Public Domain 1941. The Last Great Peak.

While there are still great moments of creativity yet to come, 1941 is the last of the massively impressive years in the Golden Age. It's got a little bit of everything; the final piece of the trinity AND the first real female super hero, the rest of the roster of the Justice Society, Timely (Marvel) additions to the super hero landscape and the introduction of a very different type of comic book hero.

The DC Comics trinity that we take for granted these days was not on anyone's radar in 1941. National Publications was just trying to make a buck and a star spangled female super heroine caught them the right kind of attention. She was controversial, but she sold books and that was the only consideration that mattered.

My plans for Wonder Woman are definite and I'm going to make some unexpected changes to both the character and the lore. She won't be Lynda Carter, Gal Gadot or any version of the character you've ever imagined, but she's going to be spectacular!

House of Justice? Yes. A thousand times yes!

House of Crom? Absolutely. My Wonder Woman wields a sword and no doubt!

House of Entropy? Wonder Woman in space. I can see it.

House of Dread? It'll be a strange tale, indeed, but a great one!

Green Arrow is a rarity in the super hero genre, in that like Captain America, he debuted with a sidekick, Speedy, already in tow. I have a neat idea for Green Arrow and I think it'll take the character somewhere no version of Green Arrow has ever been.

House of Justice? You bet.

House of Crom? A hero who wields a bow and arrow fits here, for certain.

House of Entropy? Rocket Robin Hood...er...Green Arrow in space? Yes, please!

House of Dread? No plans, but you can never say never.

Aquaman. Now this one is tricky. I'm laying down a very specific set of rules for how heroes and villains gain their powers and I'm happy to say, that Aquaman's powerset has already got it's seeds sowed. I think I can give the world a new take on the character that both honours his history and takes him in a new direction.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Aquaman is a King. He wields a trident. I'd say he's a good fit.

House of Entropy? Not a current plan, but you never know.

House of Dread? The dread of the deep. So fun.

There are a number of lesser known DC Comics heroes who debuted this year as well. These characters excite me as much, if not more, than big names like Wonder Woman and Aquaman. 

Dr. Mid-Nite is recognized as the first hero with a disability. Charles McNider is blind, but he becomes a costumed adventurer and crime fighter. He is an integral part of the Justice Society. I cannot wait to put him into some adventures!

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? He's a gadgeteer type, so its possible.

House of Dread? His name is "Dr. Mid-Nite" so I'd say yeah, that's a good bet.

Starman is one of those characters who have been reinvented and transmuted over the years. The recent CW series, Stargirl was based on a revision that conflated Starman with the Star-Spangled Kid. I'll be going back to first principles. Starman will be his (or her?) own hero, gravity rod and all.

House of Justice? Absolutely.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Two words: Gravity Rod.

House of Dread? No plans, but as always, never say never.

The Star-Spangled Kid and his sidekick, Stripesy turned the super hero sidekick trope upside down. Stripesy was the elder, Pat Dugan, chauffeur to the Pemberton family, while the Star-Spangled Kid was the actual kid, Sylvester Pemberton. Once again, this is one of those characters that I'll be taking back to first blush and rebuilding. No firm plans yet, but there's fun stuff in that pairing. 

House of Justice? Yes.

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? Not something I have in mind.

House of Dread? I can see it.

Hawkgirl. Oh, I so cannot wait for this one. Like Hawkman, Hawkgirl has a convoluted, confused and often retold origin story that includes reincarnation, Egyptian priests and princesses, alien ancestry and police service and a lot of other baggage. I have figured ALL of that out into one clean, simple origin and the two of them are gonna be stars. There's great ideas and then there's this.

House of Justice? Yes.

House of Crom? So much mace wielding, ass-kicking, winged fury!

House of Entropy? Oh, yes.

House of Dread? Oh, my, yes.

The Vigilante is another hero who has undergone a radical redo over the decades. The original and the one who will enter the public domain in 2037 is a motorcycle riding, singing cowboy. Seriously. 

If I can't find something fun to do with that, I'll eat my hat.

House of Justice? Oh, most definitely.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Singing cowboys in space? Somebody call Nathan Fillion.

House of Dread? Terrible fit. Gotta do it.

Another personal favourite in the DC Comics stable is a series called All-Star Squadron. Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway created it in the mid-80s, using C-list heroes from the DC stable, along with a bunch of cast offs from other companies like Quality and Fawcett that had never got much traction beyond the early years of super heroes in the 1940s. They set it during the years of World War II and brought us 67 issues and 3 Annuals of the finest graphic storytelling I've had the pleasure of in my lifetime.

In that heady mix was a guy by the name of Johnny Quick, who has one of the best speedster uniforms ever. Once again, this is a character I'm dying to get my hands on.

House of Justice? Yes.

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? Absolutely.

House of Dread? A good bet.

Another All-Star Squadron alumni, Firebrand, had a sister created just for that comic, but the original will be a pleasure to add to my growing roster.

House of Justice? Yes.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Yes. I have found a way to 'explain' my various heroes and villains having strange and wonderful powers. You'll be meeting the first 'fire' powered hero I'm using, the Flame, in The Marine Moon of Mongo in February. Firebrand will have a similar backstory, though fitted to his DC roots.

House of Dread? A firestarter. That's all I'm saying.

And then there's the Shining Knight. DC's addition to King Arthur's Round Table. Winged Victory, his pegasus mount and wielding an enchanted sword and wearing enchanted armour, he's truly formidable.

I have plans.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? A knight. In King Arthur's court. Blessed and equipped by Merlin himself. Literally, swords & sorcery. 

House of Entropy? Unlikely.

House of Dread? Sure!

A couple of great DC villains will enter the public domain in 2037. Created in 1941, the Penguin will waddle into Gotham's underworld to menace Batman and others.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? That's interesting...

House of Dread? Make Penguin truly terrifying? It can be done...

And speaking of terrifying! Scarecrow debuted in 1941. Not the friendly, 'if I only had a brain' scarecrow, but the 'wields fear as a weapon' Scarecrow.

House of Justice? Naturally.

House of Crom? He does have possibilities here.

House of Entropy? I've never seen it done...

House of Dread? Um...

And now we come to some really interesting characters you've probably never heard of.

Timely Comics might have started strong with Captain America, but their follow-up offerings have largely been lost to history. And they're a fun lot, with plenty of potential!

My very favourite is The Whizzer. He's a speedster, like the Flash or Johnny Quick. He got his powers from a transfusion of mongoose blood. Yeah, that's an everyday thing, apparently. Believe it or not, I have a plan for him. I'm even going to let him keep the mongoose backstory. Seriously.

House of Justice? For sure.

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? Possibly.

House of Dread? I'm gonna scare the mongoose out of him.

The Thunderer is another largely forgotten Timely/Marvel character who debuted in 1941, along with the Black Marvel and the Destroyer. All three are going to find a home in Public Domain Super Heroes, one way or another.

House of Justice? Yes.

House of Crom? Possible. 

House of Entropy? Yes.

House of Dread? You bet.

And 1941 gave us something entirely different as well. MLJ Comics would one day become Archie Comics and this was the year that their namesake debuted. Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper all debuted in '41 and I have plans for them too. Really.

House of Justice? Could be.

House of Crom? No. Just no.

House of Entropy? Archie in space. Not the worst idea I've heard.

House of Dread? A bunch of randy teenagers in a horror story. Say it ain't so! 

As I said earlier, this was the last great peak of super hero creation for some time. Oh, there are still some great characters yet to come, but between 1941 and the end of the Golden Age, there would never again be quite so many great characters created in a single year.

1942 was still a good year for heroes though! Tune in next week for more! 

 

Public Domain 1940 Edition. Now It Gets Interesting.

We've seen that 1939 opened up the floodgates of super hero creation, the challenge being taken up by companies like Timely and MLJ who would one day be better known as Marvel and Archie Comics respectively.

Companies like Centaur and Quality had dipped a toe into the super hero ocean by now and shown that there was creative juice outside National (DC Comics) Publications. This trend would continue, though 1940 was very much a DC Comics year. Most of the names beyond Superman and Batman that we today associate with DC would arrive in their Golden Age forms in 1940. All but one.

1940 also gave us Marvel's biggest star for the next quarter century.

And one big name arrived on the scene to stir things up in a way that is still relevant today.

Let's have a look, shall we?

DC Comics was now humming along with its two marquee stars, Superman and Batman, but National Periodicals wasn't sitting on its hands. They started churning out more heroes in 1940, hoping to catch more lightning in a bottle. While none of the 1940s creations would ever reach the levels of popularity enjoyed by Batman and Superman, they would all develop enough of a following that they are still driving new projects on the screen 85 years later. When these names enter the public domain in 2036, things look to get very interesting.

