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Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics, Disney+, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Movies, TV, Universal, Warner Bros | Tagged: Dave Gibbons, doctor who, Kick Ass, kingsman, Mark Millar, men in black, Pat Mills, Star Beast
Marvel Studios, Why Not Move Comic Creator Credits To The Front?
Why do Marvel buy their comic book creators deep in the "special thanks" in the final credits when they relly don't have to?
Article Summary
- Marvel often hides comic creators' credits in final movie credits.
- Shows like Doctor Who credit creators upfront; why not Marvel?
- Examples from Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Men In Black show it’s possible.
- Placement boils down to negotiation, Marvel should give proper credit.
When the BBC/Disney+ released the new Star Beast episode of Doctor Who, based on a Marvel comic book from 1980, it had the credits for the original creative team up front, at the beginning of the Doctor Who titles, nice and big. Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons, who wrote and drew the original story in Marvel's Doctor Who Weekly in 1980.
So why, when you get a TV show or film based on a Marvel superhero comic book, are the credits for the comic book creators buried deep during the final credits? If there is a contractual thing, you may get Stan Lee, Steve Ditko or Jack Kirby at the beginning, but it's rare. And plenty other comic book creators deserve a credit.
This is just how Marvel Studios do it. But they don't have to. This is how the Kick-Ass movie, based on the Marvel comic book, looks in its opening titles, with credits for Mark Millar and John Romita.
This is what the Kingsman movies based on the Marvel comic book The Secret Service look like in their opening titles, with Mark Millar again, and Dave Gibbons, again.
ANd this is what the Men In Black movie, based on the Marvel/Malibu comic book, looks like in its opening titles, with Lowell Cunningham. When there wasn't even an MCU.
UPDATE: And yes, for that matter, the folks of Man Of Action, getting a nice big credit for their Marvel comic book, Big Hero 6.
Pat Mills has talked about how it's the little things that matter. Well… this is one of the littlest things. Credit placement usually comes down to negotiation with agents. In this regard, the creators of the original comic books have very little agency and no negotiation power for themselves or via representation. But it's something that can be done, should be done, and will cost so little money in terms of moving the credits from the back to the front that it seems like they are making the deliberate decision not to do that. DC Comics as well of course; they do exactly the same. But at least they also pay a decent wodge to the creators named; Marvel doesn't even do that…
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