Copies Of The VCB Encyclopedia Available!

[Vault-Keeper]

E-mail me for details.

For the noobs:

VCB means Valiant Continuity Bible, which was an inhouse reference guide compiled by late Valiant archivist Seaborn Adamson.---Steve

[cinlach@aol.com]

why publically offer the vcb but not make the terms public?

don't you see that makes it seem like there's something to be hidden?

if there's not then please...correct those of us who think there is.

[Vault-Keeper]

OK

Here is the info:

Due to demand, I have decided to make copies of the VCB at my cost for any members old or new who want one, subject to my descretion and approval. In other words, NO trolls or abusers.

For those who don't know, the VCB is the Valiant Continuity Bible. It was written by the late Seaborn Adamson, who was the Official Valiant Archivist. It is over 250+ pages (all text), & gives summary information on all Valiant comics & characters up to mid-1993. It was never updated because Seaborn died in a car accident, & according to Kevin VanHook--"No one else was able to continue it at the time".

This Bible was used as an in-house reference guide for writers & artists. I purchased my copy directly from Valiant's old Editor-In-Chief---Bob Layton. I have premission to copy from Bob, so there is no hassle over me making copies at my cost. Because I am calling it an Encyclopedia, it makes my copies for cost 100% legal.

Here are the contents of the Valiant Continuity Bible:

1. History of the Valiant Universe (from 5000 BC to 4003 AD, including a Unity Timeline)---7 pages;

2. Archer & Armstrong section*, covering issue #0-#10;

*All these sections include a page for Identity, 1st Appearance, & Brief Origin; a page for Timeline of Key Events; followed by 1 to 2 page descriptions of each issue, which include: Cover Credits, Story Title, Credits, Supporting Characters, Comments, & Synopsis;

3. Bloodshot section covering issues #1-5;

4. Eternal Warrior section covering issues #1-11;

5. Harbinger section covering issues #0-#18;

6. H.A.R.D. Corps section covering issues #1-#7;

7. Magnus section covering issues #0-#25;

8. Rai section covering issues #0-#10;

9. Shadowman section covering issues #1-#14;

10. Solar section covering issues #0(Alpha & Omega)-#21;

11. X-O Manowar section covering issues #1-#17;

12. Unity section covering issues #0-#1;

13. Magic In The Valiant Universe section---2 pages;

14. Alphabetical Glossary of Valiant Terms & Characters---13 pages;

15. Roster of Heroes & Villains (this is a section that cross references character appearances)---18 pages.

Copies will all be marked "4th Print June 2006 copy", & they won't have the Unity #0 picture at the front, like the 25 1st Print copies I made two years ago. Unlike the unbound copies I made two years ago, these copies will be spiral bound, like the original, including a clear front cover, & a back cover.

Copies will cost $35 each.

This includes Insured Priority shipping.

Copies will be made & sent depending on the volume of the orders I receive. All in all, they should begin being shipped within 2 weeks from this post.

Thanks!---Steve

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Huh....Deja Poo.....

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

OK

Here is the info:

Due to demand, I have decided to make copies of the VCB at my cost for any members old or new who want one, subject to my descretion and approval. In other words, NO trolls or abusers.

Guess that counts ME out...

And Hobo...

And X-O....

And Myron...

And Woog....

And TWT....

And Cinlach....

And SOTU....

And Rubik's....

And CKB......

And.......

Of course, "trolls and abusers" are subjective terms in this post.

[Vault-Keeper]

No poop for you!...you lost little puppy....

[x-omatic]

OK

Here is the info:

Due to demand, I have decided to make copies of the VCB at my cost for any members old or new who want one, subject to my descretion and approval. In other words, NO trolls or abusers.

For those who don't know, the VCB is the Valiant Continuity Bible. It was written by the late Seaborn Adamson, who was the Official Valiant Archivist. It is over 250+ pages (all text), & gives summary information on all Valiant comics & characters up to mid-1993. It was never updated because Seaborn died in a car accident, & according to Kevin VanHook--"No one else was able to continue it at the time".

This Bible was used as an in-house reference guide for writers & artists. I purchased my copy directly from Valiant's old Editor-In-Chief---Bob Layton. I have premission to copy from Bob, so there is no hassle over me making copies at my cost. Because I am calling it an Encyclopedia, it makes my copies for cost 100% legal.

Here are the contents of the Valiant Continuity Bible:

1. History of the Valiant Universe (from 5000 BC to 4003 AD, including a Unity Timeline)---7 pages;

2. Archer & Armstrong section*, covering issue #0-#10;

*All these sections include a page for Identity, 1st Appearance, & Brief Origin; a page for Timeline of Key Events; followed by 1 to 2 page descriptions of each issue, which include: Cover Credits, Story Title, Credits, Supporting Characters, Comments, & Synopsis;

3. Bloodshot section covering issues #1-5;

4. Eternal Warrior section covering issues #1-11;

5. Harbinger section covering issues #0-#18;

6. H.A.R.D. Corps section covering issues #1-#7;

7. Magnus section covering issues #0-#25;

8. Rai section covering issues #0-#10;

9. Shadowman section covering issues #1-#14;

10. Solar section covering issues #0(Alpha & Omega)-#21;

11. X-O Manowar section covering issues #1-#17;

12. Unity section covering issues #0-#1;

13. Magic In The Valiant Universe section---2 pages;

14. Alphabetical Glossary of Valiant Terms & Characters---13 pages;

15. Roster of Heroes & Villains (this is a section that cross references character appearances)---18 pages.

Copies will all be marked "4th Print June 2006 copy", & they won't have the Unity #0 picture at the front, like the 25 1st Print copies I made two years ago. Unlike the unbound copies I made two years ago, these copies will be spiral bound, like the original, including a clear front cover, & a back cover.

