IP vs Captain Marvel
Is Intellectual Property Law more powerful than The World's Mightiest Mortal?Today's featured article at Wikipedia:
Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, with his Captain Marvel Adventures series selling more copies than Superman and other competing superhero books. He was also the first superhero to be adapted into film in 1941 (The Adventures of Captain Marvel). Because of a decline in the popularity of superheroes and a copyright infringement suit from DC Comics alleging similarities between Captain Marvel and Superman, Fawcett ceased publishing Captain Marvel and Marvel Family comics in 1953. They later licensed the Marvel Family characters to DC in 1972 and ceded the rights to them outright in 1980. Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family have been integrated into the "DC Universe", and DC has attempted a few revivals. However, Captain Marvel has not found widespread appeal with new generations, although a 1970s Shazam! live action television series featuring the character was very popular. Due to the fact that Marvel Comics trademarked their Captain Marvel comic book during the interim between the original Captain Marvel's Fawcett years and DC years, DC Comics has to promote and market their Captain Marvel/Marvel Family properties under the title Shazam!.If Superman needs lawyers to fight his battles for him ... well that's not very super, is it?
1 Comments:
The problem, BK, of which you would probably only be aware if you were a comic book fan, is that Superman has two vulnerabilities.
1. Kryptonite, the radioactive fragments of his home planet of Krypton. Everyone knows about this (did you know there were five or more varieties with different effects?)
2. Much less well-known is his severe weakness to magic. Captain Marvel gained his powers to transform from 11-year-old Billy Batson to the World's Mightiest Moral (tm) from the Wizard Shazam. A magical lightning bolt slams into young William, transforming him into Captain Marvel when Billy says the wizard's name. The lightning bolt grants him the powers of:
The Wisdom of Solomon
The Strength of Hercules
The Stamina of Atlas
The Power of Zeus
The Courage of Achilles and
The Speed of Mercury.
Being magic-based, Supes is at an inherent disadvantage going toe to toe with the Big Red Cheese and so, he sent his legal team to do an end run around the big handsome lug!
In the scheme of division of labor, I am a geek. I deliver my geekiness to you with pride!
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