CBR: Gaiman & McFarlane Settle Suit on Medieval Spawn, Angela

**CBR News** · 01-30-2012, 04:07 PM

After years of legal battles, judgments and fines, Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane have settled their long-running dispute over the Medieval Spawn and Angela characters they co-created in "Spawn" #9.

Full article here.

**Leocomix** · 01-30-2012, 04:10 PM

Should I stop hanging on my issue #9?

**PreacherCain** · 01-30-2012, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by Leocomix

Should I stop hanging on my issue #9?

Yesterday would have been a good time to sell it

Hopefully this will help Marvelman too. Nice to see the two coming to terms, sounds like a fair deal.

**Greg Anderson** · 01-30-2012, 05:21 PM

This is dumb. The fans get screwed too!

**Scott M Davis** · 01-30-2012, 05:54 PM

Here comes a re-pressing on the first HC with issue 9 in it!

**Celestin** · 01-30-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by PreacherCain

Hopefully this will help Marvelman too. Nice to see the two coming to terms, sounds like a fair deal.

I doubt that, though one can always hope. Still, it's 2012, so someone (probably Marvel) should finish publishing Marvelman. It's now or never, because you know - the end of the world in nigh.

**Greg Anderson** · 01-30-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Scott M Davis

Here comes a re-pressing on the first HC with issue 9 in it!

Ha! This'll be like the 58th version of vol. 1

**Michael P** · 01-30-2012, 06:24 PM

Nice to know it only takes 20 years and decision after decision against him to get Todd McFarlane to abide by a contract he entered into willingly.

**Thad** · 01-30-2012, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by Greg Anderson

This is dumb. The fans get screwed too!

Er, WHAT'S dumb? The settlement, the suit, McFarlane's attempts to avoid paying Gaiman, Gaiman's claim of copyright on derivative characters, or Gaiman's backing out of the Miracleman buyout? I can't tell what argument you're making here, if any.

And speaking of the Miracleman buyout, I doubt this has any impact on that -- the reason Gaiman backed out in the first place was that he realized McFarlane owned nothing. Eclipse never had the Marvelman rights in the first place, and whatever print contracts they had for the Moore/Gaiman run are long expired -- Moore knows a thing or two about reversion clauses.

**GRANT!** · 01-30-2012, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Scott M Davis

Here comes a re-pressing on the first HC with issue 9 in it!

Actually Todd reprinted 9 AND 10 in the Ultimate and Deluxe Hardcovers. No need to repress them.

The first origin trade however are missing both issues.

**Alex6166** · 01-30-2012, 11:35 PM

Still have my #9 and I never want to sell it, anyway.

**John Pannozzi** · 01-31-2012, 06:44 AM

And let us not forget that Neil also co-owns the character of Cogliostro.

From what I understand, Neil was going to sell his stake in Angela in exchange for Todd's share of Miracleman/Marvelman, but then Neil backed away when it turned out that Todd did consider Neil a co-owner of Cogliostro and Medieval Spawn. Bit of a shame if you ask me, but, hey, life goes on.

**mrhelm** · 01-31-2012, 07:19 AM

Pretty sure it's been proven again and again and again that Todd didn't actually buy a single bit of Miracleman ever, except, perhaps, the name of the comic itself. The interiors were completely owned by the writers and artists that worked on them, which is why reprinting them at Marvel (as Marvelman) has proven so hard.