Jen Bartel, a renowned Eisner Award-winning cover artist, has made some significant and popular artwork for Marvel. Her captivating illustrations have adorned the covers of numerous popular titles, including Marvel’s ‘She-Hulk’ and ‘Captain Marvel.’
However, the artist opened up about her experience with the movie giant. While she has worked for Marvel for several years, she expressed disappointment with the company’s lack of appreciation for artwork. Here’s what she said.
Jen Bartel Expresses Growing Disappointment With Marvel’s Business Practices
Despite her success, Jen Bartel recently announced her departure from Marvel Comics. She blamed her resignation on her growing dissatisfaction with the company’s business practices. The artist took to X to express her frustration. “Yeah I love getting my visibility boosted so my name can lead to more sales only to not get paid for even more things lol,” she tweeted.
She also highlighted several issues that contributed to her decision. One of the major points of contention was the unauthorized use of her artwork for Marvel Snap cards.
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Bartel revealed that she was not compensated for the use of her illustrations in this way. In addition, she revealed that Marvel was selling the card for huge sums. Moreover, this practice, she argued, was unfair and disrespectful to her as an artist.
Jen Bartel Calls Out Marvel For Lack Of Appreciation And Unfair Compensation
Another factor that played a role in Jen Bartel’s decision was the lack of financial recognition for her work. Despite her numerous achievements and contributions to Marvel’s success, the artist revealed that she had received very few pay raises during her time with the company.
This lack of appreciation for her talent and hard work was a significant source of frustration.
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She explained that due to contractual obligations, she could do nothing but ask for a raise. However, despite having successful work and working for the company for several year, she was always met with a no when she asked for a raise.
“The very few times I asked for even a small pay raise over a 4-year period the answer was no,” Bartel explained. “What would you do if your employer never gave you even a modest salary bump in nearly half a decade?” She added.
Moreover, while Jen’s talent and creativity have undoubtedly contributed to the success of the company, it is disheartening to see that her contributions have not been adequately valued.
She also made it clear that despite her leaving the company, she was thankful for the opportunity. A lot of people agreed with Jen. However, some claimed that it was her fault as she signed a contract.
