Nigel Parkinson, Cartoonist

Nigel Parkinson, Cartoonist
Me at a Comic Con

Saturday 23 October 2010

Not So Marvel-ous

From the off, let me exclude the mighty talents of Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Joe Sinnott, John Romita, Marie Severin, Sal Buscema, Dick Ayers and many others and most especially, those towering talents Mr Steve Ditko and the late Mr Jack Kirby.
(And all those ""creators"" who followed in their footseps over in the US. I exclude them because I don't know anything about them and I could care less.)
But definitely included are those whose fault the following is:
  • 1. In 1973 I sent 50p for some Marvel (UK) back issues. Still not received.
  • 2. In 1984 I was offered work by Marvel (UK),  the first chapter of which I completed, got complimented on, was never paid for and never heard from that editor again.
  • 3. In 1987 I sent £15 for some Marvel (UK) back issues. Still waiting.
  • 4. In 1990 I was offered more work, Cautiously, I accepted and provided preliminary work. Unpaid.
  • 5. In 1993 a very similar thing happened.
  • 6. And again in 1995.
  • 7. In 2010 a very big erstwhile 'name' in Marvel (UK) dismissed a project I had worked long and hard over and condemned it without having even having the courtesy to look at it. What a piece of work! Decidedly Suspect. Definitely Serious.

3 comments:

Kid said...

1)I believe PIPPA M. MELLING may still have been "in charge" of MARVEL UK at that time. I wonder what happened to her? Could be the fault of the POST OFFICE 'though.

2)I was once approached by a MARVEL UK editor who was desperate to have an entire comic lettered. I was busy, but with an eye to the future, asked if there might be any regular work in the offing. I was told there would be, so I inconvenienced myself and squeezed her comic into my schedule. Not only did I not hear from her again, I never received my promised printed issues of the comic.

3)I was once a top ten runner-up in an MARVEL art competition - I never received my prize of a Treasury Edition. (Post Office again, probably.)

4)In the early nineties, I was approached by a MARVEL editor and asked if I would letter a special. I agreed - I didn't realize I wasn't going to be lettering it 'til I saw the printed issue in the shops lettered by someone else.

Having said that, however, Richard Starkings always treated me fairly at MARVEL, even saying I could probably have a job as an editor if I so wished, the next time one became available. I didn't fancy relocating 'though.

I think those sort of things happen at almost every company, NP. Bit of a b*gger 'though when one experiences it personally, isn't it?

NP said...

They may happen with most or all publishers but Marvel (UK) have a 100% strike-out rate with me, which makes them unique.

Lew Stringer said...

It's strange that they'd treat someone of your high standard and experience like that Nigel. I've never had any problems with Marvel UK (or Panini UK as they have been for the past several years).

That said, they were not particularly inclined towards humour work during the 1990s and I didn't do work from them during that period.