Justice Blog of America

Apparently, the health care package at the Daily Planet sucks:

The answer: Yes.

It seems the heirs of Superman co-creator have are the beneficiaries of a court decision that, as I see it, gives them the power to take their Kryptonian and go home, leaving DC Comics without its flagship character:

What does this all mean? The Siegels now own the rights to most of Superman’s origin that we are familiar with from the comics and the Donnverse. This includes; Superman’s Kryptonian parents, infant Kal-El, the explosion of Krypton, the infant Kal-El being sent from Krypton in a ship, and infant Kal-El crash landing on earth. This is in addition to their ownership of Action Comics #1 which was awarded to the Siegels in 2008. That previous ruling allows them rights to reporter Clark Kent, reporter Lois Lane, their jobs at the Daily Planet working for an obsessive editor, and the romantic dynamic between Lois, Clark, and Superman.

DC still owns some other elements including; Superman’s flying ability and other powers, additional origin elements, Kryptonite, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor. Warner Bros and DC Comics seem to be staying even keel in regards to the outcome so far.

Oh, believe me, they are worried. Sure, D.C. could toss a boat-load of money at the Siegels. But remember, D.C. Comics spent several decades treating the creators of the Greatest Comic Book Character of All Time like pieces of garbage, stopping occasionally to toss spare change at them when the publicity got too bad.

I were the Siegels, I’d tell D.C. Comics to take flying leap, and shop the Superman character to Marvel. DC likes to reboot it’s universe every five years. Consider this the ultimate reboot.

DC might end up doing comics about Jimmy and Lex Luther flying around the Fortress of Solitude, throwing Kryptonite rocks at each other.

Hey, buddy: Have a few million to spare?

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A rare copy of the first Superman comic will be put up for auction online on Friday and bids could soar as high as the “man of steel,” experts say.

“Action Comics #1,” published in June 1938, is considered by collectible experts to be the world’s most valuable comic book and is valued at about $126,000.

“It’s the Holy Grail of comic books,” said comic expert Stephen Fishler, who created the 10-point grading scale that has become the industry standard for evaluating comic books.

“This is the one that started it all. There was no such thing as a super hero before it. No flying man. Comics weren’t even that popular. It’s the single most important event in comic book history,” he said.

If some millionaire celebrities get into a bidding war, egos may take over and you might see this thing go for a million or more.

My take?

Feh. I bought the “Famous First Edition” back in 1974. Story is the same.

The people who run D.C. comics cannot stop with the gimmicks. There are, I think, some six or seven multi-issue, mega-cross-overs going on right this instant. All of them involving every character in the D.C. universe, and all of them supposedly designed to change everything.

Meanwhile, the best books are those that focus on character development, smart writing and crisp art. Few of these books are coming out of D.C.

So what’s the latest gimmick? They are sending the Man of Steel into space for about a year. Of course, they are doing this gimmick while the titles are undergoing a renaissance.

Just like they did in 1988. And as I recall, they brought him back to take part in what-the-hell-ever super mega cross over was being done THAT year, then had him go off again for a few months once it was over.

Oh-gee-will-he-ever-come-back.

Oh, for the love of God, will someone please rid us of DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio.