@@douglaswolfen7820 "A much more elaborate fight scene was planned, but Ford developed dysentery while filming in Morocco, and devised a much easier way for Indy to get out of the scrape. The scene was intended to play out much more like a duel, with the swordsman facing down Indy's bullwhip, but Ford's symptoms were so debilitating, and he was in so much discomfort that he came up with the alternative scene. There were other factors that contributed to changing it. Producer Frank Marshall revealed that the shoot was already taking too long and production was going over budget, so filming the elaborate fight scene as planned would have just caused other setbacks. “We had been shooting in Tunisia in 130 degrees for six weeks and we had three days left,” Marshall said. “We were supposed to shoot this huge fight between the whip and the sword. It took the whole morning to shoot just three storyboards.”
Austin specifically had to mention the Australian Cat-Man so that his subscribers could flesh out all his variants in preparation for 2034's Cat-Man Into The Catverse
Nah, not multiverse. Better to have them as a big international organization like Batman Inc. ... Catman Inc.! We can have Cat-man, Australian Cat-man, Tiger Man (Another public domain hero) and Lion Man (Yet another public domain hero) in a giant feline themed superhero international organization!
I saw a Japanese artist I follow make fanart of Mickey and Oswald the rabbit, saying they wanted to see a show of them going on adventures together. When someone told them “hey, they’re public domain now, get enough people together and we could do that and publish it on our own”, the artist replied, “But I don’t want to make a horror parody, I want it to be whimsical” There’s so much schlock that now some people don’t realize that you can make public domain stuff that isn’t just generic “what if (beloved character) was MESSED UP AND EVIL”. It took a few replies for them to understand that, Public Domain means you can publish and profit off anything that doesn’t infringe on the copyright; it doesn’t just have to be the wild, nonsensical stuff.
@@themostdevious-t1d I feel like if The Walt Disney Company didn't lobby Congress to extend copyrights by decades, people wouldn't be so vindictive and make such horrid creations.
Remember, it wasnt JUST Dusney that did that. So shouldnt be the only big corporations you need to look out for that made this scummy extension. Altho of course Disney is an easy target to get the point across.@@yosefdemby8792
@@themostdevious-t1d Besides, it hasn't even been ten days yet. Quality content takes time. I'm sure high-quality Mickey Mouse public domain works will come in the long run.
Fun fact: whereas Spring Heeled Jack started as an urban myth and developed into a penny dreadful villain, late-Victorian writers transformed the character into a proto-superhero, complete with altruistic mission, hidden lair (a crypt in a neglected London graveyard), tech-based powers (his spring boots were designed by an Indian mechanical genius) and even a dashing catch-phrase ("The day is yours - leave the night to me!"). This was decades before Zorro and it can be argued that SHJ set many of the masked avenger tropes later followed by Batman et al. The 2020 novel "The Life and Fantastical 'Crimes' of Spring Heeled Jack" ran with that theme, being presented as SHJ's own memoir of his days as a rooftop-leaping vigilante.
@@sdsdfdu4437 The "Life and Fantastical Crimes" novel has a lot of fun coming up with semi-plausible explanations for the late-Victorian weirdness of the Spring Heeled Jack legend. The protagonist is well aware of his growing status as a urban legend and is sometimes able to use it to his own advantage.
I love how Red Bee has one specific bee he's named Michael. Does he name the rest of the hive or is Michael just his favorite? Does that favoritism impact the hive's morale late on in the series? Would Michael be his best bee at his wedding? There are so many directions this character could go.
Michael is the one in the group with powers. He stings multiple times. He recruits other bees to help Red out (mind controll?). He causes irrational fear in the villians. He is seemingly invulnerable. Michael is the Kato to the Red Bee's Green Hornet.
I really love your attitude towards the public domain Austin, seeing it as a creative springboard for your own ideas instead of just a way to leech off an already popular ip.
Hmm, L Frank Baum’s estate owns the later Land of Oz stories, which aren’t yet public domain worthy in the EU. It seems clear that his own Land of Oz stories have entered the public domain 13 years ago in Germany.
Gregory Maguire was adapting the Oz material from the mid-90s. There are 4 novels in "The Wicked Years", and it's one of the most emotionally satisfying, dark, grown-up fantasy-worlds I've read.
It just occurs to me, if Scarecrow wanted a brain and Tinman wanted a heart, why was it not phrased as the Lion wanting a 'spine' or 'backbone' and thus maintaining the analogy of body parts for certain qualities or characteristics?
@@Eeter26 I've never read the Oz books, but the classic 1939 movie says 'courage' and that makes perfect sense. I'm just interested in word choice. The creator here is just _fine_ at writing scripts.
It was courage. The Wizard poured a liquid out of a bottle into a platter for the lion to drink. Most likely "liquid courage", which probably meant the Wizard got the lion drunk.
I love the acknowledgment given to the Red Bee Honestly, I think that, if given to the right writer, there’s a lot that could be done with the character
He isn't too off from Ant-Man, and bees feel more intimidating than ants o a visceral level. A superhero whose power is controlling bees could totally work.
I remember someone on Tumblr suggesting a Super Smash Brothers style brawler game using only public domain characters as the fighters. I still live in hope that such a game is made, but multiplayer games are notoriously difficult (or impossible) to make for an indie team. Perhaps as a local co-op game instead?
That sounds awesome.That would make a dope game.I'm not sure if he's in the public domain,but I often think that Lee Falks The Phantom would make an amazing open world game.
The task of thinking up custom specials for each character sounds tough, otherwise they could do the brawlhalla thing of a set amount of movesets shared by x number of characters each
@@Katy133 Ok you got me there, tbf tho I was thinking of those obscure ones you typically think of with 'public domain', I forgot to consider the fleshed out well developed characters and their storylines.
There’s literally a top down shooter akin to that which utilize public domain characters. Its called Inverse Ninjas vs. The Public Domain. And yes it actually included Mickey Mouse as a playable character the moment he became one.
