May 18, 2017 comic book fans and collectors divide the last 80 years of the publication of superhero comic books into four ages. The name captain marvel is unique among comic book superheroes in that it has been shared by nine different characters spread across three publishers. Lowcost or free editions of public domain materials are available. Collectible comics superhero, mystery, childrens comic books. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. This began primarily with newspaper reprints and then went up, up and away with the introduction of superman.
It is aimed at readers, writers and artists that are looking for reliable and verified information about characters, authors, 2015 edition. Like dc comics wonder woman, moon girl was the princess of an isolated tribe of warrior women in samarkand, and fought evil in her telepathically. You will read about troubadours and church composers, swapping tunes and remarkably profane lyrics, changing both religion and music in the. Golden 19381950, silver 19561970, bronze 19701985 and modern 1985the present. The comic strip library is a digital library containing a collection of public domain comic strips. Dec 06, 2016 public domain superheroes the gladiator art lyon masks. So when does supermanthe original comic book superheroenter the public domain where hell be free for. Her secret identity is clarie lune, a junior high history teacher. The wiki format allows any registered user to create any article, so we can all work together to build the site. Podcasts of various comic related panels, awards shows and interviews. Public domain characters who have appeared in comic books. Nedor superheroes volume 1 paperback december 25, 20 by.
Public domain documentary films retrofilm vault broadcast. He was famous almost instantly when jack cole pitted him against the villainous claw. However, thanks to websites like comic book plus, which host hundreds of comics online, usually much lesser known ones, that have fallen into the public domain. Public domain characters originally published by fawcett. He eventually lost his comic to his kid sidekicks, the little wise guys. The companys comic book division folded in 1973, although dell continued to publish the occasional book with comics content, including newspaper strip collections. Golden age reprints offers public domain comic books from the golden age of comics.
A distinction should be made between public domain characters and public domain works. Sep 23, 2015 superheroes once again have come to the rescue, this time to save the day with public library programs that educate our youth about the legality and respect of the intellectual property of others. His appearance is almost iconic with red and dark blue alternatingly opposed in his costume. Public domain super heroes is a collaborative website about comic book, film, literary, or pulp characters in the public domain that have appeared in comics or. List of public domain characters this is a list of characters that have fallen out of worldwide, and are usable in other works of fiction without permission from the characters original creator. Films based on public domain super heroes by mikeydean. Public domain characters character name original publisher. When a work enters the public domain, it often becomes available to the public in many free or lowcost editions.
Bugs bunny is a trademarked character and not in public domain, but his earliest individual cartoons are it should be mentioned as well the issue with derivative works, new works based on. All items 100 black hood mlj brothers of the crimson cross. Before this, i hadnt given much thought to writing superhero comics. Everything in the collection predates 1923 and is no longer under in the united states. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. But decades ago when various comic book publishers went out of business, the characters they. This silly page was created for the showcasing and discussion of superheroes and other comic book characters.
Documentaries unsorted advertising american history art history atomic age automobiles alcoholism aliens and ufos black heritage comedy dance myths and legends drugs. I deluxe edition public domain encyclopedia deluxe volume 1 by c. Superheroes once again have come to the rescue, this time to save the day with public library programs that educate our youth about the legality and respect of the intellectual property of others. Public domain characters who were originally published in pulps or appeared in pulps as well as other media such as comics. See more ideas about superhero, comic character and public domain. After the success of superman and batman in 1938, dozens of new publishers.
More recently in 2018, the league of extraordinary gentlemen. David furr and ben dunn write, public domain was our first vision for a new comic book universe. Tower comics was an american comic book publishing company that operated from 1965 to 1969, best known for wally woods t. The history in this book runs from plato to blurred lines and beyond. We are the original and still the premier site to read and download golden and silver age comic books. Any comic book creator looking to use one of these should make use of this resource. Moon girl is a fictional character published by ec comics from 1947 to 1949. When a mystical scarab stone falls into the hand of an archaeologist, an evil villain known as the sphinx tries to retrieve it, unaware that the stone has transformed the. Public domain super heroes is a collaborative website about public domain characters from comic books, comic strips, films, books, pulps, mythology, television, animation, folk stories, among others. Weirdest comic book superheroes of all time boing boing. League of extraordinary gentlemen americas best vertigo top shelf based around characters of late 19th and 20th century literature.
Greats of the golden age comics golden years guide to reprints bright page golden age comic book reprints when works pass into the public domain. Plus, we also hold a large and growing selection of comic strips and pulp fiction. Superhero characters comic book characters comic character character. The majority of our books belong to what has been termed the golden age of comics. All quality comics characters have lapsed into public domain. Captain marvel fawcett all items 3329 abominable snow monster of the north. The golden age for comic books is known for plots that dont appear in modern day comics.
