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[zer0zen]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to ask you guys a question and hopefully also for your blessing on a project I want to do.

I would like to do a webcomic like Wondermark http://www.wondermark.com but instead of using old woodcuts and such and changing them around. I would use images from the comic scans found on this site. I would probably end up only using the line work from the comics and redrawing a lot of elements and adding them in.

Is this allowed based on the public domain status of the comics and if it is allowed would you guys be cool with me doing that?

The reason I ask is I appreciate all the hard work everyone has put into creating this site and I think it is the polite and RIGHT thing to do to ask first.

[narfstar]

Zero welcome aboard. And you are very welcome to any of my scans and I am sure the others feel the same. From a public domain standpoint it is surely OK. From my standpoint I think it is just further recognizing the value of the old gems by putting them in a modern format.

[OtherEric]

I greatly appreciate you checking first, but at least for my scans please go right ahead.  Let us know once you have something to show!

[cimmerian32]

You are welcome to my scans, as well.  If you can create something new with these ragged beauties, please do

[JVJ]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to ask you guys a question and hopefully also for your blessing on a project I want to do.

I would like to do a webcomic like Wondermark http://www.wondermark.com but instead of using old woodcuts and such and changing them around. I would use images from the comic scans found on this site. I would probably end up only using the line work from the comics and redrawing a lot of elements and adding them in.

Is this allowed based on the public domain status of the comics and if it is allowed would you guys be cool with me doing that?

The reason I ask is I appreciate all the hard work everyone has put into creating this site and I think it is the polite and RIGHT thing to do to ask first.

Thanks for asking, zer0zen,
Feel free to do what you like with the scans. That's what Public Domain means. If you want to "pay" for them in karma, just credit this site as the source for the substrate of your art. We look forward to seeing what you come up with. Please keep us posted.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[rez]

If you want to "pay" for them in karma, just credit this site as the source for the substrate of your art.

ahhhh.
Jim, you are certainly a clear thinker.
We'll all be getting those 30,000 yet : o )

[misappear]

I visited the web site.  Wonderful work. Keep it up my friend

[zer0zen]

Thank you everyone for your support I really appreciate it. A soon as I have some of the strips done I will post them here so you guys can take a look at them first. Oh and Jim you bet I will credit you guys. It's the least I can do.

Again thanks for creating such a great site and sharing all these wonderful comics.


Thanks,
Al

[JVJ]

Thank you everyone for your support I really appreciate it. A soon as I have some of the strips done I will post them here so you guys can take a look at them first. Oh and Jim you bet I will credit you guys. It's the least I can do.

Again thanks for creating such a great site and sharing all these wonderful comics.


Thanks,
Al

Al,
the people who REALLY deserve the credit(s) are the folks who created the comics that you'll "reinterpret". Most of the comics from my collection are sent to the scanners with index cards with as many credits as I know. Check it out if you're lifting from JVJ comic. If not, and you ever want to know the identity of the creator of the material you're using, drop me a line with a jpeg of the page. I'll see if I recognize the style.
You can reach me with a Personal Message to JVJ or at jvj@bpib.com.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[zer0zen]

Thank you everyone for your support I really appreciate it. A soon as I have some of the strips done I will post them here so you guys can take a look at them first. Oh and Jim you bet I will credit you guys. It's the least I can do.

Again thanks for creating such a great site and sharing all these wonderful comics.


Thanks,
Al

If not, and you ever want to know the identity of the creator of the material you're using, drop me a line with a jpeg of the page. I'll see if I recognize the style.
You can reach me with a Personal Message to JVJ or at jvj@bpib.com.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

Thanks for the offer Jim BTW on a whim I looked up JVJ Publishing The ImageS series looks very interesting. I am especially interested in the Black and White Annuals. I will probably be picking one up in the near future.

[JVJ]

Thanks for the offer Jim BTW on a whim I looked up JVJ Publishing The ImageS series looks very interesting. I am especially interested in the Black and White Annuals. I will probably be picking one up in the near future.

Any particular artist/genre in which you are interested, zer0zen? I think you'll be impressed by the reproduction (currently doing screenless stochastic printing - state of the art) and the variety of the selections. I like to think I have interesting taste in these things and my collection is deep enough to allow me to choose material that is both intriguing AND previously un-reprinted. Everything is from source material prior to 1923 (guaranteed in the Public Domain) and carefully restored as best I can.

