Miles’ uphill battle to aid his father to regain creator’s rights to his character is just beginning as more obstacles come their way to gain the rights of the character, The Domain.
Zdarsky explores the legal strife that Miles Dallas’s family experiences, affecting the family dynamic in various ways, be it lack of self-advocacy, missed opportunities of being present when it counts the most, the legal struggles and loopholes that creators have to deal with when working under companies who make a profit off of I.P. and how money can make people change the way they approach each other after all these years of contribution. Miles’ effort to try and help his father make the most returns for the hard work he’s done is displayed in ways that are all too real. Whether making phone calls, attending meetings with higher-ups, and struggling to get any access, in order to give such worn yet legendary creators their much-deserved time in the sun. The commentary is sharp and piercing, and is well handled as the reality of such creators is still an occurring problem ( look at the amount of creators that get little to no compensation for every time a co-created character pops up in a Marvel Studios film).
Zdarsky is no slouch as an illustrator and does a fantastic job illustrating this series and bringing life to such mundanity. Whether it’s Miles talking to his dad in a room or sitting in a boardroom with different company men that could care less about the plight of creators, Zdarsky expertly illustrates, and colors it in ways that just make it a captivating read. This is a comic series for true comic fans that care about creators and creators’ rights under companies that profit off of the benefits of the very people that made household I.P.’s. But this is also a great series that gives readers a lens into what it’s like for many veteran comic creators to current experience when making stories and characters as work for hire, and the financial hardships that come with such companies that don’t care much about them. Despite all of these things, it is a very entertaining read that is full of humor that is pleasantly balanced with good writing that makes you care for Miles’ efforts to help his father reap the benefits of all those years of hard work as a comic book creator that has faded into obscurity. It’s a great series thus far and is worth picking up for new comic book day.
Newsdesk