So, we’re all aware that there are many Golden Age comic characters that are now in the public domain – The Original Daredevil, the Black Terror, the Green Lama, the Flame, etc. AC Comics reprints their Golden Age stories and uses them from time to time in new stories. Alex Ross and Dynamite are creating their Project Superpowers Universe using them. Alan Moore used them in Tom Strong/Terra Obscura. Erik Larsen created the Next Issue Project at Image to continue their adventures. And now comes Savage Dragon #141:

This, in my opinion, is the fun of public domain. The fact that these characters can turn up anywhere, anytime. There is no license needed. No contracts. The writer of Marvel’s Daredevil wants to team him up with the Original Daredevil? No problem. The writer of Batman wants him to take on the Black Terror? No sweat. The writer of Spawn wants him to fight the Claw? Go for it. Of course, the powers that be at those companies might not go for it that easily, but there is nothing preventing it. These characters can exist in every comic book universe. All they need is a story.

I think Project Superpowers is excellent and have kind of declared that as my “official” universe for those characters. But if DC has 52 alternate earths, each with different versions of their characters, and Marvel has their official universe, the Ultimate universe, the Zombie universe, the Marvel Adventures universe, etc., why shouldn’t there be multiple variations of these characters? That’s how I view the Erik Larsen versions and AC’s versions. Alternate realities featuring the same characters. I’m happy to see these guys popping up in Savage Dragon (and the possibility of some of them later being integrated into the Savage Dragon Universe). Maybe the other companies will jump on the bandwagon in the future.