Buyer Beware: Modern Mythology Comic Art

[Madman88]

No problem - I definitely think you have a right to be heard, and the right to voice your opinion.

I definitely understand the frustration touch points you’ve voiced - and been there too - and I’m sure the boys and MMCA do want you to come away with a great experience.

It sounds like the passion is there for you in the hobby too, and that’s awesome - and I for one am really excited to see what Kevin did for you!

[pwimrbarnes]

Also, "buyer beware" does not mean "don't buy stuff from these guys". It just means "buyer beware". I hope anyone that would want a commission from an MMCA guy would still go through with it, they're just armed with more information now. And I'm sure my experience is different than others. But I'm also POSITIVE that my experience is similar to others. The only thing I wanted to do was give my perspective on how it went down, and hopefully there are some people here that appreciate it.

[Madman88]

Great point on the post title.

There are similar posts on CGC that are a lot more visceral and insulting than this towards Artist/Rep partnerships - so I see the consideration in your post.

I just hope it all comes out roses in the end - I’m a romantic, it’s more fun when everyone gets along!

[superboylives]

I considered getting a commission from MMCA a few months ago., so I appreciate you creating this thread. In what world does expecting a prompt reply to your emails and expecting the art to ship promptly once it is finished seem unreasonable? It doesn’t matter whether this is their sole job or their side job it is still a business. You paid for a product. No matter what was said in the emails if it is true that the art was finished 4 months ago and it’s not shipping until now you have every reason to be upset. Sorry this happened to you and I'm glad you'll receive the art soon.

[carlito1978]

Fwitw, i had a nice experience with these gents on a phil jimenez piece. Now working on my second one and expect to also have a good experience.

[pwimrbarnes]

Hi everybody, I got the commission yesterday. I really like it. It's got some really neat graffitti elements, and is Deathstroke v Nightwing fighting while falling in the air, with Gotham in the background. My scanner is in storage but I will post it soon.

I've been thinking about this thread since Tuesday, and I wanted to express some regret for how I went about the original post. I wish I had waited to receive the piece, and then titled the post differently. I would've included the context of receiving the piece and how I felt about it, before going into the issues that I had with the rep. Maybe waiting almost a week rather than 12 hours would've meant a little less negativity and snark. It would've at least painted a more complete picture. I do hope to talk to Josh from MMCA soon, he reached out last week, I just had to put it off because of a busier than expected Friday.

I wrote all of that first because I want to be clear that I think MMCA is a decent company that just didn't work out for me. I don't want to put anyone off of ordering through them, but I can't recommend them based off of the issues I had with Cam. But in this thread there are some people who will tell you to go for it. I can tell you I never felt like I wasn't going to get the commission I ordered; I just felt like I did more chasing after it than I should have, and had I not asked for a refund, I may still not have it.

Overall though, my intention wasn't to hurt anyone, but keep those on the board informed about a potential bad experience, and hopefully change some of the behavior that was frustrating to me.

[CJ82]

I don't think there was anything wrong with your post, you just said Buyer Beware, for a very understandable reason. Especially for a "brand" website that reps artists, service and replies should be prompt. I'd be pissed too if my finished commission sat for months. A 'professional' service should be prompt in both communication and delivery.

A lot of bad stuff happens in this hobby sadly, experiences are appreciated.

[Augen]

Originally Posted by pwimrbarnes

Hi everybody, I got the commission yesterday. I really like it. It's got some really neat graffitti elements, and is Deathstroke v Nightwing fighting while falling in the air, with Gotham in the background. My scanner is in storage but I will post it soon.

I've been thinking about this thread since Tuesday, and I wanted to express some regret for how I went about the original post. I wish I had waited to receive the piece, and then titled the post differently. I would've included the context of receiving the piece and how I felt about it, before going into the issues that I had with the rep. Maybe waiting almost a week rather than 12 hours would've meant a little less negativity and snark. It would've at least painted a more complete picture. I do hope to talk to Josh from MMCA soon, he reached out last week, I just had to put it off because of a busier than expected Friday.

I wrote all of that first because I want to be clear that I think MMCA is a decent company that just didn't work out for me. I don't want to put anyone off of ordering through them, but I can't recommend them based off of the issues I had with Cam. But in this thread there are some people who will tell you to go for it. I can tell you I never felt like I wasn't going to get the commission I ordered; I just felt like I did more chasing after it than I should have, and had I not asked for a refund, I may still not have it.

Overall though, my intention wasn't to hurt anyone, but keep those on the board informed about a potential bad experience, and hopefully change some of the behavior that was frustrating to me.

I get that. Sometimes I'm "hot" on a subject and fine 24-48 hour cool off is healthy before posting. Emotions can ride high, I'm glad your commission came out great.

[galactus]

I don't think you did anything wrong by posting what you did. Customers getting "screwed" has been a long standing tradition in the art collecting world, with some artists and dealers thinking their sh!t doesn't stink and "real work" is an excuse for not delivering what they've been paid for.

Behavior like this should ALWAYS be called out.

[Punisher1919]

Hey Everyone, it’s Cam. I wasn’t going to respond because I know these forums are for airing grievances and a completely necessary tool for collectors.

In saying that, I’d like to set the record straight. Never once did I justify the situation, and I most definitely did not say Matt “shouldn’t be mad”. This is exactly what was said in the email chain:

“We apologize for the inconvenience, Matt and we’re trying to make it right by you. Unfortunately, we can’t offer a refund as the piece is already in the hands of our shipping service. Kevin is currently working a full time job and attempting to get more published comics work, so we’ve had to work within those constraints.

In saying that, I understand your disdain for the experience, so if there’s anything else we can offer, I’d be more than happy to discuss further. ”

Then upon expressing further displeasure by Matt, my response was:

“No excuses on our end, Matt. It’s a long time to wait for a commission, especially when it’s been completed for a long time. Again, our apologies. As for package information, it will reflect shipment today. Time of day it was processed is something I unfortunately don’t have at the moment (due to a third party shipping service I use when I’m unable to ship myself), but once they relay on shipping information and tracking information, I’ll pass it along. “

Then upon further angered responses from Matt (which I understand the anger), my response was:

“I’m not going to engage in a back and forth, Matt. I understand your anger with the situation and I’ve explained what we attempted to do to alleviate the wait times. I will not, however, be subjected to any verbal abuse. Either have this discussion in a respectful way or refrain from messaging me again. As I mentioned before, your piece has been shipped. It’s a wonderful cover quality piece and you’ll see it in person soon.“

Again, I understand Matt’s anger at the transaction. A lack of prompt responses on my part is unacceptable and I know this. I just politely asked Matt to continue having a respectful conversation than simply berating me.

Matt, I’m glad you like the piece, and again, I apologize for the massive delays. I just had to set the record straight on a few things because it seems like there was some misinformation being spread on this thread.