Jack Kirby royalty petition at Change.org

With this summer's blockbuster Avengers movie soon upon us, there has been renewed attention by the mainstream media on the creation and creators of the characters that will be appearing in the film. And as every comic book fan knows Jack Kirby is co-creator of many of the most well-known Marvel characters, and specifically many of the Avengers characters.

The ongoing legal battle between the Kirby estate and Marvel/Disney over copyrights, royalties and ownership to the characters- such as Thor, Fantastic Four, Iron Man and even Spider-Man- is still far from concluded. And you have to wonder if it ever will.

In the meantime, the Jack Kirby creator's rights movement has started an online petition at Change.org, the website that is given credit for Bank America and Verizon dropping certain fees after petitions were started on the site.

The petition reads as follows:
Jack Kirby is one of the most important and influential artists in the history of U.S. comic books and popular culture. Along with writers Joe Simon, Stan Lee, and Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby created the characters and stories on which Marvel Comics has built a very successful business over the past 60 years. Kirby created or co-created Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The X-Men, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and many more. For his efforts, Kirby was paid a few dollars a page and never shared in the billions of dollars in profits his characters have made in various media, including print, film, and video games.
We strongly urge Marvel Entertainment and its owner Disney to acknowledge Jack Kirby's authorship and primary role in the creation of these characters. As well, we urge Marvel to pay Kirby's family royalties or other just compensationfor the use of these characters and stories.
Until such a time as Marvel can make things right with Kirby's legacy and Kirby's family and heirs, we may refuse to purchase any Marvel product, including comic books, movies, toys, or games. We ask Marvel, Disney, and its shareholders to act ethically and morally in this situation, just as their characters would.

Fans who are interested in supporting and signing the petition should follow THIS LINK.

Comments