Same here. In fact, I keep hoping Marvel and AC will collaborate on a special edition of WHAT IF...? that could be entitled: "What If Spider-Man Had Joined The _Other_ FF?" Lol!
If it's one thing I've learned from studying comics, it's that each one represents the hard work of its creators. Even the obscure ones must have taken great effort to make, and should not be forgotten. Miss Victory was kicking butt with Wonder Woman back then. She's a part of the graphic novel I've been working on (or at least her granddaughter), along with an assortment of other golden agers. Once again, I much appreciate the time you've taken to remind us about all the great heroes we don't celebrate anymore, and why we still should.
Hi James! Keep me up to date on your graphic novel. I'm working on a couple of scripts myself. Also, I'm trying to get my drawing skills up to a respectable level. One of the things I want to do is network with others who are doing this. I'm sure there's a lot of pitfalls I need to look out for.
@Skye Dragon7 Nobody has the rights to characters that are public domain. AC Comics created spin-offs of some golden age heroes but they don't own the originals. Blue Beetle, on the other hand, is trademarked and copyright of DC Comics. The original Golden Age Blue Beetle comics AND the Charlton/Dan Garrett issues may not be protected by copyright. Blue Beetle is in a quasi-PD state; note that I'm referring to the Dan Garret(t) version of The Blue Beetle, not Ted Kord or Jaime Reyes who are still under copyright protection. AC Comics reprinted some Charlton material including unpublished comics prior to DC Comics acquiring the Charlton heroes (The Question, Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, and Captain Atom). The big "DC debut" for these characters and their supporting cast was in the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. I never heard of Holyoke Publishing. Blue Beetle to my understanding was published by Fox Comics before the character ended up at Charlton Comics in the 1950s. There are tons of comics Marvel and DC don't want you to know are public domain; they've trademarked and copyrighted the likenesses of a bunch of Golden Age characters (most notably the original Marvel Family who I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to call the Shazam Family!) but the original comics themselves were not copyright renewed in the 1960s and 1970s when they came up for renewal. They'd love to be able to resell those comics but A) half of them at least need restoration work, even if it's half-assed; and B) they're competing against 25+ years of the world wide web where aware fans were posting public domain/rights-lapsed comics already! There are companies like AC Comics and PS Art Books that have done reprints of public domain golden age comic books but in the case of one character (Phantom Lady) PS Art Books did NOT do their reprint volumes (2 for her; I own them) before contacting DC Comics. DC owns that character but it's a courtesy to contact the owner before you do reprints. They do allow reprints under certain situations but the ownership of the character has to be acknowledged even if the reprint stories are public domain!
@Skye Dragon7 The laws are murky. It's been made worse by corporations petitioning Congress to extend the copyrights on their existing characters. Mickey Mouse should be public domain but isn't. Superman technically technically doesn't fall under lapse because Siegel & SHuster haven't been dead 30 years and the Siegel family lawsuit against DC in the late 20th century (shortly after Jerry died) muddies the waters more. The sad reality is these corporations can petition (re: bribe) Congress again and get yet another extension on their IP copyrights. Most of these other characters should NOT be under copyright. The sad reality is that the characters are recognized as "corporate creations." The only reason why half the creators is because fans did the research and fans (many of who worked within the industry in the past) asked these questions.
It's more of a passion project. I've been having so much fun reimagining these characters, and plotting their stories into one. I've bought one of those do-it-yourself comic books from Target, and have begun syncing the script with the panels. I'll start with the illustrations once I got the script finished. It's a long process, but one I'm happy to take my time on. I'm glad to hear you all are doing the same. Good luck, everyone!
@@AvengerII Actually all of Charlton's characters are in the Public Domain. Charlton did not do a good job at putting the copyright notice in. DC owns the trademarks, but the actual stories are Public Domain. That's the real reason DC killed off Ted Kord and the Question.
Hi SpideyRules1962! This "work at home" situation agrees with me. I live 13 miles from work...and during rush hour, it takes me over an hour to drive home. I feel exhausted after that. Before I know it, it's time for bed. I have so much more time to work on things now.
Ok, if the Bible says: As it is on Earth, so shall it be in Heaven. If I want to have kinky perverted sex with another consenting adult on Earth, why do these self righteous Bible thumpers think I cant do it in Heaven? That is not Heaven to me!
Another great video. I've never dug deep into the history of Blue Beetle pre-Charlton following the early years, so now I have a chunk to go check out.
Thank you very much for making these videos. I love learning more about the history of comics! It's nice knowing pre-established characters like these are in the public domain. I could drop them into a story just to establish a larger world.
Love these behind the scenes stories! And they really refute the idea that women weren't a part of comics in the earlier days. Either in the magazines, or behind the scenes. (tried looking up that editor 'Raye Herman' ? but had too many similar names to sift through). I'm sure there's an interesting story there too.
Hi you2099! During World War II, most of the male population (age 18-40) was drafted into the military. There were a lot of women working in comics. One of my favorite stories is that of Lilly Renee. She created Werewolf Hunter for Fiction House. She was an Austrian refugee who fled when the Germans took over.
