Nelvana of the Northern Lights

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Quack, Don

Crud. I had problems with the system again and posted a blank post. Er, as far as I can recall, I was just commending you for another good article and commenting on how disappointing it is that you don't hear from the various Canadian superheroes these days. As is my understanding, the company "Nelvana" owns the rights to the character Nelvana to this day, and has simply sat on them since, doing nothing. It's a shame, since superheroes can clearly be relaunched ad nauseum, and Canadians (like myself) are constantly on the lookout for symbols that they can cling to--what better than a superhero with a genuine history?

I also nitpicked that it wasn't too surprising that she was smashing Nazis that early, since Canada, alongside Britain, entered WWII in 1939.

The same company also owns Mr. Monster, but that hasn't stopped Michael T. Gilbert from doing better (and more) with the character than they ever dreamed. Any trademarks they may have owned have long-since dried up, and despite changes in copyright law, I doubt their heirs would be able to enforce a claim even if they knew, or cared, about an unauthorized revival. Marvel changing the spelling of her name was just typical corporate timidity. Lawyers can be an awfully skittish lot.

Besides, Nelvana is folklore, even if the white world did first hear of her as a comic book hero. Nobody owns her, even if some may lay claim to her comics history. I'd like to see some modern-day Bullfinch research her for real -- assuming the legends aren't hopelessly mingled with the comics by now.

As for fighting Nazis -- I didn't dispute the early existence of the conflict. I just thought it was implausible to have Hitler operating right smack in the middle of North America about the time of Pearl Harbor. I still do, but what the heck -- it's a comic book. Maybe (cf. next section) Mephisto was behind it.

Quack, Don

Oh, OK. Your article made it sound like she was just fighting Nazi agents, I didn't realize she fought Hitler himself. Though what the heck, every other superhero got a chance to punch him in the face, why not Nelvana?

Uh, yeah, there's a misunderstanding, all right, but it's more recent than that. I did indeed mean she fought Hitler's agents, not Hitler personally. But when heads of state have agents who act openly, that constitutes operating. They don't necessarily have to get their own hands dirty.

Tho since this is comic books, I guess any surprise should have been that she didn't sock him in his own personal jaw.

Quack, Don

Hey Don. I just wanted to add, after a bit of reflection, that I appreciate your thoughts on Nelvana's copyrights issues. I have, in fact, been *seriously* thinking of trying to do a revival/update of the character, if she is indeed in the public domain; as I said above, Canadians are always casting around for national icons, and it seems almost criminal that Nelvana is so obscure.

Well, good luck to you! I hope you succeed in making her a household word.

Speaking as a fan, i.e., just a guy who likes to read comic books, I'm more-or-less indifferent to her previous comic book history, because that's already been done. What I'd like to see is an exploration of the genuine Nelvana legends. I'm sure adaptations of folk tales about her can be turned into an exciting funnybook But I'm an armchair researcher, myself, so I can fully understand how hard it would be to gather the material.

But whatever approach you take, I wish you much success.

Quack, Don

Despite some of the more obscure characters feeling "safe to use"  in regards to copyright, Nelvana will likely vigorously defend someone trying to use its company name, which is trademarked across the globe. They would likely consider it a dilution of their brand.

It's too bad, Nelvana was the first "super" superheroine in comics, beating Wonder Woman to the stands by many months.

The way trademarks work, Nelvana the animation studio could easily stop anyone using the name for that or any related purpose. But Nelvana the character is authentic folklore, and that's up for grabs, as long as nobody touches the comic book continuity. (Or even if they did, provided nobody tried to stop them.) It's just as a film company, that the name is legally tied up.

It would be like somebody marketing the character Thor as, say, a movie hero, while avoiding anything resembling the superhero. Marvel might try to stop them on nitpicky points where they accidentally touch on comic book continuity, but they can't get around the fact that people have been telling stories about the non-trademarked Thor for thousands of years.

By the way, Nelvana wasn't the first superhero woman. She was in a seven- or eight-way tie for umpteenth. Fantomah and The Woman in Red were both in business at least a year and a half before her.

But she did come four months before Wonder Woman.

Quack, Don

P.S. I'm looking for a one-issue wonder that DC did, who may also predate Wondy. I vaguely recall a female hero turning up as a supporting in one of their minor superhero series around that time, tho she was possibly a little later.

The specifics I recall were in a Mr. America story. The issue that sticks in my mind is Action Comics #47, tho that would be definitely post-Wondy. But I recently availed myself of an opportunity to check Action 47, and whoever she was, she wasn't there. Nor, according to the Grand Comics Database, was she in Mr. America at all.

Anybody know what I'm talking about? A character so obscure she didn't even get into Who's Who, appearing in one DC story circa 1941-42. Did I hallucinate the reference to her, or is she a legitimate part of my Quest to document all the very early superhero women?

Quack, Don