Another LITG update

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:25 pm

Rich posts some goss about the closure of DW in the form of a couple of letters:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13

This is the Dreamwave letter sent out to freelancers on January the 3rd.

Dear Valued Sub-contractor,

We at Dreamwave Productions would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to our company. We could't have produced the high quality, exemplary work without you. You always will be a valued member of the Dreamwave team.

Some of our best work can be attributed to our outside contract artists. You should be extremely proud of your accomplishments. We have really appreciated the time and effort that you have put forth in making Dreamwave a notable publisher.

But, after careful consideration and deliberation we have arrived at the decision that continuing in the publishing market would only further damage Dreamwave Productions financially. And so, as a result, Dreamwave Productions has decided to cease publishing operations.

Effective immediately, production on all Dreamwave Production titles will stop. Invoices for any work produced, up to and including today should be forwarded to Dreamwave Productions for assessment. A letter of notification from the "receiving" company will be sent shortly to advise you on the terms of final payment.

Again, thank you. There would have been no Dreamwave Productions without your hard work and dedication. We wish you the best in all you future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Human Resources Department
Dreamwave Productions

Dreamwave Productions Inc.
Bus. 905.943.9912
Fax. 905.943.9916

Interestingly, Dreamwave doesn't have a Human Resources Department. There are no records that show Dreamwave has gone into receivership. And this is certainly not the type of legal letter that a company in receivership would send out. Could it be that Dream Engine, mentioned last week, will be the "receiving" company? And notice the "cease publishing operations" bit... that still leaves Dreamwave open for other activity.

However the website and phone numbers aren't working.

It appears that new Marvel jobs with Pat Lee and the Dreamwave artists (ghost pencillers, inkers, colorists) were actually signed under the Dream Engine name, meaning all Marvel cheques are going to Pat and Roger Lee's new company. Not to Dreamwave to pay off debts.

Adam Patky and James McDonough also sent out a letter to affected people.

Hello everyone,

Hope you're doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. As you all probably know from the recent e-mails, Dreamwave as a company has gone into receivership and is requesting that we resubmit all of our vouchers for the money we are owed by them as freelance contractors.

The legal counsel that James and I retained for this matter (Lang Michener LLP of Ontario, Canada) has advised us to request that we all attempt to organize and submit our claims together. By doing so, we have a much greater chance of actually getting our money. If we all submit separately, the smaller individual amounts will be paid only after any creditors owed larger sums.

If we submit one large sum instead, it is likely to be placed higher in the order of repayment, giving us much more of a chance of getting our money owed before their assets are completely depleted.

Our lawyers could arrange for a group retainer fee for all of us, allowing us to each pay a smaller amount to insure that we'll actually get the finances we are owed. Please drop us a line and we can put you in touch with them to get this rolling. Or, if you have already retained your own legal counsel, please let us know and we can have our lawyers get in touch with yours to organize things also.

Either way, please get in touch as soon as possible so we can try to resolve this matter, and hopefully get what is owed to all of us. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask.

Also, if you are aware of any other freelancers who are currently owed money by Dreamwave but are not on this list, please forward them this message. The more of us that are involved, the better our chances of actually seeing a result.

Talk to you soon!

Adam Patyk and James McDonough

I hear their reception has been very positive.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:01 pm

blimey.

all fun and games eh.

good luck to them all getting their money back.

Nice to see Pat and Rog are still dong what they do best...

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:39 pm

That is craaaptastic.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:23 pm

Interestingly, Dreamwave doesn't have a Human Resources Department.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 12:00 am

Juicy!

Are Adam and James joined at the hip btw?

Optimus Prime Rib · Post by **Optimus Prime Rib** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 12:08 am

spiderfrommars wrote:Juicy!

Are Adam and James joined at the hip btw?

Um, in a matter of speaking

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:25 am

It's official: Pat Lee is the new Glen Hallit!

Post by **Computron** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:20 am

Good lord.

Just when you think the DW fiasco has hit rock bottom, Pat Lee finds a bigger shovel.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 9:24 am

When it comes to digging Pat Lee has a Jules Verenesque flair...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 9:30 am

"Dear Valued Sub-contractor,

We at Dreamwave Productions would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to our company. We could't have produced the high quality, exemplary work without you. You always will be a valued member of the Dreamwave team"

So valued that they all got personally-addressed correspondence. Ain't that nice?

Post by **Best First** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 10:56 am

Brendocon wrote: You always will be a valued member of the Dreamwave team"

Jusy not in a financial sense...

la la laaaaaaa.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:31 am

Updated, with commentary direct from John Ney Reiber:

ohn Ney Reiber writes"

"the dream circus continues to amuse and astonish. The more I see and hear, the more i feel like i'm watching some dark comedy--an epic clash of alternate realities.

"dream-whatever's press releases continue to dazzle with their camelotian radiance. in glorious Spinworld, you can almost hear the proud banners sighing in the wind as the noble knights who strove so valiantly to rescue a stagnant, relentlessly shrinking comic book market bid their faithful retainers a fond and respectful farewell, and ride off into the sunset.

