“Be Careful What You Wish For”
So, yeah, I woke up this morning to the iphone alarm sometime in the 6am hour like every school day, I then click the mail icon to see if anything important came across while I was in slumberland. I had about 45 emails coming in and I was sure it was Wordpress spam or something.. but nope, it was people saying:
“Hey, did you know about this!?” – and then a link or paste in of the Press Release “DJ Coffman’s “Hero By Night” Headed to Television”
No, I was not informed. I can’t say that I’m surprised because Platinum Studios probably were afraid I’d blab about it on my blog, which has been known to kill deals and stuff I’m told. And I can’t say I’m surprised at all as how things have gone down this year, which is probably no secret at all to anyone who knows anything about this stuff in the slightest.
I’m going to bite my tongue a little here, but only for the sake of having OTHER things going on that NOBODY in the outside world knows about, so having my name and creation in the Hollywood Reporter and out in the BUZZ isn’t a bad thing. (although sometimes I feel like I do need to shower afterward)
I can say this about Hero By Night. It is without a doubt the BEST thing Platinum Studios has in it’s entire library. The best universe for sure. And that’s not meant to slam anything else, and it’s not meant as just cocky-creator speak… it’s truth culled from a thousand destinations.
How do I feel about the news? Well, it’s a press release, and that doesn’t mean a whole lot about actually getting something made, as you can learn from the plethora of press releases that fire out of Hollywood daily. It’s buzz, I guess. I’ve never heard of IM Global before. You’d hope they would consult the creator, and I’d be happy to talk to them. Hero By Night could be a big success for anyone who goes about it properly.
As for Platinum… well, I’ll bite my tongue and see if they even contact me at all about this now after the fact. I know they don’t HAVE to but…. (I’ve been down that road before) - Ironically, just yesterday I was thinking about sending them communication about what they owe me from my other contract regarding the so far 12 installments of the animated comic online and I noticed that Hero By Night is the #4 downloaded thing on Wowio, so I’m owed something from the downloads there too. Yeah, I keep tabs, I kinda have to. I just figured there was “no money” there. Maybe that’s changed? Hurm. Maybe IM Global or the new advisory board at Platinum will tell em “Hey, just let this guy go and make the comics!”
I also have a sort of “Be careful what you wish for” feeling again this morning. Wherein my hero is Jack Kirby. I sit in an office surrounded by homemade Jack Kirby Mr. Miracle wallpaper.. there is a nice framed photo of Jack by my office door, strangers even think it might be a relative or something. And believe me… being the GIANT Jack Kirby nerd that I am, don’t believe for one second that I don’t see very clearly the complete irony of the whole situation I’ve been in this year. And that’s only a tiny TASTE of what that poor guy went through. I know that. I also know I don’t even have the talent that that guy had in his pinky finger. You know, the finger that stablized the pencil?
None of this (the bad business side) sours the fact that Hero By Night is awesome. Sometimes I can’t even believe I did it at all.
As Rorschach would say… HURM.
19 comments19 Comments so far
I saw this and had mixed reactions. Sure, if it is real and takes off, I understand that DJ gets something for it. Course, with the way money is spent, it would have to come from somewhere other than Platinum.
Then… my more paranoid side stuck it’s two cents in… Hey, what if Platinum is getting desperate for attention and needs some “news play” to get investors to keep on giving. I mean, it’s a tough world out there lately in investor/VC land! I mean if you were down to your last dollar, investors were asking things like, “So what is coming up that will make money for our investment?” Remember, in the old days, investors were stupid and just threw their money around willy-nilly. Now, since a significant amount of money has been lost by all, they are going back to the tried and true method of research and due diligence. Yes, that’s right, people actually are demanding some indication that their “half a mill” they are investing is not heading down a black hole.
Don’t you find this comes at a rather critical time? I mean, the stock is just about dead, no money coming in, can’t pay their bills. OH look, a big contract is coming, really? honest! We wouldn’t fib… much…
I officially put my vote in that this is a ploy just before the crash. It reeks of desperation by a company on it’s way out.
I like HBN and agree that it is definitely a good idea for movie or TV. I just find that after all this time, it makes a sudden appearance now.
I will watch the IM Global website and see if this shows up on their press release area.
Yeah, not sure what to make of this really, because I’ve heard absolutely nothing. I am sure it’s not complete BS though if they put out another company’s name and quotes and they attached themselves to it. I guess on the flip side maybe HBN could be the thing that actually pulls their fat out of the fryer if it’s made and becomes a hit. Wouldn’t that be something?
D.J., saw this news this morning, and I hope Platinum does the right thing by you. Not everybody in Hollywood is bad or out to get you! Love the Flobots by the way, good work!
Well, if it does save them, I will have mixed feelings. They will bring in other writers for the TV show and never let you have the comic rights because they don’t want two different story lines. Originally they would have adapted from your story line. I know that nobody is irreplaceable but I worry about what direction a TV writer would take it. I do hope if it happens that Platinum has to pay everyone and doesn’t figure out how to keep the money and say they didn’t “make” anything. Sorry to start a discussion in your blog.
Hey, no! That’s why I have comments ON. Conversation is good. Yeah, honestly I won’t be surprised if I somehow get screwed over or left out. You’d home it wouldn’t happen, but I know the reality.
As to “Hollywood Supporter” – Man, i wish my Hollywood Supporters would be less anonymous! But thanks.
I hear Robert Downey Jr. is attached…..
When you sold your rights to Platinum, did you stipulate any type of residual if and when they made the property into a TV show or a movie?
As another life long JK fan… here’s wishing you the best with HBN and that you’re finally rewarded with lots ‘o $$$$$$$.
I kind of told you what I thought when I called this morning man. I think in GENERAL that somehow everything works out for the best in the end. It’s just sad to see some things come to an end, in general
Told my partner in crime, Cramps music icon artist Stephen Blickenstaff, about DJ’s being a Kirby fan he reminded me of the sad end of so much of JK’s original artwork. See below:
http://www.geocities.com/brenni_au/JackKirby.html
But Kirby proceeded to push for creator rights on another front: he attempted to obtain pages of his original comic art from Marvel. His quest led to a much-publicised public furore involving not only the pages of art but the particulars of the creation of the Marvel Universe itself. Kirby eventually received nearly 2,000 of his pages in 1987 after signing a release form stating that he had no claim to the copyright of the material contained on the pages. Unfortunately, it’s believed that most of the estimated 13,000 pages Kirby drew for Marvel during his career were lost or destroyed over the years.
Amphibo- yeah, I know all the Kirby stories. It’s sad. I can’t wait for Mark Evanier’s detailed biography, I loved the King of Comics book he put out, and the last inside image actually makes me tear up every time I see it. I wish the comic book industry was ALL Jack Kirby again.
I really miss HBN. It was the best new comic to come out in years, from the online diaries to the book itself.
It’s a no-brainer that it would make an incredible movie or tv show, unfortunately Platinum looks to have zero integrity. It’s a real shame that they seem to view such a great universe strictly as a property to be strip mined and then abandoned.
[...] the subject. DJ does, however, still get a cut of any money Platinum makes off of his property and commented on this development in his own blog: No, I was not informed. I can’t say that I’m surprised because Platinum Studios probably were [...]
[...] Coffman responds to the news. [...]
[...] TV show. You remember Hero By Night? Created by a guy named DJ Coffman who, as of this writing, hasn’t actually been contacted by Platinum regarding said deal? Since the partner mentioned by Platinum in their press release, IM Global, [...]
I hope you are able to laugh all the way to the bank after this past year. HBN on TV would be fantastic. It’s pretty cool that IM Global also brought Religulous to the big screen, so they at least have some money to bring it all together.
They (IM GLOBAL) look like they are a pretty low budget company so there may be no money just exposure for DJ to captilize on. I mean don’t get me wrong, they have done some cool horror movies I see (I loved 2001 Maniacs) but HBN would need a pretty good budget or a very talented crew to pull it off right or might end up like the ROGER CORMAN FANTASTIC 4.
-Jason
I hope this works out for you, bro. I really hope you get something out of this.
Will be keeping my fingers crossed, although it’ll make drawing a bit difficult.
[...] I was not informed.” – DJ Coffman acknowledging no one had told him prior to the announcement his creation, Hero By Night, was potentially headed [...]