Comics expert Pádraig Ó Méalóid has posted story about the complicated story of Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane’s ongoing disputes, presented as a timeline, which you can see here.
“On the 27th January, Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane finally settled their long-running legal dispute over Gaiman’s share of various Spawn properties,” he explains. “And when I say ‘long-running,’ this is very nearly an enormous understatement.
“Although Gaiman and McFarlane’s first meeting in court was on the 1st October, 2002, nearly ten years ago now, the cause of their dispute goes back nearly ten years before that, with roots set in place some years before that, again. So, in an attempt to put it all into some sort of context, I’m listing what I see as the main points of their dispute, in chronological order, as exactly as I can, along with some earlier events, to put it all into context.”
The ongoing debate continyues to intrigue comic fans across the globe: when Pádraig posted a link to the story on Facebook, where it got ‘Shared’ by Neil Gaiman’s fan page, it caused his blog hit-counter to go ka-BLOOEY!
“I still go and look at where he [Neil] said ‘Astonishingly well-researched timeline to the Miracleman and Spawn/McFarlane legal case…’ and my inner fanboy does a little dance,” he tells us.
The story also touches on the complex matter of Marvelman’s ownership, a debate which is almost guaranteed to send make your eyes bleed in confusion.
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics
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