[note: this was an April Fools gag. I clarify because you would be surprised by how many legitimate mainstream news sources picked this up as if it were real.]
Oni Press is proud to announce that it has just acquired the domestic publishing rights to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s creator-owned project, Superman!
For those who don’t know, the Superman comics tell the story of a strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman … who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!
Long associated with DC Comics, the heirs of Jerry Seigel have decided to transfer all domestic publishing rights to Oni Press, an independent comic book publisher specializing in creator-owned projects. It may seem odd that this comic series would come to Oni Press, a company not exactly known for superhero content, but rest assured, Oni Press will do everything in its power to uphold and maintain the legacy of this amazing character.
“We’ve been working on this deal for a longtime,” says Joe Nozemack, Oni Press pubisher. “I am happy that we can finally announce this project and express our excitement about Superman. ”
“This really is a dream come true,” exclaims James Lucas Jones. “We hope to tell great stories that can be read and enjoyed independently of any other form of convoluted continuity. The character and story come first… no Civil Wars… no Crisis… no Secret Invasions… just good stories that any kid can pick up and enjoy.”
Expect the first Oni Press published issue to be released exactly one year from today (04/01/2009).
April 1st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Gotta be an April Fool’s gag
April 1st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
April Fools, indeed.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
April Fools!!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Meh. Neither believable nor exciting. Is this really the best April Fool’s gag you could come up with?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
It’s gotta be an April Fools Joke.
My heart darn near stopped!
April 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
And yet… it would be refreshing, wouldn’t it?
I for one would be thrilled to see an “indy” take on what is right now the most heavily guarded, corporate-controlled “intellectual property” in comics.
So, how long until Superman becomes a public domain character anyway?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:09 pm
sounds like an “april fools” to me
April 1st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Just imagine if it were true, though. Although I’m uncertain Oni would want to develop products that would have to share profits with DC, being that DC still owns 50% of the character.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
…You kids realize the Big Fat Q is now crying in his corn flakes over having been beaten to the punch with this April Fool’s gag? :p
April 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
“So, how long until Superman becomes a public domain character anyway?”
“A trademark registration may be renewed and remain in force indefinitely provided the trademark is used”
April 1st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Trademark and copyright are two distinctly different things though. Superman the character can go into PD even if the title “Superman” is protected by TM.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Meh. Neither believable nor exciting. Is this really the best April Fool’s gag you could come up with?
Congratulations, Kyle-O! You are the Biggest Commenter Cliché on the Internet for April 1, 2008! Take a bow.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Sorry Guys! Superman will probably not see the public domain in our lifetime. In order for properties under copyright to reach public domain, they must fall into disuse for a period of time. I am not sure, but I think this would be 20 years. That is why all the character that Alex Ross is using in his project superpowers book were up for grabs.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
That is awesome! Screw DC! lol
April 1st, 2008 at 1:53 pm
If only it where true.
For a brief second I almost believed it.
Imagine: Superman free of all continuity. Seigel and Shuster has originally planned for Superman to reveal his identity to Lois, back in the early 40’s. DC said no.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Jay Jay’s facts are in error. Time is a factor, yes, but disuse has no bearing. There is a set time for items to remain under copyright protection, as provided by law. Whether or not the copyright protected work is used or not is immaterial. The material and concepts contained in Action Comics #1 are set to fall into public domain in 2033, unless Congress modifies the law again to extend the copyright term, which they last did in 1997.
Cornell University has a handy chart explaining copyright both in the USA and abroad:
http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
April 1st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I wish!
Who knows, maybe this will eventually turn out to be true.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I’m not sure whether to believe it or not so I’m not making up my mind. I mean they have been covering this for a few days. But than the big news hits April 1st that they are taking Superman to Oni Press? I don’t think so.
I was SHOCKED when I read it until I looked at the calender. I’ll wait a month or so before I actually believe the story.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:31 pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/29/business/media/29comics.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin
Maybe not…
April 1st, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Yup, gotta be an April Fool’s gag.
I mean, c’mon, “Superman”? What a lame idea for a character!
April 1st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Man i really really REALLY hope this is true. Really really.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
A man who can lift a car? Nonsense. It will never sell.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:27 pm
What’s Oni?
April 1st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
“Imagine: Superman free of all continuity.” That would truly be awesome. And it is, in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman. Check it out.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
[...] Kevin Church has one, and Oni Press has another! [...]
April 1st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
good one……just about swallowed my damn tongue !!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Well this is either a April Fools joke or an oddly timed announcement. Either way it is pretty awesome. Though if it is a joke, I do feel a little bad for the Seigel heirs who have been fighting this in courts. Then again, even as a joke, this raises some very good questions of what the ruling means.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
“All-Star Superman” isn’t free of continuity; it’s just manipulated continuity to make it more approachable, less burdened, and therefore more entertaining. Love it, but any mention of Doomsday, even as a virus, ties the title to that terrible marketing ploy of the ’90s, and arguably the economic tailspin of the industry.
Wouldn’t the whole Earth-Q thing from the last All-Star Supes be a tasteful way for Big Blue to bow out of DC, though? Like it would ever happen…not the bowing out of DC part, but the respect for the creators part.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Oh please. I don’t buy it. Not even for a second.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
“Neither believable nor exciting.”
Wrong! I know a guy named Chris who fell for it. Luckily, he has his looks to fall back on.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Best news I’ve heard all day.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Oh for crying out loud, how many Superman… inspired characters do we have? Supreme, Marvel Man/Miracle Man, Sentry, Quasar, Gladiator, and a hundred others. So, you really don’t need a copyright-free Superman. Be creative.
April Fools!
April 1st, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Scott Pilgrim is a Skrull!
April 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
[...] by dailypop on April 1, 2008 Superman finds a new home with Oni Press! Oni Press is proud to announce that it has just acquired the domestic publishing rights to Jerry [...]
April 1st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I rember ruffling under my dads bed and finding an old porno mag with “Oni” on it.
same company?
April 1st, 2008 at 8:40 pm
hahahaha…very appropriate Joke… I bought it for a second that seemed like a day.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Wow,I actually believed this until I realized the date, nice job guys.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:31 pm
this is actually a good idea…doesn’t the siegels now own the right to reprint action #1?
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:48 am
I believe that as half owners of the copyright to Action No. 1,they not only have the right to reprint that issue, but also the right to do new Superman stories as all the basic elements to the Superman character were in Action No. 1, including Lois. They just cannot use any of the characters introduced after issue No. 1 like Lex, Lana, Ma and Pa Kent – in the original one page origin I believe they said he was raised in an orphanage – and obviously no World’s Finest team ups. The Siegels would, however, have to share the profits with DC.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:47 am
Superman? Never heard of him.