[zzlentz]

I can understand to a degree for some "Rights".However ,I feel some are out of line.50 years is a long time and there should be a limit set as to how long a work can be copyrighted.
  I don't mean to start arguments here,but just want my rantings heard.How many cars have you sold in your lifetime?Did you keep the car industry from making millions?How about firearms?Did Winchester sue?
Copyrights are just one of those things that make you scratch your head.

[boox909]

I can understand to a degree for some "Rights".However ,I feel some are out of line.50 years is a long time and there should be a limit set as to how long a work can be copyrighted.
  I don't mean to start arguments here,but just want my rantings heard.How many cars have you sold in your lifetime?Did you keep the car industry from making millions?How about firearms?Did Winchester sue?
Copyrights are just one of those things that make you scratch your head.

Don't worry about arguments. Things are what they are. It would be nice if we could host Timely, DC, and Street & Smith golden age titles, but we can't because they are actively protected copyrights and we have no agreements with the current owners for hosting them here.

Perhaps things will change in the future.

B.

[JVJ]

Did S&S renew ALL of their titles, boox?
Like SuperSnipe and Super Magician and Red Dragon? What about True Sports Stories and Pioneer Picture Stories? S&S printed a LOT of comics besides The Shadow. Curious minds want to know...

(|:{>

[boox909]

Did S&S renew ALL of their titles, boox?
Like SuperSnipe and Super Magician and Red Dragon? What about True Sports Stories and Pioneer Picture Stories? S&S printed a LOT of comics besides The Shadow. Curious minds want to know...

(|:{>

I dunno Jim, I am mainly going on the fact that they would send Men in Black to visit us if we posted issues of The Shadow.

However, I will be in a position to look it up and attempt to verify by summer's end. If we could host some of those titles it would be something!

B.

[crimsoncrusader]

I checked the copyright records for some of the books JVJ mentioned and found this: Supersnipe Comics: issues renewed from October 1942 (v. 1 no. 6); see 1969 , Red Dragon Comics: issues renewed from January 1943 (v. 1 no. 5), Red Dragon: issues renewed from February 1948 (v. 1 no. 2), Super-Magic Comics: issues renewed from May 1941 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1968, True Sport Picture Stories: issues renewed from February 1942 (v. 1 no. 5); see 1968, and Pioneer Picture-Stories: issues renewed from 1941 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1968. So all of them were renewed, but have not checked every series that SS published.  Here's the link http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/firstperiod.html

[narfstar]

Thanks for the research Crimson. So with S&S not carrying about the comics we may never have reprints put out.

[JVJ]

I think it's VERY safe to say that we're not going to get any S&S reprints, narf. Never, nada, nohow. You want to read 'em, I guess you got to do it the old-fashioned way, you gotta buy 'em.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[narfstar]

I think there is a market for buying the reprints. Maybe Dark Horse could be convinced of that and put out some volumes. The price of the actual books would indicate enough of an interest. This would also be a good area for print on demand. Does anyone have good contact with a print on demand/paid downlaod site? S&S is not adverse to licensing their product so I would think they may not be willing to give em away but profiting from someone else selling for them would be right up their alley.

[JVJ]

You're probably right, narf.
I hadn't thought of Dark Horse, though, for the record, I've not bought any of their reprint books. Mainly, I suppose, because I own the originals, but even if I didn't I would hesitate to spend the money. Their approach to reproduction leaves much to be desired, IMHO. It seems very "second rate" when compared to the Masterwork and Archive series.

Still, there's a lot of great material out there is S&S books (Powell, Maneely, Cartier, etc.) that is worth photocopying, if nothing else is available.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[narfstar]

I agree Jim there is some good stuff in S&S. I have some Supersnipe and Supermagician as well as an Air Ace and Sports comic. Supersnipe is fun and Supermagician has some pretty neat features. I have the origin of Tigerman issue.

[josemas]

IDW is another publisher who might consider such as project.  They've published a number of volumes of licensed comic strips (Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, etc..) and comic books  (Archie & co by Dan and DeCarlo another volume focusing on Stan Goldberg upcoming) as well as some PD comic book collections (DeCarlo's JETTA originally published by Standard).

Unless original art or nice stats or silver prints survive though anybody who reprints S & S will most likely publish straight from scans of the comics themselves as few publishers are going to the extra expense of trying to drop out color and clean up the art from scans anymore (even DC is now printing their older golden age material straight from scans).

Anyway I think their is a good chance that some publisher would be willing to publish volumes of the more popular S & S characters such as Doc Savage and The Shadow.   The rest of the S & S comic line may have to wait until copyrights begin expiring in the 2030s.

Joe M

[DennyWilson]

Supersnipe has to be the only major S&S character never to be revised or licnesed out.

Isn't it about time the S&S comics get reprinted - the pulps have been several times.

[DennyWilson]

Supersnipe has to be the only major S&S character that hasn't been revived

Isn't it about time all the various S&S comics get reprinted - the pulps have been several times.

[mr_goldenage]

For Me, With Street & Smith it is not about the Shadow. The Doc Savage of the Pulps? Nope. Give me a Clark Savage Jr. with a mystic ruby jewel turning him into a super hero! Really, I am more interested in Transo and Earth Man than I am in Blackstone The Magician. The Black Crusader and the Red Knight turned out to be very cool golden age costumed heroes. Why should their story not be shared? They are not news paper syndicated strips or anything of value to anyone but us. That is what I seek. The second string, the one shot, the lone warrior, that forgotten wizard. Your thoughts? Thank you and take care.

