atruistic move on the part of DC/Warner/Time/AOL given the recent successful posthumous lawsuit by the Siegel estate over Superboy and various other Golden Age creators launching their own lawsuits over the past few years. It's probably much less costly given the marketing budget of a major hollywood blockbuster to avoid any kind of negative publicity around the use of The Joker in Batman The Dark Knight.