Air Pirates Funnies #1 cover art by Bobby London (JULY 1971)
Artist: Bobby London (All)
10 Comments - 174 Views - 1 Like
Artwork Details
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Description(Published by Hell Comics and distributed thru Ron Turner's Last Gasp publishing company) The story behind "Air Pirate Funnies" could fill a book -- in fact, it has (Bob Levin's 2003 book, "The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney's War Against the Counterculture). It began with cartoonist Dan O'Neill, who recruited San Francisco artists: Bobby London, Shary Flenniken, Gary Hallgren, and Ted Richards to produce two issues of a satirical Underground comic book featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters engaging in adult behaviors such as sex and drug consumption. Walt Disney Productions wasted little time bringing the Air Pirates gang to court, and the lawsuit went on for years (it was finally settled out of court). London got picked by O'Neill to do the cover to Air Pirates Funnies #1, which featured a version of Mickey Mouse swiped from the Big Little Book, "Mickey Mouse the Mail Pilot"; only on London's cover, that wasn't mail Mickey was hauling but illegal "DOPE" instead! London, of course, went on to fame as a National Lampoon and Playboy cartoonist and artist on the Popeye newspaper strip.Dan O'Neill was so eager to be sued by Walt Disney Productions that he had copies of "Air Pirates Funnies" smuggled into a Walt Disney Company board meeting by the son of a board member. On October 21, 1971 he got his wish as Disney filed a lawsuit alleging, among other things, copyright infringement, trademark infringement and unfair competition against O'Neill, Hallgren, London and Richards (Flenniken had not contributed to the parody stories). Disney later added Turner's name to the suit. The Pirates, in turn, claimed that the parody was fair use. Accurately telling the story of Disney's lawsuit against the Air Pirates is difficult, due to the conflicting memories of the litigants; however, it is fair to say that all through the lawsuit, O'Neill was defiant. The initial decision by Judge Wollenberg in the California District Court, delivered on July 7, 1972, went against the Air Pirates, and O'Neill's lawyers appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. O'Neill suggested the other Pirates settle, and leave him to defend the case alone. Hallgren and Turner settled with Disney, but London and Richards decided to continue fighting. To raise money for the Air Pirates Defense Fund, O'Neill and other underground cartoonists began selling original artwork—predominantly of Disney characters—at comic conventions. During the legal proceedings and in violation of the temporary restraining order, the Air Pirates published some of the material intended for the third issue of Air Pirates Funnies in the comic The Tortoise and the Hare, of which nearly 10,000 issues were soon confiscated under a court order. In 1975, Disney won a $200,000 preliminary judgement and another restraining order, which O'Neill defied by continuing to draw Disney parodies. The case dragged on for several years. Finally, in 1978, the Ninth Circuit ruled against the Air Pirates three to zero for copyright infringement, although they dismissed the trademark infringement claims. In 1979 the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal. O'Neill later claimed that his plan in the Disney lawsuit was to lose, appeal, lose again, continue drawing his parodies and eventually to force the courts to either allow him to continue or send him to jail. ("Doing something stupid once," he said, "is just plain stupid. Doing something stupid twice is a philosophy.") O'Neill's four-page Mickey Mouse story Communiqué #1 from the M.L.F. (Mouse Liberation Front) appeared in the magazine CoEvolution Quarterly #21 in 1979. Disney asked the court to hold O'Neill in contempt of court and have him prosecuted criminally, along with Stewart Brand, publisher of CoEvolution Quarterly. By mid-1979, O'Neill recruited diverse artists for a "secret" artist's organization, The Mouse Liberation Front. An M.L.F. art show was displayed in New York, New York, Philadelphia and San Diego. With the help of sympathetic Disney employees, O'Neill delivered The M.L.F. Communiqué #2 in person to the Disney studios, where he posed drawing Mickey Mouse at an animation table and allegedly smoked a joint in the late Walt Disney's office. In 1980, weighing the unrecoverable $190,000 in damages and $2,000,000 in legal fees against O'Neill's continuing disregard for the court's decisions, the Walt Disney Company settled the case, dropping the contempt charges and promising not to enforce the judgment as long as the Pirates no longer infringed Disney's copyrights. SIMPLY PUT, AS FAR AS AN AMERICAN'S RIGHT TO "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" & FAIR SATERICAL USE OF TRADEMARKED & COPYRIGHTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS CONCERNED, DAN O'NEILL'S "AIR PIRATES FUNNIES" IS ONE OF THE MOST HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT COMIC BOOKS EVER PUBLISHED!!! Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Nick Katradis
Member Since 2005
Posted on 4/11/2021
A truly historic and culturally significant cover!
Bob Kane
Member Since 2005
Posted on 4/12/2021
Nick Katradis wrote:
A truly historic and culturally significant cover!
Thanks for your kind comment, Nick. You can say that again, pal:-)
Bob Kane
Member Since 2005
Posted on 4/12/2021
West Stephan wrote:
Great story. Historic piece!
I am happy that you took the time to read my entire tale of "The Air Pirates" and you enjoyed it as well, West:-)
Bob Kane
Member Since 2005
Posted on 4/12/2021
Michael Diaz wrote:
Wow! Just WOW!
A great many thanks, Michael:-) I am glad you can appreciate the "Air Pirates Funnies #1" cover art:-) I hope you like the "Air Pirates Funnies #2" cover art just as much since this is literally the first time in fifty years these two historically signicant covers have been together side-by-side;-)
Mark Levy 
Member Since 2004
Posted on 4/12/2021
A piece of history for sure - and a memorable one - waiting for the movie!
Bob Kane
Member Since 2005
Posted on 4/12/2021
Mark Levy wrote:
A piece of history for sure - and a memorable one - waiting for the movie!
Thanks, Mark. I totally agree with you. An actual movie "NOT" a documentary about "The Air Pirates" would be awesome and I'm sure it would do great at the box office and/or HBO Max;-)
Sam Hughes
Member Since 2004
Posted on 9/24/2021
That was a great recap of the Air Pirates battle. Great to see these covers are safe.
Bob Kane
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/24/2021
Sam Hughes wrote:
That was a great recap of the Air Pirates battle. Great to see these covers are safe.
Yes, indeed they are safe, Sam. I really value the fact that an experienced collector like you can appreciate the "APF #s 1 & 2" covers on a similar level since this particular underground comix series has very personal meaning to me:-)
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