I feel like "Red Cross" really ought to be adopted as a mascot by the actual Red Cross. Pep up their blood drives no end to have a superhero connected to them.
A few of those characters were listed in The Invaders as their WW1 predecessors, I think, unless I'm mistaken. As always, great content, excellent research
@@FizzFop1 it was a one panel reference with a memory image sort of thing in the first issue with Union Jack. Funny the things that stick out in your head huh
Your channel and content are absolutely some of the the best stuff out there... just my opinion. Thanks for your hard work in producing it... greatly appreciated. Cheers.
Miss Victory, Catman and Kitten, Black Venus are being used by AC Comics, DC has been using Ragman for years, at least in name, Marvel revived Strongmsn, Volton, Phantom Eagle and Golden Archer, the first two as villains in their Invaders series.
have you thought of doing a section dedicated solely on the early work of great/notable creators or doing a segment of lesser-known golden age creators?
It's crossed my mind to do Dr. Occult. I have a script for The Green Turtle. I have a couple of other sad stories about creators--I'm looking for a happy one to move up the list.
Thank you Fizzfop1! This was definitely one of your 'must watch twice' videos (the first time to hit pause every few secs & study the artwork); God these are the best covers ever!
Hey Douglas, I find these books on comic book plus and digital comics museum websites. I go there and get lost for days looking at the art. You should check it out.
another fun and informative episode. Heard of most of these guys, but encountered them in other places than their comics. Like most guys in there 80s, I remember Miss Victory from Femforce. Loved that series and AC in general. And while I've listened to a bunch of Blue Beetle radio episodes, I don't think I've read any of his stories. Gonna end up spending a lot of time at the digital comics museum site.
@@FizzFop1 AC was THE source for info on GA heroes for quite awhile. Them bringing back heroes as well as reprints were part of what got me hooked on older heroes. Their western line was a lot of fun too.
Thank you for another infomative video about forgotten characters. I knew of the name Holyoke, and that they were a publishing company fom the Goldena Age, but since I don't have the budget to collect that era very much, knew nothing of thir contents. So thank you!
Hey Rangersly! If you want to read Holyoke and other golden age books that have fallen in public domain-check out comic book plus or digital comics museum. Both places have websites. The entire Holyoke line is there to read.
Crazy, i just went to a thrift store a month or so back and found issue 11 of Golden Age Men of Mystery from Paragon Publishing featuring Cat-Man and Kitty on the cover. In fact, the picture of them at 0:58 is the cover of issue 11. I Didnt realize he had a much larger run in comics. Very interesting
Man I know it's short but I love the section on the Hood, revisiting this video cuz now I'm actually writing a short story explaining why the hoods so inconsistent
Glad to see your channel slowly building up a larger fanbase. Loved your stuff for awhile now, and I remember being bummed that you didn't have more views.
Thanks toonbat! Yeah, I can't put out videos fast enough to hit UA-cam's algorithm. I put out four videos this month with the Wally Wood series...but I still can't tap into it. Oh well, having fewer viewers allows me to talk with people.
Hi Stefan--or you can look through the Holyoke books online for free at digital comics museum or at comic book plus. Both websites have years worth of reading on them.
Holyoke Comics are available to read online at Digital Comics Museum and Comic Books Plus. Irwin Hasen, co-creator of Catman, also created the Fox for MLJ (now Archie Comics) and Wildcat for DC. Links for DCM: digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php and CB+: comicbookplus.com/?cid=1507
Nice! I suppose also worth mentioning is that although DC is publishing Blue Beetle comics, they don’t own the original version of the Blue Beetle due to Mystery Men Comics not being renewed in time, so that Dan Garret version is in public domain, though it has to be ensured no fan puts the name Blue Beetle on any of their covers due to DC owning the trademark.
Do it. I encourage everyone to give it a try. Find something you like and just put it out there. I'm working on a couple of other things in addition to this channel.
Whenever I'm perusing GA comics, Catman always stands out as a great design and character who would hold up even today (and in fact does). Senorita Rio (as drawn by Lily Renee), Lady Satan, and Black Cat (Lee Elias' version) do as well.
What exactly is the situation with Catman's copyright? I mean ive seen the character or versions thereof appear in several different projects owned by different companies.
Hi metalmonkey00. He's in public domain. I don't know all the legalities of public domain. Publishers have used the character or a version of the character for years.
Hi Michael! Thanks for watching! You can go to comicbookplus website or the digitalcomicsmuseum website. The entire Holyoke line and several other lines are available to read.
I wonder how many of these were used (and needed to be adjusted a bit) when Dynamite Comics did a couple of mini-series "bringing back" all the Public Domain characters. I think it was called Project Superpowers.
Cat-Man in the early days was a hero when he moved to Dc Comics he probably still retained his heroic title for a while then had a reboot and became a villain(1970s) but what is interesting is his powers from a tiger in the old story but I think he was transformed in a cat like creature along the way his powers are that of every cat and he has other powers as well or he did? Tiger Man was another character in comics to than there's Bronze Tiger and Black Panther and back to Cat Man what happened to his original sidekick Kitten i have a strange loop here for her she is Batman's mother or possibly Robins? But it is strange that she has never be see since in comics or did she become someone else either way there's no tale about lost sidekicks or them related to other hero's? The Cat(Bat} Man story are so similar but both are friends originally in the stories later to become ememies and that's characters in common with shared history or similar origin stories?
DC’s Catman has no connection to Cat-Man except name and costume colors…they took on the abandoned name and design but created a different, better backstory, and built him into a good antihero
@@FizzFop1 will do it may take awhile though got to get some more research into it before I start though it is kinda hard to find much on the comics not unless you have a particular source you can point me to
There's a brief snippet about him on wiki, under the Ragman page: Jay Garson Junior, who first appeared in Holyoke Publishing's Cat-Man #1 was the Golden Age Rag-Man. He first assumed his costumed identity when, after writing an article denouncing a gang of criminals, he is in a park and is shot at by one of them, only to have a tramp jump in front of him and save his life. After discovering that the tramp is his exact double, he switches clothes with him and makes it look like the criminals have succeeded in shooting him. Dressed in the tramp's tattered clothes, he then interrupts a meeting at the gang's hideout and apprehends them. Because Holyoke never renewed their copyright on him, the Rag-Man is in the public domain.
Even though Holyoke has been forgotten, the design and concept of their Cat-Man character has bizarrely lived on in cartoons and parodies of the Adam West Batman series..?
My favourite episode simply because I own some obscure Holyoke gems. Where did you find your information? I couldn't find any information on this publisher/printer.
I had to do some digging! I found some of it online...follow a trail and see where it leads...I also purchased some old issues of Alter Ego and Kirby Collector.
I wouldn't mind a omnibus collecting all the Holyoke Catman issues. 👍 Oh yeah, DCs Catman is a completely different guy from Holyokes Catman. There seems to be some confusion on that. I hope this video clears that up.
Hi John, I remember AC Comics printing ashcans and collections of Catman, but I don't think anyone has done a complete omnibus. If you want to read his adventures, check out the "comic book plus" or "digital comic museum" websites.
All those characters are different and they are in public domain. I think DC might have trademarked the characters meaning that you can't put their name on the cover with a logo...but I'm not 100% sure how that works because I have seen small publishers doing Catman comic books.
@@dazblue5515 The DC version came out about 15 years after the Holyoke version did. There was an all black clad Catman in the 1970s from a small publisher. AC and Dynamite Entertainment used variations of the Holyoke character.
Hi Gavin, thanks for watching. Yes, he's in public domain. You can't use DC's version of the character...but you can use the original version and I have seen a few publishers create their own character over the years.
I think they used a version of Catman in the Fairly Odd Parents cartoon where Adam West (RIP) plays a parody version of himself. Very similar color palette, at least (orange cowl, yellow jumpsuit)
Hi Skot! Thanks for watching! Yeah, DC made their own version of Catman. I have to check up when they created him, but I think it was long after Holyoke went under. There's a couple of other versions of Catman out there...currently Dynamite uses him in their Project Superpowers books. There was an indie publisher in the 70s with a Catman character. AC Comics published him in the 80s and 90s. There was an Australian version in the 1960s. So, when it comes to this character-it's a free for all.
@@FizzFop1 there's a Catboy in PJMasks, but the colors are so exactly the same. If i were to make a DIFFERENT Catman, i'd chose different colors. I have a feeling that somehow DC got this directly from them somehow. same artist? same creator hired at DC? just a nod of a fan? I was reading Star Wars 2015-2019 comics, and there is a character that is partially lizard, and if you kill him, he just resurrects in a robotic chamber elsewhere, and his name was CYLO IV (obviously visual nod to CYLON from BSG)
@@livclark8154 If your interested in reading any of the Holyoke titles...you can find them at comicbookplus.com or digitalcomicsmuseum.com. Almost their entire print run is there. Weeks of reading!
With all these characters in the Public Domain that you often tell us about, if given the chance to head up a company who wanted to do superhero comics, but didn't want to make them, who would YOU take in as your Line of Heroes and Villains?
Hi King Coheed! Thanks for watching! The six characters I focused on in this video have the most potential. In my opinion, Holyoke's best villains were Lady Satan and Dr. Macabre. Of course, these characters are only as good as the writer/artist who creates their adventures. I'm also a firm believer in that the villain is the most important aspect of the story. Heroes are only as great as their villains. Weak villain=weak hero. Batman and Spider-man are great for a reason.
Yes, but you the problem of having Daddy Warnerbucks . . . 'errrm, excuse me, Time/Warner, dropping a ton of lawyers on you if you try. Now, if you have a billion bucks in the bank, there's a good trademark/copyright lawyer I can recommend . . .
SmithNorthwest The Golden Age Blue Beetle was a drug using policeman...the DC one is based on the Charlton version who was an archeologist...what’s weird is that he and Ted Kord are kinda in the public domain too.
Hi Frank, thanks for watching. Dynamite has series going on now with a bunch of these characters. Back in the 80s and 90s, AC Comics ran with these characters.
Different Catman...that name has been used a number of times. Just discovered a line using it in the 1970s. It's going to get mentioned in a future video.
Hi PersonaOhnlyne! Thanks for watching. I've looked over The Fiction House line. I've made a few notes, but haven't moved forward yet. I'm bogged down trying to figure out how to tell the Fox Features story. Also, I have three pulp magazine heroes I'm working on were I have to build most of the visuals for. When I get a couple of those videos out of the way, I will probably move toward Fiction House.
As a teen I loved Femforce. It exposed me to so many random almost-forgotten GA characters.
Same here. In fact, I keep hoping Marvel and AC will collaborate on a special edition of WHAT IF...? that could be entitled: "What If Spider-Man Had Joined The _Other_ FF?" Lol!
If it's one thing I've learned from studying comics, it's that each one represents the hard work of its creators. Even the obscure ones must have taken great effort to make, and should not be forgotten. Miss Victory was kicking butt with Wonder Woman back then. She's a part of the graphic novel I've been working on (or at least her granddaughter), along with an assortment of other golden agers. Once again, I much appreciate the time you've taken to remind us about all the great heroes we don't celebrate anymore, and why we still should.
Hi James! Keep me up to date on your graphic novel. I'm working on a couple of scripts myself. Also, I'm trying to get my drawing skills up to a respectable level. One of the things I want to do is network with others who are doing this. I'm sure there's a lot of pitfalls I need to look out for.
@Skye Dragon7 Nobody has the rights to characters that are public domain. AC Comics created spin-offs of some golden age heroes but they don't own the originals.
Blue Beetle, on the other hand, is trademarked and copyright of DC Comics. The original Golden Age Blue Beetle comics AND the Charlton/Dan Garrett issues may not be protected by copyright. Blue Beetle is in a quasi-PD state; note that I'm referring to the Dan Garret(t) version of The Blue Beetle, not Ted Kord or Jaime Reyes who are still under copyright protection.
AC Comics reprinted some Charlton material including unpublished comics prior to DC Comics acquiring the Charlton heroes (The Question, Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, and Captain Atom). The big "DC debut" for these characters and their supporting cast was in the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series.
I never heard of Holyoke Publishing. Blue Beetle to my understanding was published by Fox Comics before the character ended up at Charlton Comics in the 1950s.
There are tons of comics Marvel and DC don't want you to know are public domain; they've trademarked and copyrighted the likenesses of a bunch of Golden Age characters (most notably the original Marvel Family who I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to call the Shazam Family!) but the original comics themselves were not copyright renewed in the 1960s and 1970s when they came up for renewal. They'd love to be able to resell those comics but A) half of them at least need restoration work, even if it's half-assed; and B) they're competing against 25+ years of the world wide web where aware fans were posting public domain/rights-lapsed comics already!
There are companies like AC Comics and PS Art Books that have done reprints of public domain golden age comic books but in the case of one character (Phantom Lady) PS Art Books did NOT do their reprint volumes (2 for her; I own them) before contacting DC Comics. DC owns that character but it's a courtesy to contact the owner before you do reprints. They do allow reprints under certain situations but the ownership of the character has to be acknowledged even if the reprint stories are public domain!
@Skye Dragon7 The laws are murky.
It's been made worse by corporations petitioning Congress to extend the copyrights on their existing characters. Mickey Mouse should be public domain but isn't. Superman technically technically doesn't fall under lapse because Siegel & SHuster haven't been dead 30 years and the Siegel family lawsuit against DC in the late 20th century (shortly after Jerry died) muddies the waters more. The sad reality is these corporations can petition (re: bribe) Congress again and get yet another extension on their IP copyrights.
Most of these other characters should NOT be under copyright.
The sad reality is that the characters are recognized as "corporate creations." The only reason why half the creators is because fans did the research and fans (many of who worked within the industry in the past) asked these questions.
It's more of a passion project. I've been having so much fun reimagining these characters, and plotting their stories into one. I've bought one of those do-it-yourself comic books from Target, and have begun syncing the script with the panels. I'll start with the illustrations once I got the script finished. It's a long process, but one I'm happy to take my time on. I'm glad to hear you all are doing the same. Good luck, everyone!
@@AvengerII Actually all of Charlton's characters are in the Public Domain. Charlton did not do a good job at putting the copyright notice in. DC owns the trademarks, but the actual stories are Public Domain. That's the real reason DC killed off Ted Kord and the Question.
I've heard of Holyoke Comics, but never read anything by them.
This was quite informative. Thanks!
Hi Vincent! Thanks for watching! You can read their books at Comic Book Plus or at Digital Comics Museum. Both websites have years worth of reading.