Genuinely. As crazy as The Red Bee is, he's the only property that immediately set the gears turning in my head. (I think it has something to do with the fact that I have a blouse very similar to his superhero costume) I'm imagining a superhero but like with a small army of those Transformers movies nanobots, that the hero calls "Bees" and are actually an AI. He still has the gun though.
Spring-heeled Jack has been cited by some as being a spiritual ancestor of Batman. And since we have to wait another 15 years or so for ol’ bats, he could make a great Victorian substitute
I'm mildly curious now... Could the company that created the mickey mouse horror game have legally advertised or announced it before the copyright expired, as long as it was not yet available for sale?
I think the trailer would have been considered fair use, but to figure out that someone would have to take it to court and that costs money. Also the case would be rendered moot if they didn't reach a final decision by Jan. 1. 2024 so I'm gonna guess Disney wouldn't have done anything if they published the trailer a few weeks before the new year.
I saw a trailer for a game called "Inverse Ninjas VS. The Public Domain" where Mickey Mouse was being added as a new playable character, and that trailer came out before 2024 (it was around a week or two before the new year). They didn't get into any trouble, but with what the person above said and the fact that it's a really niche game it could just be that there wasn't any point for Disney to take action or they just straight up didn't know about it then.
@@TheDuzx I don't know if the case would be "rendered moot" per se: if there WAS copyright infringement then it was already commited BEFORE it expired, hence might still be litigated. idk that's an argument they could make, not sure if it'd fly, if it matches or contradicts some established legal principle or sth, we'd REALLY need a court to decide that.
Can we all collectively agree that Austin McConnell is like... idk, the King of the Public Domain or something? Ever since he started doing his research for the first Superzeroes video, before it was even called the Superzeroes, he's regularly posted videos about the Public Domain, how it works, and some of the crazy stuff out there and freely available for people to just use. it's wild. I know making him King of the Public Domain sounds antithetical but I trust my king.
Why am I surprised that the guy whose making a Public Domain Super Hero franchise is promoting the Public Domain. I really shouldn't be at this point. Regardless, I'm glad this is being made for the simple fact that we have so much enterthe public domain for the first time in like 90 years, well more than the old version of an evil franchises mascot.
I just realized - Solomon Kane, pulp character created by Robert E Howard (creator of Conan) entered public domain this year. His first appearance was in 1928.
Austin I would like to thank you for introducing me to the public domain. Thanks to you I have discovered such gems as Captain Battle, Red Rube and Captain Murder. And for some reason with Captain murder I am inspired to make a deep and compelling character drama.
I've just finished listening to the audiobook of The Spider Queen. I REALLY enjoyed it! Excellent, compelling story, very believable characters - a really sophisticated take on the Golden Age heroes. Thank you Austin!
@@gnockgnock6965 Now's tbe perfect time to do an adaptation. Becides Ozma, Oz is described as a land where everyone worked half the time and played half the time. If you needed anything, you just withdrew it from the treasury and when you had excess you put it there for someone else to use. I would love to see the reactions to a modern Oz tv series "going woke" and the showrunner being like, "this is all from a book from 1903. I lifted most of the dialogue wholesale, see?
Honestly, Mickey entering the public domain is amazing. Could be even good for Disney! I've already seen some creative animations and uses of him, and he's starting to grow on me lol The rubber-hose era Mickey has a particular type of whimsy that I don't see much in modern characters, so more of that could be pretty fun :)
You might want to check out the Death Battle video of Saitama VS Popeye. It is one of their best videos, because Popeye is authentic to the style and feel of his era.
Now that I think about it, it'd be pretty useful if there was an easily accessible database for every character in the public domain. I've found wikis that do this but I find them pretty tricky to navigate.
I am currently working on a public domain super hero universe, with "The Black Bat" and "Black Cat" (no relation to marvel, and produced by Pocket Comics) as the main characters so far.
Austin, I am not sure that the Red Bee is actually in the public domain. The Red Bee was created andpublished by Quality Comics. Quality had quite a long list of popular characters, like Blackhawk and Plastic Man. As you see, those are characters found in DC comics. That is because when Quality Comics closed up shop in the 50s, DC Comics purchased them, and they did renew the copyrights when they had to. All of Quality Comics characters are owned by DC Comics today.
I wonder if it’s too late to capitalize on my idea of a mad scientist fishing Jay Gatzby’s body out of his swimming pool and reviving him as a steampunk cyborg. Was going to call it, “The Even Greater Gatzby: An Official Sequel”
I believe the 1925 film adaptation of The Lost World is in the public domain as well, which means any elements added in that version are also free to use! Honestly I've always been a fan of this book and it's many iterations and was surprised that it wasn't as well known as I thought. I guess I was so autistic about dinosaurs as a child I forgot other people weren't 😆.
It's the Red Bee! I've loved him ever since I discovered him. The era when anything could be a gimmick and superheroes all loved cool yet obvious cars.
A perfect public domain superhero that has potential for horror would be Stardust the Super Wizard. Truly one of the strangest comic heroes from the Golden Age.
I *_love_* the Professor Challenger stories. I highly recommend checking out the short stories, such as _The Poison Belt._ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also loved Challenger, and would cosplay as his him at parties. He hated Holmes for completely eclipsing his favorite OC, eventually killing him off before bringing him back due to public demand. (And I do mean demand. One lady wrote to him "You brute!" after _The Death of Sherlock Holmes_ was published, and many individuals purportedly wore black mourning bands to work.) I find the Professor Challenger stories and characters at least if not more enjoyable than the Sherlock Holmes stories, I highly recommend giving them a read.
I feel like the red bee is used in Naruto (Shino Aburame and the clan in general), but much more expanded and logical. Neat that ideas can converge like that across time
Whoa! I didn't know you were Kickstarting some more Sensational Cat-Man cartoonage! I'm glad I watched this today (while I write this, only 10 days remain!) I saw you post this a few days ago, but haven't gotten to watching it until now because of work. I hope others see it before the campaign ends. I just pledged $25! Good luck! Anyhoo, LOVE ALL OF THESE. A lot of legitimately cool works that SHOULD be explored more - I'd love to see more Oz-based stuff and Lost World (well, Arthur Conan Doyle works in general). But especially that bee guy.... _ESPECIALLY_ how, if things get too dicey, "He has a gun." Modern filmmakers take notice: now *that's* a hero that's grounded and relatable 😂
You didn't mention the most important fact of Red Bee...he dies. They stuck him in a walk in freezer, he couldn't get out and his bees died. Personally when I do a thing I'm gonna open from the fact that he did die and then they brought him back...wrong. And he's like Hell Bee or whatever.
I’m not sure I like the wording of “be a producer”. I like “be a funder” more because it’s more accurate. Usually when you make something, the producer is above it all and gets a say in what happens.
Thanks for the video! There's a lot of potential for using pre-existing ideas as a starting point for creative work (as a way to overcome writer's block for me), but the public domain is intimidating just from it sheer scale and the intuitive understanding that most of it won't be creatively stimulating to work from. Awesome concepts!
Do be careful with long-running characters though. Sometimes the early works are public domain, but later additions to the character aren't. And it's easy to forget what was original and what was added Eg Dorothy is from a 1900 novel, but I'm pretty sure the ruby slippers were added in the film adaptation. In the book, I think she had silver slippers, but MGM were making a big deal about how the film was shot in colour, so they wanted bright glorious colourful slippers, and made them red
The difference between Winnie the Pooh and Steamboat Willie is that Steamboat Willie can actually work in horror. That short is terrifying, but people just see they can use Mickey Mouse and just do a generic horror movie with someone in Mickey's costume, not actually turning Steamboat Willie into the true horror that it is.
Thank you for this. I have been wanting to make a few little projects to help people understand all the things you can do with public domain. I think it's been so long since the general creative public has had access and interest in older works that we have forgotten how to do it!
5:36 This one is very rough search that I've been doing in quite a long time. The Arthur C. Doyle state claims they own the character and anyone who wants to write stories about him needs their permission. I found about a college project who needed their approval and an Amazon book of professor Challenger that in order to be written the writter had to ask the permission of the state. So the state claims that they had the copyright of the 2 books of the professor that came later and because of this nobody can write stories about him without permission, it's pretty much the case of Zorro and Tarzan trademark owners. Nobody wants to get sued so everyone avoid these. It's a shame because I really want to write about this story, I love dinossaur theme and this fits perfectly.
One of my favourite video essays is a postcolonial reading of Lost World adaptations. I'd love an adaptation that uses those critiques to make a film that matches modern sensibilities
That's a thing that always gets me [about Oz]. You got all these books in the public domain at this point, but there's only been about like... 3~5 adaptations. (One of them being an original origin story.) Like... no-one has up and decided "Hey, let's do some serious adapting of some of the more obscure stuff that doesn't involve the Red Ruby Slippers" (since the RRS are owned by MGM and you need to talk about that like Disney did for "Return to Oz")
I think the issue is that MGM still owns rights to the movie, and unless you can swear that your work was based on the books alone and not influenced by the movie (which you've probably seen) your adaptation is going to be problematic. Everything from the music to the costumes worn by the flying monkeys is copyrighted. Then there's the issue that being in the right won't save you from legal costs if MGM decides to take you to court. MGM probably has more money to spend on lawyers than you do so that's going to be a problem. The "Ownership Rights" section of Wikipedia's article on King Kong is an indication of how complex and nuanced these issues are in reality. It's so much easier to just make up your own fantasy world imitating Oz than to make your own adaptation.
Fun fact, one of the characters in the Wizard of Oz sequels was transgender. These were childrens books in the 1930s, quite frankly the author would still be ahead of his time today.
In spite of being aware of "The Lost World", the first Professor Challenger story I read was his appearance in the Iris Wildthyme anthology, "Miss Wildthyme & Friends Investigate". Her authors are quite happy to indulge in crossover adventures with all manner of public domain characters. ^_~
I'm still surprised that no one thought about doing a TV series focusing on the stories that followed after the original story. I mean we're in an age where binge watching shows on streaming is the norm so having a series dedicated on telling the entire history of Oz should be a no brainer at this point. Also the one story I feel should be used more often in the public domain would be The Island of Dr Moreau. There's a lot in that story that would perfect horror material to make new stories out of especially we're in a time where genetic experiments are more relevant then ever. On the subject of horror I wouldn't worry too much about characters like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh being affected by it. Not only we will still get the more wholesome takes on them in the future but also horror takes on them that doesn't take the lazy way out and be more creative about it. Like the American McGee Alice games as a good example of horror in children icons being done well and respectifulyl.
It might be worth noting that the later Oz books (*I've only read 13 of them) get weird. Like really bizarre. Could be good or bad, but might make adaptations harder.
It's technically its "Steamboat Willie," the design prototype version for Michael Mouse. Its an important distinction that keeps getting erased for some odd reason.
3:20no there are 40 public domain oz books and some more that are published by the grandchildren or maybe younger than that of the original offers probably younger than that and they're generally accepted as Canon by the fans
Most of the John Carter of Mars or Barsoom series is in the public domain. It's a very detailed and interesting science-fantasy setting. Actually Edgar Rice Burroughs had a lot of interesting fictional settings, including his own 'lost world'.
