2nd Edition
The Pocket Lawyer for Comic Book Creators A Legal Toolkit for Comic Book Artists and Writers
Disclaimer
Special Thanks
PART 1—QUICK START
PART 2—INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: THE HEART OF THE WORK
1. Intellectual Property
2. Copyright Law
3. Using GEN‑AI in Comics
PART 3—CONTRACTS: THE ENGINE WHICH DRIVES THE DEAL
4. Contracts: The Engine Which Drives the Deal
PART 4—PUTTING IT TOGETHER
5. The Solo Creator
6. Setting Up Shop
7. Collaboration
8. Hiring Other Artists
9. Clearances and Licensing the Rights of Others
PART 5—GETTING IT OUT THERE
10. Get Your Message Out
11. Landing a Publisher
12. Working for a Publishing Company
13. The Comic Book Publishing Agreement
14. Self‑Publishing
15. What Happens When Something Goes Wrong?
PART 6—THE LAW LIBRARY
APPENDIX A—A Comic Creator’s Guide to Copyright Law
APPENDIX B—A Comic Creator’s Guide to Protecting Ideas
APPENDIX C—A Comic Creator’s Guide to Trademark Law
APPENDIX D—A Comic Creator’s Guide to the Right of Publicity and Other Privacy Rights
APPENDIX E—A Comic Creator’s Guide to Libel and Defamation
APPENDIX F—A Comic Creator’s Guide to Moral Rights and The Visual Artists Rights Act
APPENDIX G—Contract Anatomy for Comic Book Creators
APPENDIX H—Famous Comic Book Cases
Bibliography and Suggested Reading
About the Author
Index
Biography
Thomas A. Crowell, Esq., is a practicing attorney, law professor, and comic book writer specializing in entertainment law and intellectual property rights issues. He is the editor of the Pocket Lawyer series and the author of The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers (Focal Press, 3rd ed. 2022). For more information, see www.ThomasCrowell.com.
