I hope your stories are incredible. :)
I'm posting a bit late, but I thought this might be a bit of help to you.
In the US copyright law recognizes several types of "works" that are each treated differently:
Original works are what you create from scratch. For example, if you creator your own characters and settings and write a comic from them, you've created an original work. As soon as you create one, you automatically own the copyright for it, unless you were paid by some one else to create it.
Derivative works are something that is created based on an original work. The law is some what fuzzy about when exactly can we say that something is a derivative work of the original or something is an original work that was just inspired by the original. In a derivative work, neither people fully own the copyrights. The owners of the rights for the original work _and_ the derivative work must agree to do anything with it.
This applies to your query, because you're considering making a comic based on work that is in the public domain. After you create your comics based on the old school public domain comics, any one else can come along make their own comics based on thos same old school public domain comics you used. BUT, no one can come along and make their own comics based the comics you made unless you say they can.
For example, the original Black Terror comics lapsed into the public domain. DC, AC comics, Marvel (arguably), Alan Moore, Broken Soul Press, and Image comics were all to make derivative works based on those old school public domain comics without having to get any body's approval. Right now we can make a story based on those old school Black Terror comics and publish it. However, no one at DC can star writing a comic based Alan Moore's Black Terror, because Alan Moore own the rights to it. Alan Moore can't make a comic about the Punisher (inspired by the Black Terror, and arguably a derivative work) unless he's doing for Marvel who own the copyrights to their work.
Good luck,
Robert Jones
Log in to comment