Warning: contains mild spoilers for Public Domain #1!
Eisner, Shuster, and GLAAD-award winner Chip Zdarsky's Public Domain is a unique take on the controversial relationship between comic book creators and the mega-corporations that own their creations. Originally published through Zdarsky's Substack newsletter, Public Domain also marks the artist's return to fully drawing a series.
Zdarsky is a critically acclaimed artist and writer, whose first big breakout work in comics was Sex Criminals, a series he drew and co-created with Matt Fraction for Image Comics. Sex Criminals won an Eisner Award for Best New Series and was number 1 on Time magazine's list of Top 10 Comics and Graphic Novels for 2013. Starting from 2017, Zdarsky became one of Marvel Comics' flagship writers, gaining widespread recognition for his work on Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man and an ongoing run on Daredevil. Public Domain marks Zdarsky's return to creator-owned comics, and the series is a thought-provoking reflection on the comic book industry in the contemporary world.
Public Domain is the story of Syd Dallas, the comic book artist who created the Domain, the world's most popular superhero, and his two sons, Miles and Davis. The character is now owned by Singular, a big media corporation that turned it into a series of globally successful movies. Miles struggles to accept that the public is barely aware that the Domain was originally a comic book character, and the few people who know think it was created by Jerry Jasper, the writer of the series, an arrogant egomaniac who lives a lavish lifestyle after getting the majority of the copyright money. Shortly after the premiere of the Domain's latest movie, Jerry's assistant finds old paperwork stating that Syd actually owns the character. This revelation is bound to disrupt the already precarious balance in Syd's family, and it will likely put them in contrast not just with Jerry, but with Singular too.
The story's themes are easily relatable for anyone who has been a fan of comic books for the past fifteen years. The industry has been revolutionized by the success of superhero movies, which turned pop culture icons and obscure nerd references alike into millions-making entertainment machines. Public Domain tries to convey the point of view of "old-school" comics fans through Miles, who sees the movie industry as a predator feasting on comic books and their creators. This last point is clearly very close to Zdarsky's heart, as he goes to great lengths to transmit the message that comics creators are not getting the recognition (or the compensation) they deserve for creating the characters and the worlds that the movies are using to make millions, something that comic icons like Grant Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates have called out in the past.
This is not everything there is to Public Domain, of course. The characters as they currently exist are realistic and complex, with even the series' righteous anger tempered by human eccentricity. It is also refreshing to see Zdarsky back on art duty. Zdarsky is an eclectic artist who can blend a variety of styles, from cartoons to realistic illustrations, and goes for a minimalist and delicate approach that contrasts with classic comic bombast while leaving plenty of room for future surprises.
Overall, it looks like Public Domain will be able to tell an important story about creators and comic books in the age of superhero movies, making it more relatable through the travails of the Dallas family. Chip Zdarsky is one of the safest pairs of hands in comics, masterful at blending humor and pathos, making Public Domain a must-read for any fan of the medium, let alone superhero fiction.
Public Domain #1 is available now digitally on Zdarsky's Subtack, and physically from Image Comics June 29.