So you don't believe in inheritance? If DC would have paid S&S while they were alive, the money would have been passed on to the heirs and estates.

By your logic a thief's children should be able to keep stolen property, because they didn't commit the crime.

Heh! Well, that may prove to be the lesson, all right, even if it wasn't the one I intended.

I'm not looking to take up a position of defending DC on this. My knowledge of the facts aren't as deep as some, but even I understand the Seigels were shafted. My point isn't that DC is the victim here, it's that I don't feel very strongly about the moral high ground we've put Mrs. Seigel on. This lawsuit dictates that either the Seigels will not get what they had been cheated of however many years back OR DC Comics will be out several hundred million dollars and potentially lose the ability to treat their fans to stories of their favorite character. Neither way sounds like a cheery outcome.

I don't think it's unfair for DC to have to pay the Seigels on future earnings of the character, but the family needs a half billion dollars only slightly less than DC can afford to pay it.

Also, by my logic, that child wouldn't have to finish out his father's jail sentence if the thief died in prison.

To be precise, I don't think DC Comics will be the party shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to the Siegel family, if the family is successful. It will be Time Warner, DC's owner. As much as we love our comic books, I bet the vast majority of cash produced by Superman has come from movies, TV, toys, clothing, games and other licensed products. DC and its comics are a small part.

Now, I'm sure Time Warner would rather not pay several hundred million dollars to Mrs. Siegel, but it could afford that better than li'l DC.

Wait, did Time Warner even own DC back when Seigel and Shuster were cheated?

KIDDING!!

And what's wrong with that? If Dad was sentenced to 99 years in prison and he died 50 years in, well by God, SOMEBODY better make up the difference. So throw Junior's butt in the clink for 49 years, I say!

So DC "treats" us to Superman? I seem to remember paying for all of the comics, DC treated me to.

YOUR getting to buy a comic, is more important that a family getting finally enjoy the fruits of their father's labors? You are just being selfish wishing for the status quo. Personally, I would feel better about buying a comic knowing the rightful owners were not only in control, but getting their fair share of the money the deserved. Even if it were to mean they shop the license elsewhere, which more than likely won't happen. It makes me sick, that fanboys think that their NEED to buy Superman comics from the same company they always have, means something more than the rights of the character's creators.

So it's about who needs the money more? The family, heirs and estates of the men who created Superman OR a division of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that has gotten used to it's unfair advantage of S&S. You are aware of the quality of life Joe Shuster was living before 1975? Then ONLY because of the fear of negative publicity did they even get a token salary, and you would begrudge the family, estates, and heirs of finally getting some justice?


Again, your claiming that the current staff and employees have more rights to the legacy and earnings from S&S's creation, than their heirs and estates.

I can't match your outrage on this, Joe. I admire you for feeling so strongly about it, but my stance is purely a gut-reaction. It just doesn't feel right to me, and that's all I have to back it up.

And given the potential alternatives, I'm sure they would rather pay, than see the character published elsewhere.

OR

We might see some of the other former leading stars, from other company pantheons, that DC now owns, suddenly get more serious mainstream treatments and become big stars!

Shazam, and the Marvel Family, Captain Atom, Platic Man, The Ray, could start seeing a little more center stage, maybe a new version of Uncle Sam with a huge 'S' on his chest...

Maybe they'll license Supreme from Rob Liefeld? Or just make a new guy. Marvel and Dark Horse had Hyperion and Titan. It would potentially be cheaper.

Fair enough.

People get used to having things a certain way, and I appreciate your concern for the current employees, I don't wish them ill either. But the blame is not with S&S or their heirs. And I gotta say if the heirs and estates get a fair share of what's owed them, I'll feel a lot better about all the Superman books, movies, toys, etc, that I couldn't stop myself from buying.