Green Lantern was created with a very different look and a different back story to the sci-fi space cop in a green onesie that has become the default version in the modern era. I love the Hal Jordan, Green Lantern Corps versions of the character, but there's a special, purple caped space in my heart for the Alan Scott version of the character. Originally, GL's powers were magical, not science based and his ring could not affect anything made of wood. 

I have very specific plans for Alan Scott, a new origin that honours the original but updates him and adds dimensions that have never been explored in his character. Of all the characters beyond the marquee names of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, my take on the Alan Scott Green Lantern is the one I'm most excited to share. 10 years and counting, folks.

House of Justice? Absolutely. I'm already marking the calendar.

House of Crom? Not likely. 

House of Entropy? Also, not likely. My Green Lantern will not be a space faring one.

House of Dread? Stay tuned. I have plans.

Speed got its icon in 1940 with the debut of The Flash. The Jay Garrick version is fairly different from the modern Barry Allen and Wally West red unitard and mask version. Garrick's character didn't wear a mask, but sported a winged helmet, a red top and blue pants. Once again, there are very specific plans for Jay Garrick in the Public Domain Super Heroes universe.

House of Justice? Absolutely.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Of all the mainstream super heroes, The Flash fits here better than most.

House of Dread? No plans at the moment, but you can never know.

Hawkman. Ah, another of my favourites and the most convoluted backstory in all of comics history. I have a simple, cohesive plan for him. Honest. He's been an Egyptian prince, a space cop, a reincarnated lover and an alien. I figured a nice, neat way to make all those ideas play nice, in one origin. Really.

House of Justice? You bet. 

House of Crom? One of the few mainstream super heroes that naturally fits in the sword & sorcery genre.

House of Entropy? Absolutely. Alien origin, super metal that gives him power. Natural.

House of Dread? No specific plans, but I'm always happy to scare the pants off a hero.

Some of the more obscure DC Comics characters are also some of the most interesting. The Spectre is basically a man shaped incarnation of the Wrath of God. As the name implies, he's a spirit, his human form that of a cop, Jim Corrigan. There is a lot of story here, folks.

House of Justice? Yes.

House of Crom? A spirit who embodies the wrath of a diety? That's swords & sorcery 101, folks.

House of Entropy? Unlikely.

House of Dread? His name is 'The Spectre'. 

Another great and spooky character showed up in 1940 to add to the mysterious side of DC. Dr. Fate, bearer of the Helmet of Nabu. Kent Nelson wore the helmet, but it has a larger history. 

House of Justice? Sure.

House of Crom? Again, this is a case where 'sorcery' is baked into the character, so a swords & sorcery appearance seems inevitable.

House of Dread? A creepy sorcerer in a helmet that channels an ancient Babylonian god. Hmm...

Hourman is one of those oddball characters that I don't have any real plans for, at the moment. He gets power for one hour (thus the name) from a drug. The implications of this are wide, complex and problematic. If I do use him, I will definitely be reworking that origin and powerset.

House of Justice? Sure.

House of Crom? Not much chance of that.

House of Entropy? I need a way to make a 'super strength' drug less icky, so yeah, this might be the fit.

House of Dread? Sure. 

Now we come to another character who has a Golden Age incarnation that is WAY different from his modern version. The Atom, Al Pratt, had no super powers. He was a small man who trained himself as a fighter to a point where he could stand alongside the DC giants. That's it. A dude in a mask and cape who threw fists. How great is that?

House of Justice? I have PLANS.

House of Crom? Not likely.

House of Entropy? Again, not likely.

House of Dread? There is a lot to work with here.

And now we come to the first true sidekick in the modern era. Robin.

As a fan, I absolutely love Robin. As a writer? He's a problem. I have not found my 'in' for the character. Yet.

House of Justice? If anywhere, here.

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? Not much chance.

House of Dread? Oh, I'd say there's a fit here.

Before I give you the DC Villains who arrive in 1940, there's one more very important piece of the DC puzzle that showed up that year.

The Justice Society of America. The first super hero team. I cannot tell you how fun it will be for me to publish my first JSA story in 2036. I'm chomping at the bit.

House of Justice? It's literally a Justice club. 

House of Crom? Nope.

House of Entropy? Sure, one day.

House of Dread? Spooky villains are always threatening the gang.

And speaking of villains! Now that DC had all these heroic, square jawed guys, they needed someone to fight with. By the end of 1940, many of the most well known DC villains were happily menacing their heroic counterparts.

Lex Luthor. Superman needs Lex, period. While I have lots of under wraps ideas for Luthor, the one thing I promise I will not be doing is Lex as evil real estate mogul. Done and I've seen it often enough for one lifetime. I like him as an evil businessman, but his best use is just as a straight up 'I hate aliens' scientist. 

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Nope.

House of Entropy? Absolutely.

House of Dread? Why not?

The maddest of the mad. The Joker. How on earth do I redo the most 'done' villain in super hero history?

Believe it or not, I have a plan. Seriously.

House of Justice? Oh, yes.

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? No.

House of Dread? Hell, yes. A creepy clown who kills people is like the modern version of Universal's monsters.

And then there's Catwoman. So much sexy here. Batman's nemesis slash girlfriend. Once again, I have plans. There's an 'in' that's baked into my universe already.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? Surprisingly, yes.

House of Dread? Sure.

1940 also saw the creation of villains like Hugo Strange, Wotan, Hath-Set and Clayface. There are myriad ways to use any and all of them. We're at a point where the villains start to get as interesting as the heroes.

Marvel, then Timely Comics, also gave us its biggest pre-Spider-Man name in 1940. Though his first appearance is cover dated March 1941, Marvel Comics #1, which introduced Captain America, Bucky and Red Skull, was actually on newsstands in December 1940. He will be in the public domain starting in 2036.

I will be introducing a Patriots Corps in February. It will consist of a group of patriotically American themed heroes, but since Captain America is under copyright for another decade, he won't be joining just yet. When 2036 rolls around, he'll fit right in.

House of Justice? Yes. 

House of Crom? Cap is a shield wielder, so I never rule that out.

House of Entropy? His powers come from a super soldier serum. That's sci-fi, baked right in.

House of Dread? Oh, he's got a skull faced villain, so I'd say there's a good chance.

Bucky? Another sidekick character and most of what makes him interesting is under lock and key for another few decades. He's basically a slightly older Robin until they turned him into the Winter Soldier and that doesn't hit the public domain until sometime in the 2050s or so.

House of Justice? Wherever Cap goes, Bucky goes.

House of Crom? See above.

House of Entropy? See above.

House of Dread? See above.

The Aarkus version of the Vision shows up in 1940 as well. That's right. The Vision is as old as Captain America. He's not quite the living android you're likely familiar with. He's an alien and has some interesting powers I'll find a way to play with.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Possible.

House of Entropy? You bet. Aliens live here.

House of Dread? Sure!

And then there's Marvel's best non-Spidey villain, the Red Skull. So much evil here. I can't wait!

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Absolutely.

House of Entropy? He fights with science. So much evil science.

House of Dread? The guy has a red skull. His is a red skull. So yeah.

But all this? Only half the story. Companies like Fawcett and MLJ also added characters to the super hero game in 1940 and they did it in some pretty big ways. Thanks to the copyright law of the day, their efforts are now in the public domain and available to be used by anyone for anything!

If you've been visiting regularly, you've seen this:

 

Billy Batson like you've never seen her!

Say the Magic Word! is my reinterpretation of the classic, public domain character, Captain Marvel.

There's a current, trademarked Captain Marvel in the Marvel Comics stable, but she has nothing to do with the classic, Fawcett creation. Debuting in 1940 in Whiz Comics #2, thanks to the need for renewal of copyright in the 28th year after publication (no such renewal exists that I've been able to find) the character fell into the public domain long before DC Comics picked up the 'rights' to the character. They have a trademark on "Shazam" but that doesn't mean that they can stop anyone from writing books or comic books that feature the character and concepts. They can't.

I would be grateful to you if you'd go and buy a copy. Your purchase supports my current efforts and keeps the lights on around here. 

Your review at Amazon will support those efforts, long term. Reviews are my favourite currency and worth FAR more than the purchase. Please don't forget. My existence depends on your involvement and participation!  

Where will Billy Batson, Captain Marvel and the Wizard Shazam show up?

House of Justice? Already there!

House of Crom? This is an immortal power. Absolutely.

House of Entropy? It's magic, not science. And yet...

House of Dread? You betcha!

But Captain Marvel isn't the only BIG name that is in the public domain. 

