The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney's War Against the Underground

by Bob Levin

During a time of unprecedented political, social, and cultural upheaval in U.S. history, one of the fiercest battles was ignited by a comic book. In 1963, the San Francisco Chronicle made 21-year-old... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156097530X
• ISBN13: 9781560975304
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Dan O' Neill Gets His Due

bob levin's writing style aside, this book is an extremely informative expose of the first amendment with regards to copyright infringement and parody. the champion here (or protagonist if you will) is the enlightened dan o' neill. even though the "air pirates" was a collective effort by london, richards, halgren, and flenniken, o'neill was the one who braved this whole mess out with humor, wit, and defiant intellect. the famous phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" underestimates the relentlessness and ruthlessness of the disney empire against an intellectual threat that put the "disney intellect" to shame; i am again refering to o' neill. a fine prep in copyright law, the beginings of the underground comics, disney's wrath, and an american champion of free speech: "they should have known he was irish" dan o' neill. you will have more than a few chuckles during your reading....thank you bob levin, dan o' neill, and the rest of the "pirates". you are not forgotten!!!

For all who are fed up with corporate media

An hilarious blow-by-blow account of Disney's war on independent culture. A look back at the late 60s and early 70s that's all too disturbingly relevant today.

For anyone concerned with such issues as artistic freedom

Ably researched and written by Bob Levin (an experienced essayist for "The Comics Journal"), The Pirates And The Mouse: Disney's War Against The Counterculture is the intrinsically fascinating and little-known story of a group of rogue cartoonists led by Dan O'Neill (the youngest syndicated cartoonist in American newspaper history), who waged a countercultural war of pictures against the Disney Corporation by portraying Disney characters engaging in un-Disney like behavior. In response, Disney executives brought forth a massive lawsuit against these unapproved cartoonists for copyright infringement. The Pirates And The Mouse traces a complex and tangled personal, legal, and cultural saga ranging from O'Neill's bitterness against the censorship that cost him a job, to contemporary corporate politics, issues of intellectual property rights and social commentary, and more. The Pirates And The Mouse is a "must-read" for anyone concerned with such issues as artistic freedom, copyright law, as well as readers seeking to learn more about the oft-unspoken and somewhat darker side of the corporate Disney.

For comix fans and IP lawyers

First, the bad stuff: too partisan in places, including the all-too-common Sixties survivors' "weren't we just so wonderful?" meanderings, some barely-relvant personal stuff about the author's own life, some over-lawyerly writing in a few places, and an occasional assumption that you know about certain artists or individuals already. That aside, this is a very good book. Disney took on the collective work of Dan O'Neill and the Air Pirates after they issued parodies of Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters. Or, as intellectual property (IP) lawyers say, "properties." Levin's work emphasizes the case, how it came about, how it moved through the courts, and what the disposition was. As a result, the reader gets a good idea of how IP cases work, and what was at stake. He discusses the notion of parody, infringement, and so on, pointing the oddities and contradictions in the statutory and case law. (But, hey, a case citation once in a while, counselor?) The publishers reproduce some of the offending material, letting the reader see what Disney saw. Levin also does not glorify O'Neill or the other Air Pirates, though he clearly supports their side, and says that getting the real story from O'Neill and his crew was not always easy. Finally, if this book causes a few more folks to seek out O'Neill's "Odds Bodkins", it will have done a great service. Like UG comics? Don't miss this. IP lawyer? A must read.