Probably the only challenge with adapting anything Edgar Rice Burrough’s (including Tarzan and John Carter) is that while these stories are in the public domain, the estate still has a tight hold on the trademarks for Tarzan and John Carter. This means that unless you negotiate or pay a royalty to the estate, you’ll have to make sure your adaptations of Tarzan or John Carter avoid using their actual names. (Or something along that line)
I was talking with some friends about all the Steamboat Willie horror stuff and we were like, "Oh come on, there are a lot of other genres that could be done like a film noir buddy comedy or a pulp adventure. I even picked out a title: "Steamboat Willie and the River of Doom"
There's only one way to make a good Mickey Mause horror movie and is to adapt that creepypasta about the cancelled theme park left abandoned in Florida
Growing old is bad because you are no longer young - boring we've been there before Growing old is cool because you'll eventually get things in the public domain - a new take that i enjoy
I genuinely find it crazy that not many people understand what public domain is, and how to use it effectively. But alas, now everyone is talking about this, lets see what crazy wonders we get.
Every time I see the Red Bee, I think of the DC conic where he ran across the original Mr. Terrific and remarked that if Terrific could have "Fair Play plastered across his gut," he should consider writing "Buzz Buzz across my butt". Please, whoever picks up the Red Bee, give him a "Buzz Buzz" tramp stamp that only you and I will understand.
Now that i think about it wizard of oz would make a pretty good horror thing, paranormal animations of humanized lions and scarecrows and tin, cutting open travelers for their body parts and stealing souls for their courage while traveling with a little girl that they kidnapped
YOU can help us make CAT-MAN: bit.ly/CatManKICK
i cant.....
@@RobotbottersI’m too poor, I promised myself after I bought the £2,000 PC I’d donate, but now im -£2,000 in debt.
@@alex.g7317nice lol
I hope that you don't stop the project even if you don't get the required budget
I'm absolutely in, it's just going to be a little closer to the deadline. Gotta wait for my next paycheck to clear.
The Red Bee pulling out a glock whenever his very niche superpower doesn't cut it is the best bit of writing in any superhero media.
In that sense, it's like the joke in Indiana Jones where he pulls out a gun to fight a swordfighter.
@@PhotonBeastclassic moment in movie history right there
"Movies are so dumb! Why doesn't he just shoot the guy with a… huh. Never mind"
You don't need guns if you have a Michael.
@@marrow94 everyone should have a Micheal
@@douglaswolfen7820 "A much more elaborate fight scene was planned, but Ford developed dysentery while filming in Morocco, and devised a much easier way for Indy to get out of the scrape. The scene was intended to play out much more like a duel, with the swordsman facing down Indy's bullwhip, but Ford's symptoms were so debilitating, and he was in so much discomfort that he came up with the alternative scene.
There were other factors that contributed to changing it. Producer Frank Marshall revealed that the shoot was already taking too long and production was going over budget, so filming the elaborate fight scene as planned would have just caused other setbacks. “We had been shooting in Tunisia in 130 degrees for six weeks and we had three days left,” Marshall said. “We were supposed to shoot this huge fight between the whip and the sword. It took the whole morning to shoot just three storyboards.”
Austin specifically had to mention the Australian Cat-Man so that his subscribers could flesh out all his variants in preparation for 2034's Cat-Man Into The Catverse
Nah, not multiverse. Better to have them as a big international organization like Batman Inc. ... Catman Inc.!
We can have Cat-man, Australian Cat-man, Tiger Man (Another public domain hero) and Lion Man (Yet another public domain hero) in a giant feline themed superhero international organization!
@@CSLucasEpicis Armless Tiger Man in the public domain yet?
How is this comment 9 hours older than the rest of the video
@@man.actual im pretty sure he is a member so he got the video early
@@thesausageman5388i don't know but Marvel made him, so I wouldn't risk it
I saw a Japanese artist I follow make fanart of Mickey and Oswald the rabbit, saying they wanted to see a show of them going on adventures together. When someone told them “hey, they’re public domain now, get enough people together and we could do that and publish it on our own”, the artist replied, “But I don’t want to make a horror parody, I want it to be whimsical”
There’s so much schlock that now some people don’t realize that you can make public domain stuff that isn’t just generic “what if (beloved character) was MESSED UP AND EVIL”. It took a few replies for them to understand that, Public Domain means you can publish and profit off anything that doesn’t infringe on the copyright; it doesn’t just have to be the wild, nonsensical stuff.
So is he going to go through with your idea?
@@themostdevious-t1d I feel like if The Walt Disney Company didn't lobby Congress to extend copyrights by decades, people wouldn't be so vindictive and make such horrid creations.
Remember, it wasnt JUST Dusney that did that. So shouldnt be the only big corporations you need to look out for that made this scummy extension. Altho of course Disney is an easy target to get the point across.@@yosefdemby8792
@@themostdevious-t1d Besides, it hasn't even been ten days yet. Quality content takes time. I'm sure high-quality Mickey Mouse public domain works will come in the long run.
@@themostdevious-t1d Yeah. In time the high-quality public projects with him will help ameliorate the public domain's tainted reputation.
Fun fact: whereas Spring Heeled Jack started as an urban myth and developed into a penny dreadful villain, late-Victorian writers transformed the character into a proto-superhero, complete with altruistic mission, hidden lair (a crypt in a neglected London graveyard), tech-based powers (his spring boots were designed by an Indian mechanical genius) and even a dashing catch-phrase ("The day is yours - leave the night to me!"). This was decades before Zorro and it can be argued that SHJ set many of the masked avenger tropes later followed by Batman et al. The 2020 novel "The Life and Fantastical 'Crimes' of Spring Heeled Jack" ran with that theme, being presented as SHJ's own memoir of his days as a rooftop-leaping vigilante.
That's a baller catchphrase, I wanna do something with this character
@@sdsdfdu4437 The "Life and Fantastical Crimes" novel has a lot of fun coming up with semi-plausible explanations for the late-Victorian weirdness of the Spring Heeled Jack legend. The protagonist is well aware of his growing status as a urban legend and is sometimes able to use it to his own advantage.
Interesting info! In a way it's funny that a feared creature of the night ended up becoming one of the earliest form of a modern day costumed hero.
Cool character. He needs lo live again.
