Posts Tagged ‘Ed Brubaker’

One of the comic book industry’s longest running legal disputes has finally come to a conclusion. For the better part of the last decade, artist Todd McFarlane and writer Neil Gaiman have been locked in a copyright war over a handful of characters Gaiman created when he wrote the ninth issue of McFarlane’s hit comic book series, Spawn. It’s been nearly 20 years since Gaiman created the angelic warrior named Angela, Medieval Spawn and Spawn’s enigmatic one-time mentor, Cogliostro, and 10 years since Gaiman first sued McFarlane for copyright ownership of those characters. On Friday, lawyers representing both sides filed notice with the federal court in Madison, Wisc., that the case had been settled. While terms of the settlement agreement are confidential, Gaiman told the Washington Post‘s “Comic Riffs” blog:

“I’m delighted with the case. I’m delighted with the decisions … And I’m delighted to put it behind me … The main thing is, I feel like an awful lot of good things have come out of it. … I think the various decisions, particularly the [Judge] Posner decision, were huge in terms of what the nature of dual copyright in comics is. What is copyrightable in comics is now something that there is a definite legal precedent for … There were a lot of things that were … misty in copyright [law] that are now much clearer. And it’s of benefit to the creator.”

Over the years, judges and juries have consistently sided with Gaiman, who was awarded half-ownership of the aforementioned characters and the issues in which they first appeared (Spawn #9, 26 and the first Angela miniseries, also written by Gaiman). The joint notice asks U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb to approve the settlement and dismiss the case. It is unclear when Crabb may make a decision.

Neither McFarlane nor his attorneys have issued a statement regarding the settlement.

Read more: Comic Book Fix: Spawn Lawsuit Settled and Catwoman Vol. 1 Reviewed