The industry of non-fungible tokens has exploded over the past few months, as people have used the blockchain technology responsible for powering cryptocurrencies to bring a whole new meaning to digital art. A number of notable names and brands have used the burgeoning industry to sell their content, ranging from horror movies made by Kevin Smith to virtual tacos made by Taco Bell. The NFT world has also become a point of contention within the comic industry, and it looks like a major Bronze Age artist is now part of that. A new article from the Los Angeles Times reveals how Jose Delbo, an artist known for his work on Wonder Woman and Transformers, has found a new outlet for his artwork within the NFT market.
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According to the report, fans bought a set of NFTs from Delbo and the artist team Hacktao this spring, which featured art involving Wonder Woman earned the equivalent of nearly $2 million. A later NFT auction from Delbo, which featured a newly-created original hero, earned more than $1 million.
“I have been able to take my art to a whole new place,” Delbo said on Twitter about joining the NFT market.
The article goes on to outline the legal struggle between major comic publishers and artists regarding NFT art, as both DC and Marvel have since sent letters telling artists not to create NFTs involving their characters.
“As DC examines the complexities of the NFT marketplace and we work on a reasonable and fair solution for all parties involved, including fans and collectors, please note that the offering for sale of any digital images featuring DC’s intellectual property with or without NFTs, whether rendered for DC’s publications or rendered outside the scope of one’s contractual engagement with DC, is not permitted,” Jay Kogan, DC’s senior vice president for legal affairs, said in a letter earlier this year.
The report does include a quote from Raisa Crespo, one of the fans who bought one of Delbo’s NFTs of Wonder Woman for $2,999.
“I definitely have downloaded it and I have shared it with friends who are big superhero buffs, and I tried to explain it to them to get them more interested,” Crespo explained.
DC itself has already begun to officially get into the NFT market, with the publisher recently offering virtual statues from its Batman: Black and White line.
While the popularity of NFTs have definitely grown, so have the ethical concerns surrounding their impact on the environment, as blockchain currencies require a massive amount of power and energy consumption in order to run their servers.
What do you think of comic artist Jose Delbo getting into the NFT market? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