There's also the fantastic novel by Philip Pullman taking a similar approach
I love how Red Bee has one specific bee he's named Michael. Does he name the rest of the hive or is Michael just his favorite? Does that favoritism impact the hive's morale late on in the series? Would Michael be his best bee at his wedding? There are so many directions this character could go.
Like Antony in Ant Man. Michael is the best bee.
Michael is the one in the group with powers. He stings multiple times. He recruits other bees to help Red out (mind controll?). He causes irrational fear in the villians. He is seemingly invulnerable.
Michael is the Kato to the Red Bee's Green Hornet.
@@BlUsKrEEm plot twist, turns out it's a Dr Fate (/sort of moonknight) situation and Michael is actually the one in control.
I really love your attitude towards the public domain Austin, seeing it as a creative springboard for your own ideas instead of just a way to leech off an already popular ip.
Oh THAT'S what Ant-Man's been missing all this time
*a gun*
For his "Bee" Special, he uses a gun.
Knowing Disney/Marvel PG Universe.That gun would be a watergun😂
Oh no he has one of those. It can grow and shrink things to his leisure (see Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes)
@@marktheshark7588I'm sorry have you seen a marvel movie? They're not R, but they're definitely pg-13, and there a guns.
It is surprising that since the Wizard of Oz movie is extremely popular and the book in is Public Domain, now there are surprisingly few adaptions.
Hmm, L Frank Baum’s estate owns the later Land of Oz stories, which aren’t yet public domain worthy in the EU. It seems clear that his own Land of Oz stories have entered the public domain 13 years ago in Germany.
Gregory Maguire was adapting the Oz material from the mid-90s. There are 4 novels in "The Wicked Years", and it's one of the most emotionally satisfying, dark, grown-up fantasy-worlds I've read.
@@YourQueerGreatAuntie ahh yes, the books behind the popular Wicked Musical!
@@YourQueerGreatAuntiebut that's a book to book adaption. What about movies, shows, and games?
There is a lot of written & comic adaptations. Somehow they never got popular enough for bigger media projects.
It's specifically Steamboat Willy that's public now. That's a very important factor that can prevent serious litigation.
It just occurs to me, if Scarecrow wanted a brain and Tinman wanted a heart, why was it not phrased as the Lion wanting a 'spine' or 'backbone' and thus maintaining the analogy of body parts for certain qualities or characteristics?
Maybe it was and this guy is just bad at writing scripts
@@Eeter26 I've never read the Oz books, but the classic 1939 movie says 'courage' and that makes perfect sense. I'm just interested in word choice. The creator here is just _fine_ at writing scripts.
The Lion wants the nerve
@@evanbao93 oo that's a good one!
It was courage. The Wizard poured a liquid out of a bottle into a platter for the lion to drink. Most likely "liquid courage", which probably meant the Wizard got the lion drunk.
7:36 A hero with bee themed powers?
Sounds like a job for.... *DOCTOR BEES!!!*
I always find that the public domain is like a treasure chest full of opportunities for anyone to use whatever character and make it your own.
Thanks to you, I've become a fan of public domain.
I really want to use a lot of characters in my own worlds.
Me too, mainly because I ran out of original characters. It's more like a multiverse
im learning gamedev right now, i want to make a point and click adventure with these public domain cartoons, i hope i can finish someday
I love the acknowledgment given to the Red Bee
Honestly, I think that, if given to the right writer, there’s a lot that could be done with the character
He isn't too off from Ant-Man, and bees feel more intimidating than ants o a visceral level. A superhero whose power is controlling bees could totally work.
Marvel has a super villain who is literally a Nazi made out of bees! The Red Bee could totally work in a new context or scenario
Red Bee would be an awesome video game protagonist
I remember someone on Tumblr suggesting a Super Smash Brothers style brawler game using only public domain characters as the fighters. I still live in hope that such a game is made, but multiplayer games are notoriously difficult (or impossible) to make for an indie team. Perhaps as a local co-op game instead?
That sounds awesome.That would make a dope game.I'm not sure if he's in the public domain,but I often think that Lee Falks The Phantom would make an amazing open world game.
The task of thinking up custom specials for each character sounds tough, otherwise they could do the brawlhalla thing of a set amount of movesets shared by x number of characters each
@@SeanSMST Looks like GATSBY is here to party! But wait, hold on. Here comes Sherlock Holmes with a STEEL CHAIR!
@@Katy133 Ok you got me there, tbf tho I was thinking of those obscure ones you typically think of with 'public domain', I forgot to consider the fleshed out well developed characters and their storylines.
There’s literally a top down shooter akin to that which utilize public domain characters.
Its called Inverse Ninjas vs. The Public Domain. And yes it actually included Mickey Mouse as a playable character the moment he became one.
Genuinely. As crazy as The Red Bee is, he's the only property that immediately set the gears turning in my head. (I think it has something to do with the fact that I have a blouse very similar to his superhero costume)
I'm imagining a superhero but like with a small army of those Transformers movies nanobots, that the hero calls "Bees" and are actually an AI.
He still has the gun though.
Spring-heeled Jack has been cited by some as being a spiritual ancestor of Batman. And since we have to wait another 15 years or so for ol’ bats, he could make a great Victorian substitute
These videos have make me appreciate the creative potential of the public domain.
Same here.I'm glad that the public domain is finally getting some love.
I'm mildly curious now... Could the company that created the mickey mouse horror game have legally advertised or announced it before the copyright expired, as long as it was not yet available for sale?
I don't think so.
I think the trailer would have been considered fair use, but to figure out that someone would have to take it to court and that costs money. Also the case would be rendered moot if they didn't reach a final decision by Jan. 1. 2024 so I'm gonna guess Disney wouldn't have done anything if they published the trailer a few weeks before the new year.
Well they could have tried but I guarantee Disney would have been on them like Jason Voorhees on teenagers having sex out of wedlock.
