For those of you still following the story, Amber has published another article in which Jerome Maida has his say about Bluewater's take on the whole affair.
I really can't express how frustrating it is that Bluewater's various representatives have listed reasons for why they pulled my cover off the book at the last minute- Totally glossing over the fact that they did not remove my cover from the book.
Instead they paid someone else to trace over my illustration so that they could continue to use my image without crediting me. That is beyond spiteful. And to claim that the two covers are as different as “night and day” is insulting and obviously untrue.
Amber's article also appeared on Bleeding Cool today, which is wonderful news. The more people hear about this fiasco the better.
The silver lining to this whole mess has been the outpouring of support I've received from friends and family. The comic book store I work at (Stormwatch Comics in Berlin) will no longer be purchasing any of Bluewater's titles, unless a customer specifically requests it. People I don't even know have offered their condolences and disgust over the whole situation, and I have been informed that Bluewater has received several unhappy letters on my behalf.
I'm sure I don't need to explain that, for someone who is just starting out as a freelance artist, to run into a company like Bluewater and suffer such a dramatic disillusionment right out of the gate is devastating. When I first cut ties with Bluewater back in January, it really took the wind out of my sails and it was quite a while before I was able to find my direction again.
I can't take it back, but if I can prevent another fledgling artist from entering into an agreement with this company as blindly as I did, then this whole mess will not have been in vain.