Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates, Swipe File | Tagged: Comics, marvel, MVL

Swipe File: Marvel Vs Bob Burden Vs Universal Vs DC Vs Dynamite Over Mystery Men (UPDATE)

Published Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:09:23 -0600

Last updated Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:46:23 -0600

I have had two major comics publishers just contact me about this, their mouths agape.

Marvel have just run a teaser for a new comic, The Mystery Men, with the tagline "Who Are The… Mystery Men". Featuring public domain Golden Age characters from the forties, it appears to be drawn by Patrick Zircher.

Except that's a very familiar title, to anyone who loves comics. Bob Burden?

And he used the phrase "Who Are… The Mysterymen" a few times in that. He's even got a website for his current Mysterymen revival using that exact phrase.

And anyway didn't Universal make a film of the comic, renaming it The Mystery Men?

And didn't Dark Horse make a comic book out of that?

Either way, for Marvel to claim copyright and trademark on that title may cause a little legal commotion.

Not to mention that I heard that Mystery Men was a contender for a Flashpoint mini-series. I guess we can scotch that one then…

UPDATE: Oh yes, and the Dynamite Project Superpowers comic with the cover-traded-upon Super-Mysterymen which, amongst other things, has laid claim to the trademarks of said public domain characters…

In Swipe File we present two or more images that resemble each other to some degree. They may be homages, parodies, ironic appropriations, coincidences or works of the lightbox. We trust you, the reader, to make that judgment yourself. If you are unable to do so, please return your eyes to their maker before any further damage is done. The Swipe File doesn't judge, it's interested more in the process of creation, how work influences other work, how new work comes from old, and sometimes how the same ideas emerge simultaneously, as if their time has just come. The Swipe File was named after the advertising industry habit where writers and artist collect images and lines they admire to inspire them in their work. It was swiped from the Comic Journal who originally ran this column, as well as the now defunct Swipe Of The Week website.

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