Bonus Post - Don Rosa: "Why I quit comics."

Don Rosa, who was best known for continuing Scrooge McDuck after Carl Barks, wrote a fascinating post titled "Why I quit," which was supposed to run in the last collection of his work.

The last item on the list (preceded by things like He's worked hard all his life with little vacation; he's a workaholic; his popularity causes huge pressures in his life; he suffers from depression; and he has some very significant problems with his eyesight) presents significant interest for readers of this site:

How many people know how the “Disney system” of comics works? When I describe this to some fans when asked about it, they often think I’m kidding them or lying. Or they are outraged. But it’s an unfortunate fact that there have never been, and I ultimately realized there never will be, any royalties paid to the people who write or draw or otherwise create all the Disney comics you’ve ever read. We are paid a flat rate per page by one publisher for whom we work directly. After that, no matter how many times that story is used by other Disney publishers around the world, no matter how many times the story is reprinted in other comics, album series, hardback books, special editions, etc., etc., no matter how well it sells, we never receive another cent for having created that work. That’s the system Carl Barks worked in and it’s the same system operating today.

Read the entire post, and then come back to comment.

I'll kick it off: That's the contract that he signed. There were no surprises in it. It stinks, and it's unfair, but it's all something that was crystal clear fronm the giddy-up. Moreover, it's a great wake-up call to any members here who still carry the delusion that their fortunes are going to take a turn as soon as they're "discovered" by a publisher or syndicate.