Lev Gleason Publications gave us Daredevil. Not to be confused with the Marvel Comics hero of the same name, this Daredevil is a guy named Bart Hill, who wears a bifurcated red and blue suit, red on his right, blue on his left. He's a boomerang expert, with a backstory that's similar to Batman's. Thanks to copyright law at the time, he's now in the public domain.

House of Justice? So fun to put him here.

House of Crom? A boomerang guy in a swords & sorcery tale? I can see that.

House of Entropy? Unlikely.

House of Dread? As always, I don't rule it out.

What about the Spirit? A very similar character to guys like Dick Tracy and the Shadow, he's basically a masked hero in a suit. Public domain, all the way.

House of Justice? There's a cadre of these guys. Maybe a team?

House of Crom? No.

House of Entropy? Some of his villains have a sci-fi bent.

House of Dread? Sure.

1940 also gave us Mysterious Dr. Satan, a Republic serial that introduced Dr. Satan, the main villain in my first novel, Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil.

 

The first book in the PDSH universe!

In that super fun serial, another character, Copperhead, is the hero. He's basically Batman in a suit, with a chainmail cowl that approximates a Copperhead snake head.

Honestly, he's awesome. I absolutely want to see Copperhead in new adventures. That cowl can be updated and made into something very, very cool. A better outfit wouldn't hurt either. I'll get there. Promise.

House of Justice? Dr. Satan will return and Copperhead will be there to thwart him!

House of Crom? Not likely.

House of Entropy? Dr. Satan works with robots and alien elements. Absolutely.

House of Dread? A snake themed hero and a villain named Dr. Satan...

And speaking of that first book, it has a backup story that stars Spy Smasher. Spy Smasher is another great Fawcett hero who slipped into the public domain, quietly. He's foundational to Public Domain Super Heroes and will definitely return.

House of Justice? Operation Paperclip is here.

House of Crom? Not so much.

House of Entropy? He has a cameo in The Mongo Machine, a back up story to The Metropolis of Mongo!

House of Dread? Oh, I'm pretty sure WWII and its aftermath have horror tales to tell.

Fawcett characters like Ibis (he appears in Say the Magic Word!), Bulletman and Bulletgirl arrived in 1940 as well and are also in the public domain. I promise, there's a home for all under my roof!

Quality Comics gave us the unusual hero, Black Condor in 1940. I have some plans for him too!

House of Justice? Sure.

House of Crom? Another one of those 'mainstream' style heroes that actually fits in a swords & sorcery story.

House of Entropy? I mentioned my plans, right?

House of Dread? Oh, I would think.

MLJ also created an entire stable of heroes in 1940. They're all in the public domain now, thanks to Archie getting so big that MLJ basically dropped their hero line before the renewal deadline and never seems to have bothered to protect them. That's just fine with me!

The Shield will appear as part of my Patriot Corps in a new story in February 2026. 

House of Justice? Definitely.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Another super soldier serum type hero. Definitely.

House of Dread? Star-Spangled Spine Tingling!

As for the rest of MLJ's heroes from 1940, I have them in mind for a lot of different roles. Heroes like The Black Hood, the Comet, Steel Sterling, the Fox, Zambini, the Scarlet Avenger, Mr. Satan and Captain Valor all stand to join the PDSH universe sooner rather than later!

There's a lot more to come, but that's most of what you need to know about 1940. Next time, 1941 and the next big year in super hero history!

See you soon! 

So About The Comic Book Floor....

I recently started posting on Reddit. It's one of the only social networks I can still enjoy.

No stuff I don't want to look at, just stuff I do.

So today, I posted my kitchen floor pix in the r/comicbooks subreddit.

99,000 hits in 9 hours.

That's like having 99,000 people walk through my kitchen.

I'm gonna need more snacks. 

Update:

24 hours later, 202,000 views. 

A lot more snacks. 

 

Crazy STAR WARS fight in a Shopping Mall..🤯

Want to know how good this is? I'm going to let it stand on its own merit, without further comment. 

 

That's how good it is.

Say the Magic Word! Captain Marvel Begins!

The newest release from Public Domain Super Heroes is now available!

Say the Magic Word! Captain Marvel Begins is available at Amazon in Kindle and Paperback. Click here!

If you prefer to purchase it direct from the site, a PDF is available. Click here!

 

 

Billy Batson, as you've never seen her before!

 

As with all the books in the Public Domain Super Heroes Universe, this one is a fresh take on a public domain hero, in this case, Captain Marvel! I have made significant changes to the lore and backstory of the character and her supporting cast, but I'd like to believe that I have kept the spirit of the character and the core of what makes Captain Marvel fun to read! 

From the back cover: 

Beneath the sands of Egypt, an ancient evil slumbers—sealed away for millennia. Modern science is about to awaken a power it cannot possibly control.

From the fractured mind of a madman, a far more sinister intelligence emerges, scheming to seize that power for itself.

Half a world away, on a remote northern reservation, Billy Batson dreams of a strange South American temple—and a destiny she cannot deny.

The champion must rise again. Only Captain Marvel, bearer of the power of Shazam, can confront the evil gathering across the ages.

House of Justice presents:

Say the Magic Word! 

Captain Marvel Begins!

If you enjoy the book, please consider leaving an honest review at Amazon. Reviews are my favourite currency!  

Public Domain - 1939 Edition. The Year Super Heroes Began

Superman obviously started the super hero genre in earnest. Before him there had been some 'close but not quite' heroes that brushed up against what we now think of as the super hero archetype, but Superman is truly the first widely accepted embodiment of the concept. 

But he was pretty much alone in 1938. Sure, there were a couple of other heroes lurking around the edges, but no one with any real traction.

1939 would change everything. It was the year that saw every other comic book producing house jump on the super hero bandwagon. Most of the creations are only footnotes or forgotten entirely today, but some seminal names emerge from this early creative explosion in the genre.

Let's have a look and see who showed up in 1939 and how I might plan on using them in Public Domain Super Heroes!

Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27 and was an overnight success. If you've been here before, you well know my deep and abiding love for the Dark Knight. There is a plan in place for the Batman in Public Domain Super Heroes. I'm sure that comes as no surprise.

House of Justice? We've dusted the cave and washed the Batmobile, sir. Right this way.

House of Crom? Swashbuckling Batman? He does have Zorro roots...

House of Entropy? Sci-Fi Batman? Oh, I'm sure I'll find a way.

House of Dread? Batman in a horror tale? Yes, please!

Another DC Comics character with much more complicated and tangled history is the oddity of Ma Hunkel. She's basically a middle aged woman who puts on a garish costume, including a bucket on her head for a mask and somehow manages to fight crime. What's interesting is she eventually morphs into the first incarnation of Red Tornado. I don't have big plans for her, but I do love the ragged, weird edges of the DC universe, so I'll find a place for her.

House of Justice? Sure.

House of Crom? Bucket, mop, cape. Not exactly swashbuckler, more like swishbucketer. 

House of Entropy? It's not out of the question.

House of Dread? I can see it.

Superman, being the first super hero, truly needed more than just mob bosses and racketeers to punch. Enter the first super villain, the Ultra-Humanite. Initially, he was basically your run of the mill mad scientist, but he found a way to transfer his brain into other people and take their lives. Eventually, he would take that to the next level and put himself in the body of a highly evolved white ape. There are also telekinetic and telepathic powers tied up with the character.

House of Justice? Hard to have justice without those who would defy it!

House of Crom? Not the best fit.

House of Entropy? Mad scientist? Brain transfers? Seems like a good fit.

House of Dread? See above!

Batman, too, needed a super villain and his first recurring one was Dr. Death. I don't know a ton about the character, but with a name like "Dr. Death" it'll be hard to NOT use him.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Again, unlikely.

House of Dread? His name is Dr. Death. It's almost a rule. 

An interesting addition to the 1939 DC roster is Sandman. These days, most folks know him from the Vertigo re-tooling that turned the character into the master of dreams and gave us a pretty great HBO show. The original Wesley Dodds, gas mask wearing adventurer has largely been forgotten. I love the character and have plans to bring back that original incarnation as soon as he hits the public domain in 2035.

House of Justice? This is where he belongs.

House of Crom? Not really.

House of Entropy? Not feeling it.

House of Dread? To avoid comparisons to the modern incarnation, it would have to be a special story, but I don't rule it out.

And now we leave the DC Comics nest and see super heroes in comics beyond the National Publications experiment. Popular culture has never been the same.

Timely Comics would eventually become Marvel Comics. Sub-Mariner is SO much a part of that story that his official debut was in Marvel Comics #1 from Timely in 1939. I'm not a fan of a lot about this character, but he does have great bones and I have plans for him!