What famous fiction characters s have expired, who. In the pages of tom strong, alan moore reintroduced the heroes of nedor comics on the alternate earth of terra obscura, who were later featured in a pair of terrific miniseries by peter hogan and yanick paquette. The public domain is, in essence, our intellectual and artistic commons. This page is for fans of golden age comic book characters and other characters who have now fallen into the public. Nobody owns them anymore, and according to the laws of the united states, theyll remain that way. This isnt the first time that superheroes from the public domain have been given new life in modern projects. Our first venture is a multiissue comic book featuring original profiles on public domain superheroes mostly from the golden age, but some will. Comic book historian craig yoe has a new book out called super weird heroes, a 320page compendium of golden age comic book stories featuring some of. Comic book fans and collectors divide the last 80 years of the publication of superhero comic books into four ages.
The digital comic museum offers free access to hundreds of pre1959 comic books, uploaded by users who often offer historical research and commentary alongside highquality scans the sites moderators and administrators are particularly careful to avoid posting nonpublicdomain comics a complicated designation, as described in this forum thread. Similar to the digital comic museum, which we wrote about last week, comic book plus contains a near inexhaustible quantity of golden and silver age comic books. When a work enters the public domain, it often becomes. Last i remember, licenses last for a total of 75 years from the time of filing edit. A great resource for these characters is the public domain superheroes wiki. Public domain superheroes superhero, super hero costumes. Comics that are in the public domain actually offer a good introduction for people studying comic books. My original history of superhero comic books with all of its flaws left intact. A list of the heroic characters listed on public domain super heroes. Moon girl is a character from the golden age of comic books and has since slipped into the public domain. Welcome to comic book plus, the site where every day is party day. Jlu animated comics and figures dc comics, comics dc comic comic book characters, comic book. Public domain characters list list of public domain works with multimedia adaptations t. The title of this book is nedor superheroes and it was written by c.
Jan 22, 2020 a lot of fans dont realize that theres a world of superheroes that anyone can use. Greats of the golden age comics golden years guide to reprints bright page golden age comic book reprints when works pass into the public domain unc. All of the cartoons created by van beuren studios are public domain, as are all the characters they created with the exception of preexisting characters they had licensed, such as otto soglows little king, the stars of fontaine foxs toonerville trolley and felix the cat are public domain, as the studio abruptly went bellyup in 1936, and nobody bothered to claim ownership of their library. Many of these characters later appeared in the dc universe but several have yet to appear. May 31, 20 a discussion talking about superheroes in the public domain. Here are a few links to comic stories i found about public domain. The comics history of all 9 captain marvels nerdist.
If you like marvel, dc, superheroes, marvel legends, marvel universe, spiderman, batman, hulk, iron man, avengers and. The digital comic museum offers free access to hundreds of pre1959 comic books, uploaded by users who often offer historical research and commentary alongside highquality scans. See more ideas about comic art, free comics and comic books. These websites host comics of varying genres and from various time periods. The tempest reintroduces several gold and silver age british comic book superheroes. Agents, a strange combination of secret agents and superheroes. Welcome to the main page of our massive public domain comic book archive. A list of characters unused by dc can be found here. The golden age daredevil might be one of the bestknown public domain superheroes. In terms of print media, the public domain consists of works that existed before laws don quixote or the illiad, those that are too old to be protected any more frankenstein and dracula, and those whose s have run out and werent renewed like most of the comic book characters here. The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956.
The collections timespan ranges from the late 1930s through to the early 1960s, and includes many thousands of comic books in the superhero, scifi, and horror genres. Dell became part of bantam doubleday dell in 1988, ceasing to exist as an independent company. Barbara gordon the gotham city librarian in the batman comic has utilized similar programming for the children of. Public domain comic books golden age comics public domain. I deluxe edition public domain encyclopedia deluxe volume 1. The public domain encyclopedia or pde is a book series dedicated to the golden age of comics that are, today, freely available to all. Also mythological heroes are also in the public domain. The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. A discussion talking about superheroes in the public domain.
Public domain superheroes and comic books home facebook. Aug 04, 2018 david furr and ben dunn write, public domain was our first vision for a new comic book universe. Currently the comic strip library is more of a proofofconcept and a workinprogress than a fully realized project, but the foundations are there. A new generation game comic book artists comic artist comic books art dc comics batman comics gi joe star trek comic book superheroes alex ross. Comic book plus free and legal public domain books. Today there are a wealth of golden and silver age comic book characters who have fallen into public domain.
I deluxe edition public domain encyclopedia deluxe volume 1 sesselego, c. The even better news is that all the content is free and legal. A comprehensive list providing a quick visual reference and numerical tally for my various public domain related projects on the vine. Any comic book creator looking to use one of these should make use of. The sites moderators and administrators are particularly careful to avoid posting nonpublicdomain comics a complicated designation, as described in this forum. Two of the most common are androids and heroes that needed to convince someone close, or the public at large, that their heroic persona and their alter ego were in fact different people. You will read about the holy roman empires attempts to standardize religious music with the first great musical technology notation and the inevitable backfire of that attempt.
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