I could do a lot with some of these characters, Black Venus especially.
Nice to see early Jack Kirby's and Joe Kubert's (15 years! 😶) works!
You've been uploading more often, I like it.
Hi SpideyRules1962! This "work at home" situation agrees with me. I live 13 miles from work...and during rush hour, it takes me over an hour to drive home. I feel exhausted after that. Before I know it, it's time for bed. I have so much more time to work on things now.
@@FizzFop1 There have been a few silver linings to the pandemic and this is one of them.
I was married to Lady Satan for awhile
Weren't we all.
Sounds like she gets around.
Me too, still am...evil is so attractive
Ok, if the Bible says: As it is on Earth, so shall it be in Heaven. If I want to have kinky perverted sex with another consenting adult on Earth, why do these self righteous Bible thumpers think I cant do it in Heaven? That is not Heaven to me!
Dammit, I'm taking it with me!
Another excellent show. This very cool and other then The Blue Beetle I was not aware of all the great comics Holyoke published.
Another great video. I've never dug deep into the history of Blue Beetle pre-Charlton following the early years, so now I have a chunk to go check out.
Thank you very much for making these videos. I love learning more about the history of comics! It's nice knowing pre-established characters like these are in the public domain. I could drop them into a story just to establish a larger world.
Love these behind the scenes stories!
And they really refute the idea that women weren't a part of comics in the earlier days. Either in the magazines, or behind the scenes. (tried looking up that editor 'Raye Herman' ? but had too many similar names to sift through). I'm sure there's an interesting story there too.
Hi you2099! During World War II, most of the male population (age 18-40) was drafted into the military. There were a lot of women working in comics. One of my favorite stories is that of Lilly Renee. She created Werewolf Hunter for Fiction House. She was an Austrian refugee who fled when the Germans took over.
True.
If you went by current hearsay, you'd think female comic creators just started last year.
I feel like "Red Cross" really ought to be adopted as a mascot by the actual Red Cross. Pep up their blood drives no end to have a superhero connected to them.
Ah yes, the Golden Age Blue Beetle...if he ever gets an episode, good luck.
Hi Jack of All Claws-I have a script...it would be an hour long. No kidding.
FizzFop1 dang.
A few of those characters were listed in The Invaders as their WW1 predecessors, I think, unless I'm mistaken.
As always, great content, excellent research
Hi dfcsons! I had no idea about that.
@@FizzFop1 it was a one panel reference with a memory image sort of thing in the first issue with Union Jack. Funny the things that stick out in your head huh
Your channel and content are absolutely some of the the best stuff out there... just my opinion.
Thanks for your hard work in producing it... greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
Miss Victory, Catman and Kitten, Black Venus are being used by AC Comics, DC has been using Ragman for years, at least in name, Marvel revived Strongmsn, Volton, Phantom Eagle and Golden Archer, the first two as villains in their Invaders series.
Absolutely another great doc. You're the best.
Thank you so much for the video! I had never heard of Holyoke, but am familiar with many of the titles. I appreciate the knowledge. 👍
at least Cat-Man lived on through the villain/antihero baring his name and similar colored suit, so he wasn’t forgotten!
have you thought of doing a section dedicated solely on the early work of great/notable creators or doing a segment of lesser-known golden age creators?
It's crossed my mind to do Dr. Occult. I have a script for The Green Turtle. I have a couple of other sad stories about creators--I'm looking for a happy one to move up the list.
Keep up the good love your videos
It's great to see you making more videos continuously! Keep up the good work!
Great presentation, very well done.
Glad to see you are okay. Keep up with the excellent work as usual
Excellent podcast! 👊👍
Thank you Fizzfop1! This was definitely one of your 'must watch twice' videos (the first time to hit pause every few secs & study the artwork); God these are the best covers ever!
Hey Douglas, I find these books on comic book plus and digital comics museum websites. I go there and get lost for days looking at the art. You should check it out.
@@FizzFop1 I appreciate the info--thanks, I'll do that! (Though I still prefer your presentations of course) :)
I have never heard of this publisher I'm going to look up their characters so thanks for the info.
another fun and informative episode.
Heard of most of these guys, but encountered them in other places than their comics.
Like most guys in there 80s, I remember Miss Victory from Femforce.
Loved that series and AC in general.
And while I've listened to a bunch of Blue Beetle radio episodes, I don't think I've read any of his stories.
Gonna end up spending a lot of time at the digital comics museum site.
I loved AC back in the 1980s. I have quite a few of those FemForce issues myself. That was an under-appreciated line.
@@FizzFop1 AC was THE source for info on GA heroes for quite awhile. Them bringing back heroes as well as reprints were part of what got me hooked on older heroes.
Their western line was a lot of fun too.
Very interesting fellas i'll have to look into these Golden age comic more =)
Thank you for another infomative video about forgotten characters. I knew of the name Holyoke, and that they were a publishing company fom the Goldena Age, but since I don't have the budget to collect that era very much, knew nothing of thir contents. So thank you!
