The $75,000 Question: Mark Waid Crowdfunds Legal Defense Against Jawbreakers Lawsuit

We've reported in the past on the civil war brewing in the comics community, with the lines being drawn between what is termed "Comicsgate" and "everyone else."

One of the biggest touchstones of the ongoing friction, and one that has all eyes in the comics community watching, is the lawsuit filed by Richard C. Meyer against Mark Waid for tortious interference in regards to Meyer's contract with Antarctic Press to publish his independent graphic novel, JAWBREAKERS: LOST SOULS. The allegation is that, after Waid publicly admitted to reaching out to the publisher, AP summarily reversed their decision to publish the book, prompting Meyer to sue for damages.

Waid, in response, hired attorny Mark S. Zaid to defend him against the civil charges which will be filed in the State of Texas, Meyer's place of residence. But legal representation has never been cheap, and so Waid has turned to the crowdfunding platform himself, only instead of raising money to put out a book, he's raising a legal defense fund.

As of this writing, Waid has already raised nearly half of his targeted goal of $75,000, in just under one day. That's both impressive and unsurprising, given the circle of notable comics writers and artists in which Waid circulates.

But what catches our eye is the end-goal dollar value: $75,000. Why not $100,000, which would see a more round number to shoot for, as well as a more likely cost for all the lawyers currently involved in his defense.

The answer might be found in the filing with the court by Meyer:

There's that magic number again.

Could it be that Waid has been given an estimate by his attorneys of what they expect his court costs to be? Or is it possible that, with still a few weeks remaining before a court date is decided, that Waid is raising the exact amount that would satisfy an out-of-court settlement?

I guess we'll find out in about another $45,000. Stay tuned.