Batman as a public domain character

[bat39]

For all the discussion about Superman becoming a public domain character in about a decade, somehow the fact that the same fate will befall everyone's favorite Dark Knight as well tends to be forgotten

But as it stands, on January 1st 2035 (so a little less than 12 years from now), Batman will enter the public domain. I'm assuming its just the first few Detective Comics stories from 1939 that'll enter the public domain that year, but the number will increase every year - by 2036, Robin, Joker and Catwoman would all be fair game. And in the years that follow, stuff like Alfred, the Batcave, the Batmobile, the Batsignal etc.

How do you think DC would handle this? And what kind of Batman projects could we potentially see in the early years of the public domain, given that so many elements of the Batman franchise as we know it today would be off-limits?

Compared to Superman, where the early Golden Age version of the character retains some popularity and inspires a great deal of curiosity, the early Golden Age Batman really does not have the same exposure. So would people really be interested in seeing a public domain version of the original Kane/Finger Bat-Man? Or a 10 year old Dick Grayson as Robin? A Catwoman who isn't Selina Kyle and doesn't have a sympathetic backstory? No Batcave or Batmobile to start with? A Gotham (well, New York City to begin with) that can't be a cesspool for crime and corruption run by the Mob?

[Ascended]

Yeah, when Bruce first hits the domain it'll only be the material published in 1939 (I don't know how many issues came out that year?). Then the following year the material from 1940, and so on.

When talking about the domain I usually focus on Clark, but yeah Bruce, Dick, Arthur, Diana, Captain America, Human Torch (android, not FF), Namor.....they'll all enter the domain within a decade of each other, joining their pulp ancestors like Shadow, Zorro, and Phantom.

I think if/when Batman hits the domain we'll see people using him but I'm honestly not sure if he'll get as much attention as Clark will. With the OG Supes, there seems to be a mindset of "returning to the true character before corporate interests ruined him" or something, but with Bats, DC has treated him very well and they've been very consistent and have built a wonderfully complex character and mythos, none of which would be available to the domain version. So I dunno if people don't care about Golden Age Batman because they're just not interested, or because they're just not aware, y'know?

[Frontier]

Public Domain does nothing for me.

[bat39]

Yeah, when Bruce first hits the domain it'll only be the material published in 1939 (I don't know how many issues came out that year?). Then the following year the material from 1940, and so on.

When talking about the domain I usually focus on Clark, but yeah Bruce, Dick, Arthur, Diana, Captain America, Human Torch (android, not FF), Namor.....they'll all enter the domain within a decade of each other, joining their pulp ancestors like Shadow, Zorro, and Phantom.

I think if/when Batman hits the domain we'll see people using him but I'm honestly not sure if he'll get as much attention as Clark will. With the OG Supes, there seems to be a mindset of "returning to the true character before corporate interests ruined him" or something, but with Bats, DC has treated him very well and they've been very consistent and have built a wonderfully complex character and mythos, none of which would be available to the domain version. So I dunno if people don't care about Golden Age Batman because they're just not interested, or because they're just not aware, y'know?

Fair point.

Hell, with Batman, it sometimes seems like most people aren't even aware of the character before Frank Miller's work! (the Adam West Batman, and I guess the Hanna-Barbera/Filmation cartoon versions being the major exceptions).

Still, I find it hard to believe that someone won't try to take advantage of Batman (or at least a small piece of him) being in the public domain.

[Ascended]

I'm sure people will use domain Batman. It's Batman, one of the most popular and profitable IP's on earth, of course people will use him when/if he goes public. I'm just not sure how popular, successful, or common those adaptations will be.

With Clark, it's a return to form, embracing the oft-ignored glory and raw energy that launched a genre. With domain Batman, it's more like having this really tall, beautiful building full of amazing entertainment, but you're only allowed in the basement. I dunno how many people will pick up basement Batman with DC's version right next to it.

Or maybe domain Batman will prove as successful as DC's. Relatively speaking of course; nobody should expect public domain projects to spent 300 million on a movie or anything.

And I wonder how much friction DC will try to put up over domain Batman. WB/DC hasn't known what to do with Clark for decades, and often don't care. If/when Clark enters the domain, WB will put up a stink when others try to use him but I don't know if they'll put real effort into stopping it. But when Bats goes public? WB will fight tooth and nail to keep him out of anyone else's hands, they'll go much farther for Bruce than they would for Clark. Even if copyright and trademark laws stand as-is, and WB's efforts are doomed to failure in court, the point of such tactics is often intimidation or incurring enough expense that the project stops being worthwhile. It's not about winning the court ruling, just making the other guy stop. And I doubt WB will let anybody so much as show a shadowy pair of pointy ears without making as much of a fuss about it as they possibly can.