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Stolen art was already a scandal in 1972 J David Spurlock 21 September 2016 In 1972, the sharp crew from CREEM magazine quickly smelled something odd at Marvel, regarding original art being stockpiled instead of being returned to the artists, as seen in this cover story for CREEM's April 1973 dated issue. Includes mentions of Steranko and Barry Windsor Smith... Creem stumbled across the oddity and had enough sense to mention it. Marvel/Stan may have given CREEM some misinformation on why Steranko was an exception. Fact was Gray Morrow was getting HIS art back because he penciled AND inked (so did Wally Wood but, for some reason, he did NOT get his). Jim Steranko got his back because he DEMANDED it — as Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, Barry Windsor Smith, and others were starting to do by the time of the CREEM piece. Patrick Ford: According to Kirby he was asking that his artwork be returned in the '60s and possibly earlier. There are a number of things which support Kirby's claim. John Romita has said that during the '60s, when the artwork had little value, Kirby told Romita that before long comic book art would be displayed in museums. It's known that Kirby kept a number of penciled pages which Roz Kirby felt were worth more as original art than the page rate Kirby was being paid. In 1969 Kirby was able to take possession of some of his original art when he learned that Marvelmania publisher Don Wallace was using original art to pay employees. J David Spurlock: Please cite sources :) Patrick Ford: The information about Kirby asking for his original art is via Mark Evanier and the Kirby family. Romita commented on Kirby saying comic book original art would one day hang in museums is from the Twomorrows book "ALL THAT JAZZ". Patrick Ford: Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman have commented many times that when they met Kirby in 1969 he told them he had been asking for his originals. And Steve and Mark know all about Don Wallace as well. I believe Kirby even retrieved some Marvel art that Wallace had. Here are Kirby's comments from TCJ #105. Aaron Noble: So much for "even the artists themselves considered it worthless". Patrick Ford:

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