Hey Rangersly! If you want to read Holyoke and other golden age books that have fallen in public domain-check out comic book plus or digital comics museum. Both places have websites. The entire Holyoke line is there to read.
Rewatching this videos I'm honeslty surprised their were genres outside of the superhero genre. This does inspire to do my own comics out of fun.
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this information 😃👍
Crazy, i just went to a thrift store a month or so back and found issue 11 of Golden Age Men of Mystery from Paragon Publishing featuring Cat-Man and Kitty on the cover. In fact, the picture of them at 0:58 is the cover of issue 11. I Didnt realize he had a much larger run in comics. Very interesting
A very late night but welcome surprise
Your videos are so good, man.. Thank you.
Another great one. Already pulling out the sketchbook on Miss Victory
Hi Marcus! You know you need to post those drawings so we can see them.
@@FizzFop1 I think I will tonight, man. Thank you.
Here ya go, man.
ua-cam.com/video/U70xt-z3Jdk/v-deo.html
I made a video of me showing it off just for you.
Bro another great video bro .Keep up the great work ,your videos got me reading the modernised version of these heroes from Dynamite .
Awesome Mark!
I've indeed done my own version of many of these characters, great stuff. Great video as well!!!
Man I know it's short but I love the section on the Hood, revisiting this video cuz now I'm actually writing a short story explaining why the hoods so inconsistent
When I hear Catman I automatically think of The character from Fairly Odd Parents voiced by Adam West
Thanks for this they are all new to me in UK as we do not have them.( we had our own hero comics).
Love this whole series
Glad to see your channel slowly building up a larger fanbase. Loved your stuff for awhile now, and I remember being bummed that you didn't have more views.
Thanks toonbat! Yeah, I can't put out videos fast enough to hit UA-cam's algorithm. I put out four videos this month with the Wally Wood series...but I still can't tap into it. Oh well, having fewer viewers allows me to talk with people.
Fantastic stuff. I wish more people covered these forgotten arts.
I love these lost heros videos do more please
Thanks Bryce! More are on the way.
This is nice work on an era of comics and a group of characters that I don’t really know about.
That first picture of Black Venus is done by Harvey Kurtzman, if I remember correctly...
Wow! I've just been looking at Holyoke Comics for my updated Universe.
That is cool CountryBwoy! Keep me up to date with what you're doing!
DANG! I’ve been waiting for Cat-Man! This made my day
Hey Risebell! I have a Catman solo video in the works. Saved a couple of really great stories for it.
Another great video!
Really awesome. Thanks so much for sharing. Now I just gotta buy another three or four thousand comic books. But where ?
Hi Stefan--or you can look through the Holyoke books online for free at digital comics museum or at comic book plus. Both websites have years worth of reading on them.
Who is the bow and arrow female at approximately 7:56 to 7:57? thanks in advance!
Hi SMithNorthwest, thanks for watching. She is called "Diana" as in the Greek Goddess of the Hunt...she is the sidekick to a hero called "Boomerang."
Can you please talk about heroes in Mystery comics
Marvel Mystery Comics? or Super Mystery Comics?
Holyoke Comics are available to read online at Digital Comics Museum and Comic Books Plus. Irwin Hasen, co-creator of Catman, also created the Fox for MLJ (now Archie Comics) and Wildcat for DC.
Links for DCM: digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php and CB+: comicbookplus.com/?cid=1507
Awesomeness ... dude I love this site ... it's so much fun. U ever do anything on Miss America?
Hi Phil, thanks for watching. Haven't done anything about her yet.
Nice! I suppose also worth mentioning is that although DC is publishing Blue Beetle comics, they don’t own the original version of the Blue Beetle due to Mystery Men Comics not being renewed in time, so that Dan Garret version is in public domain, though it has to be ensured no fan puts the name Blue Beetle on any of their covers due to DC owning the trademark.
no different than Marvel sitting on the Captain Marvel trademark or copyright preventing DC from using it forcing the comics to all be named Shazam!
I am so inspired by our videos I feel I should also start a publication company 🥰👍🙏
Do it. I encourage everyone to give it a try. Find something you like and just put it out there. I'm working on a couple of other things in addition to this channel.
@@FizzFop1 wow that's so Great ,sir how can I contact you!?
I love your videos since I am into the golden age of comic books. But I wish your earlier videos are also narrated...
Whenever I'm perusing GA comics, Catman always stands out as a great design and character who would hold up even today (and in fact does). Senorita Rio (as drawn by Lily Renee), Lady Satan, and Black Cat (Lee Elias' version) do as well.
Those are great choices in comics.
Nice video as always
Yo, I love these videos!
What exactly is the situation with Catman's copyright? I mean ive seen the character or versions thereof appear in several different projects owned by different companies.
Hi metalmonkey00. He's in public domain. I don't know all the legalities of public domain. Publishers have used the character or a version of the character for years.
