ComicSource Newsletter No. 20

Sandman vs. Spawn

Neil Gaiman Sues Todd McFarlane

MADISON, Wis. (Friday January 25, 2002) - Writer Neil Gaiman, creator of the Sandman comic book series, has sued Spawn comic book creator, Todd McFarlane, alleging fraud, copyright violations and nonpayment of royalties.

Gaiman claims McFarlane used the characters he created - "Angela,'' "Cogliostro'' and "Medieval Spawn'' - without his authorization. The characters have been used in comic books, a movie, and a line of toys.

Spawn #9, written by Neil Gaiman, introduced Angela

McFarlane, who created the comic book and animated HBO television show Spawn, made headlines in 1999 when he paid $3 million for the baseball Mark McGuire hit for his then-record 70th home run in a season.

Neil Gaiman

Marvels and Miracles, a Wisconsin company set up by Gaiman, also is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The company owns the Miracleman rights of Gaiman, Moore and illustrator Mark Buckingham, the original artist on the Miracleman comic books.

Miracleman was originally published in the 1960s in Britain under the title Marvelman. Moore revived the character for Eclipse Comics in the 1980s, but changed the name to Miracleman after receiving a cease and desist order from Marvel Comics, who believed the name Marvelman infringed on its trademark.

After Eclipse's demise, McFarlane purchased the rights to Miracleman at auction. McFarlane allegedly verbally promised to exchange his rights to Miracleman as payment for the rights to Angela and the work Gaiman had done with the character.

Todd McFarlane

Gaiman has also authored many novels, including the recently released "American Gods," "Neverwhere," and "Good Omens" with Terry Pratchett.

The lawsuit filed on January 24, 2002, in U.S. District Court also alleges that McFarlane made a wrongful claim to Miracleman, a comic book series Gaiman co-wrote with Alan Moore.

"This suit is not about the money, it's about respecting the rights of the creator and keeping promises,'' Gaiman said in statement released Thursday.

Todd McFarlane Productions Inc., based in Tempe Arizona, has not yet issued any comment.

Kurt Schaffenberger Dies

Lois Lane, Supergirl artist

Kurt Schaffenburger died of natural causes on January 24, 2002, in Brick, NJ. Schaffenburger was a key artist at both Fawcett Comics and DC Comics, perhaps best remembered for his 1950s Lois Lane with her classic pillbox hat.

Schaffenberger was born in Germany on December 15, 1920. He came to the United States eight years later and spent his boyhood in Hartford, CT. He attended Pratt Institute from 1938 to 1941, and upon graduating, worked as a comic book artist for a year before entering the army. Schaffenburger spent the next three and one half years fighting in World War II, before returning to his career as a comic book artist.

Kurt Schaffenberger

Although he worked for many comic publishers, Schaffenburger spent the last 30 years of his career at DC Comics, where he was known for his stylistic interpretations of Lois Lane, Supergirl, and Superman.

Schaffenburger, who lived in River Edge, NJ, was married for 42 years, with two children and six grandchildren.

Gray Morrow Dies

Illustrator and Animator

Gray Morrow

Illustrator and cartoonist Gray Morrow died at his Pennsylvania home on Tuesday, November 6, 2001. Morrow had suffered from health problems the last few years.

Born Dwight Graydon Morrow in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1934, Morrow began drawing as a child. Mostly self-taught, he was influenced by action heroes such as Tarzan, Flash Gordon , and the Shadow .

Morrow had an extensive career which included comic books, covers for both comics and science fiction magazines, comic strips (including Tarzan, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon), TV layout art for shows like Spider-Man , Rocket Robin, and Ralph Bakshi's Wizards and Fritz the Cat, as well as the interior art for magazines such as Galaxy , Creepy, Eerie and If.

He was also an editor, writer and artist for Archie Comics' Red Circle imprint (Red Circle Sorcery and Mad-House Comics), and a regular cover artist for Warren's horror books, Creepy and Eerie.

Morrow also illustrated the covers of over 100 Ace Books' paperbacks, including many Perry Rhodan books. His cover paintings for paperback books, as well as his many posters for motion pictures, established him as a popular illustrator outside of the comic book field.

John Buscema Dies

Top Marvel Artist, Drew Conan

Marvel Comics artist John Buscema died January 10, 2002, of stomach cancer. The 74-year-old artist drew Conan, adapted from stories by Robert Howard, for more than 25 years.

Born December 11, 1927, in Brooklyn, NY, Buscema began his career in 1948, responding to an ad in The New York Times, working for Timely Comics (a forerunner of Marvel Comics).

John Buscema

After spending some time in the advertising field, he returned to Marvel Comics in 1966 at the behest of Stan Lee. He worked on all of Marvel's major characters, including the Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer, and the Fantastic Four.

Buscema's books include "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" and "The John Buscema Sketchbook."

Buscema is survived by his wife, Dolores, son, John Jr., his daughter, Dianne, and four grandchildren.

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