House of Justice? Remarkably, I doubt it. Namor is not what I would call a 'super hero.' He's never really been a crime fighter.

House of Crom? I see him here, for sure. There's a very Robert E. Howard quality to him.

House of Entropy? This is where I have plans for him. Stay tuned!

House of Dread? Nothing planned, but any character can wind up in a horror tale.

There is a lesser known version of the Human Torch than the one most people know from the Fantastic Four comics, tv show and movies. He was actually an android who went by the name Jim Hammond when he wasn't flying around in a blaze of glory. A foundational stone in the Marvel wall.

House of Justice? Yes. He allows me to play with Marvel's toys!

House of Crom? Hmm...swashbuckling robot....

House of Entropy? He's a ROBOT.

House of Dread? You never know.

Another one of those characters that Marvel went a different direction with later, the Angel started out as a non-flying crime fighter rather than the winged mutant most people know.

House of Justice? Thomas Halloway will be here before he's anywhere.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Again, unlikely.

House of Dread? One never, never knows.

And then there are those characters from 1939 who are already in the public domain. Any and all of these can and will show up in Public Domain Super Heroes adventures. One already has and another is on the way soon!

Hop Harrigan is one of those forgotten heroes of the WWII era that I love. He was big enough with his readers that they made a serial film about the character, yet very few people have heard of him these days.

 

Hop Harrigan debuts in the PDSH in Operation Paperclip 

 

Hop appears alongside Spy Smasher in the short story, Operation Paperclip, a bonus feature in Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil.

House of Justice? He's there already!

House of Crom? Not likely.

House of Entropy? He has a futuristic artificial limb. Oh, I should say so.

House of Dread? Anything is possible!

The Flame is one of those great 1939 heroes who is simply forgotten today. He will appear alongside Crash Corrigan in the upcoming The Marine Moons of Mongo.

House of Justice? Definitely.

House of Crom? Possible. He's an odd fit, but he already has been folded into a Crash Corrigan story involving space gladiators, so there's every likelihood!

House of Entropy? This is where he debuts.

House of Dread? Again, every chance.

Blue Beetle. Hey, wait, isn't he a fairly new DC Comics thing? No. He was created in 1939 for Fox Comics and that company folded without ever renewing the copyright. The Dan Garret (only 1 'T') version was a cop who wore a special suit that was bullet proof and gave him enhanced strength. He's on my list!

House of Justice? Absolutely!

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? The suit sounds like a sci-fi jumping off point to me...

House of Dread? Oh, I'd say so.

One of the best 1940s serial films is one called The Masked Marvel, based on the Centaur Publications character. The plot is basically that nobody knows which of four men is the actual Masked Marvel and the villain keeps guessing until the end. I think there's a story to be told in there.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? No, not much chance.

House of Entropy? Unlikely.

House of Dread? Masked heroes in horror is so underserved...

Dollman. I can't use the Silver Age Atom from DC Comics, since he'll be under copyright for years after I am long gone. The Golden Age Atom has no shrinking powers, so I'll be using Dollman in that place if I find a story that benefits from a tiny hero.

House of Justice? Yup. 

House of Crom? With a teeny-tiny sword... Actually, the Sword of the Atom already did this idea. It's great! You should look it up. One of the best short run comics ever!

House of Entropy? Absolutely!

House of Dread? Oh, should think so!

And finally, we come to MLJ Comics. One day, the would become Archie Comics. They created a BUNCH of super heroes between 1939 and 1941. In 1942, they debuted Archie himself and by the time it was time to renew the copyrights on the super heroes, they just... didn't. I get it. Archie buttered their bread. The heroes they created have been largely forgotten, by all but hardcore comic fans. They're awesome and deserve a little love.

The Wizard. Most comic companies have a character with this name, somewhere in a filing cabinet. Most are still under copyright, but the MLJ version is a white suited stage magician, ala Mandrake and Zatarra. Not their greatest creation, but he may have his uses.

House of Justice? Sure!

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? Again, unlikely.

House of Dread? Mandrake, Zatarra, the Wizard teamed up in a horror tale? I can see it.

Finally, there's Bob Phantom. Another one of these oddball MLJ characters, Bob Phantom is a costumed crime fighter. For the moment, I know little more about him. Blank slates are my catnip.

House of Justice? Can't see why not.

House of Crom? See above.

House of Entropy? See above the above.

House of Dread? You get the idea.

Next week's article might actually be the next two or even three weeks. If 1939 was the year they began, 1940 was the year the FAWCETT got turned on full blast!  

 

Happy New Year! 2026 Edition

My Spy Smasher January calendar page and I wish you and yours a Happy New Year!

 

It's not too late!

You can still get your Public Domain Super Heroes Calendar for 2026!

Buy yours here! $24.98

Desktop Sized! $ 9.98

Find calendars, tee-shirts, hoodies and more at Public Domain Super Heroes Store! 

 

Public Domain 1938. Big Year. But Big Blue Isn't Alone.

By now, most folks are aware that Superman, debuting in Action Comics #1 in 1938, will enter the public domain on January 1, 2034. What you might not be aware of is exactly what that means for storytelling after that date. You might also be interested to know that while he's easily the biggest name created that year, he's absolutely not the only one!

 

This issue isn't just Superman's debut.

Along with Superman, on January 1, 2034, Lois Lane will also enter the public domain. That doesn't mean that anyone can use Superman in any way they like, but reusing, reprinting, or re-working the art and stories about Superman published in 1938 will be entirely legal after that day.

In 1938, Superman didn't fly. He didn't have heat vision. He was basically a very strong, very fast, able to jump 1/8 of a mile and pretty much bullet-proof alien on Earth. Any and all of that is fair game, as is his basic origin story of being sent to Earth from Krypton just before its destruction.

For most people who have an interest in pop culture in general and comics in particular, this is not news.

And where will I use Big Blue in Public Domain Super Heroes?

House of Justice? Right this way, sir and madam. Your table is waiting.

House of Crom? Not any time soon. I have plans for Superman and most of them are sword free.

House of Entropy? Absolutely. An alien with super strength, speed and invulnerability? Total sci-fi vibes!

House of Dread? I can't say I have a plan for this yet, but Superman vs. cosmic horror is certainly on the table one day.

For fans of that early Superman that didn't have the same unstoppable powerset that we are more familiar with these days, the Fleischer and Famous Studios short films from the early 1940s are a touchstone.

All 17 are available at my site, here. You are invited and welcome to view these 17 love letters to early superhero story-telling, any time at all.  No charge, no strings. If you've never seen these, I cannot say it loudly enough. You should. Each is between 8 and 11 minutes long and they are glorious!

Action Comics #1 had more than one feature story. It also featured the debut of Zatarra, a magician who wove spells by reciting incantations backwards. He would one day father Zatanna, a much better known magic user capable of the same trick. He's basically DC's answer to Mandrake the Magician. This link is to my page where Mandrake's 1940s serial lives. 

 

.8391 ecnis esrever ni emirc gnithgiF .arrataZ

 

House of Justice? For sure. Zatanna won't be public domain in my lifetime, but her dad can fight alongside caped and cowled heroes.

House of Crom? Unlikely.

House of Entropy? A stage magician in space...

House of Dread? I think this is where Zatarra will shine. A stage magician dealing with epic, creeping horror just feels like a fun idea.

National Periodicals wasn't just Action Comics in the late 30s. By then, their flagship title, Detective Comics was well established. Issue 20 saw the debut of a lesser known hero, technically DC's first masked super hero, The Crimson Avenger. 

 

The Scarlet Crimson Avenger.

 

A few years later, MLJ (Later Archie Comics) would debut a character called the Scarlet Avenger. I see a team up in my future...

And where might that happen?

House of Justice? Avenging is kinda on brand, so yep.

House of Crom? Unlikely, but with all that red, I'm not ruling it out.

House of Entropy? Honestly, I'll need to research the character more, but it's certainly not out of the question.

House of Dread? I get red "The Shadow" vibes from that cover. Totally a House of Dread thing.

Finally, there's one 1938 creation who, for copyright lapse reasons, is already in the public domain.

A thorough search of the card catalogue at copyright.gov shows no renewals of Jumbo Comics between 1955 and 1970. Since Sheena debuted in 1938, the renewal of those early issues would have been required in 1966 (28 years after initial release) to keep the copyright in force. Best I can ascertain, no such renewals were filed.

 

Swinging into the PDSH universe. One of these days.

 

And where would Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, likely make her presence felt?
 

House of Justice? Absolutely. 

House of Crom? Oh, most definitely.

House of Entropy? That's an interesting idea.

House of Dread? Horror in the jungle? I wouldn't bet against it.

