Episode 157 - Public Domain Superheroes
You asked for it, so in this special bonus episode we’re talking about Public Domain Superheroes! We discuss the Golden Age of Comics, masked adventurers, copyright, crossovers, and more! Plus: Time Eggs!
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In this episode
Matthew Murray | Carol Borden
Things We Read (or tried to…)
Project Superpowers (Wikipedia) by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, Doug Klauba, Stephen Sadowsk, and Carlos Paul
Masks, vol. 1 by Chris Roberson, Alex Ross (Artist), Dennis Calero (Artist) Jae lee
See all the covers
Miss Fury: The Minor Key by Corinna Sara Bechko and Jonathan Lau
Swords of Sorrow (Women in Comics Wiki) by Gail Simone and so many others
Superheroes and Masked Adventurers (all links are to Wikipedia)
Plastic Man
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
The Shadow
The Spider
Miss Fury
Miss Fury and Miss Mills (article by Carol Borden on the Cultural Gutter)
Miss Fury Cut Outs
Miss Masque/Masquerade
Kato
Green Hornet
Red Sonja
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor in comics - DC Comics
Hercules (DC Comics)
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Zeus (DC Comics)
Zeus (Marvel Comics)
Beowulf (DC Comics)
Beowulf (Earth-616) (Marvel Fandom Wiki)
Bucky Barnes
Black Terror (and Tim!)
Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications) (The Death Defying 'Devil)
Jonah Hex
The Invaders
All-Star Squadron
The Twelve
Airboy
Fighting Yank
Dynamic Man
Ghost (Public Domain Super Heroes Wiki)
Cat-Man and Kitten
Irene Adler
Dejah Thoris
Green Lama
Zorro
Black Bat
Purgatori
Chastity
Lady Zorro (ComicVine)
Vampirella
Jane Porter/ Lady Greystoke
Pantha (ComicVine)
Eva, Daughter of Dracula (ComicVine)
Other Media We Mentioned
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard (Wikipedia)
Night of the Living Dead (Wikipedia)
Superman (1940s animated film series) (Wikipedia)
The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Spicy Library Stories
Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker: Cry of Thunder by Joe Gentile, Andy Bennett, and Carlos Magno
The Incredible Hercules (Wikipedia)
Aliens vs. Predator (comics) (Wikipedia)
Freddy vs. Jason (Wikipedia)
X-Men 2099 (Wikipedia)
Justice League Unlimited (Wikipedia)
Justice League Action - Jonah Hex’s Space Rodeo! (YouTube)
Archie vs. Predator (Wikipedia)
FemForce (Wikipedia)
Tom Strong (Wikipedia)
Public domain characters show up staring in issue #11, there’s also some Terra Obscura miniseries that focus on these characters.
Savage Dragon (Wikipedia)
Next Issue Project (Wikipedia)
Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays by Tarpe Mills
Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game) (Wikipedia)
Achtung! Cthulhu (Role-Playing Game) (H.P. Lovecraft Wiki)
Links, Articles, and Things
The Cultural Gutter
Monstrous Industry
Fox Spirit Books
Episode 155 - Literary Fan Fiction
Public Domain (Wikipedia)
Public Domain Day 2022
Public Domain Comic Books (TVTropes)
Public Domain Super Heroes Wiki
Creative Commons (Wikipedia)
5 Great Public Domain Superheroes (& 5 Worst)
Superman (ice cream flavor) (Wikipedia)
National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc.
Golden Age of Comic Books
Canadian Whites (Wikipedia) (Canadian WWII-era comics)
The Canadian Captain Marvel Comics #10
Fox Feature Syndicate (Wikipedia)
Crestwood Publications (Wikipedia)
Standard Comics (Wikipedia (Nedor Publishing)
Quality Comics (Wikipedia)
Fawcett Comics (Wikipedia)
Charlton Comics (Wikipedia)
WildStorm (Wikipedia)
The 10 Best Crossovers in Archie Comics
From KISS to 'The Addams Family': The Best 'Scooby-Doo!' Crossovers You Just Have to See
12 Strangest Scooby-Doo Crossovers, Ranked
Eclipse Comics (Wikipedia)
America’s Best Comics (Wikipedia)
Dynamite Entertainment (Wikipedia)
Alex Ross (Wikipedia)
Afraid Of Cock
The printed cover to Justice Society of America #7
‘Zorro’ Licensor, in Role Reversal, Faces Trial for Copyright Infringement
Black Legion (political movement) (Wikipedia)
Chaos! Comics (Wikipedia)
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Join us again on Tuesday, September 6th we’ll be discussing the format of Audio Book Fiction! (This episode will probably become “What is a book? Part 2”
Then on Tuesday, September 20th we’ll be discussing the winner of our “we all read the same book” poll and discussing Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart!
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Brad Spencer, Wonderman's first appearance in Wonder Comics (his initial adventures were in other titles) was issue #9 (December, 1946). He took over the cover spot from The Grim Reaper, who had been the book's headliner since issue #1. Neither Wonderman nor the Grim Reaper are related to the Marvel Comics characters with the same names.
Brad Spencer, Wonderman, also took over the lead spot in Wonder Comics, and the covers featuring him were pretty standard stuff at first.
Then an interesting thing happened: Wonderman was no longer the prominent figure on the covers.
Now, I ain't no Sherlock Holmes, but I believe I detect a pattern here.
With superheroes on the wane post-World War ll, publisher Nedor Publications decided that cheesecake sells. And they served it up wholesale, which started alarming parents. You gotta admit, this is pretty race stuff for a comic book aimed at kids.
Wonderman, like the Grim Reaper before him, was booted from Wonder Comics' cover and lead story position for the final five issues. The BDSM elements on the covers were toned down, if not removed completely, but there was still cheesecake galore with new cover star/lead feature Tara, Pirate Queen.
Nedor Publications was not the only, nor most egregious publisher going this route. However, this ongoing trend, along with the rise of true crime and horror comics, is what lead to a certain book entitled Seduction of the Innocent.
And that book fed (some say created) the public hysteria that blamed comic books as a cause of juvenile delinquency.
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