"meanwhile, in an alternate universe where faithful retainers actually live, pay heating bills, and buy groceries, there's not so much chivalrous trumpeting going on. while at least 17 unpaid freelancers--claiming amounts ranging from $350 to $40,000, or so i'm told--have been informed that a receivership company is now responsible for settling dreamwave's debts, dreamwave seems to be unwilling to disclose the name of the company, or provide the contact information which would enable dreamwave's creditors or their legal representatives to, umm...

"to find out what's really going on.

"lawyers involved have remarked that dreamwave's unresponsiveness on this front was unusual, compared to other companies they've dealt with in similar circumstances.

"one aspect of this situation has struck me as being particularly sad. from the people who've been the most outspoken about this situation to the people who've been watching from the sidelines, a disturbing number of the freelancers involved have been worrying: if they stand up and speak up here and now, will other comic publishers be afraid to work with them in the future? will they be branded as 'difficult?'

"but i believe there's a reason that so many comic book heroes and heroines are courageous and honorable. i believe that most of the people who edit and publish comics believe in that stuff."

You heard the man.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13

What a mess.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:37 am

--have been informed that a receivership company is now responsible for settling dreamwave's debts, dreamwave seems to be unwilling to disclose the name of the company, or provide the contact information

"We want the money you owe us!"
"Sorry, we've used corporate law to absolve ourselves of all responsibility. Haha. You'll need to talk to the Administrators."
"Okay. Who are they?"
"Not telling! Na na na na na-na!"

FFS.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:45 am

Yeah, that's it righ there, isn't it? This whole situation is really fecking disgusting. You gotta feel for the poor "Valued Sub-Contractors" and everybody else who're being stiffed so bad.

Additionally, scrolling down LITG reveals that Devil's Due are cancelling their GI Joe books and rebooting with what seems like 1 main Joe title, and there's also some Lew Stringer(!) art.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 1:03 pm

HAHHAHHAHAA!!

Devils Due is cancelling all of their G.I Joe books and throwing out the old Marvel continuity, and even there own new one, for a brand 'new' continuity! BWAHAAHHAHAA!! Now you Joe-fans knows what it feels like.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 1:43 pm

wow this nostalgia boom is great isn't it?

all my childhood dreams have come true!

I even hear they will be making some new StarWars films, set befor ethe originals, imagine how good and well acted they will be!

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 6:33 pm

I do like Reiber's attack on DW's notoriously rubbish press releases. Some of their press stuff and the crap Mad Brick and Pat Lee used to spout still give me the heebie-jeebies to this day. Oh God, and the letters pages....

Heh, maybe they shoulda pretended they employed Transformers on the staff. It worked for the old comic (and look at 2000AD), and couldn't really have produced much worse copy than Mick telling everyone that they were stupid for not understanding the end of the G1 Summer Special story or the usual incoherent self-aggrandising rubbish that came out of the PR dept of Pat Lee SUPERSTAR Incorporated.

And everyone seemed to like it when Megatron took over the letters page that time...

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:01 pm

at least 17 unpaid freelancers--claiming amounts ranging from $350 to $40,000, or so i'm told

'Kin'ell...

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:53 pm

Shouldn't have blown it all on strippers...

Manchester Devil · Post by **Manchester Devil** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:02 pm

I don't know if I should laugh and cry about Dreamwave nowadays, this is just starting to take the p**s now.

Where's Death's Head when you need him?

Señior's Covenant · Post by **Señior's Covenant** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:06 pm

When in doubt, craugh.

Welcome to board Manchester Devil.

Manchester Devil · Post by **Manchester Devil** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:21 pm

Cheers mate.

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:04 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:Shouldn't have blown it all on strippers...

Are we still talking about Dreamwave?

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:58 pm

KingMob wrote:I do like Reiber's attack on DW's notoriously rubbish press releases.

Definitely. Someone had to say something. Well someone important anyway... no one listens to us.

Bring back Grim Grams!

Good on Reiber for putting his neck on the line. And his crossover wasn't that bad I thought.

Post by **Best First** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:29 am

well suspicion remains that the end of that series was butchered.

Glad someone in a position to be noticed has spoken out. Got a horrible feeling that the $40,000 may be owed to everyone's fave beardy slaphead though. Gutted.

SnapDragon · Post by **SnapDragon** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:59 pm

Best First wrote: everyone's fave beardy slaphead though.

What a sorry state of affairs. I really hope that Mick and co get the money they're owed but from what I know, nothings guaranteed once a company goes bust.

Pat Lee. what a tosser.

Post by **Denyer** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:31 pm

Best First wrote:Got a horrible feeling that the $40,000 may be owed to everyone's fave beardy slaphead though. Gutted.

Indeed, unless that sum is the joint claim filed by McDonough & Patyk. Furman had also been working across a lot of titles, though... sadly, anything's possible.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:05 am

Has anybody else noticed that on the cover of the new Marvel "X4" series (X-Men and Fantastic Four team-up) it has "Pat Lee and Dreamwave Productions" on the cover? What's up with that?

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:24 am

You tell us! I thought you were the man in the know.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:19 pm

Other than a demand that his (ex)company gets put on the cover as publicity, maybe it has something to do with who actually worked on the book.

Look at the credits.

TransFans.co.uk

Another LITG update

Re: Another LITG update