Great stuff, thanks!
it would be nice to have access to these golden age classics to read
Hi Michael! Thanks for watching! You can go to comicbookplus website or the digitalcomicsmuseum website. The entire Holyoke line and several other lines are available to read.
I wonder how many of these were used (and needed to be adjusted a bit) when Dynamite Comics did a couple of mini-series "bringing back" all the Public Domain characters. I think it was called Project Superpowers.
Do a Part 2 on Holyoke.
Hey Conrado! I'm working on a Catman solo video--and it will have some info about Holyoke that I left out.
Cat-Man in the early days was a hero when he moved to Dc Comics he probably still retained his heroic title for a while then had a reboot and became a villain(1970s) but what is interesting is his powers from a tiger in the old story but I think he was transformed in a cat like creature along the way his powers are that of every cat and he has other powers as well or he did? Tiger Man was another character in comics to than there's Bronze Tiger and Black Panther and back to Cat Man what happened to his original sidekick Kitten i have a strange loop here for her she is Batman's mother or possibly Robins? But it is strange that she has never be see since in comics or did she become someone else either way there's no tale about lost sidekicks or them related to other hero's? The Cat(Bat} Man story are so similar but both are friends originally in the stories later to become ememies and that's characters in common with shared history or similar origin stories?
DC’s Catman has no connection to Cat-Man except name and costume colors…they took on the abandoned name and design but created a different, better backstory, and built him into a good antihero
The Solar Legion seems awsome I would love to see them again I can always do my own comic they are in the public domain
Hey Austin! Yes, they are in public domain! Good luck on your comic! Let me know when you are finished.
@@FizzFop1 will do it may take awhile though got to get some more research into it before I start though it is kinda hard to find much on the comics not unless you have a particular source you can point me to
digitalcomicmuseum.com/ Look for Holyoke...the book is called Crash Comics. Sorry it took so many responses to get it right.
@@FizzFop1 thank you very much my friend
All of The Blue Beetles Are Awesome in My Book
I noticed Ragman being listed. I am familiar with a DC character by that name, don't know much about Holyokes version.
Hi Jonathan. When I was doing research, I didn't spend much time looking over that character.
There's a brief snippet about him on wiki, under the Ragman page: Jay Garson Junior, who first appeared in Holyoke Publishing's Cat-Man #1 was the Golden Age Rag-Man. He first assumed his costumed identity when, after writing an article denouncing a gang of criminals, he is in a park and is shot at by one of them, only to have a tramp jump in front of him and save his life. After discovering that the tramp is his exact double, he switches clothes with him and makes it look like the criminals have succeeded in shooting him. Dressed in the tramp's tattered clothes, he then interrupts a meeting at the gang's hideout and apprehends them.
Because Holyoke never renewed their copyright on him, the Rag-Man is in the public domain.
Even though Holyoke has been forgotten, the design and concept of their Cat-Man character has bizarrely lived on in cartoons and parodies of the Adam West Batman series..?
Your work is so smooth. I lean more while drawing and listening to you.
That's awesome! Thanks TS!
My favourite episode simply because I own some obscure Holyoke gems. Where did you find your information? I couldn't find any information on this publisher/printer.
I had to do some digging! I found some of it online...follow a trail and see where it leads...I also purchased some old issues of Alter Ego and Kirby Collector.
I wish someone would publish deluxe reprints of the Cat-Man comics.
Cat-Man is my FAVORITE Golden Age superhero!!!!!!
Nice work
I wouldn't mind a omnibus collecting all the Holyoke Catman issues. 👍
Oh yeah, DCs Catman is a completely different guy from Holyokes Catman. There seems to be some confusion on that. I hope this video clears that up.
Hi John, I remember AC Comics printing ashcans and collections of Catman, but I don't think anyone has done a complete omnibus. If you want to read his adventures, check out the "comic book plus" or "digital comic museum" websites.
Is Cat Man not the same as appears now in DC... And Ragman too? And that's not the same Mr. Miracles is it?
All those characters are different and they are in public domain. I think DC might have trademarked the characters meaning that you can't put their name on the cover with a logo...but I'm not 100% sure how that works because I have seen small publishers doing Catman comic books.
@@FizzFop1 Only asked as the colour scheme for Cat Man looks incredibly similar to the DC version
@@dazblue5515 The DC version came out about 15 years after the Holyoke version did. There was an all black clad Catman in the 1970s from a small publisher. AC and Dynamite Entertainment used variations of the Holyoke character.
The costume for The Hood is similar to the costume of the golden age version of the DC Comics character, the Atom.
Love your content. Is Catman in the public domain even though he features in DC comics?
Hi Gavin, thanks for watching. Yes, he's in public domain. You can't use DC's version of the character...but you can use the original version and I have seen a few publishers create their own character over the years.
@@FizzFop1 very cool! I'm not too familiar with the rules around public domain characters but I think it's super interesting
I think they used a version of Catman in the Fairly Odd Parents cartoon where Adam West (RIP) plays a parody version of himself.
