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Re: PARADOX ACQUIRES REMAINDER OF REH PROPERTIES

Posted by Heruka on 2/15/2006, 3:16 am, in reply to "PARADOX ACQUIRES REMAINDER OF REH PROPERTIES"
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If I am right, the entire Conan comic series was published by Marvel Comics during the 1980-1990s, most of it drawn by Marvel's John Buscema. So, how did the copyright get so murky? --Previous Message-- : According to a report in Variety, Swedish : based Paradox Entertainment, which already : owns the literary rights to Robert E. : Howard’s Conan, has purchased the remainder : of the rights to the REH library from the : late writer’s estate, amounting to 800 or : more properties. As the report relates, : Paradox now controls Kull, Bran Mak Morn, : Solomon Kane and Red Sonya, and, again, : according to Variety “hopes to license its : new literary properties for film, TV, : videogames, comics, toys and other areas.” : : The press release from Paradox reads: : : Paradox Entertainment announced today that : the company has acquired all rights to the : library of author Robert E. Howard, the : creator of Conan and over 800 other literary : pieces. Paradox Entertainment has owned : Howard’s Conan since 2002 and the new : addition of the entire library gathers all : of Howard’s writings under one company. “We : have been negotiating this transaction for a : year and we are confident of its tremendous : value. I don’t think it’s possible to : overestimate the magnitude of this : purchase,” said Peter Sederowsky, Chairman : of the Board at Paradox Entertainment AB. : : “Robert E. Howard is undoubtedly one of the : greatest fantasy authors of the 20th : century, with an enormous list of works. It : is mind-boggling that only four movies have : been made based on his writings. Through : this purchase we are securing an extensive : production slate through long-term : partnership in all areas of entertainment : and media. We are already considering many : projects and are excited for the future,” : said Fredrik Malmberg, Head of Licensing : & Creative Affairs at Paradox : Entertainment Inc. in Los Angeles. : : Robert E. Howard was one of the greatest : authors of his time and is considered the : creator of the genre ”Sword & Sorcery”, : perhaps most known through the character : Conan. Despite his short literary career – : Howard died at the mere age of 30, after : only 12 years as a productive author – he : wrote over 800 stories and poems. Howard’s : breakthrough came when being published in : the pulp magazine Weird Tales during the : 1930s. His stories take us to such different : surroundings as ancient Atlantis, the North : African desert during WW1, hidden opium dens : in dark alleys of the Big City, and northern : Britain during the invasion of the Roman : Legions. : : Over the years, many authors have been : inspired by Howard’s stories, and have : praised his literary legacy, among them H. : P. Lovecraft, Michael Moorcock, and Stephen : King, who said about Howard: ”In his best : work, Howard’s writing seems so highly : charged with energy that it nearly gives off : sparks. Stories such as ‘People of the Black : Circle’ glow with the fierce and eldritch : light of his frenzied intensity.” : : As for how this impacts the Howard : properties most relevant to comic fans, : namely, Dark Horse’s Conan and Dynamite : Entertainment’s Red Sonja series, the short : version is, it doesn’t. : : While this deal will simplify things, the : world of REH licensed properties is still : slightly complicated, with all of the : creator’s characters not sharing one : “universe” that can be owned or licensed. : : In regards to Conan, Dark Horse licenses the : character from Conan Properties : International, a wholly owned subsidiary of : Paradox. CPI controls not only Conan, but : all associated characters from the Hyborian : world. : : Except Red Sonja. : : As explained previously, Red Sonja is : controlled by the Red Sonja Corporation, a : wholly separate company, distinct from the : REH Estate, Paradox, and CPI. Reportedly : (and to make just a fewmore lines cross), : Red Sonja Corp currently has the rights to : the Thulsa Doom character (originally a Kull : nemesis, who then appeared in the first : Conan film), which it has, in turn, licensed : to Dynamite for use in Red Sonja comics. : : The ownership lines became fuzzy between : 2000-2003, during which time Stan Lee Media : bought the rights to Conan (late 2000) when : it purchased CPI, promising to make, among : other things, a film at Warner Bros., and : “webisodes” of the barbarian’s adventures. : Stan Lee Media of course, went under in a : storm of controversy and alleged wrongdoing : in December of 2000. In 2002, Paradox bought : into the Conan property, but by that point, : the Howard Estate had spun off the Red Sonja : rights into their own company, the Red Sonja : Corporation. The REH Estate kept the rights : to all the other Howard properties. : : As noted above though, Paradox does on the : rights to Red Sonya, while the Red Sonja : Corporation retains the rights to Red Sonja. : The difference of course, being in the : spelling of the last name. “Red Sonya,” : which Paradox now owns, is the original : Howard version, a female pirate who was not : a contemporary of Conan. “Red Sonja” is the : character derived from Howard’s works by Roy : Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith in 1973. : “Sonja” is the character who previously : appeared in Marvel’s Conan comics and her : own miniseries, while “Sonya” is known : perhaps best to Howard aficionados. : : The move by Paradox, with their stated aim : of seeking to further exploit the characters : in, among other media, comics, is notable, : as it can be assumed that the process to : developing more REH properties for comics : may be a little more streamlined. Before : their launches, both Conan and Sonja were on : the rubbish heap of comics, their viability : questionable at best. But as both Dark Horse : and Dynamite have shown with their : respective series (Red Sonja currently : outsells Conan in months that Sonja ships), : there is still a demand for Howard’s : characters in the market, when treated with : care and respect by both publishers and : creators. : :

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Message Thread: PARADOX ACQUIRES REMAINDER OF REH PROPERTIES - Cimmerian 2/8/2006, 3:40 pm Re: PARADOX ACQUIRES REMAINDER OF REH PROPERTIES - Heruka 2/15/2006, 3:16 am Re: PARADOX ACQUIRES REMAINDER OF REH PROPERTIES - Terryallenuk 2/15/2006, 10:09 am « Back to thread

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