While there was no 1940s serial, Jungle Girl, The Perils of Nyoka and Panther Girl of the Kongo all feel very much like they were made by fans of Sheena's exploits in the comics. 

Next week, I'll roll out what 1939's creations will mean to the Public Domain Super Heroes Universe.

Stay tuned!

Same Bat-Time.

Same Bat-Channel! 

 

The Best of the Season To You and Yours!

Whatever you celebrate, wherever you celebrate, whenever you celebrate, whyever you celebrate, however you celebrate and with whoever you celebrate...

May you have all the best!

And a Happy New Year Too!

 

The Perils of the Public Domain

So January's scheduled novella was finished. 

I had chosen a hero and villain pairing that I was certain was in the public domain and written a corker of a story around their parallel origins.

I had re-imagined the hero and the hero's supporting cast in a brand new way and it worked really, really well.

Then I ran into a problem. My assumption about the villain being public domain was entirely wrong. 

I found the copyright renewal record and it is indisputable.

Worse, the public domain status of my hero rests on a fairly small foundation. Technically, as far as I can determine with my best research, the character is public domain. The first comic issue where they appear is not locatable by any search I know how to do. But. The issues following that are renewed and that might be enough to allow the company that currently uses the character to mount an aggressive defence based on the volume and intent. 

Could I win in court? Probably.

Would it be a fight I can afford?

I would be willing to defend myself and be my own foolish client, so maybe.

The thing is, even if I was willing to do ALL that, the villain is still under copyright for another decade and a half. The story, as written, dovetails the hero and villain arcs in a particular way and there's no public domain villain that would work instead.

So.

This novella is officially shelved. It will debut on January 1, 2041. Assuming I live that long and that enough people start buying my books regularly so I can keep the lights on and hunger at bay.

Will I risk using the hero before then? Technically, there's a sliver of legality that says I can. If I find the right story, then absolutely. I am willing to roll the dice as long as I can reasonably say, with honesty, that I believe I'm on the right side of the public domain with any given story. But for the moment, I have no story to hang on this particular character.

If there’s a takeaway here, it’s this: working in the public domain means accepting delays, dead ends, and occasionally shelving work I'm proud of. That’s the cost of doing it right.

It's frustrating, but I’d rather delay a book than publish something I can’t stand behind.

Public Domain III - 1930 to 1937. Lean, But Interesting

When it comes to adventure, sci-fi and super heroes, the early 1930s were not a time of plenty. The early years of the Great Depression were likely more about survival than creativity for most people. In terms of heroes, that would all change in 1938, but this post is about what led up to that seminal year.

Still, a few notable characters emerged, some of which have already joined the public domain thanks to lapsed copyright, some of which are still protected and therefore will enter the public domain between 2026 and 2033.

All of this thin crop will one day soon be featured in the ranks of Public Domain Super Heroes.

Let's have a look!

1930 gave us one of Robert E. Howard's lesser known heroes, the dark and sombre chieftan of the Picts, Bran Mak Morn. Mak Morn appeared in only a few stories, debuting in 1930's Kings of the Night, a quirky Howard tale that brought Kull of Atlantis magically forward several thousand years to lead Mak Morn's allied force of Vikings into battle. Mak Morn returned in Worms of the Earth in 1932, the character entirely unchanged from his appearance in 1930, so as of January 1, 2026, Bran Mak Morn enters the public domain.

Where will Public Domain Super Heroes use him?

House of Justice? Unlikely, though he may meet some House of Justice types in his adventures.

House of Crom? Late winter or early spring of 2026, Bran Mak Morn will prowl the House of Crom. Watch this space.

House of Entropy? Unlikely, but he could. My sci-fi characters and concepts exist throughout human history, so I rule nothing out.

House of Dread? If you've read Worms of the Earth, you know the answer to that. If not, you should. In the dark.

In 1931, a couple of pulp icons debuted. One on the radio and one in something that we're rapidly losing in the 21st Century, the newspaper. Both will enter the public domain in 2027.

The Shadow began life as the host of a radio show, but the character proved so popular, he was soon retooled into his own show. Novels and comics have been produced regularly ever since.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Not likely. More creepy justice than buckling the swash.

House of Entropy? Only the Shadow knows. 

House of Dread? Absolutely. 

Dick Tracy debuted in the 'made up for comic books' sounding Daily Mirror newspaper. With a rogues gallery of weird villains, the yellow trench coat and wrist radio took the world by storm. Warren Beatty will cry on January 1, 2027 when Dick Tracy enters the public domain for all to use.

House of Justice? Absolutely.

House of Crom? If I could figure out a way, I'd do it. A long shot.

House of Entropy? Hmm. Dick Tracy in Space....

House of Dread? Have you seen some of the villain designs from this IP? Shudder.

1932 has one entry on the list. And it's a doozy.

Conan the Barbarian. Technically, he's public domain in Canada (life plus 50 years at the time, 1936 + 50 = 1986) but 2028 will be 95 years since The Phoenix On The Sword first appeared in Weird Tales. Thankfully, almost everything about Conan is in that first tale, so he will stride mightily into the public domain for once and all on January 1, 2028.

House of Justice? Unlikely. He'll meet denizens of that House, no doubt, but 'Justice' isn't his major concern.

House of Crom? Um...your throne, sir?

House of Entropy? No. Conan in Space is not happening. He might run into sci-fi adjacent storylines and characters, but he's not a sci-fi charactrer.

House of Dread? Howard wrote tons of Conan vs. monster of the week stuff. Absolutely going to honour that! 

1933 was a good year for pulp heroes. We got one of the all time great adventure heroes and his crew, one of the first hero/sidekick immortal pairings and the character I love most from before the advent of the 'super-hero' that Superman represents.

Doc Savage debuted in prose, not comics. Elements of his character, coincidentally (or not) are evident in Superman, Batman and many others. The Man of Bronze is in the dna of a LOT of the characters we know and love.

House of Justice? Absolutely.

House of Crom? Sure. He's a modern swashbuckler.

House of Entropy? You bet. Doc Savage belongs in the same breath as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, even if he's originally written as working in more 'real world' stories.

House of Dread? No reason why not.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto debuted on the radio. That's 1930s tv if you're not familiar with the concept.

House of Justice? Hi Ho Silver!

House of Crom? Not so much. Six guns are not swords... 

House of Entropy? Oooh....

House of Dread? There were ghosts and vampires in the old west, I'm sure. 

The Spider. Ah, my Dexter of the Depression. While he would eventually don cape and cowl, he never forgot his early roots. The Spider kills. Without mercy or compunction.  He marks his victims with his Spider mark from a ring. Something the less serial killer-ish Phantom would copy a few years later.

My version of The Spider, the untrademark disputed The Sizzling Spider, is one of my first reworked characters. Rikki Wentworth takes the lead in the House of Justice, debuting in 2025's Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil. She will enter the public domain on January 1, 2121. Or 70 years after I die, in Canada.

House of Justice? Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil. 

House of Crom? Unlikely. She'd get blood on those spectacular boots.

House of Entropy? Captain Midnight already had a cameo appearance in The Mongo Machine, so why not?

House of Dread. She'll be quaking in those spectacular boots. Then she'll kick the monster in the face.

 

My Spider is a lot less 'kill first, ask questions never,' than the original.

 

1934, in the teeth of the depression, saw the debut of arguably sci-fi's greatest hero of the first half of the 20th Century. There was also a stage magician who fights crime alongside his African sidekick, and for one very short moment, a red headed woman warrior strode the stage.

Flash Gordon exploded onto the pop-culture scene and soon rivalled (or eclipsed, depending on your perspective) Buck Rogers in popularity. Comic books, movie serials and eventually books and tv shows followed.

House of Justice? Sure. He's a good guy and might meet some super hero types along the way.

House of Crom? I can see pairing him with John Carter in a swords and ray guns swash buckler.

House of Entropy? Um...your chair's right this way, sir.

House of Dread? Scary stuff out there. In space. 

Mandrake and Lothar. I love the idea of a stage magician crime fighter. Lothar, as originally written, is a bit problematic, but I am confident he'll be a great character once I get rid of the 1930s casual racism.

House of Justice? Yep.

House of Crom? Unlikely. His swords all collapse when he thrusts them into the box.

House of Entropy? Mandrake in Space? Not out of the question.

House of Dread? Oh, I think stage magic and creepy horror stuff go very well together.

And then there's Robert E. Howard's Red Sonya. She appeared once in 1934's The Shadow of the Vulture and thanks to the publisher folding before they could renew the copyright, she's public domain. I've reimagined her as "Red SonYa of Rogatino" and she leads the House of Dread novel, Red SonYa of Rogatino The Shadow of Tanaghaara.

