According to this press release, Pendragon Pictures “has given formal legal notice” to Dark Horse Comics, alleging the publisher’s The War of the Worlds graphic novel contains “innumerable replications of images” from the studio’s 2005 direct-to-DVD adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic novel.
“Both productions are based on the public domain 1898 H. G. Wells novel,” the press release notes, “but Pendragon alleges that Dark Horse has played foul in replicating camera angles, designs, character likenesses and a myriad of artistic choices for their comic.”
The 72-page graphic novel, by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli, was released in April 2006.
In an attempt to support its claims, Pendragon has created a website on which it compares panels from the graphic novel with frames from the movie. What’s more, the site includes a poll, asking visitors whether they see “significant similarities” between the two works.
I don’t really know what to make of all of this, because it feels more like marketing than legal maneuvering (you can follow a link from the press release to purchase the DVD).
To be honest, I’m not sure what “formal legal notice” means. Did Pendragon file a lawsuit? If so, when and where? And the tenor of the press release, combined with the comparison website and poll, strikes me as … strange.
I’ve contacted Dark Horse for comment, and Pendragon for clarification. It’s still early on the West Coast, but I’ll update if they have statements.
Update: A spokeswoman for Dark Horse responded to say the publisher doesn’t comment on legal matters.
July 26th, 2006 at 11:24 am
I agree that it sounds like marketing; has D’Israeli ever pulled this sort of thing before, though?
July 26th, 2006 at 11:56 am
The “Graphic Novel” collects the web-comic Dark Horse ran on their web-site starting in June 2005. The Pendragon film didn’t actually go on sale until June 14th, 2005. Pendragon skirts this date problem by claiming D’Isreali must have seen preliminary artwork on the internet, but then shows shot by shot comparisons to the film itself.
July 26th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
I must admit that I looked at their entry on IMDB and it states that they were shooting in 2004.
It also states that this thing makes PLAN 9 look like CITIZEN KANE. So I can’t imagine a lot of buzz and pre-release interest in the film. That and D’Israeli doesn’t seem like the ripoff type in the freaking slightest. Gonna have to call shenanegains on this.
July 26th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
I don’t know about the allegations, but I do believe I’ve found the perfect actor for my longtime dream project: The Freddie Mercury Story.
July 26th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
I bet I could pull panels out of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen that would also match up with the movie and other comic versions of War of the Worlds. It’s a pretty ridiculous site.
July 27th, 2006 at 3:57 am
This is a joke, right ?
“At the same story point, as the writer recounts his tale, actor Anthony Piana, holds his hand to his face. The Dark Horse comics follows suit.”
Not only is this a very common gesture to do, it’s not even the same hand !
At least half of their exemples are utterly ridiculous, and this is obviously a publicity stunt.