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Posted in: Collectibles, Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics, McFarlane Toys | Tagged: captain carrot, roy thomas, scott shaw, sdcc, todd mcfarlane
Scott Shaw Would Like To Be Paid For Todd McFarlane's Captain Carrot
Scott Shaw Would Like To Be Paid For Todd McFarlane's Captain Carrot... even though he's not that big a fan of the design
Article Summary
- Scott Shaw criticizes Todd McFarlane's Captain Carrot design at SDCCI 2024 and demands payment.
- Shaw co-created Captain Carrot in 1982, holding a 10% ownership stake and claims a contract for royalties on toys.
- Captain Carrot returned in Justice League Incarnate, leading to the disputed toy design by McFarlane Toys.
- Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella also claims unpaid royalties for his Todd McFarlane action figure.
Scott Shaw, one of the founders of San Diego Comic-Con posted about his experiences there this year posting to Facebook saying "The worst thing about SDCCI 2024 was getting asked to autograph these instantly sold-out action figures from McFarlane Toys. I despise the awful design, but what REALLY upsets me is that I haven't received an effing CENT nor hideous PRODUCT for using a character that I designed, co-created, and partially own (10%.) I've contacted the guy at Warner Bros. to explain WHY I've been ignored but I don't expect anything more than additional fertilizer."
Scott Shaw is the co-creator of Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew with Roy Thomas, published by DC Comics in 1982. "When mild-mannered cartoonist Rodney Rabbit eats one of his cosmic carrots, he becomes Earth-26's greatest champion: Captain Carrot!" Even though it was set in a version of the DC Universe, Scott Shaw and Roy Thomas got a partial ownership carve-out, a relatively rare concept at that time at DC. Scott Shaw previously said that "according to the contract that Roy Thomas and I signed back in the 1980s, we should only get paid a royalty for NON-COMICS usage of the Zoo Crew". Which would cover toys…
The series ran for twenty issues, with six unpublished issues later published as three double sized-issues. But the character and the crew has returned a number of times as comic book creators have strived to bring them back as part of the wider DC Comics Multiverse. Which led to this depiction as a member of the Justice League Incarnate series spinning out of Metal and Death Metal.
Which is the version the Todd McFarlane DC licensed line used. And which saw this response from Scott Shaw over a) the design, b) the lack of payment and c) that he didn't even get a sample.
Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella also added to the thread "I haven't been paid for the Black Lightning figure from Todd…and had to buy it myself for my archives."
I've been in touch with a few people, and hopefully, this will be resolved very soon. I understand, from usual licensing deals, that Todd McFarlane will have paid licensing rights to DC/Warner Bros. for the rights and it is DC's duty to make sure they go to the right places. But sometimes people need to be reminded where those right places are. I wonder if Roy Thomas fancies writing to the Hollywood Reporter about it all?
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