Spawn 306 Netherrealm Variant Someone lying? 1 1

[Lazyboy]

On 9/4/2023 at 3:20 PM, newshane said:

Is this even legal? 

Sounds very sketchy. 

What could possibly be illegal about any of that?

[godzilla43]

My theory of this is:

Image/McFarlane and NetherRealm Studios/Warner Bros made a decision to put Spawn in a Mortal Kombat videogame. NetherReal Studios
hosted a gaming event and had a comic book variant made by Image as a gift for the attendees. NetherReal Studios thought that would be a nice thing for the attendees.

Event is almost cancelled so there is plenty of copies left. If they were expecting 1000 attendees so maybe 1000-2000 copies? Some copies maybe went to trash along with empty soda cans and some other swag.
Then probably NetherReal Studios marketing team took bunch of those comics and other swag to their storage so if they would have a another event/stand where they do marketing for Mortal Kombat 11 they can give those away. Fast forward couple years and NetherReal Studios marketing team wants to clean some stuff from their storage and they find those comics. So they are going to release Mortal Kombat 1 (why not 12?!?) so they don't have any use for those so they bring couple boxes in NetherReal Studios office along with some other swag so personnel can take some if they want. After day or two office cleaners throw that swag in the trash. 

So some NetherReal Studios personnel or people cleaning the office sold bunch of those comics to some comic book stores who then tried to sold those comics few at a time until one seller flood the market with bunch of those because he was scared that some other seller will do the same and he will loose money.

Edited September 7, 2023 by godzilla43

[newshane]

On 9/4/2023 at 10:14 PM, Lazyboy said:

What could possibly be illegal about any of that?

Not sure. That's why I was asking and shrugging. 

 

[Masakari Prime]

On 9/5/2023 at 6:30 AM, godzilla43 said:

This whole thing sounds normal to me. Image/McFarlane and NetherRealm Studios
/Warner Bros made a decision to put Spawn in a Mortal Kombat videogame. NetherReal Studios
hosted a gaming event and had a special comic book made by Image as a gift for the attendees. NetherReal Studios thought that would be a nice thing for the attendees.
Event is almost cancelled so NetherReal Studios thought that it would be nice to give
those comics to their employees who most probably are not even invited to event like
that or can not go because they are busy at work. 

-Image/Mcfarlane care and things about popularity of Spawn
-NetherRealms care and things about success of their videogame and their employees
-NetherRealms employee took a bunch of them from work because they were free

In this equation no one cares about some comic book collector who wants to possess the next hard to find variant.

That's fine, but that's not the story. The event was originally in March 2020 and afterwards they tell Image/Todd McFarlane Productions that the comic that was licensed / made under partnership with them was barely distributed and then disposed of. Fast forward 2+ years later, and they start to distribute them internally? And the original print run is much bigger? There are so many questions here:

1) Why did they tell Image/TMP the rest of the books had been destroyed?

2) Why does no one, from NR, Image, or TMP seem to know how many copies were printed (ie the exact production run)?

3) Suddenly hundreds of copies pop up out of nowhere, 2+ years later, and no one is asking questions?

4) TMP is aware of the market, at least their current Editor in Chief is. Even putting aside "caring" about the collectors and the market, how do you not track and control books made under partnership? It's your books and your valuable IP we're talking about here.

I make games and I've had to deal with licensing contracts with full support of a legal team, let me tell you the lawyers themselves keep bashing my head for even putting a dot out of place. There are stipulations in these contracts for everything, including conditions for disposal of licensed product and consequences for failing to adhere to said conditions.

My post makes all this sound more serious than it is, at the end of the day it's a comic book. But there are questions here that need answering, the whole situation is strange.

[ygogolak]

On 9/6/2023 at 10:06 AM, Masakari Prime said:

3) Suddenly hundreds of copies pop up out of nowhere, 2+ years later, and no one is asking questions?

Lots of people are.

 

On 9/6/2023 at 10:06 AM, Masakari Prime said:

I make games and I've had to deal with licensing contracts with full support of a legal team, let me tell you the lawyers themselves keep bashing my head for even putting a dot out of place. There are stipulations in these contracts for everything, including conditions for disposal of licensed product and consequences for failing to adhere to said conditions.

My post makes all this sound more serious than it is, at the end of the day it's a comic book. But there are questions here that need answering, the whole situation is strange.

Who said they had to dispose of them? I don't think anyone has said that.

[Lazyboy]

On 9/6/2023 at 9:06 AM, Masakari Prime said:

1) Why did they tell Image/TMP the rest of the books had been destroyed?

Did they? If they did, who offered that information, who received it, and what did they specifically say?

On 9/6/2023 at 9:06 AM, Masakari Prime said:

2) Why does no one, from NR, Image, or TMP seem to know how many copies were printed (ie the exact production run)?

Who says they don't? Somebody knows, it's just a matter of who/how many people. They aren't obligated to release that information.

On 9/6/2023 at 9:06 AM, Masakari Prime said:

4) TMP is aware of the market, at least their current Editor in Chief is. Even putting aside "caring" about the collectors and the market, how do you not track and control books made under partnership? It's your books and your valuable IP we're talking about here.

Was there a partnership and agreement about the copies of this variant or was it simply a commissioned variant like so many others, with the copies being owned by NetherRealm?