I saw a trailer for a game called "Inverse Ninjas VS. The Public Domain" where Mickey Mouse was being added as a new playable character, and that trailer came out before 2024 (it was around a week or two before the new year). They didn't get into any trouble, but with what the person above said and the fact that it's a really niche game it could just be that there wasn't any point for Disney to take action or they just straight up didn't know about it then.
@@TheDuzx I don't know if the case would be "rendered moot" per se: if there WAS copyright infringement then it was already commited BEFORE it expired, hence might still be litigated. idk that's an argument they could make, not sure if it'd fly, if it matches or contradicts some established legal principle or sth, we'd REALLY need a court to decide that.
Can we all collectively agree that Austin McConnell is like... idk, the King of the Public Domain or something? Ever since he started doing his research for the first Superzeroes video, before it was even called the Superzeroes, he's regularly posted videos about the Public Domain, how it works, and some of the crazy stuff out there and freely available for people to just use. it's wild. I know making him King of the Public Domain sounds antithetical but I trust my king.
Maybe more like the prophet of the public domain or something? I generally agree though.
Austin: "He's a superhero. Who uses bees."
Me: Doctor BEEEEEEEEEES!!!
Why am I surprised that the guy whose making a Public Domain Super Hero franchise is promoting the Public Domain. I really shouldn't be at this point.
Regardless, I'm glad this is being made for the simple fact that we have so much enterthe public domain for the first time in like 90 years, well more than the old version of an evil franchises mascot.
I just realized - Solomon Kane, pulp character created by Robert E Howard (creator of Conan) entered public domain this year. His first appearance was in 1928.
Austin I would like to thank you for introducing me to the public domain. Thanks to you I have discovered such gems as Captain Battle, Red Rube and Captain Murder. And for some reason with Captain murder I am inspired to make a deep and compelling character drama.
I wish you best of luck.
I’m dreaming a process to base a pantomime on a German backfischroman! It’s going to be interesting.
I've just finished listening to the audiobook of The Spider Queen. I REALLY enjoyed it! Excellent, compelling story, very believable characters - a really sophisticated take on the Golden Age heroes. Thank you Austin!
I need to see an Isekai where Lord John Ruckston gets sent to another world with nothing but his rifle and his sense of justice
The Land of Oz should be an Ongoing Anime that Adapts 27 Books like it's One Piece.
Featuring Transbian Ozma!
Technically there was an Oz anime made in the early 80s. If I recall it adapted the first three books or so.
@@gnockgnock6965 Now's tbe perfect time to do an adaptation. Becides Ozma, Oz is described as a land where everyone worked half the time and played half the time. If you needed anything, you just withdrew it from the treasury and when you had excess you put it there for someone else to use. I would love to see the reactions to a modern Oz tv series "going woke" and the showrunner being like, "this is all from a book from 1903. I lifted most of the dialogue wholesale, see?
@@splicetape9435an Oz Anime should be made for an Isekai Audience.
@splicetape9435 YES. YES. YES. MY DAD HAS THE DVD IVE SEEN LIEK THE FIRST SEASON ITS SO GOOD
Honestly, Mickey entering the public domain is amazing. Could be even good for Disney! I've already seen some creative animations and uses of him, and he's starting to grow on me lol
The rubber-hose era Mickey has a particular type of whimsy that I don't see much in modern characters, so more of that could be pretty fun :)
You might want to check out the Death Battle video of Saitama VS Popeye. It is one of their best videos, because Popeye is authentic to the style and feel of his era.
@@SabinStargem Sounds fun! Def will check it out later :)
SpringHeeled Jack was used in an episode of the detective show Luther. Definitely a character worth exploring
What season and which episode?
@@marktheshark7588 S2E1 it’s a good watch
Now that I think about it, it'd be pretty useful if there was an easily accessible database for every character in the public domain. I've found wikis that do this but I find them pretty tricky to navigate.
Well the public domain superheroes wiki isn't immediately 100% easy but otherwise it's quite usable.
And still, they tend to be quite anglo-centric, when the public domain is worlwide, with so many good obscure characters waiting to get a new life.
There are a couple of Japanese public domain characters, such as the ones from the book that got adapted into Atragon and Super Atragon.
@@SlapstickGenius23There is Golden Bat
@@tiffany-chan1235 yes, but he’s public domain only in India, Japan and South Africa. He’ll soon be public domain in Australia in 2032.
I am currently working on a public domain super hero universe, with "The Black Bat" and "Black Cat" (no relation to marvel, and produced by Pocket Comics) as the main characters so far.
I don't know if anyone has as wholesome of a channel as Austin.
Austin, I am not sure that the Red Bee is actually in the public domain.
The Red Bee was created andpublished by Quality Comics. Quality had quite a long list of popular characters, like Blackhawk and Plastic Man.
As you see, those are characters found in DC comics. That is because when Quality Comics closed up shop in the 50s, DC Comics purchased them, and they did renew the copyrights when they had to. All of Quality Comics characters are owned by DC Comics today.
Public domain the pond of lost ideas to be hunted by the curious minds willing to mould them into fully fledged characters and stories.
Imo,I think alot of people does be sleeping on public domain characters.
I wonder if it’s too late to capitalize on my idea of a mad scientist fishing Jay Gatzby’s body out of his swimming pool and reviving him as a steampunk cyborg.
Was going to call it, “The Even Greater Gatzby: An Official Sequel”
I believe the 1925 film adaptation of The Lost World is in the public domain as well, which means any elements added in that version are also free to use! Honestly I've always been a fan of this book and it's many iterations and was surprised that it wasn't as well known as I thought. I guess I was so autistic about dinosaurs as a child I forgot other people weren't 😆.
Imagine if patent protections lasted as long as copyright protections. Innovation will be completely stifled.
Imagine if copyright protections only lasted as long as patent protections (20 years). That would be cool.
8:26 - "Hi My name is Michael with a B... I've been afraid of insects my whole life"
"Stop, stop... Where's the B?"
