Comic Con '09: Marvel acquires Marvelman rights

Marvelman - art by Joe Quesada 

It looks like fans of Marvelman might not have to wait for Hell to freeze over after all.

Ostensibly the biggest announcement to come out of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International, Marvel revealed Friday they have acquired the publication rights to the character, seemingly putting an end to the legal quagmire that has steadily followed Marvelman throughout the decades.

Created by Mick Anglo in 1954, Marvelman followed a template set by Fawcett’s (and later DC’s) Captain Marvel.  Mild-mannered reporter Micky Moran was given atomic based superpowers from an astrophysicist, and had only to utter the word “Kimota” (atomic backwards) to transform into Marvelman.  Along with Kid Marvelman and Young Marvelman, the hero participated in numerous unassuming adventures until all Marvelman-related titles were cancelled in 1963, the characters’ thereafter remaining in limbo. 

Then Alan Moore had an idea. 

Intrigued with the idea of a darker, more mature world for Moran to preside over, Moore used the quirky hero from the past to serve as a precursor for a massive amount of comics and graphic novels being published today.  A spearhead of the realist movement prevalent in some of today’s top selling books, Moore took the notion of a real world and dropped a being of immense power in the middle to posit the question of how they would change our reality if they actually existed.  Originally running in Warrior, a British anthology series, in 1982, the title was forced to change its name to Miracleman for publication in the states due to legal pressure from Marvel Comics over the book and title character’s name. 

Miracleman was published in color by Eclipse Comics beginning in 1985, and boasted many top talents besides Alan Moore.  Illustrators included Gary Leach and Alan Davis on the original Warrior run, and Rick Veitch, and John Totleben (Moore’s co-conspirators on DC’s Swamp Thing) for the continuing stateside stories.  When the creative team left the book with issue sixteen, they handed the reins over to writer Neil Gaiman and artist Mark Buckingham, whereupon the duo began a massively ambitious storyline broken into three parts, detailing the inherit problems of a superhuman led utopia.

But with the beginning of the second chapter, Eclipse folded. 

Miracleman #24 was the last issue to see print, and then the slew of legal battles began.  Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, acquired Eclipse’s creative assets, presumably with the intent of spinning Miracleman into his own universe of characters.  Neil Gaiman, the last person to hold the rights disputed McFarlane’s ownership of the character, and bad blood between the two creators led to numerous lawsuits spanning years.  And while the suits were an important stance in the development of creative rights and ownership in the comic industry, it was the fans that ultimately paid the price.  Back issues of Miracleman are still extremely expensive, and the trade paperback collections have been long out of print, fueling a highly increased price hike as well.

But Friday, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada snuck in the news at a Marvel panel, followed quickly by this official press release:

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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."

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 "kimota!"

"I did not think it would ever happen," said Mick Anglo. "It's a wonderful thing to see my creation finally back."

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 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 to purchase limited edition MARVELMAN t-shirts! Plus, this September, don't miss the MARVELMAN BY QUESADA POSTER exclusively at comic shops everywhere!

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Gaiman has expressed in numerous interviews that if the rights were ever returned to him, the character would see a return to publication at Marvel.  No word yet as to how Marvel exactly acquired the rights, where Gaiman stands in the ownership, nor what the publisher intends to do with them.  Presumably (and hopefully!) they will collect the original material by Moore and Gaiman (and Anglo’s as well), and allow Gaiman to finish up his story as originally conceived.  The one worry is that Marvel will attempt to integrate the character into their universe, negating his original history.

Whatever the end result, fans can rest assured that Marvelman will return in some form or another, and see a renewed vigor soon.  Stay tuned for updates…