Posted in: Recent Updates | Tagged: Alan Moore, neil gaiman

The Marvelman Conspiracies Continue…

Published Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:22 -0600

Last updated Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:47:12 -0600

When Pádraig Ó Méalóid isn't causing trouble at comic convention committees, he's turned into quite the comic archaelogist. Especially concerning Alan Moore-related stuff.

On his blog he writes that he's been trying to find absolute proof that Mick Anglo owned Marvelman before the character was sold, through Emotiv Records and John Campbell, to Marvel Comics. It's certainly what the likes of Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman believe.

Well, Pádraig has found a volume published in the seventies called Nostalgia: Spotlight On the Fifties written by Mick Anglo.which reproduces a page of Mick Anglo's Young Marvelman, including a published statement of copyright to Mick Anglo. Which was happily published by Miller, dating it arounf 1954, shortly after the Marvelman characters were first published.

I understand that Marvel were required to sign a deal that basically said they bought whatever Mick Anglo owned, with no legal liability on Emotiv Records if it turned out he owned nothing. This is, at least, physical evidence that Mick and Miller believed that to be the case, even back then.

Although on the Marvelman/Miracleman Yahoo Groups, fellow comics archaeologist Craig Johnson believes something else. Aside from raising that a printed copyright may not actually indicate the copyright is valid, he points out that it's copyright to a company, Mick Anglo Ltd.

And yes a quick company search results in

MICK ANGLO LIMITED
50 BROADWAY
LONDON
SW1H 0BL
Company No. 00537200

And address that Craig points out is owned by Regus, a virtual office/maildrop facility. A company that was restored in 2006 and seems to have gone through many changes in details, addresses and circumstances since.

And he points out that Mick Anglo is not a director of said company… from what I've learned Jon Campbell of Emotiv Records owns a majority share.

But as smoking guns go, it does point away from the Dez Skinn/Eclipse/McFarlane line of claims in case anyone is still looking in that direction.

I think I may make a few phone calls this week. Just to see what's what.

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