"There's a BEE!?"
It's the Red Bee! I've loved him ever since I discovered him. The era when anything could be a gimmick and superheroes all loved cool yet obvious cars.
Spring-Heeled Jack feels like a great fit for a horror movie, I’d be suprised if a movie isn’t made about the story in the future
A perfect public domain superhero that has potential for horror would be Stardust the Super Wizard. Truly one of the strangest comic heroes from the Golden Age.
Red Bee is pretty much Green Hornet meets Ant-Man (or Wasp, depending on your mood)
I *_love_* the Professor Challenger stories. I highly recommend checking out the short stories, such as _The Poison Belt._
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also loved Challenger, and would cosplay as his him at parties. He hated Holmes for completely eclipsing his favorite OC, eventually killing him off before bringing him back due to public demand. (And I do mean demand. One lady wrote to him "You brute!" after _The Death of Sherlock Holmes_ was published, and many individuals purportedly wore black mourning bands to work.)
I find the Professor Challenger stories and characters at least if not more enjoyable than the Sherlock Holmes stories, I highly recommend giving them a read.
I feel like the red bee is used in Naruto (Shino Aburame and the clan in general), but much more expanded and logical. Neat that ideas can converge like that across time
Public Domain is a very good thing. I wish copyright restrictions would be lifted even further so that more properties would enter.
The moment those cash grabs came out, I rolled my eyes so hard I looked like Mickey for a second.
Whoa! I didn't know you were Kickstarting some more Sensational Cat-Man cartoonage! I'm glad I watched this today (while I write this, only 10 days remain!) I saw you post this a few days ago, but haven't gotten to watching it until now because of work. I hope others see it before the campaign ends. I just pledged $25! Good luck!
Anyhoo, LOVE ALL OF THESE. A lot of legitimately cool works that SHOULD be explored more - I'd love to see more Oz-based stuff and Lost World (well, Arthur Conan Doyle works in general). But especially that bee guy.... _ESPECIALLY_ how, if things get too dicey, "He has a gun." Modern filmmakers take notice: now *that's* a hero that's grounded and relatable 😂
You didn't mention the most important fact of Red Bee...he dies. They stuck him in a walk in freezer, he couldn't get out and his bees died. Personally when I do a thing I'm gonna open from the fact that he did die and then they brought him back...wrong. And he's like Hell Bee or whatever.
I can’t believe that 2 hours after new years of there’s already a horror game and Green Day used him in a music video
I laughed when I saw Mickey in Green Days video
I’m not sure I like the wording of “be a producer”. I like “be a funder” more because it’s more accurate.
Usually when you make something, the producer is above it all and gets a say in what happens.
Red Bee just makes me think of Dr. Bees but with a gun.
Thanks for the video! There's a lot of potential for using pre-existing ideas as a starting point for creative work (as a way to overcome writer's block for me), but the public domain is intimidating just from it sheer scale and the intuitive understanding that most of it won't be creatively stimulating to work from. Awesome concepts!
The day Austin talks about Octobriana and Jenny Everywhere can't come soon enough.
Do be careful with long-running characters though. Sometimes the early works are public domain, but later additions to the character aren't. And it's easy to forget what was original and what was added
Eg Dorothy is from a 1900 novel, but I'm pretty sure the ruby slippers were added in the film adaptation. In the book, I think she had silver slippers, but MGM were making a big deal about how the film was shot in colour, so they wanted bright glorious colourful slippers, and made them red
The difference between Winnie the Pooh and Steamboat Willie is that Steamboat Willie can actually work in horror. That short is terrifying, but people just see they can use Mickey Mouse and just do a generic horror movie with someone in Mickey's costume, not actually turning Steamboat Willie into the true horror that it is.
I mean Winnie the Pooh can work as a horror story if you take the characters and utilize a plot akin to Full Moon’s Puppet Master series.
@@BigK13372 Sure but not as much as something like Steamboat Willie
The best part of the Red Bee that Austin didn't mention is that the author is called B.H. Apiary...
Thank you for this. I have been wanting to make a few little projects to help people understand all the things you can do with public domain. I think it's been so long since the general creative public has had access and interest in older works that we have forgotten how to do it!
The Red Bee movie when!!!!
He's not the hero we need but the hero we deserve.
5:36 This one is very rough search that I've been doing in quite a long time. The Arthur C. Doyle state claims they own the character and anyone who wants to write stories about him needs their permission. I found about a college project who needed their approval and an Amazon book of professor Challenger that in order to be written the writter had to ask the permission of the state. So the state claims that they had the copyright of the 2 books of the professor that came later and because of this nobody can write stories about him without permission, it's pretty much the case of Zorro and Tarzan trademark owners. Nobody wants to get sued so everyone avoid these.
It's a shame because I really want to write about this story, I love dinossaur theme and this fits perfectly.
The Red Bee and The Arrow (Ralph Payne) could be interesting characters for your Superzeroes project.
One of my favourite video essays is a postcolonial reading of Lost World adaptations. I'd love an adaptation that uses those critiques to make a film that matches modern sensibilities
That's a thing that always gets me [about Oz]. You got all these books in the public domain at this point, but there's only been about like... 3~5 adaptations. (One of them being an original origin story.)
Like... no-one has up and decided "Hey, let's do some serious adapting of some of the more obscure stuff that doesn't involve the Red Ruby Slippers" (since the RRS are owned by MGM and you need to talk about that like Disney did for "Return to Oz")
I think the issue is that MGM still owns rights to the movie, and unless you can swear that your work was based on the books alone and not influenced by the movie (which you've probably seen) your adaptation is going to be problematic. Everything from the music to the costumes worn by the flying monkeys is copyrighted. Then there's the issue that being in the right won't save you from legal costs if MGM decides to take you to court. MGM probably has more money to spend on lawyers than you do so that's going to be a problem. The "Ownership Rights" section of Wikipedia's article on King Kong is an indication of how complex and nuanced these issues are in reality. It's so much easier to just make up your own fantasy world imitating Oz than to make your own adaptation.
