Press Release
The biggest news of Comic Con International in San Diego was revealed moments ago and jaws are still on the floor—the world-renowned super hero Marvelman is now part of the Marvel Comics family! Marvel Comics has purchased the rights to Marvelman from creator Mick Anglo and his representatives, finding a home for one of the most sought after heroes in graphic fiction!
“It is an honor to work with Mick Anglo to bring his creation to a larger audience than ever before,†said Dan Buckley, CEO & Publisher, Print, Animation & Digital Media, Marvel Entertainment Inc. “Fans are in for something special as they discover just what makes Marvelman such an important character in comic book history.â€
Originally created in 1954 by Mick Anglo and appearing in some of the most celebrated comic stories of all time, Marvelman is Micky Moran, a young reporter gifted with the power to save the world by simply uttering the word “kimotaâ€!
“I did not think it would ever happen,†said Mick Anglo. “It’s a wonderful thing to see my creation finally back.â€
Marvelman is back and he’s found a new home at Marvel Comics! What’s next for Mick Anglo’s legendary creation? Stay tuned to Marvel.Com (http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.8869) for all the news on Marvelman and this exciting new addition to the Marvel family!
And to join in the celebration, visit the Marvel Shop (http://shop.marvel.com) to purchase limited edition Marvelman t-shirts! Plus, this September, don’t miss the Marvelman by Quesada Poster exclusively at comic shops everywhere!
22 Comments
WOW This sounds like it’s going to be cool!!
I honestly havent the first clue of the marvelman
How bout some info from Spoilerites in the know
I honestly havent the first clue of the marvelman. How bout some info from Spoilerites in the know?
Mike Moran aka Micky Moran aka Marvelman aka Miracleman first appeared in 1954 in British comics… His creation was one of necessity, after the popular Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr, Marvel Family and Mary Marvel reprint strips were discontinued by American publisher Fawcett Comics, (this after Fawcett was successfully sued by DC for breach of copyright on Superman.) Publisher Len Miller didn’t do much more than change the names and costumes, (and Mary Marvel’s gender)relaunching those series as Marvelman, Young Marvelman, Marvelman Family, and Kid Marvelman.
Years later, when Alan Moore (not yet the world-famous mind behind Watchmen, Swamp Thing, etc) was looking for a new project, he and publisher Dez Skinn chose to revive Marvelman. (It appears at this writing that Dez never actually secured copyright on the character.) Under Alan’s pen, Marvelman became one of the first “realistic” heroes of the 1980’s comic boom, and even when the comic (a magazine called Warrior) went under, the series was licensed for American reprints with Pacific Comics. Pacific went under before a single issue was published, and the series ended up with Eclipse Comics, which reprinted all the existing issues (with art by Garry Leach and Alan Davis) and continued Moore’s story. Since Marvel Comics has slightly more clout than the Pope (at least in the publishing of paper pamphlets with spandex guys in ’em) the name was changed in America to Miracleman. Eclipse Comics went under in mid-storyline with #24, and there has been a long and involved fight since then over who actually has the rights to the character, especially when Neil Gaiman made a deal with Todd MacFarlane some years ago for the possible continuation of the series, a deal which (depending on whom you believe) has led either to Todd trying to steal something that isn’t his, or Neil refusing to come through on his end of a bargain… (Frankly, I believe Neil, but my opinion means precisely naught.)
Miracleman’s powers include limitless strength, invulnerability, superhuman senses, and a full array of superheroey powers, due to his ability to switch into his alien-engineered form. The beauty of the Miracleman comics comes in their examination of the ridiculousness of superhero cliches, the full realization of what a superhuman battle would entail (London in ruins, millions dead, horror after horror crammed in every corner of the city) and one of the most horrifying examples ever of power corrupting, absolutely.
If you can find them, if you can afford them, I HIGHLY recommend the purchase of the Miracleman issues or the long-out-of-print Trade Paperback/Hardcover versions thereof. It’s some fine stuff, even when the focus of the book changes after Neil Gaiman takes over with issue #17…
Can we expect that Neil Gaiman story wrapup or is that just wishful thinking?
MarvelMan? First I have heard of the character.
Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley had this to say about the character’s future, “We are talking to all the people involved in the ’80s/’90s material. Alan (Moore), Neil (Gaiman), Mark Buckingham.”
Thats from newsarama but I”ll believe it when I see it.
Will this be in the 616?
Marvelman–more commonly known on the North American side as “Miracleman,” which I think is a better name–was originally a Captain Marvel SHAZAM rip-off who was then developed into a long, epic exploration of the consequences of super-power by Moore and Gaiman. He wouldn’t really operate well in 616 continuity, he’s got to be his own thing. Hopefully this will mean they’ll reprint the old material and maybe allow some of the people involved to finish the story.
It’s been a whole convoluted battle but it’s well-documented if anyone wants to look at the wiki or what have you. Todd McFarlane owned the rights for a while for some reason.
From what I know of Marvelman, his powers aren’t unlike other Marvel heroes. I’m worried he’ll struggle to find his place because of this.
From what I know of Marvelman, his powers aren’t unlike other Marvel heroes.
Actually, his powers are almost precisely analogous to the Sentry’s.
As is a big chunk of his backstory, come to think of it. Is Robert Reynolds really Mike Moran in a bad wig?
