Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dynamite, Marvel Comics | Tagged: Steve Perry, thundercats

Steve Perry, ThunderCats, Silverhawks, Marvel And Dynamite

As Dynamite is bringing Marvel's ThunderCats comics back into print, Steve Bissette has been sharing memories regarding Steve Perry.

With the news that Dynamite Entertainment is bringing Marvel's ThunderCats comics back into print on BackerKit and reviving the SilverHawks characters for a new series, Steve Bissette has been sharing some memories regarding the late Steve Perry, who worked on both titles as well as the likes of Star Wars, Psi-Force, Thunder Agents, and Galaxy Rangers comics. He died tragically in 2010, murdered by a roommate. Steve Bissette writes;

"Oh, great. Marvel were complete sh-ts to the late Steve Perry when he was scripting THUNDERCATS and SILVERHAWKS for Marvel back in the day. Steve was, at the time, scripting episodes of both animated TV series for Rankin-Bass, and landed writing opportunities for Marvel when the comic book series launched, since he had the inside track with Rankin-Bass as well at the time, and the late Denny O'Neil was a fan of Steve's work (Steve had scripted for Denny for BIZARRE ADVENTURES) and put in a good word for Steve. Recognizing the headaches caused for the comic's editor by the need-for-comic-script-approval-from-Rankin-Bass, and the resulting delays (the producers were, of course, focused primarily on the animated series, in production even as it was being broadcast), Steve negotiated with Rankin-Bass (he had good relations with Jules, who Steve always referred to by first name, and story editor Peter Lawrence) greasing the wheels via the options for adapting already-approved TV scripts into individual issues of the comic. Thus, the delays would cease, no need for further approval from Rankin-Bass, smoother sailing for everyone!

"Steve reckoned he could adapt his own scripts first, which both Jules and Peter were enthusiastic about, and that his doing a good turn for Marvel and the Marvel editor would mean ongoing, steady employment from and with Marvel. Alas, the editor jumped at the opportunity—immediately cutting Steve out of the loop, assigning teleplay adaptations TO HIS CRONIES, squeezing Steve out of work almost immediately. Instead of gainful employ, Steve found himself having lost work: no good deed unpunished. Jules and Peter at Rankin-Bass expressed their disappointment, and Steve made an effort to visit the Marvel offices in person to see if he could negotiate keeping his gig on the comicbooks (THUNDERCATS and SILVERHAWKS), but (get this) the editor HID from Steve.

"Calling one of my Marvel associates at the time after Steve returned to Vermont (a total loss, including of pocket money, Steve having spent money on the trip in and out of NYC to make the effort), I was told the editor in question was there the whole time—hiding under their desk.

"This kicked off a decisive downhill trajectory Steve never did recover from. The work-for-hire gig with Rankin-Bass ran its course, he never wrote for Marvel again, he quit writing for comics, and eventually (I kid you not) joined the carny circuit instead as everything else in his life fell apart. Steve was fully capable of self-destructing on his own, mind you, but I never forgot how totally humiliated, infuriated, and demoralized this entire debacle left him (preparing me for my own ill-treatment at Marvel's hands years later, no surprise at the time given what I'd seen "doing a favor" for a Marvel editor and ongoing series "won" the freelancer doing said favor). When the character toys hit the Christmas season store shelves, Steve had to borrow money from me to put some on layaway at a local department store so he could give 'em to his own kids.

"So, ya. I see this announcement from Dynamite, and I remember all this, and the bad end Steve came to years later, a decline kicked off by a Marvel editor pulling reprehensible shit on a freelancer who'd made that editor's job easier. I think of the income that WON'T be going to Steve's widow or kids for the reprints, the comp copies they WON'T get of their own father's work. What a fucking business."

After some discussion, Steve Bissette ras some corrections on the Silverhawks deal, saying,

"Steve scripted all 7 issues of SILVERHAWKS, but his character "Safari Jo" (THUNDERCATS #14) and two issues later (#16, #19) seems to complete his writing gig on that series (#14: Pencils by Ernie Colón, inks by Al Williamson). It wasn't unusual for Steve to fantasize about an illusory 'brass ring,' but he really did initiate and facilitate the adaptation of existing teleplays from the series as a solution for the editor, and it didn't seem unreasonable to expect (as he did) being rewarded by scripting the rest of the series; he made or beat all his deadlines, and was the only one with the 'inside track' to Rankin-Bass. Anyhow, it was pretty devastating at the time for him, and in many ways "the beginning of the end," though that was a long, hard time coming."

The editor on Thundercats at Marvel was Mike Carlin, who went on to have a long career at DC Comics and who retired from comic books last year, leaving a number of other controversies in his wake. He will be providing a foreword to the ThunderCats collections.

Regarding licensing payments., this has become a real issue of late and often comes down to licensing deals done between studios and publishers, which forbids royalty payments and has the studio become the legal owner of the work and able to impose its own licensing restrictions and demands on future publishers. In recent years, say on Marvel's Star Wars books, creators have received higher page rates in the knowledge that their work could be reprinted and used in any form, forever, with any further payment, and everyone goes into it open eyed. These licensing deals from the eighties didn't even have that proviso… hence recent stories with Larry Hama and GI Joe. 

However, I understand that Dynamite Entertainment does send out comp copies of such work if they can find contacts for those involved and that this is underway.

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