House of Justice? She's not exactly a super hero and justice isn't her first concern. She'll meet Justice affiliates, no doubt.

House of Crom? Oh, yes.

House of Entropy? Sci-fi adjacent stories and characters along the way? Check.

House of Dread? My first effort in the horror genre.

 

Red SonYa of Rogatino. Not a "J" or chainmail bikini anywhere in sight.

 

1935 didn't make much of an impact on the pop culture landscape, with one notable exception. The movie, The Bride of Frankenstein, introduced the world to the most iconic, original movie monster of the black and white era. All the other well known monsters were direct derivations of literature or folklore, but The Bride was entirely made for the movies and she still resonates.

House of Justice? You never know. She's been a hero and a villain in multiple incarnations.

House of Crom? Put a sword in her hand and stand back.

House of Entropy? It's where she comes from.

House of Dread? See above.

!936 might be considered the warm up to the main event. Two characters who embody the 'super-hero' ethos hit comic strips and radio that year, close enough to the start of the Comic Book Golden Age that they could probably see it coming.

The Phantom, Lee Falk's first truly 'costumed' hero debuted that year. Dedicated to fighting piracy since the 1500s, the legacy of the Phantom passes from father to son across hundreds of years. 

House of Justice? Pirates beware. 

House of Crom? Absolutely, there's every chance the Phantom could meet up and adventure with a swashbuckler, in any lawless age.

House of Entropy? He's a legacy character. The father to son thing means he's around in the age of swords and in the age of rocketry.

House of Dread? Horror in the jungle? Absolutely!

The Green Hornet and Kato, like the Lone Ranger and Tonto before them, debuted on radio before leaping to comics and screens big and small.

House of Justice? Yup.

House of Crom? Unlikely. Unless...

House of Entropy? Hmm....

House of Dread? Why not? Horror menaces everyone, some day.

The 1936 serial, The Undersea Kingdom, was built to compete with Flash Gordon. They hired stunt player Ray Corrigan, tagged him with the moniker "Crash" and put him in a metal Speedo. Gladiators, tanks, Atlantis, funny named villains, submarines...

House of Justice? Sure. Crash is a good guy.

House of Crom? Metal speedo, gladiator roots. Check.

House of Entropy? Crash stars in the House of Entropy short story, The Mongo Machine and will headline his own tale in The Marine Moon of Mongo, coming January, 2026.

House of Dread? Atlantis based horror stories...why not?

 

Coming January, 2026: The Marine Moon of Mongo

 

Finally, the calm before the storm. 1937 gave us only one notable character that fits the Public Domain Super Heroes mould. Slam Bradley, a hard boiled detective, debuted in Detective Comics #1. Two years later, in Detective comics #27, the World's Greatest Detective would debut in that same magazine and Gotham City would never be the same.

House of Justice? Absolutely. I love characters like Bradley who have a tiny footprint. Plenty of wiggle room to re-imagine them.

House of Crom? Yeah, not a lot of call for the detective type here. 

House of Entropy? They do need detectives in space...

House of Dread? Cops and monsters. You betcha.

Next time, I'll tell you the tale of the year an alien landed on our shores...and changed the face of adventure for ever. 

 

Visit my site and check out the revamped public domain timeline here. 

 

No Matter What...

...I gotta say, this is a great poster:

 

Truly. It's better than most movie posters I've seen in the last 10 years. Tells me EXACTLY what this movie will be.

 

Good, bad or indifferent, Supergirl has that going for it, no question. 

 

Unboxing The Man Who Laughs - You Know You Love It!

My latest merch addition! How cool is that?!?!

 

 

This one and others from other public domain cinema icons are available! 

 

The Man Who Laughs! 

 

 

 

Metropolis! 

 

Nosferatu! 

 

And THAT is Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro!

As you can see from the video, the colours a little more muted in real life than they appear on the monitor, which is EXACTLY what I hoped would happen when I added the half-tone pattern to the colour. 

Personally, I think these tri-coloured and half-toned stills on any colour tee you can ask for are just about the coolest stuff I offer! 

Public Domain II - 1900-1929 Pulp Fiction Begins!

In the years following the turn of the Twentieth Century, the first of the true "Pulp" heroes and stories appear.

Adventure in strange lands, swords and sorcery and science fiction all have some of their greatest voices enter the public consciousness in these three decades. For someone like myself, looking to mine the public domain for heroes to fit into a new universe, the years between 1900 and 1929 are some of the most interesting. 

In 1901, H.G. Wells continued his mastery of the science fiction genre with "The First Men in the Moon." While I have no specific plans to use characters or plot-lines from this novel, it is of interest for its themes and general 'sci-fi' approach. Like any and all public domain stories, characters and elements from this one could show up at any time. 

Edgar Rice Burroughs burst onto the scene with the first true 'Pulp' character, bringing Tarzan to readers everywhere in All-Story Magazine that year. I currently have no plans to use the Lord of the Jungle, he is a great character with a ton of potential. He could and likely will show up in a story sometime soon.

House of Justice? Sure. A supporting character appearance or historically referenced plot point could be in Lord Greystoke's future. 

House of Crom? A safe bet that if Tarzan swings into action, it'll be here first.

House of Entropy? A sci-fi Tarzan? Yes, please!

House of Dread? Tarzan in a horror story? Now THAT is interesting.

In other "pulp" news, Burroughs also created John Carter, Warlord of Mars that same year, publishing in All-Story Magazine, just like Tarzan. Carter is the first of Burroughs' creations that I have folded into my Public Domain Super Heroes universe and he will be appearing again soon.

House of Justice? Less likely than the other three houses. He isn't exactly a super-hero, though he does play one on Mars.

House of Crom? Totally. In his 'Warlord of Mars' persona, Carter is a sci-fi swashbuckler, through and through. 

House of Entropy? John Carter stars alongside Buck Rogers and Crash Corrigan in The Mongo Machine and will be returning in a solo adventure from House of Entropy in 2026.

House of Dread? Oh yeah. Scary aliens abound out there in the PDSH universe!

 

Part one available now. Part two January 1.

 

Expanding his reach outside of the detective genre, Arthur Conan Doyle published his The Lost World that same year, 1912. The brusk, abrasive, Professor Challenger will find his way into my work sooner or later.

House of Justice? As I have said before, you can never have too many experts! Challenger could support any number of super hero adventures.

House of Crom? He's not exactly a swashbuckler or known for swords and/or sorcery adventures, but you never know.

House of Entropy? I can imagine finding a 'Lost World' somewhere in my universe for him to lead an expedition into, for sure!

House of Dread? This guy found dinosaurs in 1912. I'm sure he'll get into more monster trouble sooner or later. 

Johnston McCulley created what might be the first masked pulp hero (at least the first to survive into the modern age) when he wrote the first Zorro tale, The Curse of Capistrano in 1919. Zorro is definitely on my 'to do' list of heroes to bring into the fold.

House of Justice? Absolutely. Zorro will bring cape, cowl, whip and wit to the House of Justice.

House of Crom? Buckles? Check. Swash? Check. Add some magic and he's in!

House of Entropy? Less likely, but Zorro in a sci-fi adventure could be a hoot if done right.

House of Dread? Coming 2026. Watch this space for a team up you won't believe!

In 1928, Robert E. Howard was beginning his most productive phase and creating some of his most enduring characters. The first Solomon Kane story appeared in Weird Tales that year. The puritan, witch hunting Kane has already found his way into the Public Domain Super Heroes universe.

House of Justice? Probably not. Kane isn't a super hero and I can't see him taking on 'super-villains'. 

House of Crom? Absolutely. Most stories featuring Solomon Kane are more horror tinged, but I can see him in a straight up swords & sorcery context someday.

House of Entropy? Again, not likely. Solomon Kane is a 17th Century man, through and through and I don't do time travel as a rule. There's always a steam-punk possibility.

House of Dread? Solomon Kane stars in The Gauntlet of Nabu, a tale of possession and dark magic, available as a backup story to Red SonYa of Rogatino The Shadow of Tanaghaara. He will return to stalk the House of Dread in 2026.

 

Solomon Kane in The Gauntlet of Nabu - within!

 

Howard's other major contribution to pulp fiction in the 1920s (he made a ton, but most of those characters and stories haven't held their popularity) was Kull of Atlantis. He was conceived as the King of Valusia, exiled from his native Atlantis. I have changed some of his backstory and re imagined his early years and will continue to add to his new history.

House of Justice? Not likely. Though his history does figure into Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil, he's a roving adventure who lived deep in pre-history.

House of Crom? Kull of Atlantis stars in Swords in the House of Horus and will return for more axe wielding adventures in the near future. 