I’m imagining a relaunch with rereleases of moore and gaimans miracleman work plus the conclusion of gaimans run…and maybe a new series written by anglo/moore/gaiman in some form of combination…well, one can dream…
I don’t believe Marvelman was ever at Marvel. When Alan Moore took over writting the title many years after it had lapsed publication, Marvel threatened a lawsuit if they used “Marvelman”, so it became “Miracleman”. Marvelman was printed before Marvel became Marvel, but that didn’t stop the threat. In fact, this may have been the incident which caused Alan Moore to state that he would never work for Marvel.
Does this mean they purchased the rights to the Alan Moore & Neil Gaiman issues? So they could reprint the issues? To do this I believe they would have to purchase the copyrights from Moore/Gaiman/individual artists/Todd McFarlane.
Here’s the thing:
If Mick Anglo had the rights, that means that (effectively) Dez Skinn never did. If Dez never did, then Moore, Gaiman, and company never did.
Which means that MacFarlane never did.
The upshot of this, if I remember my media law?
While those creators own their own physical and intellectual property (i.e. the prints, the scripts, etc.) they cannot print a Marvelman/Miracleman comic without the consent of the property holder.
So, presuming that Anglo has established legal ownership, the only place that the Gaiman issues could be printed would be with Marvel.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but what about the ‘Man of Miracles’ toy/statue thet McFarlane Toys had a few years ago? Was that done to bolster Todd’s claim he owned the character, even if he never outright named it?
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but what about the ‘Man of Miracles’ toy/statue thet McFarlane Toys had a few years ago? Was that done to bolster Todd’s claim he owned the character, even if he never outright named it?
Probably. Todd thought he had the rights. The fact that they had to rename the character to get the figure into print is indicative that Todd’s claim wasn’t ironclad.
THE MORE YOU KNOW… LA DA DEE DA!
This is the COOLEST!!! Finally/hopefully, we’ll get a hardcover, extras-laden re-release of the original Marvelman books! OH HAPPY DAY!!!
At any rate, this is crazy. I was just grumbling yesterday that Marvel promised surprises, and all we had gotten so far was who the artist on “Doctor Voodoo” was. Now THIS is surprising!
I say file this under “Who gives a $#!*” Three points:
1. They don’t even say if they have the rights to the stories people (supposedly) want to read.
2. What makes people think Moore will just give Marvel the rights to reprint? Let face it Moore can be a bit of jerk when it comes to things like this. Google Captain Britain and see what you find.
3. Who is the audience for this? I am 31 and this character as no significance to me so how many 12-15 year olds will care either? Sure kids saw Watchmen the movie, read the book blah blah…………….Face it’s already been forgotten! I want to forget that horrible movie had anything to do with the original.
To sum it up as far as them (if and when) reprinting old Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman stories who cares? Let’s face it Stephen King doesn’t always hit a home run what makes everyone so enamored just because of Moore and Gaiman? How many people have read this stories since they went out of print? I would rather read about the real Captain Marvel. Shazam!
To sum it up as far as them (if and when) reprinting old Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman stories who cares? Let’s face it Stephen King doesn’t always hit a home run what makes everyone so enamored just because of Moore and Gaiman? How many people have read this stories since they went out of print? I would rather read about the real Captain Marvel. Shazam!
That’s your privelege… A lot of people are interested in these stories, especially in the continuation of the storyline that was suspended in media res.
Scott C.
Alan Moore doesn’t have to consent to anything. He transferred his interest in Marvelman/Miracleman to Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham when he left the book after issue 16. That’s why Gaiman has been leading the fight to clear up the ownership question over the years. Moore hasn’t had much to say about the series other than that he’s wanted to see the books published for the fans who want them, and to point out (in an interview with Fanboy Radio in 2007) that Mick Anglo, the original artist/writer/creator of Marvelman, never relinquished his claim of or ownership over the character in all the years, and which would presumably trump anyone’s claim on the character. Moore doesn’t care much for Marvel (no the industry in general) but I would assume that as long as he’s left alone, Anglo’s taken care of, and Gaiman is ok with things, he doesn’t have much reason to complain. Of course this is Alan Moore, so who knows.
Even if there is still legal question, I think Marvel is more than capable of legally bullying its way through any further challenges from Todd McFarlane or anyone else. Its not a pretty way of thinking through things, but that is reality.
As far as stories people want to read… well I think the value is more in trade paperbacks than in reprinting actual comics in short form. Given the very large market both in the direct (i.e. comic shops) and in the secondary market (i.e. online and in bookstores) of comic book trades, Marvel could make a great deal of money putting the Moore and Gaiman stories back in print in trade form. Despite your perspective, people did see and enjoy the Watchmen movie and that considerably drove sales of not only the Watchmen trades/hcs/absolute editions/tie-in books, but also of all Alan Moore books. Coraline did quite well and that has driven sales of Gaiman’s books. In both cases, a large portion of the audience for both were NOT traditional comic book fans OR teenagers who buy everything with Wolverine in it, but rather casual and non-fans. Finally there are lots of fans of comics who DO want to read/buy not only the already published Moore and Gaiman stories but would actually like to see the story finished. I for one would love to see a Marvel Master Edition of old Warrior/Eclipse run, in one volume.
Wow I started a fire! I know when I am beaten so I concede this round to you gentlemen.
McFarlane only ownes the rights to one verison of marvelman’s chest icons. i find it interesting that alan moore used the name miracleman first in a captain britian story
(it was for a murdered parallel verison of the captain britian.