Copies will cost $35 each.

This includes Insured Priority shipping.

Copies will be made & sent depending on the volume of the orders I receive. All in all, they should begin being shipped within 2 weeks from this post.

Thanks!---Steve

[x-omatic]

I wonder what Bob thinks of this.

[Vault-Keeper]

I wonder what Bob thinks of this.

You'll find out that he AND Kevin VanHook support me in this 100%. Write to him yourself, and find out, Chris. His email is bob@boblayton.com---Steve

[cinlach@aol.com]

waitaminute...i'm not on steve's christmas card list anymore??

poop.

[Vault-Keeper]

I wonder what Bob thinks of this.

You'll find out that he AND Kevin VanHook support me in this 100%. Write to him yourself, and find out, Chris. His email is bob@boblayton.com---Steve

And while your at it, Chris, find out about the legalities surrounding commissions done (for profit or not) in regards to characters NOT owned by the artist doing the commissions. You do just the inking for your "Hired Guns" comic...do you have expressed legal premission from the writer and penciler to reproduce their work for all to see (and copy off of) on the internet? Give me the scoop on all of this and the commissions, Mr. "Chris-Quote-It-All...

[Rubiks-Q-Bert]

OK

Here is the info:

Due to demand, I have decided to make copies of the VCB at my cost for any members old or new who want one, subject to my descretion and approval. In other words, NO trolls or abusers.

Guess that counts ME out...

And Hobo...

And X-O....

And Myron...

And Woog....

And TWT....

And Cinlach....

And SOTU....

And Rubik's....

And CKB......

And.......

Of course, "trolls and abusers" are subjective terms in this post.

I feel so left out

[greg]

(Since this is the second time this thread has existed, I'll repeat...)

I have not heard from anyone who has the authority to legally object to this thread.
If that occurs, I will respond accordingly.

[x-omatic]

I wonder what Bob thinks of this.

You'll find out that he AND Kevin VanHook support me in this 100%. Write to him yourself, and find out, Chris. His email is bob@boblayton.com---Steve

And while your at it, Chris, find out about the legalities surrounding commissions done (for profit or not) in regards to characters NOT owned by the artist doing the commissions. You do just the inking for your "Hired Guns" comic...do you have expressed legal premission from the writer and penciler to reproduce their work for all to see (and copy off of) on the internet? Give me the scoop on all of this and the commissions, Mr. "Chris-Quote-It-All...

WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

Since neither Bob nor Kevin own the copyright to any of the material in the VCB, their permission is meaningless. They are telling you that they don't have a problem with you making copies. Thats fine. But they are not in control of the rights of any of the characters. Permission can only come from either VIP, VALIANT Ent., Dark Horse, or Western publishing.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

No poop for you!...you lost little puppy....

Yeah, totally. To a "T"

The funniest part, of course, is that I'm but a phone call away from having one of my own, should I so choose.

[TimeWillTell]

Guess that counts ME out...

And Hobo...

And X-O....

And Myron...

And Woog....

And TWT....

And Cinlach....

And SOTU....

And Rubik's....

And CKB......

And.......

Of course, "trolls and abusers" are subjective terms in this post.

HA HA HA. I think that list is a bit short. No need to expand it, it'll take up too much bandwidth I think.
Oh well !
I'm not sure if I'm a troll or an abuser? I'll take troll for now... never thought of myself as an abuser.

-TWT

[Brother J]

Since neither Bob nor Kevin own the copyright to any of the material in the VCB, their permission is meaningless. They are telling you that they don't have a problem with you making copies. Thats fine. But they are not in control of the rights of any of the characters. Permission can only come from either VIP, VALIANT Ent., Dark Horse, or Western publishing.

Not trying to jump on any bandwagon, but I have to say x-omatic is right here. When I made copies of the Ninjak movie treatment from Bob's own website for my VfVSS project, he told me he didn't have a problem with it, but since he didn't own the rights to the character, he really didn't have any say in it.

[Vault-Keeper]

So where did X-omatic get his Unity #0 picture from? Ya know, the one he is posting here with no authorization to do so.....

IT CAME FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED COPY OF THE VCB.

What a hypocrite.

And why doesn't someone address my questions about the legality of artists doing commissions of characters they don't own the rights to?

Is this a rampant violation of ALL character copyrights?

