Jables Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Did you ever read Action Comics 775? I'm still waiting for your opinion on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 From what (admittedly little) I know about this it is likely. But what if the owner(s?) don't want the rights to go back to DC no matter the price? siegel & shuster are indeed dead, and with a valid legal work-for-hire contract being honored, you're talking about DC here. its a moot point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 No, but just like any other person who's famous they have plenty of greedy children who want to squeeze every penny out of their parent's work as possible. Eh, according to wikipedia it looks like this is more of a legacy court battle than kids trying to profit off their parent's work. A court battle Siegel and Shuster have been fighting pretty much since they sold the character rights. Action Comics was published in 1938 and their first contract dispute and renegotiation was reported as early as 1940. It seems like they'd win a 100k here or there. I'm not saying S&S or their estate are necessarily in the right to have the rights, but that's gotta sting when this character has literally generated BILLIONS of dollars in revenue. Apparently the lawsuits over the years have soured the corporation so much they wouldn't even pony up the bucks to turn the house Superman was created in into a preserved landmark. Comic book fans did that by starting the siegel & shuster society. Worst part about what happened to the house is someone actually hung an Episode I poster in there. The horror. The Horror! They've raised about $100k and hopefully get it restored Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Yeah, I don't see how the heirs to S&S's estate are "greedy children" here. What, DC and AOL TimeWarner are the selfless altruistic philanthropists? If a court determines that S&S would have had a claim to Supes if they were still alive, then their death doesn't change that, it just leaves it to the heirs to their estate. DC has all the motivation in the world to fight this, tooth and nail, whether they have a legitimate claim to Supes or not, so it's not like the fact that they are fighting to hold on to the character is any kind of evidence that he's rightfully theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 i know this kind of shit's messy even outside of comics, but it always makes me remember that marvel doing that kind of thing with artists' works in the 80s got guys like Frank Miller to leave, while in their prime. i dont know that Kriby died destitute, but i do know they did him wrong for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Judge made a ruling recently: http://www.variety.com/article/VR111800726...yid=13&cs=1 Warner Bros. and DC Comics have lost a little more control over the Man of Steel. In an ongoing Federal court battle over Superman, Judge Stephen Larson ruled Wednesday that the family of the superhero's co-creator, Jerry Siegel, has "successfully recaptured" rights to additional works, including the first two weeks of the daily Superman newspaper comic-strips, as well as portions of early Action Comics and Superman comic-books. The ruling is based on the court's finding that these were not "works-made-for-hire" under the Copyright Act. This means the Siegels -- repped by Marc Toberoff of Toberoff & Associates -- now control depictions of Superman's origins from the planet Krypton, his parents Jor-El and Lora, Superman as the infant Kal-El, the launching of the infant Superman into space by his parents as Krypton explodes and his landing on Earth in a fiery crash. The first Superman story was published in 1938 in Action Comics No. 1. For $130, Jerry Siegel and co-creator Joel Shuster signed a release in favor of DC's predecessor, Detective Comics, and a 1974 court decision ruled they signed away their copyrights forever. In 2008, the same court order ruled on summary judgment that the Siegels had successfully recaptured (as of 1999) Siegel's copyright in Action Comics No. 1, giving them rights to the Superman character, including his costume, his alter-ego as reporter Clark Kent, the feisty reporter Lois Lane, their jobs at the Daily Planet newspaper working for a gruff editor, and the love triangle among Clark/Superman and Lois. While ownership of the Man of Steel is one point of all this legal activity, the real issue is money and how much Warner Bros. and DC owe the Siegels from profits they collected from Superman since 1999, when the heirs' recapture of Siegel's copyright became effective. DC owns other elements like Superman's ability to fly, the term kryptonite, the Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen characters, Superman's powers and expanded origins. In a statement, Warner Bros. and DC said, "Warner and DC Comics are pleased that the court has affirmed that the vast majority of key elements associated with the Superman character that were developed after Action Comics No. 1 are not part of the copyrights that the plaintiffs have recaptured and therefore remain solely owned by DC Comics." The Shuster estate originally did not participate with the Siegels' case because Shuster has no spouse or children. But his estate later won a ruling of a recapture identical to the Siegels, which will be effective in 2013. At that point, the Siegels and Shusters will own the entire copyright to Action Comics No. 1. That will give them the chance to set up Superman pics, TV shows and other projects at another studio. If they want to get a new "Superman" or even "Justice League" pic featuring the superhero, Warner Bros. and DC will be forced to go into production by 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 oh man, you can bet your ass those movies will start production by then. this is interesting, this kinda thing sets precedent for all sorts of creator's rights with the "work for hire" contracts they usually do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I agree, Nick. I hope this ruling lights a fire under WB. I say ditch Bryan Singer, get a new story going and jump straight into a MF'n Superman movie. No origin BS. Just handle that in the opening credits. Marvel's proven that origin recaps can be done very well that way (Spidey 2, Incredible Hulk). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 But what if audiences aren't familiar with Superman's origin story? /sarcasm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I agree, Nick. I hope this ruling lights a fire under WB. I say ditch Bryan Singer, get a new story going and jump straight into a MF'n Superman movie. No origin BS. Just handle that in the opening credits. Marvel's proven that origin recaps can be done very well that way (Spidey 2, Incredible Hulk). You forgot the best of the bunch: Wolverine & Watchmen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 For awhile I thought I was the only one who hated Superman.... thank God I was wrong lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 This one isn't half as mind blowing as Jack Kirby's estate going for the rights to ALL of his characters. For those who don't know, if you've read a DC or Marvel comic in the last 70 years, over half of those characters were invented by Joe Kirby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 For awhile I thought I was the only one who hated Superman.... thank God I was wrong lol Hating on Superman is just plain fucking retarded. He's the premiere 'Superhero' as we know it and is pretty much just dated. It's sad, but at least Cap(being the forerunner for second oldest still-known character, right?) being a soldier means he can move with the times. There are stil good Superman stories to be had, I'm sure, but fuck me if I'm giving the character too much credit, but without that step out of the realms of belief we probably wouldn't even have the medium we have now. Cap was punching Japs and Hitler whereas this was a genuine, non-threatening alien. Without Superman we'd probably have those shitty fucking Western serials and WW2 books all day long. To me, it's like hating your grandfather for fucking your grandma. BAYTOR- HAVE YOU OR HAVE YOU NOT, FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME, READ ACTION COMICS #775 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Fucked if I know, which one was that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 "What's so funny about truth, justice & the american way?", Supes vs The Authority, basically. its the one everybody points to after Red Son and Superman for all Seasons when asked "which stories werent awful?". Baytor - got a link on Kirby's estate? i cant imagine much being left though, Marvel's work-for-hire contracts meant all that shit is theirs, as i understand it, likely the same for DC. mebbe Liefeld can buy Fighting American now or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 No, that's just it, this lawsuit is looking to overthrow those contracts and THEY ARE COMPLETELY WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS TO DO SO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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