It broke what was traditionally an unspoken gentlemen’s agreement that If you offer someone a better deal and they take it, you allow them to finish whatever's left of their commitment with their current publisher.
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Why? Because as a publisher you wouldn't want the same done to you but also because freelancers rely on their reputations and keeping commitments is an important part of it, as is talent, timeliness, ability to work with others, etc. You get the picture.
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These “new” offers however came with a unique caveat...
Take it or leave it.
A creator had to leave Marvel right then and there and in most every single case these creators were right in the middle of commitments with us (FYI this was the beginning of the exclusivity wars).
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Not only was this a totally uncool thing to do but it put creators in a horrible position of having to break their word because it they didn’t take the deal now, it would be gone tomorrow. At least that’s what they were threatened with.
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In each case, knowing the answer (because we were just coming out of bankruptcy), I would go back to our Publisher Bill Jemas and ask if we could counter. We lost a lot of talent at that time because not a single creator said no to those offers...
Except for one.
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This creator received the big offer, it was a lot of money. He called and asked me if we could match it, I checked and called back and told him that it was too rich for us but before I could finish he said he appreciated me trying but not to worry he wasn’t going anywhere.
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Like all the others before he was told that he’d have too quit right then and there, but he happened to be in the middle of a Fantastic Four arc that he needed to finish and told them that if they really wanted him they would wait.
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He had made a commitment to Marvel, his writer and editor which would only take a couple of months to complete at which point he'd be all theirs. They told him no, either now or it’s off the table. He walked away.
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That’s the kind of man Mike Wieringo was.
I don’t resent the other creators who took the deals and had to break their commitments, but I will always remember Ringo as the ONLY creator who kept his.
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The next day I had lunch with Bill and we both agreed, even though we couldn’t match the original offer we gave Mike a raise that day. Mike was so incredibly appreciative but not nearly as much as were we with his loyalty and for continuing to share his amazing talents with us.
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This is just a small piece of Mike's legacy and why people love and miss him so much. Yes he was one hell of an artist and storyteller, but he was also a class act.
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When you said Fantastic Four I was all like 'I know who you're talking about'
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Jesus, you almost made me cry. I love his work. That passion and dedication matters, not only ethically, but you can see it on the page. An artist can hide every where accept their art.
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Thanks Joe. That's how I remember Mike.
Also... that's how I remember you and Bill (and Axel) when you guys gave me my shot at Spider-Man.
Honest guys who cared.
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Thanks for sharing this story. It's good to know classy people are remembered for being just that...classy.
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Thank you Joe. Ring I was always a fav of me and my brother. Nice to know he was also a great guy. Even though I’ve never heard anything to oppose that