Complaint Review: Mansion Comics - Internet

Email from DAVID WATKINS on 11/29/12. This was after 2 months of promises that payout was coming and nearly 18 months of trying to get my money back after learning that DAVID WATKINS was soliciting investors illegally and had to return invested monies if requested to do so.

"Slight teeny change in plans....you'll be paid out entirely before xmas, but I'm having to split it up to juggle how we're getting paid.    Sending out a $2K check next Thursday, then a $5K check the following Thursday and then the final $5K check the Thursday after that.   Sorry for the hassle but I was told I'm being sent partial checks as we renegotiate terms of IP sale.  But the good news is you're still all done before xmas and you can still do some xmas shopping. :)
David"

Then here is the email from 12-8-12, the day after the payments above were to start going out:

"Mansion investors 

I'm sorry to bring sad news.  David Watkins passed away recently.  As the driving force behind Mansion there is no other choice than to dissolve Mansion. You could continue but that would be fruitless as the company is already behind the eight ball thanks to less than adequate advertising revenue and only David knew the direction content would go.  As that's the case all contracts, IP sales, licenses, provisions are hereby void or reversed as there is no clear way to honor them.  A prime example, my notes has Astounding Sports Champions as the main title but there are no directions on how to move that title forward so the Arena Football League license, the centerpiece of the book, has to be cancelled.   Without direction we can't produce the material promised and that makes it problematic to honor licensing agreements.   Mansion has no choice but to shut down.  
One worry David had when beginning this venture was what would happen if he passed.  Everyone believes they have more time than they actually do and so planning ahead often falls through the cracks in life and in business.  He tried to make arrangements but they weren't completed soon enough.   One area that was established several months ago however was the splitting of IP ownership as that's mainly where investor monies went, in developing new characters...therefore they should be owned by investors after his passing.  To avoid infighting as to who gets what David designated who gets which characters.  This can always be challenged but the legal fees far exceed the value.  No character has any real value as they don't exist in the marketplace to my knowledge.  But each person can has the opportunity to make something of the character or let them lie dormant.   This email will stand as a documentation in lieu of a contract revision as David didn't have time to do a formal contract revision.    Those not jaded by this experience can use these characters to start their own company or can sell the IP to producers/ad agencies/marketing/ or create their own stories. Technically at last count Mansion had 187 characters but the vast majority have not been developed in such a way that makes them unique enough to be of independent value.  And a small minority were developed by the artists and should revert to them.  This designation is of the main characters who have enough content to make them viable for stories. Most are visual only, some have a completed story with them. 
You can find the zip files here http://www.mansioncomics.com/characters.htm
Matt: Minion, Saturnist, The Security Guild,.Joaquin:  Master Warlock Khanh,  Princess Aspira, NinjeanKurt: Morrigan, Kiwi, AirbearBill:  Heart Lass, Wooly Bacon, U.S. EagleDouglas: Homewreaker, Sadie LytePatrick:  Savannah, EarthangelGary: Alias: Brick StoneWatkins Children:  Solaris, Nick Ryan, Union of Justice

Most of you likely will not do anything with the characters but for those who do these are the main artists for Mansion in the past.  These characters can be changed, can be given new powers, new origins, new directions.  As they haven't been published yet there is no baggage, you can do with them what you will. Some of them will have completed stories in their folder.  They can be published as is, revamped, or just used as a template for new stories. Some exist just in costume form without a story.  The Mansion trademark will expire.  These characters would have to be copyrighted in your name and you would need an entirely new name if you were to create your own comic company.  If you simply wish to sell or transfer these characters to other companies (like Disney or small publishers seeking content) you would first have to copyright the characters in your own name as the Mansion trademarks and copyrights are void. 

The Mansion websites and links should be up for about 2 more weeks.

Attica PaleyOmbudsman Mansion Comics 


All investors ripped off by David Watkins, we need to jointly file complaints with the right people. Even if we are not going to get all of our money back from this thief, we might be able to recover something and at least put this scammer in jail where he belongs. Please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks