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What Kind of Contracts Do You Need for Your Comic?

By Gamal Hennessy, Esq

Independent comic book creators in the 21st century understand the importance of protecting their work with contracts. Some see the explosion of comics in the mass media and hope their story can make it to the screen someday. Others have heard the horror stories of artists and writers losing major projects because they didn’t have a contract or they signed the wrong deal. Creators don’t need to be told why they need a contract.

But when it comes to what kind of contract they need for a particular situation, the answers aren’t as clear. I specialize in writing and reviewing contracts for comic creators, so I know what’s required in different situations. To help comic creators on all levels get more confidence with the legal aspect of the industry, I’ve developed packages of custom contracts to help protect their IP and get their books published.

The Three (or Four) Comic Contract Packages

I normally have three types of clients:

  1. The new creator who is creating their first book or the first book in a new series
  2. The independent publisher who has plans to release books on an ongoing basis
  3. The artist pursuing a creator driven deal with an established publisher

I created a collection of contracts to match the needs of each type of client.

  • The Comic Creator Package for the singular series or first time creator includes
  1. A Collaboration Agreement to define the relationship among everyone who owns a piece of the book.
  2. A Work for Hire Agreement for everyone who is getting a page rate but doesn’t own a piece of the book
  3. Copyright filing of the Comic with the US Copyright Office to memorialize your ownership
  • The Independent Publisher Package for the ongoing creative team includes
  1. Corporate formation for your company including an operating agreement and EIN number management (See the Benefits of Forming an LLC for Your Comic)
  2. A Collaboration Agreement
  3. A Work for Hire Agreement
  4. Copyright filing of the Comic
  • The Creator Driven Comic Package for the artist licensing their book to an established publisher
  1. Corporate formation including Operating Agreement and EIN Number Management
  2. A Collaboration Agreement
  3. A Publishing Agreement* defining the relationship between you and your publisher
  4. Copyright filing of the Comic

* If your Publisher has their own contract and refuses to use yours (See Negotiating Power in Creative Contracts), I’ll review their contract for you and breakdown every paragraph so you understand every aspect of the deal.

No matter what kind of comic book creator you are, you need to protect your story, characters and the potential income that your creativity represents. If you’d like to contact to discuss the needs of your specific project, just send me an email and we can set something up.

Have fun.

G

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