House of Entropy? Very unlikely.

House of Dread? A distinct possibility. Kull could run up against creeping horror, no doubt.

 

Available Now!

In 1928, Philip Francis Nowlan published Armageddon - 2149 AD, introducing the world to Buck Rogers. Buck is a great fit for my line of sci-fi stories.

House of Justice? Unlikely. Like most of the sci-fi heroes of the pulp era, he's not a super hero, full stop.

House of Crom? Not likely. Buck is ray guns and space ships, not swords and wizards.

House of Entropy? Buck Rogers stars alongside John Carter and Crash Corrigan in The Mongo Machine and in the solo novel, The Metropolis of Mongo.

House of Dread? Two words: Space. Vampires. 

 

Buck Rogers' first solo adventure in the PSHU universe!  

My next article will cover my plans for characters created from 1930 to 1934. Some BIG names in those years and some equally BIG plans afoot! Stay tuned! 

And if you'd like a sneak peak, you can always drop by Public Domain Super Heroes! 

 

Damn. This Is Sad.

Another touchstone figure from my youth has passed away.

Gil Gerard, the first Buck Rogers I was exposed to, died at 82 today. 

Gerard isn't what you'd call a 'household name' but in my life, he is up there with Adam West and Lou Ferrigno in the pantheon of actors who were in tv shows that shaped the fan I would grow into. 

Though it only ran for two seasons, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was a childhood favourite and something that stuck with me into my adult years. The space vampire episode scared the tar out of me back then!

Gerard had this to say in a 2010 interview about his involvement with the show:

"I received the opportunity and turned it down three times. Finally, my agent told me to read the script. I read it, and it was pretty great. So, I decided to do it," Gerard shared about how he came to take on the role during an interview from 2010. "I turned it down because I didn't want to do a cartoon character. I have seen the old Batman series and didn't want to that type of show. "Buck Rogers" was based on a cartoon. I thought that Buck had a great sense of humanity and a great sense of humor. That is what attracted me to the role."

 

Dude turned THIS down! Three times! 

When I was writing my recent release, The Metropolis of Mongo and the short story The Mongo Machine, Gerard's voice was something I was very aware of as I wrote my version of Buck Rogers. I'd like to hope that I did him proud, though now, I'll never know.

Thank you for the fond memories, Mr. Gerard. You were one of my childhood heroes and that's no small thing. 

So, How Do Public Domain Characters Fit? Pre-1900 Edition.

The original kernel of Public Domain Super Heroes was a simple one. I was thinking about how Superman will become public domain in 2034 and despairing what I've seen done with other 'big name' characters as their copyright protections expired. 

If the pattern holds, there will be a bunch of D-grade horror films made with characters like Superman and Batman and then not much else. Mickey Mouse, Popeye and poor old Winnie the Pooh have gotten this treatment and it just seems such a waste of potential.

So.

My idea for Superman, post copyright? Well, that's under wraps for the moment, but I'd like to think it's a doozy. But what good's an idea if I don't have the money to bring it to life? So then I started thinking about how I could raise that money. What do I do well enough to earn money for such a project? 

Answer: I write. 

Hmm. Then I got to thinking about the idea I have for Superman and what I could do beyond that idea. A few steps later, I was writing "The Element of Evil." The plan had evolved from a single idea about how to use Superman in 2034 into 'what if every public domain super hero got in on the act?" I looked into it and the first heroes I picked to inaugurate the Public Domain Super Heroes universe were 4 heroes who had once been popular enough to warrant movies being made about them.

Long before Marvel and DC Comics were splashing capes, cowls and spandex across our screens, there was an entire ecosystem of heroes on film, followed by millions every week as new episodes were released to theatres. Spy Smasher, Hop Harrigan, The Spider and Captain Midnight all headlined serial films back before there was television.

 

The first two stories and the first four heroes!

Since that first book, the project has only grown in scope. Every new book has connective tissue to other stories, characters and conspiracies brewing elsewhere in the universe. One day (well, January 1, 2034 to be exact) Superman will join these interconnected characters and add another facet to the jewel. If you know what to look for, you might even be able to see some of the seeds of his eventual arrival being planted even now.

But this article is the first in a series that will give you some idea of what else I have in store over the next decade or two. While I have to wait to reveal my Superman stories, my Batman, Captain American, Wonder Woman tales and so much more, there is a TON of material already in the public domain that will provide material for building my universe between now and then.

Public Domain Super Heroes is made up of four "Houses" that represent the different aspects of public domain story telling I intend to work with. House of Justice is where you'll find straight up super hero stories. House of Entropy is where I'll tell science fiction tales. House of Crom is the home of swords and sorcery and fantasy narratives and finally House of Dread is where the horror story side of the public domain resides.

In every case, those Houses have their roots in story telling that long, long predates the advent of the super hero as we know it today. As a result, there are many, many characters and stories that I will be using to build those houses.

There are, of course, a TON of  characters like Robin Hood, King Arthur, Merlin, Hercules, Gilgamesh and the like who are well in the public domain and any one of those or a hundred other legendary characters from folklore and history can and will show up. Count on it. I have very specific plans to fold those sorts of legends into my universe. If you've read (and you should if you haven't) Swords in the House of Horus, you've already met my version of Horus, the Egyptian God of the Sky. More like that are on the way.

 

You really should buy one. 

 

For the purpose of this article series, we're sticking to specific books, comics and movies, published from 1800 on, that created recognizable and wonderful characters. 

In 1818, what I consider to be the first 'true' science fiction story, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, was published. As I have explained here before, for a story to qualify as science fiction, the main narrative should be driven by or supported by devices or theories that exceed the technological ability of the setting of the story. Frankenstein's scientific achievement of  re-animating a human being stands as science fiction, even today. It has an element of horror and the character of Frankenstein's creature has even on occasion been featured as a super hero in mainstream media. So where might this story or these characters show up in Public Domain Super Heroes?

House of Justice? Check.

House of Entropy? Check.

House of Dread? Check.

House of Crom? Possibly.  

 In 1870, Jules Verne gave us 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the somewhat morally gray Captain Nemo. The Nautilus puts this story firmly into the science fiction category, Nemo himself could easily be a hero, a villain or simply a legend. Where might I use this story or its characters?

House of Justice? As a supporting character? Sure.

House of Entropy? Check.

House of Dread? Unlikely, but literally any character might one day encounter some horror in their travels!

House of Crom? Absolutely. Nemo's a swashbuckler at heart, or at least my vision of him is.

In 1885, H. Rider Haggart introduced Indiana Jones, er...Allan Quartermain in "King Solomon's Mines." I admit my own lack of familiarity with the character, but I know enough to know that he exists in the background of my universe and very likely will one day show up to save the day or explain some obscure bit of arcana that will.

House of Justice? As a supporting character, absolutely. You can never have too many experts!

House of Crom? You betcha. I can't use Indiana Jones for copyright reasons, but Allan Quartermain is what Indy largely grew out of, so a swashbuckling archaeologist exists and will show up.

House of Entropy? Unlikely, but then I wouldn't have expected Indy to run up against aliens or time travel...

House of Dread? Hmm. A guy who raided tombs before Lara Croft, who went through Doomed Temples before Indiana Jones was even a twinkle in George and Steven's collective eye. Could he get caught up in a horror story?  Hmm...

Sherlock Holmes was first published in the late 1880s and is firmly public domain. I'm a huge fan and have read all of them and a ton of post-Conan Doyle stuff as well. Honestly, I don't see myself writing a Sherlock Holmes tale, though. He's so specific, has been used SO much. If he or Dr. Watson show up, I'll want my own take on them and my gut says they'd be supporting staff only. The baggage is just really heavy with these two.

House of Justice? Experts, sure!

House of Crom? Not likely. Holmes doesn't really buckle a swash, though he can swing a sword in a pinch.

House of Entropy? Intriguing. If I was ever to do a Holmes story, a science fiction take might be more 'me'.

House of Dread? Absolutely. He and the good doctor could consult in a horror story, easy.

H.G. Wells' The Time Machine (1895) is a story I don't have any intention of using directly. In fact, time travel almost entirely does NOT exist in my universe. Time travel stories in a long form like a linked universe inevitably get messy and hard to control. You either have characters who can change the past, resulting in chaos in your future story telling, or no time traveller can actually affect any past events and so become little more than observers. One is pure hell on the timeline I'm building, the other is boring as hell.

That said, there are themes and characters in The Time Machine that might one day make an appearance.

House of Justice? Not likely.

House of Crom? Probably not.

House of Entropy? Here, if anywhere.

House of Dread? Not likely.

