The News Blog of Comics Culture
TweetFree Comic Book Day on Saturday was an immensely successful event which saw hundreds of signings, thousands of comics given away and untold happy faces on people getting their free comic books. It was great. So, of course, we’re going to report on the two news-of-the-weird crimes that took place during the event. In Portland, [...]
As reported last week, the incarceration and legal maneuvering of accused sex offender and Drgon*Con founder Ed Kramer has led more people, including professionals, to call for a boycott of the con while Keamer is receiving money for it. Tony Isabella, who attended the con far in the past, still has what might be termed a vivid account of it:
Tweet The Superman and Superboy lawsuits are officially over, pending appeal.
Warning: watching this video is likely to cause your blood pressure to rise.
TweetAs expected, the district court has ruled that the 2001 settlement agreement between DC and the Siegels is binding and did indeed transfer the Superman copyright to DC. But what about Superboy?
Tweet Yesterday’s summary judgment filings confirm that settlement talks have been ongoing–and the Siegel side is in disarray.
Tweet News reports are circulating that the Siegel and Shuster heirs have asked the lower court to dismiss DC’s copyright lawsuits. What actually happened is rather different.
In a troubling case, a Missouri man bas been sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of obscene images of children.
In 2008, the Siegel family won a historic courtroom victory. So why did they risk it all on an appeal? An encounter between Jerry Siegel’s widow, Joanne, and Super Boys author Brad Ricca provides a telling clue.
TweetAmong the many thoughtful questions raised in my discussion with the Superman Homepage earlier this week was whether the Siegel lawsuit prompted changes to Superman’s uniform. This might seem like a small issue, but it reflects serious concerns about freedom and integrity in a corporate context.
As we reported last night, the story of Platinum Studios, the bizarre IP company founded by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg on his peripheral involvement in having published the MEN IN BLACK comic book, has gotten seriously bizarre, with shareholders and acting president Chris Beall banding together to attempt to oust Rosenberg from the company after a series of what they claim are flagrantly fraudulent money shifting and credit card embezzlement—all from the coffers of the publicly traded company. While we don’t know the whole story, we can piece together some of it.
Tweet The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a 2001 agreement between Joanne Siegel and WB supersedes the Siegel estate’s 2008 victory in a copyright reversion decision. Meaning: it’s just about over, writes The Hollywood Reporter. The decision follows a ruling by a federal judge in October to deny the estate of Superman’s [...]
Let’s start the year out with a return to comics’ original sin: Daniel Best reprints Truth, Justice, & The Corporate Conscience by Steve Gerber, an article from WAP, a creator’s rights newsletter published in the 80s by Gerber, Steven Grant and Frank Miller.
Gerber, for those who don’t know, was a very influential writer for Marvel in the 70s who eventually sued for ownership of a character he co-created, Howard the Duck. He lost the suit, but never the anger. He died in 2008.
TweetGiven the lively discussion of what folks don’t want to see on The Beat, I couldn’t resist noting that an attorney representing Smallville co-creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough in their dispute with Time Warner also represented the Kardashian sisters in the epic, never to be forgotten Kardashian Kard case. However, the Smallville dispute is also [...]
Over the past year creators’ copyright crusader Marc Toberoff took some serious hits in the various Superman and Kirby lawsuits. Yet there was also a deceptively routine procedural matter that could have already assured him a victory in the Siegel estate’s Superman appeal.
You might hear today that the district court judge has handed Toberoff another stunning defeat this week, “a doozy and an outright win for DC.“
It’s actually a win for Toberoff, at least procedurally.
Here’s what happened.
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