Courtrooms aren't much use in comic books. Either cases get thrown out because the lawyer is a superhero like Daredevil and it's deemed a conflict of interest, or else they're abandoned because a witness threw acid on District Attorney Harvey Dent. No wonder the world has to rely on vigilantes to take it upon themselves to ensure justice is served. In the real world, the law is as close to a superpower as comics publishers have. With the Big Two publishers Marvel and DC owned by huge entertainment companies, they've got some considerable lawyering talent on their side. Plus they've got every reason to be litigious and sue anybody who threatens their intellectual property. And boy, do they sue. Court records are littered with a long line of ridiculous comic book-related lawsuits. Everything from creators trying to retain the rights to their work, to fans being sued for ripping off characters, to the fact that Marvel and DC actually own a joint copyright on the most sought-after concept in all of comic books. Some court cases deal with the small fry. Others have a rippling effect which makes people view the whole industry differently, or causes big-name creators to go into hiding, or go broke, or worse. From Howard The Duck's parentage to Superman's tragic origin, here are ten landmark lawsuits that changed comics forever.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
