Version 1.0. | Go to Version 2.0
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Marvel Pisses Off Royalty (Again) and Violates Copyright for a Cheesy Cover (Again)
Apparently, a cover by Mike Mayhew for The Pulse: House of M rips off a copyrighted photo of King Juan Carlos of Spain, from the pose to the outfit to the medals to the veins on the hands.
One thing immediately came to mind: Amy Grant. For all you youngsters and non-fanboys, an album cover of Amy Grant was used for a vampire-themed cover of Doctor Strange many years ago. Being a Christian pop artist, Grant took particular offense at this - can you blame her? - and sued Marvel.
Another comparison could also be made, though: this is the second time in the past few years that Marvel pissed off royalty. X-Statix was going to resurrect Princess Diana and that caused enough of a furor that they went the roman a clef route instead.
The Mayhew cover is just pathetic. It looks like he scanned the cover and worked it through Photoshop to add on Magneto's head. It's the equivalent of taking a hardcore porno image and pasting on the head of Britney Spears or Teri Hatcher or whoever: dishonest, unoriginal, and clearly illegal. I hope the Spanish royal family gives him hell for it, and I hope Marvel will keep a better eye on its creative staff.
One thing immediately came to mind: Amy Grant. For all you youngsters and non-fanboys, an album cover of Amy Grant was used for a vampire-themed cover of Doctor Strange many years ago. Being a Christian pop artist, Grant took particular offense at this - can you blame her? - and sued Marvel.
Another comparison could also be made, though: this is the second time in the past few years that Marvel pissed off royalty. X-Statix was going to resurrect Princess Diana and that caused enough of a furor that they went the roman a clef route instead.
The Mayhew cover is just pathetic. It looks like he scanned the cover and worked it through Photoshop to add on Magneto's head. It's the equivalent of taking a hardcore porno image and pasting on the head of Britney Spears or Teri Hatcher or whoever: dishonest, unoriginal, and clearly illegal. I hope the Spanish royal family gives him hell for it, and I hope Marvel will keep a better eye on its creative staff.