Very similar color palette, at least (orange cowl, yellow jumpsuit)
The Blue Beetle is public domain, although there are trademark issues.
Blue Beetle the Police Cop is Public Domain, but his name is Trademarked.
i thought Catman was owned by DC. I have a DC Catman figure with the orange and red uniform.
There is one, Thomas Blake, owned by DC. He's a Batman villain. Also, his costume is nearly identical. As is Fairly Oddparents' version, incidentally.
Hi Skot! Thanks for watching! Yeah, DC made their own version of Catman. I have to check up when they created him, but I think it was long after Holyoke went under. There's a couple of other versions of Catman out there...currently Dynamite uses him in their Project Superpowers books. There was an indie publisher in the 70s with a Catman character. AC Comics published him in the 80s and 90s. There was an Australian version in the 1960s. So, when it comes to this character-it's a free for all.
@@FizzFop1 there's a Catboy in PJMasks, but the colors are so exactly the same. If i were to make a DIFFERENT Catman, i'd chose different colors. I have a feeling that somehow DC got this directly from them somehow. same artist? same creator hired at DC? just a nod of a fan? I was reading Star Wars 2015-2019 comics, and there is a character that is partially lizard, and if you kill him, he just resurrects in a robotic chamber elsewhere, and his name was CYLO IV (obviously visual nod to CYLON from BSG)
@@SkotNealey I believe the reason is because it's a free domain character and keeping the same colours is recognition factor.
Blue beetle looks like Phantom.
Solar Legion almost feels like a precursor to Star Trek or Bladerunner with the futuristic police concept
Seriously though, Holyoke's art is incredible
Hi Channel Name! Thanks for watching! Holyoke had some seriously good art and stories for the 1940s.
@@FizzFop1 Thanks for replying! Love your vids. And yeah, I would love to get my hands on a Holyoke book.
a praying type, might as well startlol.
@@livclark8154 If your interested in reading any of the Holyoke titles...you can find them at comicbookplus.com or digitalcomicsmuseum.com. Almost their entire print run is there. Weeks of reading!
You gave me an idea to reboot The hood as a more competant superhero
God's speed Captain Cartoonia!
With all these characters in the Public Domain that you often tell us about, if given the chance to head up a company who wanted to do superhero comics, but didn't want to make them, who would YOU take in as your Line of Heroes and Villains?
Hi King Coheed! Thanks for watching! The six characters I focused on in this video have the most potential. In my opinion, Holyoke's best villains were Lady Satan and Dr. Macabre. Of course, these characters are only as good as the writer/artist who creates their adventures. I'm also a firm believer in that the villain is the most important aspect of the story. Heroes are only as great as their villains. Weak villain=weak hero. Batman and Spider-man are great for a reason.
The Hood looks like the golden-age Atom. Does this Catman have anything to do with the DC character?
Blue Beetle is public domain too.
6:32 And murdered Hitler with his bare hands
Maybe do a video on Fem Force down the road!?
Hi masterpainter72! I need to do a AC Comics/FemForce video.
I would love to read these golden age treasures
Hi michael! Check out comic book plus or the digital comics museum. Both websites have most of the Holyoke line available to read or download.
@@FizzFop1 thank you much appreciated
digitalcomicmuseum.com/
As he said, they are in the Public Domain. That means the stories can be uploaded and you can read them for free.
You should make a video about Samson.
Please do the first vision
Umm...the Golden Age Beetle IS in the Public Domain.
Yes, but you the problem of having Daddy Warnerbucks . . . 'errrm, excuse me, Time/Warner, dropping a ton of lawyers on you if you try. Now, if you have a billion bucks in the bank, there's a good trademark/copyright lawyer I can recommend . . .
SmithNorthwest The Golden Age Blue Beetle was a drug using policeman...the DC one is based on the Charlton version who was an archeologist...what’s weird is that he and Ted Kord are kinda in the public domain too.
Yeah so is Ted Kord
It'd be cool if some publisher would collect all these long forgotten treasures.
Hi Frank, thanks for watching. Dynamite has series going on now with a bunch of these characters. Back in the 80s and 90s, AC Comics ran with these characters.
Catman made quite a few appearances as a foe of Batman in Detective comics. Not sure if its the same catman though
Different Catman...that name has been used a number of times. Just discovered a line using it in the 1970s. It's going to get mentioned in a future video.
Crimson Nemesis and the Black Orchid?
I wonder if George Perez was inspired by Hollyoke especially the Catman more detailed style.
And Joe Synott on Inks was he there?
I have no idea...I never came across a Perez interview where he mentions Holyoke or Catman.
Would you consider doing one of these videos about Fiction House Comics?
Hi PersonaOhnlyne! Thanks for watching. I've looked over The Fiction House line. I've made a few notes, but haven't moved forward yet. I'm bogged down trying to figure out how to tell the Fox Features story. Also, I have three pulp magazine heroes I'm working on were I have to build most of the visuals for. When I get a couple of those videos out of the way, I will probably move toward Fiction House.