On this site, I’m the DC Comics fan whereas Larry is the Marvel guy. I’ve been following the DC/Warner Bros vs. The Siegel & Shuster families legal drama for a couple of years and this posting that Larry pointed me to is an interesting turn of events.
If you are not in the know, back when Superman was created, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster sold the rights to what became DC Comics for a paltry amount of money. Later in the 80’s they settled with DC again with a monetary amount and that DC would put their names on any publications with Superman as creators. DC has done this with many other creators like Bob Kane for Batman and William Moulton Marston for Wonder Woman.
Now the families for Siegel and Shuster are suing Warner Bros. to try to gain control of the Superman character. They were partially awarded the rights to any part of the Superman Mythos that was created before they sold their original rights to DC back in the 30’s. This did not cover things like Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, flying, freeze breath, or other parts of the mythos that came along in the 40’s and beyond.
I’m ready for this to be over and this turn of event may make that happen sooner. From the read it looks like the attorney for the families may have tried to get a piece of the pie for himself.
Great article. As a writer, I am all in favor of maintaining rights to one’s characters that one creates. But if you sell those rights, which they have multiple times, then I am not sure if they have a leg to stand on. Never sell your rights away to something you want control over. I have never understood why this case was not thrown out years ago.
Maybe DC can give the families exclusive rights to Superman’s super ventriloquism. (Power from Silver Age Superman– not currently being used)