Metal Slug series - Rebel Soldier Sprites

[Grey_Wolf_Leader]

*whispering* Ooh boy. Here I go.*/whispering*
Hey everybody! I'm new here, and I've got something big!
After watching Alvin Earthworm's "Super Mario Bros. Z", I got hooked into spriting. Now I'm almost finished making my first sprite sheet! It’s a HUMONGOUS sheet of the hilarious Rebel Soldier from the "Metal Slug" series, one of my favorite enemies from any video game.

However... There is a BIG problem with my sheet...
I freely admit, I myself did not rip the vast majority of the sheet. I only did about 5% of the ripping, and those were from GIFs I found at Metal Slug sites like Metal Slug Database and Metal Slug Sprites.net...
But in my defense, I give everybody who ripped these sprites credit at the bottom of my sheet. Additionally, I created a number of custom sprites that are also at the bottom of the sheet (some are still works in progress). And to top it all off, I spend close to 4 to 5 months searching the internet, editing, compiling, and synchronizing the color schemes of hundreds of sprites for this character. Many sprites on this sheet are very hard to find out there...
I also have a huge section of the sheet devoted to SFX, (again, mostly ripped by somebody else [primarily Gussprint], but I still give credit). And to top it all off, I even have small lines of text beneath every group of sprites explaining what they are and how to animate them. (Those, I assure you, were done by me!)

So... My questions are:
1. Will you guys take this sheet when I complete it?
2. If not, what should I do so that I CAN submit it?
3. Even if you guys do, should I contact the people who ripped the sprites and get their permission?
4. And finally, IF my sheet manages to dodge all of these pitfalls... I will need someone to take me through the submission process. (I'm just a newbie)...

Regardless of what you guys say, thanks! And I apologize for this monster of a post...