Maybe some of the professional artists that post here might be able to shed some light on the legalities involved in doing commissions of characters they own NO rights to, nor compensate the true owners for.

[x-omatic]

So where did X-omatic get his Unity #0 picture from? Ya know, the one he is posting here with no authorization to do so.....

IT CAME FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED COPY OF THE VCB.

What a hypocrite.

And why doesn't someone address my questions about the legality of artists doing commissions of characters they don't own the rights to?

Is this a rampant violation of ALL character copyrights?

Maybe some of the professional artists that post here might be able to shed some light on the legalities involved in doing commissions of characters they own NO rights to, nor compensate the true owners for.

[TimeWillTell]

For what it's worth. I know a bit about copyrights, having dealt with them for more than 25+ years in business.

If the author of the work, actually copyrights the work, then he (or his heirs) own that copyright. If the author was an employee of a corporation i.e. Voyager, and created the work as part of his employment, and the work was NOT copyrighted, the work belongs to his employer. If the author was not employed by the corporation to which the information pertains, and the work is NOT copyrighted, then the work is publilc domain.

In most cases, if the work is being reprinted for scholarly use i.e. classroom instruction, text books, OR to be distributed at COST, there is usually no charge for the reprint permission. However, permission from the rightful owner is needed, whomever that may be.

In almost every case where the re-printed work is for information purposes (not profit), a simple request to the owner is all that is needed. The owner (or copyright holder) usually asks for the following text to be added...

"This work is reprinted from (Enter name of work) by special permission of (enter name of owner).

The polite way of doing this is to contact the rightful owner and get that permission prior to any distribution of the reprinted material.

I hope that clarifies a few things.

Also remember, all copyrighted works become public domain 75 years after their date of copyright.

-TWT

[Brother J]

And why doesn't someone address my questions about the legality of artists doing commissions of characters they don't own the rights to?

Is this a rampant violation of ALL character copyrights?

Maybe some of the professional artists that post here might be able to shed some light on the legalities involved in doing commissions of characters they own NO rights to, nor compensate the true owners for.

Moved this discussion to the VALIANT art area, I think it's a good question, and I don't want to gum this thread up with more stuff. As always, I find Steve to be a good person to deal with in terms of tough to find VALIANT items and this might be your last chance to see a copy of the VCB, so I recommend anyone who wants it takes the opportunity.

[jedimarley]

I find Steve to be a good person to deal with in terms of tough to find VALIANT items and this might be your last chance to see a copy of the VCB, so I recommend anyone who wants it takes the opportunity.

[myron]

And why doesn't someone address my questions about the legality of artists doing commissions of characters they don't own the rights to?

Is this a rampant violation of ALL character copyrights?

Maybe some of the professional artists that post here might be able to shed some light on the legalities involved in doing commissions of characters they own NO rights to, nor compensate the true owners for.

Moved this discussion to the VALIANT art area, I think it's a good question, and I don't want to gum this thread up with more stuff. As always, I find Steve to be a good person to deal with in terms of tough to find VALIANT items and this might be your last chance to see a copy of the VCB, so I recommend anyone who wants it takes the opportunity.

right on!

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

For what it's worth. I know a bit about copyrights, having dealt with them for more than 25+ years in business.

If the author of the work, actually copyrights the work, then he (or his heirs) own that copyright. If the author was an employee of a corporation i.e. Voyager, and created the work as part of his employment, and the work was NOT copyrighted, the work belongs to his employer. If the author was not employed by the corporation to which the information pertains, and the work is NOT copyrighted, then the work is publilc domain.

In most cases, if the work is being reprinted for scholarly use i.e. classroom instruction, text books, OR to be distributed at COST, there is usually no charge for the reprint permission. However, permission from the rightful owner is needed, whomever that may be.

In almost every case where the re-printed work is for information purposes (not profit), a simple request to the owner is all that is needed. The owner (or copyright holder) usually asks for the following text to be added...

"This work is reprinted from (Enter name of work) by special permission of (enter name of owner).

The polite way of doing this is to contact the rightful owner and get that permission prior to any distribution of the reprinted material.

I hope that clarifies a few things.

Also remember, all copyrighted works become public domain 75 years after their date of copyright.

-TWT

Unless, of course, you're an entertainment empire with a VAST finanical stake built on characters whose copyrights were JUST about to expire.....then you just lobby the US Patent Office for "special circumstances"




I refer, of course, to Disney.

And, of course, I agree with Disney's position: after all, when the 75 year limit was first put in place, NO ONE could have imagined that characters created 75+ years in the past would still be relevant...nay, corporate ICONS....in the present. It was mainly so that published music and books from long since dead writers would be able to be distributed free of charge to future generations, and in those cases, it generally works well.

For the record...Superman's copyright is set to expire in 2013...anyone thinking of reprinting Action #1....?

[magnusr]

the work is NOT copyrighted, then the work is publilc domain.

Good summary, with a well needed distinction between "work for hire" and other work, which is another complication. Just want to emphasize that public domain is not the default anymore. A new work is always copyrighted unless specifically placed in the public domain.

/Magnus