Comics Legend Bill Sienkiewicz Calls Out Fox For X-Men: Apocalypse Snub

If you’re one of the lucky fans who got a copy of the 12″ Dazzler: Sounds of Light and Fury album at Comic Con International: San Diego last weekend, you’ve got one up on the comics icon who produced the album’s cover art.

The album, produced as part of a promotion for the digital release of X-Men: Apocalypse and available at the 20th Century Fox booth during Comic Con, was painted by legendary comics artist Bill Sienkiewicz, and appeared as a prop in X-Men: Apocalypse, when Cyclops holds up the record.

“I’ve been doing this comic-book thing for years. I’m aware most everything is Work-Made-for-Hire,” Sienkiewicz posted to Facebook. “Still, I received no prior notification (a common courtesy), no thank you (ditto), no written credit in any form whatsoever either on the piece or in connection with the premium, absolutely no compensation and no comp copies of the album. It’s like two losing trifectas wrapped in an altogether indifferent f— you.”

The artist said his booth mates at Comic Con had to restrain him from heading over to Fox to express his frustration, acknowledging that in all likelihood he would end up chastising low-level employees who had no say in the situation. He also noted that he didn’t even know the album existed until a number of fans brought them to him to sign.

Sienkiewicz took to the internet on Friday to express his frustration, and while he’s earned a lot of support from fans and fellow professionals for calling out what is fairly common behavior on the part of publishers and their corporate partners, Fox themselves have yet to respond to the criticism.

Sienkiewicz isn’t alone in feeling that this is a widespread issue. Accepting The Bill Finger Award for Comic Book Writing at the Eisner Awards this year, veteran writer Elliot S. Maggin promised that he would commit the rest of his career to breaking the work-for-hire status quo at major comics publishers through activism and legal action.