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Told Ya So: ‘Hack/Slash’ And ‘Mercy Sparx’ Colorist Files Suit Against Devil’s Due Publishing

Published

14 years ago

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Yesterday we brought readers the news that “HACK/SLASH” creator Tim Seeley would be taking out a personal loan in order to pay the debts owed to the various artists who had contributed their work to his story since ex-publisher Devil’s Due couldn’t (or wouldn’t) pay up themselves. In that article I postured that lawsuits would likely be filed before the month was up, and boy was I half right. Read on for the skinny.

Today website Bleeding Cool broke the news that colorist Rachelle Rosenburg (“HACK/SLASH”, “MERCY SPARX”) had already filed suit against the publisher, and according to her hearing in Chicago, was due $3530 from the publisher. Here is an excerpt from the article.

“Comic book colourist Rachelle Rosenberg has won a court judgement for $3530 against Devil’s Due Publishing. She wrote about the process here, but the news today is that, after traveling to Chicago for the hearing, the judge ruled in her favour.”

The full article can be read at Bleeding Cool.

The news came straight from Rachelle’s official blog, which detailed the situation, and did so in a very tasteful way. Here is part of what the blog had to say…

“In three days, I am going down to the court of Illinois and filing suit against Devil’s Due Publishing. I have been fairly quiet about it for several reasons. One being I am just scared out of my mind what people might think. However, the truth of the matter is that I did the work. I did it well. And I didn’t do it for free. Yes I love coloring and I love my job, but I do it to help pay the bills and put food on my table. I am one of those amazingly, lucky people that gets paid to do something they absolutely *love*.
I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty details or start slandering anyone, even though I would be fully justified. I loved working with the people at DDP. My editors were amazing and you can’t say enough good things about people like, Tim and Sam. And while doing work for them, I grew. You can’t look at my first cover for them and look at the one I finished almost a year later and say, that I didn’t grow as a colorist. I will always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me. However I love this industry and the fact that there are many publishers like DDP getting away with not paying the talent is just not right. And I don’t understand why so many people seem to just turn their head and look the other way. It’s wrong… and on Thursday, I am going to stand in front of a judge and take a stand for myself and what I believe is right.
That’s not to say I’m not trembling at the thought of it. That I didn’t wish they just paid me. Or that I wish someone else was taking the stand instead of me.”

To read the rest head on over to her official blog, here.

I think I stand firm with everyone else on this when I say: good for you girl. It’s not a fun, glamorous, or easy process to go through, but it is only right. Comic book artists, writers, colorists, all the way down the line are hard working, dedicated people who deserve to be paid for what they do. They have bills to pay just like the rest of the world, and lord knows they aren’t able to go out and buy $30 million dollar houses like Lady GaGa. I hope she gets what she deserves from them. What say you?

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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