Legal Matters

You've doubtless heard of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," the comics-ish series that started out as a web feature, become a best-selling book series and expanded into movies. You may not have heard of "Diary of a Zombie Kid" from Antarctic Press. Written by Fred Perry and drawn by David Hutchison, Zombie Kid has drawn attention from the Wimpy Kid lawyers.

Oops, well just yesterday The Beat and Michael Sangiacomo were reporting that Archie Comics co-CEO Nancy Silberkleit was continuing to peacefully tell children about the joys of comics despite her past as the target of a sexual harassment lawsuit. However, it seems that a series of anonymous phone calls alerted school officials to Silberkleit's ongoing legal problems and the school visits were canceled. A comics shop appearance and the sale of comics to benefit the schools have gone on as planned. But there is much more than that going on.

Charges against cartoonist/journalist Susie Cagle for "being present at a raid" have been dropped, although not without a bit of drama:

As of last Thursday, Gareb Shamus is no longer president/CEO of Wizard World, Inc. Being publicly traded, notice of this change had to be filed with the SEC. This includes the company's report:

According to anew mailer, artist Steve Rude has been instructed by his lawyer not to talk about his case. However "He does want me to pass along his deepest gratitude. He really loves reading any mail that comes his way and words of encouragement to be strong." You'll recall that on the night of Halloween, Rude was arrested and charged with assault and violating a court order in a dispute with a neighbor. In happier news, the full color Rude 2012 Sketchbook is now available for presale. This weekend it's on sale for $20. Regular price of $25 goes into effect on Monday. All purchases get am exclusive presale print.

Former comics retailer and convention runner Michael George was sentenced to life in prison today for the murder of his wife Barbara 21 years ago. The sentence was mandatory in Michigan, so there was little suspense. At the sentencing, George still protested his innocence. ""Something will be found,' he told the court. "Someone will come forward. I have never harmed a woman in my life. Let's not forget no one saw me there — no one."

The most revealing development in the Siegel case since I last wrote for The Beat involves a check. Not the check issued to Siegel and Shuster in exchange for the Superman copyright, but one that DC has apparently* not written--payment to the Siegel family for Grant Morrison’s relaunch of Action #1.

Oh yeah, it's on. After being ousted from the directing chair of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the troubled Broadway show about the webslinger, director Julie Taymor kept a tight smile at the opening of the show. However, now the gloves are off and she's suing the producers over her creative rights and unpaid royalties.

Cartoonist Susie Cagle -- who was previously teargassed during another confrontation -- was arrested as part of the Occupy Oakland protest on Wednesday night. Cagle was not there as a protester, but as a reporter, covering the scene for Spot.us. According to Cagle's father, Cagle was arrested despite having a prominent press pass and the arresting officer actually knowing her and her work. After being held overnight at Santa Rita Jail, Cagle was released, and charged with the misdemeanor of "present at raid." On her twitter stream she mentions she's currently trying to retrieve her wallet and housekeys from the Oakland police.

Following up news of Monday's arrest of Steve "The Dude" Rude on charges of assault and violating a restraining order, Tom Spurgeon got further details of the night in question from Rude's wife Jaynelle. It seems that on Halloween evening, Steve was outside, in costume, giving out Halloween candy, when barking dogs in a neighbor's yard distracted the Dude, which led him to throw rocks at the fence in front of the dogs. The owners of the dogs -- who had previously obtained the restraining order against Rude -- came out and an argument ensued, which ended with Rude physically shoving one of the neighbors and ripping his shirt off. Rude then returned to handing out his Halloween candy until the police showed up and arrested him.

Tintin isn't racist. He's just drawn that way. So ruled a Belgian judge yesterday in a long running attempt to get TINTIN IN THE CONGO, the second book in the popular series, banned on account of racism. The book -- like many of its era -- uses typical racial "blackface" caricatures for the natives and portrays them as childish buffoons. Originally drawn in 1931, Tintin creator Hergé revised it in 1946 and redrew a few panels in 1975 -- but only to tone down a scene where a rhino is stuffed with dynamite, not because of any racial overtones.

Well, you won't need to help bail him out, but on his Facebook page, artist Steve Rude's wife, Jaynellle reports that the artist was arrested over a dispute with neighbors.