Miles Morales co-creator Sara Pichelli doesn’t receive any royalties from Marvel for her iconic character design. Over a decade after Miles’ introduction as the new Ultimate Spider-Man, the hero is a Marvel mainstay, but to the dismay of many fans, the artist who created Miles’ look and his Spidey suit doesn’t profit off the character at all.
Fans and comic creators alike, including Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld, voiced their displeasure with Marvel on social media after it came to light that artist Sara Pichelli doesn’t get compensated for co-creating Miles Morales.
Despite the incredible return on investment the Miles Morales character has delivered for Marvel, Pichelli “[doesn’t] get anything.”
Miles Morales Co-Creator Sara Pichelli Confirms She Earns No Royalties For The Hit Character
Ever since his first appearance in Ultimate Fallout #4, released in 2011, Miles Morales has been a reinvigorating breath of fresh air for Spider-Man’s mythology. The character would go on to balloon in popularity across all media, including a playable role in all of Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games, and it all began with writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli.
Miles makes Marvel a lot of money beyond just his comic appearances. There is merchandise, video games, and the Spider-Verse movie, which helped elevated the character to superstar status. Yet Miles Morales’ creator Sara Pichelli claims she’s seen no money for her effort in helping to establish the character’s iconography, stating:
I don’t get anything. And that’s the saddest part of my life.
Many Marvel fans have expressed outrage in response.
Deadpool creator Rob Liefield even responded, sharing his take as someone who, like Sara Pichelli, has had firsthand experience creating hit characters for Marvel Comics. Liefeld states that it “should come as no surprise to anyone,” and that “Marvel execs have shown through their actions that they do not value comic book creators.”
Sara Pichelli’s Lack Of Compensation For Miles Morales Is Just One Example Of Marvel’s Problem With Paying Creators
Artists Like Rob Liefeld And More Have Left Marvel On Bad Terms Over The Years
The sad reality is that Marvel Comics’ creators are not always compensated fairly, or proportionately, for their share in their work’s subsequent success. Sara Pichelli’s case is, unfortunately, likely only one of many. Her recent interview comments revealing she’s not compensated for helping to create Miles Morales has brought attention to this issue once more.
It will be interesting to find out if the larger conversation happening around Pichelli’s comments will push Marvel to change its compensation model for creators. Miles Morales is one of Marvel’s biggest characters of the past decade, and many comic fans feel it’s not right that the artist behind the hero’s original design hasn’t been paid more for her work.
- First Appearance
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Amazing Fantasy
- Alias
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Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
- Race
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Human