You can get a preview of each issue - small, but informative - on the website. I'm currently working hard on B&W ImageS #5 - cleaning up some 1600 ppi scans of James Montgomery Flagg images from 1910. Then it's going to be working on some Will Crawford from circa 1900 - from the ORIGINALS I've been loaned by a friend. Gonna be pretty cool - if I do say so myself.

Let me know what you decide.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[zer0zen]

I really don't have a particular artist or genre that I really like but; if I had to pick my favorite genres they are fantasy/surreal, art nouveau, and anything done in pen and ink ( I love line work!). As far as artists go no favorites I think I am a fan of everyone who creates art. Two recent obsessions are Max Ernst and Edward Gorey.

Although I have to say comic book art and artists hold a special place in my heart. I am a big fan of Comic books as a literary and artistic medium.

[JVJ]

I really don't have a particular artist or genre that I really like but; if I had to pick my favorite genres they are fantasy/surreal, art nouveau, and anything done in pen and ink ( I love line work!). As far as artists go no favorites I think I am a fan of everyone who creates art. Two recent obsessions are Max Ernst and Edward Gorey.

Although I have to say comic book art and artists hold a special place in my heart. I am a big fan of Comic books as a literary and artistic medium.

Well, by definition (pre-1923), comic book artists are pretty much left out, but not entirely. B&W Annual #2 has a couple of pages of art from guys who went on to do comic books: Munson Paddock, Arthur Jameson, George Carlson, etc.

Also, by definition, my tastes run towards comic types. There's art by T.S. Sullivant in every annual, plus guys like Winsor McCay, John R. Neill, Will Crawford, etc. in most of the b&w books. I gravitate often to the guys (and "gals") who influenced many a comic book artist. Try an issue and see what you think.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[melike]

This was exactly my idea! In the end i went with something else but yeah, id love to see it when youve got some stuff ready.

[mergekoray]

Just on the level of copyright law (for the USA that is) you can even use material that is not in the public domain as long as you make something different from it... of course that's not the exact wording for "derivative works".  The intent is, that if you put a lot of work into someone else's work you "may" be able to sell it.  I say 'may' because you can be sued for anything.   You can also use content if you're critiquing it or making a parody of it (e.g. news, MAD TV/magazine etc.).

I know this is somewhat off your topic, but I thought you might find it interesting.

And, yes, I think what the people here are doing is fantastic.

MK

[Janus Wolf]

ZeroZen, it has has always been my belief, as it relates to public domain works, that they are there to build new works based on the public domain ones. i look forward to your creations, please share them with us all.

[DennyWilson]

Just on the level of copyright law (for the USA that is) you can even use material that is not in the public domain as long as you make something different from it... of course that's not the exact wording for "derivative works".  The intent is, that if you put a lot of work into someone else's work you "may" be able to sell it.  I say 'may' because you can be sued for anything.   You can also use content if you're critiquing it or making a parody of it (e.g. news, MAD TV/magazine etc.).

I know this is somewhat off your topic, but I thought you might find it interesting.

And, yes, I think what the people here are doing is fantastic.

MK

It's called "Fair Use"

[Astaldo711]

It's called "Derivative Work". You can take a PD character and put it in your own stories. As long as you pretend the character didn't exist in any form before, I guess it's okay to do what you want. There's an online comic called Out of Print" that's pretty fun. In it, they mention that as long as you don't mention a previous publisher, you can use the character as you see fit. Of course, this is just a comic strip and not legal advice.

[DennyWilson]

I was refering to the use of material not in the public domain which is "fair use"

[skybandit]

I wondered when more people would realize that this site is (among other, greater things) the biggest source of full-color clip-art on the web.

[Marconero]

A few years ago I downloaded a scanned title from here (The Scarab) and put my own dialogue in (like you guys are mentioning here). Can I post those 8 pages here as a topic? Is that cool?

[narfstar]

PM Janus he might like the idea

[narfstar]

I didn't notice the wink until you mentioned it but it certainly adds to the odd factor

[DennyWilson]

what issue?

[Janus Wolf]

A few years ago I downloaded a scanned title from here (The Scarab) and put my own dialogue in (like you guys are mentioning here). Can I post those 8 pages here as a topic? Is that cool?

Sure, have fun.

Janus