God Bless

Kindly

Richard Boucher AKA MR Goldenage
PR Publications:
The 1st Heroic Age, The Good Guys & Gals of the Golden Age, The Greats of the Golden Age Reprints. TM & C 2012 PR Publications a Division of Tamric Inc.

[narfstar]

Absolutely Richard. I have tried to contact S&S a couple of times and they never return any emails.

[mr_goldenage]

Narf,

I wonder if the feeling would be mutual? Would they ignore us if we ignored the Shadow and the Doc Savage of the Pulps (Plus all the other syndicated strips in those books) like we do with the Green Hornet? Would an Anthology of those types of characters be allowed? Or......I wonder......

[josemas]

I think the difference, and someone please correct me if I'm off the mark here, as to Street and Smith comics, and why we don't carry them, and why we have carried Green Hornet comics, sans Green Hornet is because the Street and Smith comics are all copyright renewed while the Green Hornet comics were not renewed but because there was some fear of an underlying copyright (the GH stories possibly being based on radio scripts) a very cautious decision was made a while back to delete those stories until further research regarding those possible underlying copyrights could be explored.

Best

Joe

[narfstar]

The entire S&S line was renewed. The GH stories are probably PD but the property is protected so while we would probably be legally OK it is probably a better idea not to carry GH.

[mr_goldenage]

My understanding was that only the "syndicated" characters were renewed. The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Avenger, Blackstone and the like.....not the content provided to S & S for their books. Perhaps I am very mistaken then. My bad. O well. I guess I get to enjoy by myself. Such a shame. Sorry guys n gals Nite all!


RB ! PR Central

PS....

Got Super Magician Vol # 1 # 4 today......Transo.....Kinda weak.....but what the heck I I like him.

[narfstar]

The S&S books do show up in other places. I have a few of various but no Doc or
Shadow. If one of the more adept copyright guys can find out different.  List of first copyright renewals has this info

The Shadow: issues renewed from April 1931 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1958 Jan-Jun
Shadow Comics: issues renewed from 1940 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1967

This looks like the entire contents were renewed. Trademark is a different idea. I would say that anyone who wanted to do a new Transo story would be able to as that trademark is long past. Should actually be the same with Super-Magician and Supersnipe. Which I would like to see revived.

[Fray]

I checked the copyright records for some of the books JVJ mentioned and found this: Supersnipe Comics: issues renewed from October 1942 (v. 1 no. 6); see 1969 , Red Dragon Comics: issues renewed from January 1943 (v. 1 no. 5), Red Dragon: issues renewed from February 1948 (v. 1 no. 2), Super-Magic Comics: issues renewed from May 1941 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1968, True Sport Picture Stories: issues renewed from February 1942 (v. 1 no. 5); see 1968, and Pioneer Picture-Stories: issues renewed from 1941 (v. 1 no. 1); see 1968. So all of them were renewed, but have not checked every series that SS published.  Here's the link http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/firstperiod.html

Hello. I'm new to the board and while I've been reading PD comics for a few years now I've only just recently started becoming interested in the legalities of it. Regarding this statement, I'm confused by what is being said. For example: "Supersnipe Comics: issues renewed from October 1942 (v. 1 no. 6); see 1969". What does "see 1969" mean exactly? Was it renewed in 1969? If so, how many years until the copyright expires? Sorry for the dumb questions. :>)

[movielover]

Back in the day, comic books had to be renewed 28 years after publication. See 1969 means you have to look in the 1969 copyright renewals book to see the specifics. As for when they will expire, most likely never, as Congress gives in every time the mega media wants the copyright extended

[Fray]

Back in the day, comic books had to be renewed 28 years after publication. See 1969 means you have to look in the 1969 copyright renewals book to see the specifics. As for when they will expire, most likely never, as Congress gives in every time the mega media wants the copyright extended

Thanks for the info!

[silversabrewolf]

Absolutely Richard. I have tried to contact S&S a couple of times and they never return any emails.

Ha...Contact any of them they dont reply Ive contacted DC,Marvel and inquired if any of their titles will ever be public domain...no response.

[mr_goldenage]

S&S or whomever owns them now....doesn't care about their GA books EXCEPT when dealing with the Big 3. Which currently is licensed to Dynamite Ent.[and I like their take on Doc, the Avenger and the Shadow for the most part] ....other characters.....who knows. I've several dozen scans of the Shadow & Doc and Blackstone, plus about a dozen hard-copy books from S& S. But they are not permitted here. Shame we can't do an anthology excluding the Big 3 and just do the minor characters that have never been used since their last publications back in the 1940's.

As for Timely/Marvel/Disney and Warner Bro./DC et al. they will continue to put out expensive reprint "Masterworks" or whatever they want to call them but this is an expensive proposition and spotty at best, especially by Marvel/Disney as they have virtually killed off almost all of their GA characters in "Modern Day" continuity as I think DC has done pretty much as well or worse. Another shame (while I am on this rant) is the "New" Archie imprint "Dark Circle" now they've (Archie) has joined the world with their characters that now sport "Grim & Gritty" concepts by old characters you'd never recognize from their GA original characters. Why I ask? O well....here I am in the Minority on this as I well know but I do like the two Project Superpowers and the mini spin off individual characters but HATED the Warren Ellis Blackcross garbage. Just my 2 cents worth. (Why is there no Cent Key on my keyboard!)

Kindly

Richard