Do you use Public Domain characters? (Sherlock, Frankenstein, Abraham Lincoln...)

[SamNoir]

Anyone else here include Public Domain characters in their work?
I'm really enjoying playing in the sandbox of characters like Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Abraham Lincoln, and many more in my Steampunk series Victorian Four.

https://tapastic.com/series/VICTORIAN4

[Sanz]

later in Los Esmeraldas, the Mc nicknames a dude Frankenstein if that counts XD

[J.Lovelace]

As far as I remember, I only used the known angels and devils - like Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer, Samael etc. (gave them my own designs)

[thomassayle]

I dont think sherlock holmes is public domain though.

[mintycanoodles]

I'm doing an alice in wonderland comic, its been reworked so many times but what's one more.

[nathankschulz]

I use Cthulhu in The Shrouded City. Its... kinda... public domain? Haha

[Strontium]

Not true public domain characters, but the ghost of Julius Caesar is the next story arc's bad guy, and some other historical figures show up to, but, like, as ghosts

[SpavVy]

Yes, I use some characters from the bible like angels and some demons. I make up some of my own as well.

[eagle1]

Sherlock Holmes is in the Public Domain, though the estate contests that. The Supremes refused to hear a case involving Holmes, letting the lower court ruling that the character was in the public domain stand. They have admitted that the first 50 stories no longer have copyright protection, but are still trying to claim that the character is protected. It is not.

Eagle
(Not a lawyer, but I do study IP law)

[thomassayle]

Ah thank you for clearing that up.

[SamNoir]

Do you have a link to your Alice in Wonderland comic? Would love to check it out.

[mintycanoodles]

yep, its right over here- https://tapastic.com/series/Alec-in-Wunderland

[hushicho]

I really love the public domain. I would like to do more with public domain characters, but I have done a little bit here and there. Honestly, the public domain today is what copyright was supposed to be, really...it was only supposed to be a little while, long enough for the creator to get a little benefit from what was created, but not enough to sit on laurels for the rest of one's life. Of course, the public domain today still takes much longer than copyright originally took to allow others to do anything with a copyrighted character...it's a shame. We're stuck with a dysfunctional system that allows for far too long for any copyrighted character to stay in copyright, which means there's an effective monopoly on said character's development.

I did do a chapter based upon Pride and Prejudice when I was doing Incubus Tales, and that was so much fun. I really enjoyed playing with the interpretations of characters I'd read in a beloved novel (though my favorite Austen work is Mansfield Park); one day I'm sure I'll do more.

It's very exciting to think that every character in Shakespeare, for example, is public domain. One of the most iconic creators in the English language, and all of his works are at our disposal! It's just up to us to interpret them. How exciting is that?!

[Thesleepypencil]

Not in my current Comic

But i have two different WIP comics that both use fairytales as it's base.

in one Four of my 6 main characters are from fairytales, like Jack and the beanstalk, the little mermaid, and such. And multiple characters from other fairytales like Rumplestiltzkin, bluebeard, and Hansel and gretel appear... ((Actually even characters named after The Grimm brothers AND Hans christian anderson appear))

[iddqd]

Funny you mention that! I was thinking of adapting H. P. Lovecraft's "The Music of Erich Zann" into a short graphic novel story, but I am not sure about the copyright status of the character.

[Mercuryhat]

My comic started life as an almost straight adaptation of the radio version of Gunsmoke, an old western series. Near as most folks figure, old time radio programs are public domain (the recordings anyway, the scripts might be under common law copyright which basically means forever (thanks Disney), but there haven't been any court cases to test it).

I'd never adapted something before, but after doing it, I learned a lot and really grew as a comic maker! It was so much fun I turned it into my primary project, I never thought I'd do a western and enjoy it. I'm still adapting bits and pieces, but even with basing it on the program it's really become my own thing. I think it's a great artistic exercise to adapt something and there's a lot to be gained from adding a new perspective on an old concept.

[MylCreates]

Nope. I prefer just going all original characters, although that makes it harder for people to find since there's no back-history behind them besides just my story. :T

[eagle1]

NO-Earth has a lot of public domain stuff in it, and we are constantly expanding. We have the War of the Worlds Martian Invasion, several public domain superheroes, and a number of public domain literary characters hidden around our background information.

Eagle
(I love the PD)

[hushicho]

That's fantastic, westerns are so underrepresented these days! I really applaud that. I think it's great to use such exciting characters that, sometimes, have all but been forgotten about.

[hushicho]

Pretty much all of Lovecraft's work is in the public domain. In some regions it's more absolutely clear than others, but by this point it is all effectively impossible for anyone to assert copyright over; I've read research account after research account, and with the dates and circumstances, I wouldn't worry about it. The only time people really need to worry is about infringing upon copyright of things others have done with the characters and concepts (such as the Call of Cthulhu game).