Posted in: Recent Updates | Tagged: marvelman, miracleman

That Marvelman Copyright Thing Again. Again. Again.

Published Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:13:22 -0600

Last updated Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:38:17 -0500

Comics archaeologist Pádraig Ó Méalóid has been at it again. We previously reported that Padraig claimed to have found a copyright line in a Young Marvelman strip that definitely laid the much-disputed ownership of Marvelman at the door of Mick Anglo, reproduced below;

Which considering Emotiv Records bought Mick Anglo Ltd to sell Marvelman to Marvel Comics, could be considered a shut case. If that meant that Len Miller & Co that published the books considered the comics to be owned by Mick Anglo.

Or not.

Because, as Pádraig now writes, the image he was referring to was not the original, but a reprint, in Mick Anglo's book about British comics. With the copyright line now written on by Mick Anglo after the fact, and reproduced "cut off" to look genuine. And here is the original reprinted from Young Marvelman Annual.

Without the copyright line. Curioser and curiouser.

What happened to the copyright when Millar folded is still up in the air. The rights were not sold on to anyone, the company liquidated, no one had made any related claim to them, it's actually possible that Dez Skinn may have been correct when he believed the rights had falled into the public domain, for him to pick the character up with Warrior Magazine.

Althgough, since Mick Anglo's book was published in 1978, this may be counted as a copyright claim that supercedes Dez Skinn's interest in the character.

It's either got a lot more complicated. Or a lot less. Lets see, shall we?

Pádraig Ó Méalóid has signed a publishing deal for 2011 with for a volume unearthing the whole Marvelman mess. Maybe it will beat Marvel to publication with their new series…

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