Comic Connection

I am an avid fan of graphic novels. Getting lost in a fantastical world rich with whimsical characters and the most unreal of settings is my past time. When I was younger, I would save up to reserve the next issue of the storyline I follow. But now, things are easier and cheaper. Marvel and DC Comics also have come up with applications so people can enjoy their graphic novels in their apple gadgets. For as low as almost P500.00 per month, one can enjoy full access to their archives, allowing one to read rare finds and even those which are no longer in circulation.

But as ICT makes almost all information res nulius, comic books are of no exception. There are now downloadable copies of comic books if you know the right place to look for them. At a click of a button, you can readily download or view books free of charge. This exposes the creativity of the artists to various copyright infringement. As an example, Japanese manga publishers are now suing those responsible for scanlations. As the name suggests, the culprits scan a particular manga and typesets it so that the english translation of the dialogues replace the japanese characters, making it readable for the vast majority. Consider it as ripping CD's and uploading their contents via torrent or other peer-to-peer software.

At any rate, that is how the law and ICT can affect graphic novel artists and writers. But as for the comic book characters themselves, there is a blog which dwells on the idea of how laws can affect superheroes called “Law and the Multiverse: Superheroes, supervillains, and the law”. It attempts to answer questions such as whether or not the Second Amendment protects Superman's right to use his heat vision, and whether mutants are a legally recognizable class entitled to constitutional protection from discrimination.¹ With the showing of Green Lantern fast approaching, I then wonder whether or not his creations are subject to patent.

- Evangelista, Emmanuel Benedict C. (Blog Entry No. 12)

1http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/books/21lawyers.html