How big companies keep creators poor

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*Further Viewing*
For the full story of Bob Kane vs. Bill Finger and the creation of Batman, check out Batman & Bill on Hulu

*Sources*

Superman by Larry Tye

[KyleDavis]

Writing contracts on the back of checks is one of the most shadiest and grimiest things I’ve ever heard of. Only a soulless and vindictive company would do that.

[Dopecheetah]

I went to high school with Bill Finger’s granddaughter. She talked a lot about how her grandfather didn’t get credit for his work on Batman. I was very happy for her and her family when Bill Finger finally got the credit he deserved.

[ClayT]

You really have to wonder how many more amazing stories and characters we would have if these companies didn’t try to put one over on the creators.

[TetsuShima]

*Fun fact:* Bill Finger was honored in a short comic called "The Sacrifice", released in commemoration of Batman's 75th anniversary. In said story, the Phantom Stranger gives the dark knight the opportunity to live in a reality in which he did not lose his parents, showing us an alternate future where Bruce never became Batman and formed a happy family with Natalya. Unfortunately, in this new reality, Gotham is dominated by crime, Ra's al Ghul gradually conquers the World, James Gordon is a quadraplegic and Richard Grayson is sentenced to the death row for killing Tony Zucco. Due to that, Bruce tearfully decides in a really heartbreaking scene to return to his original reality, not without saying a final goodbye to his family. As Batman watches again how Joe Chill murders his parents, the story ends with a text that says "In memory of Bill Finger"

[jayguero]

Jack Kirby never saw an ounce of his creations successes. That’s the part that gets me. The fact that people think of Stan whenever they think of who created most of Marvel’s recognizable icons. Jack THE KING Kirby.

[TetsuShima]

Stories of men like Bill Finger or Joe Shuster who had a miserable life despite the great things they did, while other people became huge celebrities for absurd reasons, remind me a lot this sad quote from Nite Owl (Hollis Mason) about the very different fates of Doctor Manhattan and Scout:

"Some dope forgets his Watch and becomes a God on Earth...Some poor kid saves New York City and gets to suffer and die alone and forgotten...What kind of sick world is this?"

[phillybul]

This is why McFarlane and his six friends created image comics. I didn’t know why back in the 90’s when I was a kid but this is definitely the reason. Creators been screwed out of their creations for so long. Especially in the comics industry.

[TetsuShima]

Finger definitely honored Batman's name. Like the caped crusader, he tried to improve the world with his actions the best he could, despite knowing that he would not become a well-known person. People like him show that, despite the fact that superheroes do not exist, their mentality is not fictional at all

[SHLVideos]

This is one of the most important issues in the comic industry, and not nearly enough people talk or care about it. I hope this video gets more views than the trailers for the movies made about the characters that were stolen from these creators.

[kikkerdril]

You have to wonder how high quality channels like this one just sprout out of nowhere. You can feel how well researched these video's are!

[Cloudnolife]

Man, your script, your direct way and honest way to the camera, your editing, your research...I hope this channel gets recognition step by step, keep doing this, please.

[azwrathfrost]

When a good show is canceled and the creator of the show wants to continue it, but the network won't give the rights back. I hate that when it happens.

[tonymiles]

Funny how, many these characters, who were created to be paragons of virtue, would probably hang there heads in Shame at the way the industry that spawned them has treated their creators.

[neolunaticus]

They put a contract
On the back of his check.

That's fucking evil.

[alexandre.albisser]

As an european I knew pretty much nothing about US comics, and your channel feels like the best way possible to learn about this world!

[jasoncaldwell]

Growing up in Miami in the 80's and going to comics shows as a kid, I heard a lot of these kinds of stories from artists and writers that retired down here.
The stories I've heard from artists are wild- particularly from artists that never got their original comic art back.

[recluseauhermitticus]

So moral of the story: self publish, keep your copywrites!!! And get royalties for everything!!!

[RememberTheDead]

“The finest line of poetry ever uttered in the history of this whole damn country was said by Canada Bill Jones in 1853, in Baton Rouge, while he was being robbed blind in a crooked game of faro. George Devol, who was, like Canada Bill, not a man who was averse to fleecing the odd sucker, drew Bill aside and asked him if he couldn't see that the game was crooked. And Canada Bill sighed, and shrugged his shoulders, and said, 'I know. But it's the only game in town.' And he went back to the game.”
- Neil Gaiman, American Gods.

[SageHorizon]

When corporations kick out the original creators to their most successful characters "as they don't aline with the company's values".

[ClayT]

Copyright law has always been kind of broken because Congress and the courts are going to lean toward what companies want rather than creators 😉 💰 💰 💰💰💰💰