Public Domain Encyclopedia vol. I: Nedor Superheroes - Deluxe Edition
The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the lost treasures of the Golden Age comics industry that are freely available to all. No cost, no charge. This Deluxe volume is dedicated to the Superheroes of the Better/Nedor/Standard/Pines Publications, a now dead publisher that issued comic books during the Golden Age (1938-1956). Recently, these characters raised the attention of many established modern comic book experts, readers and publishers, contributing to re-invent the way old comics are read, interpreted and understood in light of the historical events of the 20th Century. The Better/Nedor/Standard characters are supposed to be in the public domain and are used as such, however it is not totally clear if they are publicly available or not. This volume of the PDE aims at shading more light on the riddle entangling the Black Terror, Fighting Yank, Miss Masque and other less famous Mystery Men that fought the good fight in simpler times. This volume is divided in 4 macro-sections: an introduction describing the history of the Better/Nedor/Standards imprints and a timeline of their brilliant founder, the late Ned Pines; section 2 focuses on 28 characters, proving insights on their creation and conceptualization, their publishing life and their actual copyright and trademark status. A comprehensive analysis of the characters follows, including a description of their market trends, success factors and archetypal references. The last part is an updated summary of the copyright status of the Better/Nedor/Standard Golden Age titles, providing registration and renewal numbers dates and owners. A trademark table completes this section summarizing the registered trademark of each of the characters. All sections are fully illustrated with fully original illustrations, pin-ups and splash-pages, granting a reading that goes far beyond the simple understanding of historical data, proving that the Funny Pages of the past are still enjoyable for all.The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the lost treasures of the Golden Age of comics that are freely available to all. No cost, no charge. The 3rd volume of the PDE is dedicated to Centaur, one of the earliest and of the most controversial American comic book publishers (1936-1942). Centaur contributed to the success of the Golden Age of comics by creating several characters that, later on, became winning archetypes of the comicdom such as Amazing-Man (by Bill Everett), Dr. Occult (by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) and the Clock, the missing link between the pulp and comic book heroes. The book includes 3 sections: an introduction collecting a timeline of Centaur Publications and Comic Corporation of America, the 2 sister publishing companies that formed the so called “Centaur Group”. A chapter dedicated to the hows and whys of Centaur bankruptcy and an article dedicated to the controversial relationship between Funnies Inc. (the studio that contributed to the creation of the Marvel Universe in the early Forties) and Centaur, in terms of creative support.
