Public Domain Encyclopedia Vol. V

Book excerpt: The Public Domain Encyclopedia (or PDE) is a book series dedicated to the Golden Age of comics that are, today, freely available to all. It is aimed at readers, writers and artists that are looking for reliable and verified information about characters, authors, businessmen and publishers. The 5th volume of PDE is dedicated to Harry A. Chesler, one of the very first entrepreneur in the field of comics during the Golden Age. Was he a ruthless businessman or a philanthropist? A farsighted manager or an opportunity seeker? This volume is divided in 3 macro-sections: an introduction describing the history of Chesler comics, Harry A. Chesler's bio, and the history of the comic packagers during the Golden Age. Section 2 focuses on Chesler's superheroes, providing insights on their creation and conceptualization, their publishing life and their actual copyright and trademark status. The last part is an updated summary of the copyright status of Chesler Golden Age titles, providing registration and renewal numbers dates and owners. A trademark table completes this section summarizing the registered trademark of each of the characters. All sections are fully illustrated with black & white fully original illustrations, pin-ups and splash-pages, granting a reading that goes far beyond the simple understanding of historical data, proving that the Funny Pages of the past are still enjoyable for all.