H.G. Wells might not get that one into the universe, but the Island of Dr. Moreau from 1896? You betcha. A mad scientist with his own island and a penchant for turning people into animals and vice versa? How could I NOT use that?

House of Justice? One of the first super-villains in history? Absolutely.

House of Crom? Not likely a good fit, but one of Moreau's creations might fit the bill one day.

House of Entropy? Yup.

House of Dread? You'll be seeing him there first, I'd wager.

Wells next book, 1897's The Invisible Man is another gem that will find its way into stories in my universe. Maybe not in the way you might expect, but the half-mad invisible terror is narrative gold.

House of Justice? Either side of that coin, maybe both!

House of Crom? Not likely.

House of Entropy? This is where he fits best.

House of Dread? This is also a good fit.

That same year, Bram Stoker gave us the classic vampire as most people envision him, Dracula. Done literally to death, I don't have any real plans for Drac. But the core of the story, the lore, the history can and will wind its way into the universe over time, I'm sure.

House of Justice? Not likely. Putting Dracula up against super heroes is so done.

House of Crom? Here, there's potential. Solomon Kane or Red SonYa of Rogatino might want a crack at the original blood fiend.

House of Entropy? Well, Wilma Deering did mention "space vampires" in The Mongo Machine.

House of Dread? Here, if anywhere.

Finally in 1898, H.G. Wells gave us The War of the Worlds. This I have plans for. I have a galaxy spanning Empire of Mongo in play, so there's MORE than enough room for Wells' tripod alien invaders. I have what I think is a unique way to integrate them into my existing mythology and that story will unfold in the next few House of Entropy releases. Keep your eyes peeled!

House of Justice? Hmm. Could superheroes take on Martians? I'd say so!

House of Crom? Aliens in Ancient Egypt running up against Kull or some other sword wielder? Yup!

House of Entropy? No brainer.

House of Dread? Scary, creepy aliens roaming the countryside? Orson Wells would be proud...

Next time, I'll give you some teasers about my plans for characters created between 1900 and 1929. Believe me, folks, you ain't seen nuthin' yet! 

Canadian? Eat Bread? Chances Are, You Are Owed Money.

There was a recent 500 million (Canadian dollars, but still!) settlement against Loblaws, our major grocer.

Seems there was some price fixing hanky panky in the bread aisle from 2003 to 2021.

So what?  Well, it turns out, that if you are a Canadian and bought bread in those years, you're entitled to a slice of the loaf. 

You can register for your cut at CanadianBreadSettlement.ca unless you live in Quebec. In that case, you need to use QuebecBreadSettlement.ca to get in on the action.

It's likely to amount to between $25 and $100. You are owed that money if you meet the requirements.

Who doesn't want $25 for having shopped for bread in the last 2 decades? More? That's nice too! 

I know I registered. It will likely be paid sometime between June and December next year. By then, I'll have forgotten all about it, so it'll be a nice surprise. 

 

December ONLY! Big End Of Year Offer!

I want to let everyone know, there's a HUGE offer at Public Domain Super Heroes right now and it runs through the end of 2025!

For December, buy ANYTHING on the website and I'll send you TWO of my current novellas absolutely FREE.

That's right, ANYTHING. Even a $2.99 3-Day novel pdf is worth TWO more novellas in your inbox!

At that rate, you could have SIX of my books for the cost of just two.  Yep, I'll even honour small, individual sales, so buy a book, get two free, buy another book, get two more free!

I'm even offering my January release, as yet untitled, as part of the deal, so in theory, you could buy each of my 3 Day novels and wind up with all 7 of my current releases AND my as yet unreleased January book.

And in case you're wondering, merch counts too. So if you buy a t-shirt, a mug, a keychain, whatever. You'll get two books for that too.

Details are here! Click on through and support your favourite Public Domain Super Heroes Universe! 

Remember, this offer expires when 2025 does! 

It's A Big Project. I Like Options.

As I've been saying for a couple of months, I'm knee deep in my new project over at Public Domain Super Heroes.

I'm having a blast. I'm writing (surprise, surprise!), researching, web-building, creating merchandise and all of it in that strange and wonderful domain, the public one.

But what's public domain anyhow? Simply put, it's what happens when copyright runs out. 

Every book, every movie, tv show or piece of music is given an automatic copyright that belongs to whoever created the work. It lasts for different lengths of time in different countries, but for simplicity's sake, it's 95 years from publication. That's the standard in the United States and the one I'm using for my project. That rule came into existence in the 1970s and replaced a more complex and complicated set of rules that resulted in some copyrights lapsing and bringing certain characters into the public domain long before those 95 years had passed.

For instance, Robert E. Howard wrote a story called "The Shadow of the Vulture" which was published in 1934 in a little magazine called "The Magic Carpet Magazine." In that story, he created a character called "Red Sonya." At the time, the copyright rule required artists or copyright holders to renew their claims 28 years after publication. Since Howard died in 1936 and "The Magic Carpet Magazine" folded sometime in the 30s, no one renewed the copyright in 1962, so "Red Sonya" and the story itself are now in the public domain. She has no relation to the character "Red Sonja" who was created by Marvel Comics in the 1970s and is, in fact, quite different despite the similar names.

That lapsed copyright allows me to write about "Red SonYa" and reprint that story in this book.

In Canada, there are different rules that mean that certain properties are in the public domain here before they enter it in the U.S., but it's simpler just to use the U.S. rules since my books are being printed there. If I want to stay in business, I need to stay on the right side of U.S. law, so publication plus 95 years it is, unless a lapsed copyright is in play.

And this means?

Over at my site, I've created a list of properties I'm interested in writing about. It's larger than I'm likely going to ever get to use, but I like options. I've divided it into sections, starting with a large one that covers all the currently public domain characters I am interested in folding into my universe, including characters published over 95 years ago and those characters whose copyrights are known to have lapsed due to failure to renew before the rule changes in the 1970s.

Now that I've collected my list, I realize it's very large and needs a little managing. Currently, I have 212 characters and stories listed. It spans characters and publications from as early as 1818 to as recently as 1955.

1818? Why?

Well, that's when Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was published and to my mind, that's when the real 'science fiction' genre began. To me, a science fiction story MUST have a plot that is driven or supported by a piece or pieces of scientific apparatus or theory that is BEYOND our current abilities or the abilities of the age in which the story is set. In my opinion, Shelley was the first to do this.

 

Frankenstein, Artist Theodor von Holst, William Chevalier, 1831

 

My writing is broken into 4 "Houses" for marketing purposes. Entropy (science fiction), Dread (horror), Crom (swords & sorcery) and Justice (super heroes). With the advent of true science fiction in the form of Frankenstein, there's a reasonable 'start' for my stable of 'public domain' characters. It's arguable that horror, super-heroes and swords & sorcery (fantasy) writing have been with us since the advent of writing, but science fiction is a genre with a pretty definite starting point.

So why 1955 as the last year of my list?

Two reasons. One theoretical, one practical.

For the comic book industry, 1955 was a decidedly low point. Sales had cratered, super heroes were being usurped by western and war themed books, comic book companies were folding right and left. The following year, DC Comics reintroduced a familiar character in a brand new form in an attempt to revive the flagging sales and kicked off a whole new age for the medium.

When The Flash was re-costumed and given a new identity, comics entered "The Silver Age". What had come before was eventually known as The Golden Age and to me, that's as good a place to cap my new universe as there could be. I plan to use characters from the beginning of science fiction story telling and use characters who follow in that tradition up to the end of that comic book Golden Age.

 

 

Showcase #4 starts the Silver Age. And doesn't make my list.

The other consideration is a practical one. Characters created in 1955 will enter the public domain in 2051. By then, I'll be 82. If I'm still around, I'll still be writing (assuming my faculties don't leak out of my ears between now and then) but I will not be opening up a new age for Public Domain Super Heroes at that point. If Public Domain Super Heroes still exists by then, the fact is, someone else will be running the show.

And why am I telling you all this? 

Well, over the next few months, I'll be blogging about the various characters I'm working with or intending to work with. I'll be starting with an article about the pre-1900 characters I'm interested in using. Then another about the characters created between 1900 and 1929, then an article...well, you get the idea.

Articles may cover decades, a couple of years or even just a single year, depending on the numbers of characters created in each year. I find this stuff endlessly fascinating and I hope you will too. 

The articles will give you a sense of how some of my stories connect, why they connect and how I intend to grow this universe over the next decade or more. I plan a novella a month (or more!) to add to the project, so who knows, maybe I will actually get all 212 characters into the universe eventually!

For the moment, I have 10 of those 212 in one or more of my current novellas. In January, more characters will join them and I hope you'll check back regularly to find out just who those characters are!