Defendants attempt to avoid the copyright by the old argument that various attributes of “Superman” find prototypes or analogues among the heroes of literature and mythology. But if the author of “Superman” has portrayed a comic Hercules, yet if his production involves more than the presentation of a general type he may copyright it and say of it: “A poor thing but mine own.” Perhaps the periodicals of the complainant are foolish rather than comic, but they embody an original arrangement of incidents and a pictorial and literary form which preclude the contention that Bruns was not copying the antics of “superman” portrayed in “Action Comics”. We think it plain that the defendants have used more than general types and ideas and have appropriated the pictorial and literary details embodied in the complainant’s copyrights.

Which is rather nice description of Superman’s originality, even if the judge felt his comics were “foolish rather than comic”.

Newsarama has spoken to Cary Bates about his Retro-Active 1970s issue of Justice League of America.

Nrama: Let’s switch gears to your Retroactive JLA issue. How did this story idea come about? Was it something you’d thought about before?

Bates: The deadlines for the retro books were very tight, so once I signed on I had to come up with the plots for both books within 24 hours. Though I didn’t write a large number of JLA stories in the ‘70’s, the best-remembered ones seem to those that featured either Earth-Prime or Adam Strange. So when it came time to tackle the retro story, combining those elements seemed a valid way to go.

He speaks more about the Earth-Prime concept and of having visited there in the 1970s. Before discussing more about how he approached recreating the League of that era.

Nrama: Why did you choose Kanjar Ro as the villain for this story? What do you like about this villain, and what can you tell us about his role?

Bates: It seemed only appropriate to use Kanjar Ro, since he and Adam Strange both appeared in my aforementioned JLA efforts back in the day. Then or now, I don’t think any fans would dispute his rank as one of the top JLA villains of all time. (I believe a ‘70’s Kanjar story will be the book’s reprint entry). And because he is such a formidable villain, the JLAers stranded in Earth-Prime must find a way to even the odds… so they journey to the Seventies-era New York City to plot their counter-strategy with a Very Special DC Guest Star.

Towards the end of the interview he gets asked his opinion on the Johns/Lee reboot.

DC Comics have released the above promo-video and a list of frequently asked questions in trying to placate retailers who are nervous about September’s relaunch. They insist the initiative is “not a reboot, it’s a launch”, but then admit that it will undo some continuity while preserving the rest. The permanence of the change is also emphasized when they state that it is “not an ‘event,’ because events expire.”

However, the real meat of the FAQ is about sales incentives. These include:

• The October and November issues of Justice League Dark and Justice League International will be 100% returnable. This means that the retailers can return unsold copies to the distributor for a refund (minus a restocking fee).
• Justice League (vol. 2) #1 will have at 2 variant covers by David Finch (a 1:25 cover and a 1:200 cover).
• Justice League (vol. 2) will be a $3.99 book, but will contain additional content.

Additionally DC will allow retailers to stage midnight sales for Justice League #1 and Flashpoint #5:

Will we be able to have a midnight sale for JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 and FLASHPOINT #5?

Yes, we’ll offer a sale that begins at 12:01am (your local time) on 8/31.  We’ll be announcing further details on this soon. This will be open to all accounts currently receiving comics on Tuesday for Wednesday on-sale.

UK retailers please note: Due to the Monday, August 29 Summer Bank Holiday, the midnight sale option will not be available to UK retailers.

Interestingly the poly-bagged print/digital JL #1 combo seems to be a running product and not just a launch stunt:

ill the $4.99 JUSTICE LEAGUE polybagged combo have the same cover as the standard edition or will it have a variant cover?

The cover on the polybagged Justice League will feature the same art as the standard edition, however it will have a different color scheme and a color burst calling out the digital code inside.* Is the $4.99 JUSTICE LEAGUE polybagged combo pack only for JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, or will this continue to be offered each month?

Each month.

*  Is DC Entertainment going to offer the polybagged digital combo option on any titles other than JUSTICE LEAGUE?

We are only rolling this out on JUSTICE LEAGUE for now.

[via: Bleeding Cool]

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011 10:00–11:00 a.m. Young Justice Screening and Q&A – Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Red Arrow and Superboy — these aren’t your average sidekicks and this isn’t your average cartoon. In a short amount of time, and with just a small number of episodes, fans have embraced this new action-adventure series as Warner Bros. Animation has brought some of their favorite DC heroes to life. Following a special screening, producers Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles), lead character designer Phil Bourassa (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) and additional members of the creative team will be on hand to answer your burning questions on what the future holds for “the team.” Young Justice Season 1, Part 1 is available on DVD now. Room 7AB

There is also a Green Lantern: The Animated Series panel. I wouldn’t normally mentioned it, but the still from the press kit is fantastic:

Now that’s what Hal Jordan should look like!

The panel description:

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011 – 2:00–3:00 p.m. Green Lantern: The Animated Series Video Presentation and Q&A – Warner Bros. Animation brings the Green Lantern to television in an all-new CG animated action series for Cartoon Network from world-renowned producer, artist and animator Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series). Based upon the DC Comics super hero, Green Lantern: The Animated Series centers on Hal Jordan and his partner Kilowog who find themselves alone on the edge of the Guardian Frontier fighting off an invasion by the deadly Red Lantern Corps. Timm will headline a panel — moderated by Warner Bros. Animation’s Sam Register (Teen Titans) — which will also feature producer Giancarlo Volpe (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and producer/story editor Jim Krieg (Ben 10: Alien Swarm). In addition to the Q&A, fans in attendance will be treated to footage of this highly anticipated new series prepared exclusively for Comic-Con. Don’t miss out, or you’ll be waiting ’til 2012. Room 6BCF

Jade

Donna Troy

Supergirl

Batman

Congorilla

Starman

I started off with the thought that I should post more original art and that evolved into last week’s little experiment. Fan art, commissions, and unpublished (at least in print) culled from fabulous Deviant Art site. I may have to repeat this again sometime, although I may already have exhausted the supply of Mikaal Tomas and Congo Bill fan-art.