IP Picksđ: âBlade Runnerâ Meets âWeekend at Bernieâsâ? Sign Me Up!
â A space epic, a first responder drama and all the new public domain material
Welcome to The Optionist. This team-up may not be the Avengers, but I love the idea of a contemporary comic book company pairing a couple of classic characters in the public domain with one of their stars. IDW recently announced The Rocketeer: The Island will partner one of its A-list stars (and one of my all-time faves), the Rocketeer, with Popeye and Tintin (whose earliest incarnations entered the public domain last January). Their mission: searching for Amelia Earhart. Combining these protected and free-to-use characters is a shrewd use of public domain IP. So shrewd, in fact, that it reminded me to check out what other material entered the public domain on Jan. 1.
The 2026 list includes such classic novels as Dashiell Hammettâs The Maltese Falcon, Agatha Christieâs The Murder at the Vicarage (the first full-length Miss Marple mystery), Carolyn Keeneâs The Secret of the Old Clock (the first Nancy Drew) and the timeless childrenâs tale, The Little Engine That Could. Other cool characters entering the public domain include Betty Boop, Pluto, and Blondie and Dagwood. Joining them on the PD movie front are such titles as the Marx Brothersâ Animal Crackers, Howard Hughesâ Hellâs Angels and John Wayneâs earliest star vehicle, The Big Trail.
It also got me thinking about why celebrating Jan. 1 as Public Domain Day has become a thing in the media over the past few years, with articles listing the new entrants with the same breathlessness youâd see on an NFL draft preview. Itâs draft day for eggheads and nerds. Public Domain Day first appeared around 2004, but it really gained traction in 2019 with the expiration of the 20-year pause in PD entries brought on by the passage of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (aka the Mickey Mouse Protection Act).
Much of the attention is driven by the fact that a lot of familiar characters have recently become, or are about to become, public domain: Winnie-the-Pooh a few years ago, Popeye and Tintin last year, Betty Boop this year, Donald Duck in 2030, Disneyâs Snow White in 2032, and then Superman, Batman, Captain America and Wonder Woman all between 2034 and 2037.
The Sonny Bono Act was a follow-up to the first major revision of copyright law back in 1978, which junked the longstanding 56-year protections (28 years plus a 28-year extension). Nowadays, copyright protections last for the life of the author (plus 70 years) or, for corporate-created works, the shorter of 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation. (If youâre interested in checking out a rolling list of material entering the public domain or if youâre just curious about the ins and outs of copyright law in laymanâs terms, I canât recommend Duke Law Schoolâs Center for the Study of the Public Law highly enough.)
All the attention to Public Domain Day has created a hype disproportionate to reality. While the ability to use public domain characters and material is important, itâs not the be-all and end-all. Whatâs entering the public domain right now is the earliest iteration of these characters, which can hamper how theyâre used (since creators must avoid later additions to a character that may still be under copyright).
Take Pluto: In the characterâs first appearance, heâs called Rover. (He wouldnât get the name Pluto for another year.) Or think about Mickey Mouseâs signature red pants, which actually werenât introduced until 1935. Thatâs why modern interpretations of these characters â like the recent Winnie-the-Pooh and Steamboat Willie horror movies â are easier to pull off when they move far afield of the classic image of the character. (For further reading, check out my interview with the director of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey from a few years back. I think itâs still worth a read.)
Itâs fun to think about what classics would have entered the public domain on Jan. 1, 2026, if the original 56-year copyright max were still in place today. In addition to such novels as The Godfather, Dune and Master and Commander, weâd also have welcomed movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,  Easy Rider and The Love Bug (Herbie!). All of these would join seminal â60s IP that would already be in the public domain, like Where the Wild Things Are, Goldfinger, Catch-22, Planet of the Apes, West Side Story and all of the incredible music of the decade (the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc.). It boggles the mind.
đ This Week: A trio of backlist gems and a horror tale with humor
On to this weekâs picks: Weâre backlist-heavy this week and, IMHO, thatâs a good thing. Why? Because those selections include a creepy, overlooked time-travel tale, a political drama that speaks to our moment and an epic space opera. Weâve also got the dazzling true story of a kick-ass wilderness rescue team thatâs just begging to make its way to the screen.
The full lineup for paid subscribers:
đ A comedy/horror road trip pitched as Philip K. Dick meets the Coen brothers.
â°ď¸ A series-ready first responder action-drama about a volunteer wilderness rescue squad and its most dangerous missions.
đŞ A creepy, forgotten time-travel gem about a modern woman whoâs sent back to turn-of-the-century Colorado and has to figure out life on the frontier.
đď¸ A true political drama about a senator who exposed a huge FBI/CIA scandal.
đ A space opera with serious franchise potential.
