Getting UNSCREWED

In life it seems, we all have these moments where we are forced to grow, be strong and take on that obstacle which we may not feel ready to tackle yet. This week, I will have one of those moments. In three days, I am going down to the court of Illinois and filing suit against Devil's Due Publishing. I have been fairly quiet about it for several reasons. One being I am just scared out of my mind what people might think. However, the truth of the matter is that I did the work. I did it well. And I didn't do it for free. Yes I love coloring and I love my job, but I do it to help pay the bills and put food on my table. I am one of those amazingly, lucky people that gets paid to do something they absolutely *love*.
I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty details or start slandering anyone, even though I would be fully justified. I loved working with the people at DDP. My editors were amazing and you can't say enough good things about people like, Tim and Sam. And while doing work for them, I grew. You can't look at my first cover for them and look at the one I finished almost a year later and say, that I didn't grow as a colorist. I will always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me. However I love this industry and the fact that there are many publishers like DDP getting away with not paying the talent is just not right. And I don't understand why so many people seem to just turn their head and look the other way. It's wrong... and on Thursday, I am going to stand in front of a judge and take a stand for myself and what I believe is right.
That's not to say I'm not trembling at the thought of it. That I didn't wish they just paid me. Or that I wish someone else was taking the stand instead of me. This is just one of those moments in life, where I have to grow.. and be strong.. and pray I don't faint.