Studio Chikara’s PUBLIC DOMAIN FUNNIES COMICS #1 features fair-use fun
Studio Chikara has published Public Domain Funnies Comics #1, a new full-color 32-page anthology issue that collects three comic stories based on cartoons and comics that have entered the public domain. This exciting debut issue features novel takes on classic stories and characters. Read on for everything you need to know about Public Domain Funnies Comics #1, which is available now!
Public Domain Funnies Comics #1
Public Domain Funnies Comics#1 includes three stories, which focus on some of the famous first stories that introduced the world to certain now-iconic characters.
The first story is “Plane Crazy.” Written, illustrated, and colored by Milton Knight, this comic is freely adapted from “Plane Crazy,” the 1928 cartoon by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.
Next up is “Thimble Theater 1929: Roll Dem Bones.” This story is written by Dr. Bruce Redenour and illustrated and colored by Ken Wheaton. The comic is freely adapted from the Thimble Theater newspaper strips, created by E.C. Segar and released from 1919 – 1929.
Wrapping up the collection is “Dizzy Dishes.” This story was written, penciled, inked and colored by Richard Maurizioand Michael Grassia. It was freely adapted from “Dizzy Dishes,” the 1930 Dave Fleischer Talkartoon, which was produced by Max Fleischerand Lou Fleischer, animated by Grim Natwick, Ted Sears, and others, and with music by Manny Baer.
The covers for the collection feature four different images: cover A by Maurizio and Grassia, cover B by Wheaton, cover C by Knight, and cover D by Owsley.
The collection also includes an introduction by Jerry Beck of Cartoon Research, “Welcome to 1928!” The introduction features Beck’s insights into the history of animated cartoon shorts, which began appearing in movie houses in about 1916, and were innovated by Disney and Fleischer in the late 1920s and 1930s, which coincided with the arrival of sound.
“If these three stories are any indication,” Beck writes in the introduction. “We may have a second Golden Age of Cartoons to look forward to.”
What is the public domain?
The Public Domain Funnies Comics series was conceived by editor Robert V. Conte.
“Ever since my first exposure to these characters during childhood, I fantasized about creating my own stories with them,” Conte was quoted in the press release. “Now that so many of my favorite comics and cartoons have entered the public domain in the United States, that dream has become reality.”
Each of the three comics in this inaugural issue of Public Domain Funnies Comics are based on animated shorts and newspaper strips that were released almost a full century ago. They are now available to be freely adapted thanks to the fact that they are now in the public domain.
A creative work enters the public domain after its copyright has expired. In the U.S., creative works published before 1929 enter the public domain ninety-five years after they were created. For more recent work, the copyright typically lasts seventy years after the author’s death.
However, there are situations in which a copyright may be extended, and derivatives of works that have entered the public domain themselves may nevertheless continue to be protected by copyright law.
Available Now
Do you want to get your hands on a copy of Public Domain Funnies Comics #1 for yourself? Of course you do!
Public Domain Funnies Comics #1 carries a suggested retail price of $6.99 per copy. The title is not currently available through traditional distributors. If your mailing address is in the U.S., can pick up a copy directly from the publisher’s website for $12.98 (including shipping). International customers can secure a digital copy at the link above for $12.99 (USD). And if you’re a retailer looking to carry the series, contact Studio Chikara through the website linked above.
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