|
Post by woodside on Sept 10, 2009 20:50:11 GMT -5
Coming back briefly to discuss this . . . Maybe I'm just in the dark about these, but there are apparently a ton of super-heroes listed here that are not owned by anyone. Does anyone know if this is for real? Or is this wikia just full of it? pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Public_Domain_Super_HeroesIf it's true . . . I have some crazy ideas . . .
|
|
|
Post by scottharris on Sept 10, 2009 23:19:31 GMT -5
This is true. As the website mentions in the intro, there are ongoing series currently being published that feature public domain characters. The most famous of these, and by far the highest profile, is Project Superpowers from Alex Ross. Characters like the Black Terror: And the Death Defying Devil (who was the original Daredevil before that name was appropriated by Marvel): Are both in the public domain; and, in fact, as far as I know every character that appears in that line of comics is a public domain character form the golden age. Now, obviously I can't verify that every single character on that website is in the public domain, but it's certainly possible. AC Comics pretty much founded their whole line on public domain characters and they've now been in business for two decades.
|
|
|
Post by freedomfighter on Sept 12, 2009 1:10:25 GMT -5
Many of them are, I suppose. However, one has to be fairly careful. While the Ray may be public domain, every bit of info that DC has created about him would be protected. For example, if the name Ray Terrill was never used before, only Happy Terrill, you couldn't use "Ray Terrill" or any slight alterations they've ever made to his costume.
Also consider since they're public domain, if you do something spectacular with these characters and elevate their profile, you would possibly have to contend with someone trading in on your good idea. After all, you can't protect what's not yours to begin with.
|
|
|
Post by scottharris on Sept 12, 2009 15:12:24 GMT -5
Yes, I have to mostly agree with Freedomfighter. I think the negatives outweigh the positives in using these characters; most readers haven't heard of any of these guys, so you're not going to get a bump by bringing them back. I think the possible legal troubles are more trouble than it's worth; for the most part, creating new characters would probably be the way to go.
Having said that... some of these characters are actually pretty darn cool. From the creative side of things, it would be neat to use them, so why not. Since the material is pubic domain, you should also be able to reprint it if you wanted to -- assuming you could find the original to reprint from.
|
|
|
Post by humanbelly on Dec 23, 2009 8:56:38 GMT -5
I've just finished the Project Superpowers TPB, and I must say, it's not bad at all. It definitely has its weaknesses, mind you-- for instance:
Alex Ross' scripting can at times be flat and a bit awkward or forced, and at others quite inspired. And he needs to work a lot more towards finding individual characters' voices.
The story is crowded. There's an awful lot of history to be gleaned, as well as many, many multiple plot threads that never quite get their due at any point.
The art, while quite good (certainly up to today's high standards) aesthetically, does not succeed consistently in its linear, visual story-telling. There are spots where it has a lot of trouble, in fact.
BUT- with those criticisms boldly stated- I really found myself drawn in, engaged, and liking it quite a bit. The strengths:
-- A clear sense of history, whether we're let in on it directly, or not. These are some conceptually doofy characters, at first glance, there's no getting around it. But Ross takes them seriously and treats them with respect and dignity-- and it really works.
-- As I said, the art itself (Gary Paul, I believe? Too lazy to go up and check. . .-- and it looks like some of his work is probably over Ross' sketches) is very, very good to look at. It just wants to re-visit traditional comic book conventions for a refresher in good story-telling.
-- The open-ended framing device (maybe too complicated to re-visit here) works fine for me, and provides nearly unlimited teasers. I think a lot of what I've liked about JSA since it's modern-era rebirth is what may be attractive in this series. The sense of history working with AND colliding with current events, and prevailing.
Mind you-- I can't possibly afford to pursue the individual spin-offs--- so I'll wait for others' recommendations.
HB
|
|
|
Post by dlw66 on Dec 23, 2009 13:37:03 GMT -5
Interesting that this has been brought up again. A few months ago while searching for the Marvel DVD-ROMs on eBay, I came across a seller named comicscanman who was selling Marvel DVD-ROMs by year. For example, he had every book published in 1960, and another disc for 1961 and for 1962. That's where he stopped, and once those were sold he had no others for auction. Then, he comes back with Golden Age DC stuff! All the while, he swears this stuff is in the public domain and there's no problem with it. Yeah, right! So he still sells, but has now moved into Dell and some Fawcett (he sells Captain Marvel books -- even the Fawcett stuff is now owned by DC!!). He also sells a lot of Warren, and some various Tarzan. I can't believe the guy thinks he can get away with it, but sometimes he has 50 auctions going at once! While curious, I've never bid on anything -- personally, I don't need the FBI breathing down my neck. So I am in no way endorsing this guy. That being said, you can see for yourself at the link below: shop.ebay.com/comicscanman/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340
|
|