For the record, my business dealings with many if not most Sonic creators has been nothing but pleasant and cordial. They’re also very confidential and not subject to public discussion, notably with two exceptions.
Here are the facts: Yes, I reached out to Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley to offer royalties along with comp copies to cover the inclusion of their work in my latest book, THE SHADOW FILES. Why? Because I believe content creators should be compensated for their work. Ian never responded while Tracy declined, which should have been the end of it.
Unfortunately, being who they are, Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley choose to use their public platforms to trash both me and my latest book, THE SHADOW FILES, and in the process work against the interests of their fellow creators.
l had sent both Ian and Tracy, along with other creators, an emailed agreement regarding the use of their work in THE SHADOW FILES. Ian obviously received my email, as he admitted, acknowledging the offer of compensation (one that was considerably more than some have speculated).
Accordingly, Ian and Tracy were only listed in the book to factually acknowledge their contributions to the stories, as only right. It’s a matter of public record they both worked on the SONIC THE HEDGEHOG series and the stories included in THE SHADOW FILES in particular. To not include them would have been interpreted as pettiness on my part, which is furthest from the truth. We may never be anywhere close to friends but I can at least acknowledge their contributions in the proper context.
Many of the creators I reached out to provided their own bios. For the rest, I researched numerous sources. I settled on the best and most accurate sources to include in the book. During my research, to my dismay, I discovered letterer Vickie Williams’ passing on the DC Comics website. She deserved better acknowledgement in online databases like Sonic Wiki, among other sources of information.
Publishing a factual list doesn’t require permission and everyone who contributed to the book deserves recognition, even those with whom I disagree. Ian and Tracy are both public figures, who as a matter of public record created the material. Permission to include them isn’t needed, as my book only lists the facts of their work and their involvement. I don’t make judgements of the work nor do I disparage either them as individuals or their work.
Without going into the particulars of my settlement with Archie Comics, I pretty much control everything I did for the SONIC series as well as material that includes the use of my characters and concepts, which the stories from SONIC issues 166 and 167 clearly fall under.
On top of continuing my MOBIUS 25 YEARS LATER storyline, Ian not only included my original character Lara-Su, he also incorporated elements from my unpublished M25YL scripts which were among the last materials I sold to Archie. Ian can protest all he likes but the fact is neither Archie Comics or SEGA has laid claim to any of this material and the time for doing so has long since passed.
On the issue of reprinting work done by other colorists, not one Sonic creator I’m in contact with has objected to the new coloring. If anything, they highly approve of how much the new coloring makes their work look that much better, especially when presented in a high quality production that distinguishes the Mobian Adventure Line.
Have I said inkers, letterers and colorists are replaceable? Absolutely. But so are writers and pencilers. Ian replaced me on the Sonic series as Tracy replaced a number of artists on the book as well. I didn’t say anything for the longest time regarding Ian’s work because I had left the book and thought it was behind me.
Addressing the prospect of replacing another creator’s contributions to the series, I’d have no problem replacing Jon D’Agostino’s inks over my pencils as that was the very definition of hack work. He literally traced over my linework instead of adding definition and texture. The only reason I hadn’t done so is a lack of time on my part as I literally have more work than time to do it in.
Depending on my schedule, I’d also have no problem redrawing the Knuckles stories I did for issues 30 through 32 of that series when they’re eventually collected in the third KNUCKLES OMNIBUS. Inker Harvey Mercadoocasio had let me down when I agreed to turn my penciled pages over in less than finished form in exchange for him polishing up the details so he could have work he could bill for.
The fact is the production line method of creating a comic book is the result of publishers seeking to assert control decades ago over the creations brought to life by various writers and artists. Neither DC or Marvel would be able to assert control over their characters for exploitation if they had to rely solely on the individual creators and/or creative teams to produce the material month in and month out for decades on end.
My LARA-SU CHRONICLES: SHATTERED TOMORROWS is a perfect example of how today’s technology allows me to create the full, finished final product without involving anyone else. I have various fonts I use for lettering on my digital art and I use Clip Studio Paint along with Photoshop for illustrating as well as coloring and various effects. I use Screenwriter to craft my script and InDesign for assembling the individual pages into one cohesive file to send to the printer.
In this day and age, I could never encourage anyone to seek a career in comics solely as an inker, a letterer or a colorist. The competition is intense, the deadlines are ridiculous and the pay is absurdly low for what is expected. At recent conventions I’ve been to lately, I’ve listened as seasoned professionals with decades of experience complain they hadn’t had a page rate increase in 20 years or more. Nor are most publishers paying out royalties in any amount or even providing comp copies. And you can forget about any 401K plans or health benefits.
Ian and Tracy can vent all they want and threaten all kinds of legal action, but I have nothing to apologize for. I made them the exact same offer I make to all the Sonic creators whose work appears in the books I produce and I have lived up to the terms I promise. In this day and age, that’s called batting a 1000%.