DC Conspiracy[dots pattern]

8.26.2005

Warning: hide the kids!

From the Cruel Site of the Day:

DC Comics is threatening to sue an art gallery for paintings by Mark Chamberlain that provide visual confirmation of long-running rumors about Batman and Robin.

Yeesh!

monica at 10:04 AM  |  link to this     

5 Comments

Continuing from the Yahoogroups discussion:

You can parody something no question, but it gets murky when you start to profit from it. I believe that was the court's conclusion in the Starbucks case where an artist parodied the mermaid logo. But once he started to sell hats and shirts with the parodied logo, the courts said that was crossing the line. (And I've know people who've done drawings of tradmarked superheroes and tried to sell them on eBay, only to get a form cease-and-desist letter from a corporate lawyer.)

In regards to the Batman paintings, I think it's clearly a parody and he's taking a jab at American culture using well-known American icons. That's clearly within his constitutional rights.
BTW, how does this different from Warhol's Campbell's soup cans paintings?

Dembicki at 8/27/2005 8:10 AM   

There's clearly a big gulf between permission and plaigarizing, and I agree with Matt that I think this falls within parody/ satire.

I think the other question about the effects this has on comics in general was kind of the more interesting one, though. (Obviously this exhibit will have zero effect, but assuming that it did...) I'm curious as to why people might think it would have a detrimental effect, either by making comics look silly and puerile or something else. If we're talking about "breaking stereotypes," for isntance, then I think it's worth considering what the stereotype is, and how it got there. The way I see it, Batman *is* the stereotype, and it's DC and Marvel that bear the responsibility for the poor perception comics have with the public, not some dude with his watercolors.

Andrew at 8/28/2005 9:16 AM   

I just feel disgusted that we have a picture of Batman molesting his teenage son.

Statutory. Rape. Incest. ugh.

Chris Arndt at 8/29/2005 11:18 PM   

Robin is Batman's ward.

I got 10-1 odds that says you came to this site looking for information on an actual Washington DC conspiracy. Don't be embarrassed, happens to everyone.

Jason at 8/30/2005 11:35 AM   

I'm more concerned about what Aquaman does with sea horses!

Dembicki at 8/30/2005 7:10 PM   

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