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Topic: Q for JB about TCJ’s "Kirby Petition" (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 13 August 2006 at 8:33pm | IP Logged | 1  

On another board I frequent occasionally (Alvaro's Gold/Silver/Bronze) someone was asking why you chose not to sign The Comics Journal's Jack Kirby Petition back in 1986.  I hadn't heard of this before but based on what I read here it was apparently a petition circulated among professionals asking Marvel to unconditionally return Kirby's original art to him (at a time when they were asking him to sign a four-page document before they would return the work). 

The person asking the question on the other board indicated unwillingness to come here and ask you directly, but I'm curious myself now about any story behind this petition, so I thought I would ask.  So, my questions are: am I characterizing the petition's content correctly, were you asked to sign it, and if you elected not to do so, what was your reason for declining?  

Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 13 August 2006 at 8:34pm
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John Byrne
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 6:05am | IP Logged | 2  

The person asking the question on the other board indicated unwillingness to come here and ask you directly…

****

Then let this person get over their preemptive martyr complex and come and ask him/herself. I'll be happy to answer.

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Robert Oren
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 7:30am | IP Logged | 3  

It's like the old....a friend of my friends friend asked............................

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John Byrne
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 7:32am | IP Logged | 4  

This is, by the way, going to be my response to "imported" questions, from now on.
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Gregg Allinson
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 8:04am | IP Logged | 5  

Sounds fair to me.
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John OConnor
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 10:37am | IP Logged | 6  

Jason -- isn't that a 20 year old petition?
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Gregg Allinson
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 10:53am | IP Logged | 7  

Personally, I don't think the question is an unreasonable one, and it seems like Jason tried to be very diplomatic in phrasing it, but JB's right:  if the person has a question, they should ask it themselves.
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 6:38pm | IP Logged | 8  

 Gregg Allinson wrote:
if the person has a question, they should ask it themselves.


Well, I was asking the question for myself, really, not for the dude on the other board.  Even though the question didn't originate with me, the discussion over there made me curious, so I asked (and I have to say man, if I'm only allowed to post original thoughts here I'm going to be f*cked from now on, dammit).  At any rate I'm still curious enough that I'll go back to alvaro's and ask the dude why he's unwilling to come here and post.

Yeah, John, it is a 20 year old petition.  That's why I'd never heard of it before... I stopped reading new comics from roughly 1985 to 1998 or so.  I suppose some people do dredge it up in an attempt to paint Mr. Byrne in a bad light (eg "How could he not support Kirby?") but that wasn't my intent.  I'm just curious what his opinion was about this.


Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 14 August 2006 at 7:48pm
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Neil Welch
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Posted: 14 August 2006 at 11:16pm | IP Logged | 9  

How come you didn't sign it, JB?

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John Byrne
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Posted: 15 August 2006 at 4:30am | IP Logged | 10  

Are you the questioner from the other board, Neil?
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Robert Oren
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Posted: 15 August 2006 at 7:03am | IP Logged | 11  

Are you the questioner from the other board, Neil?

****************************

no he just didn't read this thread at all

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John OConnor
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Posted: 15 August 2006 at 8:06am | IP Logged | 12  

My [un-requested] two cents...I remember this petition well, and often wondered why aren’t any other Marvel artist’s signing it? When I asked my local store if they were going to post one, I was told by the owner that in no uncertain terms if *M* got wind of it, they'd cut ties to that store. No, was that true? Who knows. Ultimately, Jack got back what Marvel had, and got a small pension [as did Roz]. None of that is necessarily fair, but, that's they way things were then. Jack had been in the biz then, for what? 45 years? Like other artists, he had not been taken care of, but with VERY few exceptions, none of them were. Where were, for example, the Image guys just a few years later, flush with millions, to also help out? Words are nice, but money talks. It might help to remember where TCJ was back then as well. They were constantly stirring the pot, trying to expand their influence and grow the market. I had all of those issues for years, until a flood in my garage finally made me get rid of them. This should be a lesson to all that this is a business.
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