The Onion’s A.V. Club has a substantial, and very interesting, interview with Alan Moore about The Lost Girls, the collaboration process with Melinda Gebbie, sexual politics, and rumblings from Great Ormond Street Hospital’s claims to Peter Pan:
I don’t know how much of a fuss that actually is. They expressed some concerns, but I’m not entirely sure why. There’s always a chance that I might have something wrong, but if I understand it correctly, Barrie gifted them with royalties to the stage performances of Peter Pan, and I believe different circumstances apply to the book, which is already in the public domain in America, and will be in the public domain in England by next year. I personally have never seen the play Peter Pan, or read it. I did go over the book extensively when we were putting Lost Girls together. I tend to think this is a bit of a storm in a teacup. Not to condescend or overlook Great Ormond Street Hospital, and I mean, me and Melinda and [Top Shelf publisher] Chris Staros have got no problems with giving them a royalty or something. It’s a children’s hospital, you know? Who’s going to say no? But I think they seem to be making a bit more of it than I’d expected from people who’ve been gifted by a fantasy writer. It seemed a bit odd that they should take on so vociferously. Especially when we actually never used the words “Peter Pan” or “Captain Hook” or even “Wendy Darling” anywhere in the book. Obviously, it’s based upon those characters. But it’s just as obviously not the same Peter Pan and Wendy Darling that J.M. Barrie wrote about. And as far as I know, Great Ormond Street had not seen any of Lost Girls or read any of it when they decided it wasn’t the kind the thing they wished to be associated with.
There’s much, much more at the link. Have at it.
August 2nd, 2006 at 9:20 am
Its a really teriffic, asking very good questions that give the subject room and time to give long interesting answers. Great read
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:31 pm
It does seem that Alan Moore’s got this wrong. The Hospital is entitled to a royalty from any performance, broadcast, publication etc of the play or any substantial part of it, or any adaptation. So they get a royalty from adaptations of the book too. I’m sure the argument will simply be over how much they’re entitled to from Lost Girls, not whether they’re entitled at all.
August 2nd, 2006 at 2:38 pm
The book came first - it’s not an adaptation of the play. Try not to get your facts from movies in the future.
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:59 am
The play came first. It was just not published till after the book - unless you count “The Little White Bird”, which is not the story being discussed.
August 7th, 2006 at 9:13 am
Play 1904.
Book 1911.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880048_en_28.htm
Knock yourself out.
August 9th, 2006 at 6:58 am
Check when the play was published.