IDW Publishing is taking a beating from comic creators this week after details surfaced about its new so-called “creator-owned” program. The company, best known for licensed titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Star Trek, has reportedly begun demanding full ownership of new creator projects. In short, artists and writers would get royalties but give up their rights entirely. For an industry that still doesn’t treat its talent well, that’s saying something.
In a recent earnings call, CEO David Jonas revealed that creators must now produce their comics on spec under IDW’s new model. That means artists and writers pay out of pocket for art, lettering, and production before submitting finished books. In the call, he attributed this to their failure to be profitable enough, admitting IDW doesn’t “have the barometer of success to demonstrate that it would be wise for us at this time to take on the financial risk.” Under this model, the creator submits the books, then IDW reviews the work through its internal team to see if it passes muster. Only approved projects will earn royalties, but IDW still gets to claim 100% IP ownership regardless. CEO David Jonas made it clear on the earnings call: the company won’t risk upfront costs without proven sales potential. This setup flips traditional publishing on its head and puts all financial burden on talent already struggling in a dying industry, and in a way it echoes the worst work-for-hire traps that drove legends like Jack Kirby away from Marvel decades ago.
Last summer, the CEO outlined their shifting original content plans, but they weren’t this dramatic. “When IDW Originals launched, there was a pretty robust catalog of titles, and the spending, I would say, was substantial, certainly relative to the value that was being generated for shareholders,” Jonas said. “And so we cut back meaningfully on the IDW Originals program, especially on the ones that were substantially costly.”
One might think licenses like Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would keep IDW thriving. Instead, under Group Editor Licensing Heather Antos, it has been one flop after another. Hired to lead the profitable licensed comics line, Antos oversaw losses of major deals and steady declines while IDW bled talent and cash. Now her team pushes books from connected identitarian creators that no one wants. Small wonder the company claws for any IP it can grab.
The latest controversy exploded after IDW CEO David Jonas spoke on a recent investor call. He admitted the company can’t afford to pay for new comics upfront, saying, “We don’t have the barometer of success to demonstrate that it would be wise for us at this time to take on the financial risk.” Jonas then added, “I do think that we’ll achieve growth in those areas… I just don’t think there’s much we can do outside of getting lucky and being in the right place at the right time and having a hit book.” Not exactly the pep talk investors want to hear.
Jonas tried to sell the new model as forward-thinking, explaining, “We’re focused on generating internally generated content where IDW will have pretty much for the first time, company-owned content.” Translation: creators make it, IDW owns it. He says IDW is “focused on generating internally generated content where IDW will have pretty much for the first time, company-owned content,” Jonas noted “creating crime stories, hero stories, and new horror stories.” For the record, crime, hero, and horror aren’t “new” genres. They’re just cheaper ways for a publisher to bet on someone else’s imagination.
This model goes against what many smaller presses promote as fair practice. Most creators take less money up front so they can keep their characters, stories, and long-term licensing options. That’s how Image Comics and others gained trust in the first place. Yet, industry veterans note that the promise of “creator-owned” often vanishes once corporate accountants step in. Many say IDW’s new plan repeats the worst parts of comic history. For decades, writers and artists at Marvel and DC handed over full ownership of icons like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man in “work-for-hire” deals that paid only per page. Those same companies now rake in billions from film franchises while the original creators see little to nothing.
Ryan Ottley, co-creator of Invincible, didn’t mince words after hearing about IDW’s move, suggesting artists should “just work for Image.” It was a sharp jab considering Skybound, co-founded by Ottley’s collaborator Kirkman, is accused of similar IP hoarding, according to colorist William Crabtree, and original Walking Dead artist Tony Moore, who each sued Kirkman for tricking them into signing away their royalties and rights. Still, Ottley’s point stands: talent in comics seems destined to choose between exposure and ownership, rarely both.
What. I can’t imagine why anyone would skip Image for a company that owns all the IP’s outright.
— RYAN OTTLEY (@RyanOttley) February 10, 2026
For a publisher that just clawed its way out of financial trouble, IDW’s message sounds desperate. Jonas’s comments gave the impression of a man throwing anything at the wall to keep investors calm. When the head of a company says success comes down to “luck” while telling creators they can’t own their art, it’s hard to picture a thriving future. Then again, maybe IDW’s next big hit will ride the wave of outrage. Stranger things have happened in comics.
Not likely.
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