@@rdbury507 Turner acquired the Wizards of Oz movie from MGM. In turn it got acquired by WB.
@@SlapstickGenius23 Sorry, I should have figured it would have changed hands by now. The point remains though.
The Red Bee's special last resort is a gun. Why is that the weirdest thing about a Bee superhero? XD
I guess Butch Hartman did some research for Fairly Odd Parents when looking for a public domain version of Batman.
For what it’s worth, The Lost World is only the first in a series of 3 or 4 “Professor Challenger” stories.
There was an issue of Justice League in which Plastic Man described the Red Bee as "...a hero I used to share Prozac with in the lean years."
An abandoned by Disney movie would be great
Fun fact, one of the characters in the Wizard of Oz sequels was transgender. These were childrens books in the 1930s, quite frankly the author would still be ahead of his time today.
Terror in the trenches and project superpowers were good reads
Lord John Ruckston seems like such an Indianna Jones kinda guy, I'd pay for a movie lol
"There are other genres to play in", and I instantly know what "other genre" the Internet loves besides horror.
i want somebody to make a 3 season cartoon based on the first 3 books in the oz series
Nah, 26 seasons adapting all 26 books
Another newly public domain character: Orlando, the genderfluid immortal creation of Virginia Woolfe!
5:34 Whose to say he didn't have some contrived means to climb walls insanely quickly, which in the dark and addled by fear, looks like leaping?
In spite of being aware of "The Lost World", the first Professor Challenger story I read was his appearance in the Iris Wildthyme anthology, "Miss Wildthyme & Friends Investigate". Her authors are quite happy to indulge in crossover adventures with all manner of public domain characters. ^_~
(:) D
I'm still surprised that no one thought about doing a TV series focusing on the stories that followed after the original story. I mean we're in an age where binge watching shows on streaming is the norm so having a series dedicated on telling the entire history of Oz should be a no brainer at this point. Also the one story I feel should be used more often in the public domain would be The Island of Dr Moreau. There's a lot in that story that would perfect horror material to make new stories out of especially we're in a time where genetic experiments are more relevant then ever.
On the subject of horror I wouldn't worry too much about characters like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh being affected by it. Not only we will still get the more wholesome takes on them in the future but also horror takes on them that doesn't take the lazy way out and be more creative about it. Like the American McGee Alice games as a good example of horror in children icons being done well and respectifulyl.
It might be worth noting that the later Oz books (*I've only read 13 of them) get weird. Like really bizarre. Could be good or bad, but might make adaptations harder.
It's technically its "Steamboat Willie," the design prototype version for Michael Mouse. Its an important distinction that keeps getting erased for some odd reason.
There is also the Fighting Yank as well.
3:20no there are 40 public domain oz books and some more that are published by the grandchildren or maybe younger than that of the original offers probably younger than that and they're generally accepted as Canon by the fans
Most of the John Carter of Mars or Barsoom series is in the public domain. It's a very detailed and interesting science-fantasy setting. Actually Edgar Rice Burroughs had a lot of interesting fictional settings, including his own 'lost world'.
Probably the only challenge with adapting anything Edgar Rice Burrough’s (including Tarzan and John Carter) is that while these stories are in the public domain, the estate still has a tight hold on the trademarks for Tarzan and John Carter. This means that unless you negotiate or pay a royalty to the estate, you’ll have to make sure your adaptations of Tarzan or John Carter avoid using their actual names. (Or something along that line)
I feel like my previous comment in your previous video was directly answered, and even if it wasn't, I still madly appreciate it.
some of these are really wild, very cool list honestly I didn't expect an army of trained bees fighting corrupt politicians but I can't complain
I was talking with some friends about all the Steamboat Willie horror stuff and we were like, "Oh come on, there are a lot of other genres that could be done like a film noir buddy comedy or a pulp adventure. I even picked out a title: "Steamboat Willie and the River of Doom"
I remember the episode of Jackie Chan Adventures that had Spring-Heeled Jack.
I'm glad that Austin is taking the initiative to create his own engaging stories; Hollywood doesn't care about telling good stories anymore. 😢
There's only one way to make a good Mickey Mause horror movie and is to adapt that creepypasta about the cancelled theme park left abandoned in Florida
But then it will overlap with the Disney's ownership...
@@burner555 ok, the creepypasta can't be adapted 100% faithfully... but with some clever changes it can work
Growing old is bad because you are no longer young - boring we've been there before
Growing old is cool because you'll eventually get things in the public domain - a new take that i enjoy
I genuinely find it crazy that not many people understand what public domain is, and how to use it effectively.
But alas, now everyone is talking about this, lets see what crazy wonders we get.
Every time I see the Red Bee, I think of the DC conic where he ran across the original Mr. Terrific and remarked that if Terrific could have "Fair Play plastered across his gut," he should consider writing "Buzz Buzz across my butt".
Please, whoever picks up the Red Bee, give him a "Buzz Buzz" tramp stamp that only you and I will understand.
Amazing! I actually voiced Spring Heeled Jack for the audio version of Phillip Pullmans book. Didn't know it was public domain.
Please oh please tell us that the Red Bee will feature in your cinematic universe eventually.
I *really* want to do something with The Red Bee now XD
The Bee guy has been used...DR. BEES!
Couldn't DC now claim a copyright on (their) Red Bee?!?
Now that i think about it wizard of oz would make a pretty good horror thing, paranormal animations of humanized lions and scarecrows and tin, cutting open travelers for their body parts and stealing souls for their courage while traveling with a little girl that they kidnapped
Should've been Goofy. "I'll fucking do it again".
Thanks for the video! I’m still praying for you and your heart. Love your content!
Never knew the “Michael with a b” vine had a backstory lol
I think we found our next super zero… Red Bee! Hahaha