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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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