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Dirk Vanover

@dirkv.bsky.social

Father. Husband. Lawyer. Comics. Film. ComicsLawyer.com Pivoting to print.

375 Followers  |  315 Following  |  1,121 Posts  |  Joined: 04.05.2023  |  2.2608

Latest posts by dirkv.bsky.social on Bluesky

I keep seeing Unexpected Chonk and keep thinking of when my 18 lb cat, who is generally not a lap vat, decides to sit on my lap.

04.11.2025 22:04 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My 11 yo was listening to a voice over on TV that she didn’t like and said it sounded like AI.

04.11.2025 19:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Big Fish is an underrated great film.

03.11.2025 05:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

That’s every month around our house.

02.11.2025 18:52 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

As a non-Milwaukee transplant, it’s always puzzled me.

01.11.2025 22:59 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My daughter and her friend are going to do this badge this year. The materials didn’t say anything about doing a mini con!!?? I love this idea.

26.10.2025 15:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A photo of a Wonder Woman slot machine that parted me from my money.

A photo of a Wonder Woman slot machine that parted me from my money.

A photo of a non-Cromulent Conan slot machine that was unkind to my wallet.

A photo of a non-Cromulent Conan slot machine that was unkind to my wallet.

Wonder Woman and Conan did not treat me well last night.

24.10.2025 18:21 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Nice work by all on that one.

21.10.2025 18:56 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I bought the cup. Pretty cool.

I saw the arcade machine popcorn bucket and resisted the urge to buy it.

16.10.2025 22:00 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Don’t call me out like that, Phil.

16.10.2025 17:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Exactly.

16.10.2025 13:09 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

FWIW, I actually enjoyed the movie. It was mostly what I’d want from a Tron movie.

16.10.2025 13:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The publisher is still seeking that producer money, and they’re going to keep that money away from the original creators.

Bottom line: Know what you’re giving up and decide if it’s worth it to you.

(Not legal advice. Consult your own attorney for advice specific to your situation.)

/fin

16.10.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 63    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

All of this harms the original creators and, frankly, is disrespectful to creators.

Some publishers try to make it seem like they are β€œhelping” creators by tweaking some of the compensation models β€” Creators get all of the option fee! Publisher takes a small fee! Option money separate! β€” but,

/5

16.10.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 54    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

It’s problematic for a publisher to take a split of option fees and also a separate producer deal.

It’s problematic because it incentivizes publishers to pursue a more lucrative producer deal/fee than the option agreement fee. This shorts the original creators.

/4

16.10.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 54    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

A particular provision that irritates me is when publishers carve out producer deals for themselves. And these producer deals that they are carving out for themselves? Guess what? They don’t want to share those fees with the creators of the work.

It’s very problematic.

/3

16.10.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 61    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

When I’m reviewing comics publishing contracts, one of the key things I look at are the media rights sections. Personally, I don’t think publishers deserve a single penny from media rights. But, they keep asking for more and more, often asking for 50/50 split of the option fee.

But…

/2

16.10.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 56    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
β€œNo One Asked for This Reboot”: β€˜Tron’ May Mark End of Jared Leto’s Franchise-Leading Days As 'Ares' disappoints, insiders question whether the self-styled boundary-pushing A-lister can still be counted on to carry a franchise vehicle to the bank.

β€œSources tell The Hollywood Reporter he earned high seven figures for the role, plus a seven-figure producing fee.”

I should do a blog post on this, but I’ll do a brief thread here, as it’s something in the comics industry that riles me up.

/1

16.10.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 114    πŸ” 38    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 6

Absolutely loved that show. May need to do a rewatch soon.

15.10.2025 14:21 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Relevant again

14.10.2025 03:08 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

It’s easy to be ranked #1 when the refs call everything in your favor, especially the no calls.

11.10.2025 17:49 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The Illini get *no* calls.

11.10.2025 17:30 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I was meeting with someone tonight who recently moved to Milwaukee, and Oconomowoc nailed him as a recent transplant.

09.10.2025 02:55 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
a man in a suit and tie is asking if he can get an amen ? Alt: Will Ferrel as Ron Burgundy saying β€œCan I get an amen?”
08.10.2025 02:38 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I was going to watch it anyways, but between yours and David Rooney’s review at THR, my hopes have increased.

08.10.2025 02:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Is it just me, or are basketballs too orange these days?

04.10.2025 00:24 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Is there a genre of horror that works more for you than others? For example, slasher stuff doesn’t scare me, but give me a good ghost/spirit horror movie, and I might be grabbing the edge of my seat.

29.09.2025 04:13 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

You have to love it.

27.09.2025 18:19 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

And ridiculous that it was upheld.

27.09.2025 17:51 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Absolutely terrible call.

27.09.2025 17:50 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

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