Editorial/FAQ
Back to the Library
    Hello, and welcome to the Golden Year's Comic Book Library. Before you read the stories presented here there are a few things you should know.

    Some of the content of the stories is questionable. There can be a lot of derogatory references to Japanese, German, and African-American people. These do not reflect my personal views, and I would hope that nobody takes offense. After all, these were written over 50 years ago and reflect the times. Thank you.

FAQ

    1) Are these stories legal to post.
To my knowledge, yes. These stories have, as far as I know, all lapsed into the public domain.

    2) What does this mean exactly?
Prior to 1976, publishers were required to renew their rights to their stories within a period of 26(?) years. If they did not, the rights were forfeited and the stories became part of the public domain. This explains why so many stories were able to be reprinted in the 70's after the copyrights expired.

    3) You have used characters like Blue Beetle. Isn't he owned by DC?
Yes. DC Comics owns the trademark to the Blue Beetle name and image. They also own the copyrights to the stories they and (I believe) Charlton published. The original Fox incarnation however, has become public domain. The same applies to AC Comics revamps of Golden Age characters, Quality Comics stories, and Fawcett stories.

    4) Is it possible to see some stuff DC, Archie/MLJ, or Marvel hasn't used since the Golden Age?
Short answer, no. I'm sure there are stories and characters that they haven't renewed their rights to, but I don't want to take the chance of any legal action against me or the site.

    5) Why are the scans so small?
Well, I want to keep file size down to make reading these as painless as possible. Larger scans can be found on my CDs.

    6) Some stories are from other people why?
To publish bi-weekly I need a lot of Golden Age stories! I try to use as much of my material as I can, but I'm not rich. I can't afford to be buying new books all the time. That is why I have used stories from newsgroups, clubs, etc. I am trying to get away from this now that my collection has built up, and I have people who have donated large amounts of stories to the site.

    7) Can I use some of these stories on my site?
Yes. You have my permission to use anything I post online for review purposes. Please let me know if you are wanting to reprint whole stories. It's not a big problem, but I would just like to know where and how these scans are being used. Thanks!

I hope this answers any questions you may have had. Enjoy the books!!!