{{short description|Comic book produced only for legal or promotional reasons}} {{Featured article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} An '''ashcan comic''' is a form of the American comic book created solely to establish trademarks on potential titles and not intended for sale. The practice was common in the 1930s and 1940s when the comic book industry was in its infancy, but was phased out after updates to US trademark law. The term was revived in the 1980s by Bob Burden, who applied it to prototypes of his self-published comic book. Since the 1990s, the term has been used to describe promotional materials produced in large print runs and made available for mass consumption. In the film and television industries, the term "ashcan copy" has been adopted for low-grade material created to preserve a claim to licensed property rights.
==Original use== {{Multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=298 |image1=ThrillComicsAshcan.jpg |alt1=refer to caption |image2=WhizComicsNo02.jpg |alt2=refer to caption |footer=Fawcett Comics created an ashcan copy of ''Thrill Comics'' in 1939, but learned after submission the title was already trademarked. The material was later published as ''Whiz Comics''.<ref name=JohnnyShazam>{{cite web |last=Hembeck |first=Fred |title=Johnny Thunder and Shazam! |work=The Hembeck Files |date=June 18, 2003 |url=http://www.proudrobot.com/hembeck/shazam2.html |access-date=2005-06-22}}</ref>}} The modern comic book was created in the 1930s, and grew rapidly in popularity.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Comics: Decade by decade |last=Ramsey |first=Taylor |website=The Artifice |date=February 5, 2013 |url=https://the-artifice.com/history-of-comics/ |access-date=June 23, 2018}}</ref> In the competition to secure trademarks on titles intended to sound thrilling, publishers including All-American Publications and Fawcett Comics developed the ashcan edition,<ref name=Wiz30>{{cite magazine |last1=Christensen |first1=William A |last2=Seifert |first2=Mark |title=Evolution of the Ashcan |magazine=Wizard |issue=30 |location=New York City |publisher=Wizard Entertainment |page=89 |date=February 1994}}</ref> which was the same size as regular comics and usually had a black and white cover.<ref name=Wiz30/> Typically, cover art was recycled from previous publications with a new title pasted to it.<ref name=BC>{{cite web |title=75 Years Ago Today: DC Comics Wins The Race For Flash |last=Seifert |first=Mark |website=Bleeding Cool |publisher=Avatar Press |date=August 1, 2014 |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/75-years-ago-today-dc-comics-wins-the-race-for-flash/ |access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> Interior artwork ranged from previously published material in full color<ref name=Wiz30/><ref name=BC/> to unfinished pencils without word balloons.<ref name=MW>{{cite web |title=As fans throng to New York Comic Con, these comic books sell for millions of dollars |last=Malito |first=Alessandra |website=MarketWatch |date=October 9, 2017 |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-these-comic-books-still-sell-for-millions-of-dollars-2017-10-07 |access-date=December 11, 2017}}</ref> Some ashcans were only covers with no interior pages.<ref name=CBM/> Production quality on these works range from being hand-stapled with untrimmed pages to machine-stapled and machine trimmed.<ref name=CBM/> Once the practice was established, DC Comics used ashcans more frequently than any other publisher.<ref name=CBM>{{cite magazine |title=Absolutely Amazing DC Ashcans |last=Colabuono |first=Gary |page=24 |issue=71 |publisher=Gemstone Publishing, Inc |magazine=Comic Book Marketplace |volume=2 |location=Coronado, CA |date=September 1999}}</ref> Not all the titles secured through ashcan editions were actually used for regular publications.<ref name=FCA>{{cite book |last1=Hamerlinck |first1=Paul |first2=Ralph |last2=Daigh |title=Fawcett Companion: The Best of FCA |location=Raleigh, NC |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |page=107 |isbn=9781893905108 |date=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E8z-CaR1OdcC&q=comic+ashcan&pg=PA107}}</ref>
The purpose of the ashcan editions was to fool the US Patent & Trademark Office into believing the book had actually been published.<ref name=Hero/> Clerks at the office would accept the hastily produced material as legitimate, granting the submitting publisher a trademark to the title.<ref name=CGC/><ref name=artd>{{cite web |title=Historic DC Ashcan comic books in Heritage Auctions February 22 New York event |website=Art Daily |url=https://artdaily.cc/news/53505/Historic-DC-Ashcan-comic-books-in-Heritage-Auctions-February-22-New-York-event |access-date=June 15, 2019}}</ref> Since the ashcans had no other use, publishers printed as few as two copies; one was sent to the Trademark Office, the other was kept for their files.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rare 'ashcan' comic books on display at Chicago Comic Con |last=Cox |first=Brian L |website=Chicago Tribune |date=August 13, 2011 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2011-08-13-ct-talk-comics-display-20110813-story.html |access-date=December 11, 2017}}</ref> Occasionally, publishers would send copies to distributors or wholesalers by registered mail to further establish publication dates,<ref name=BC/> but nearly all ashcan comic editions were limited to five copies or fewer.<ref name=Wiz30/>
At the time, garbage cans were commonly called "ash cans" because they were used to hold ashes and soot from wood and coal heating systems.<ref name=MW/> The term was applied to these editions of comics because they had no value and were meant to be thrown away after being accepted by the Trademark Office.<ref name=MW/><ref name=Hero/> Some spare copies were given to editors, employees, and visitors to keep as souvenirs.<ref name=CBM/><ref name=Hero/> Changes to the United States trademark law in 1946 allowed publishers to register a trademark with an intent to use instead of a finished product,<ref name=CBM/> and the practice of creating and submitting ashcans was abandoned when publishers began to consider it an unnecessary effort lawyers used to justify a fee.<ref name=FCA/> Because of their rarity, ashcans from this era are desired by collectors and often fetch a high price.<ref name=MW/> In April 2021, an ashcan copy of ''Action Comics'' #1 sold for US$204,000.<ref>[https://bleedingcool.com/comics/action-comics-1-ashcan-sells-for-204000-at-auction/ Action Comics #1 Ashcan Sells For $204,000 At Auction] at Bleeding Cool. April 19, 2021 by Rich Johnston.</ref>
==Later use== In 1984, Golden Age comic book collector and dealer Bob Burden created ''Flaming Carrot Comics'', published by Aardvark-Vanaheim.<ref name=Wiz30/><ref name=Hero/><ref name=DAK40>{{cite magazine |last=Mallette |first=Jack |title=Bob Burden (part 1) |magazine=Comics Interview |number=40 |pages=22–41 |publisher=Fictioneer Books |date=November 1986}}</ref> For each issue, Burden had magazine-sized prototype editions printed and shared them with friends and people who assisted with production.<ref name=Wiz30/> Some were also sent to retailers as advance previews to generate interest in his comic.<ref name=Hero/> Fewer than forty copies of each prototype were made, and Burden described them as ashcans.<ref name=Wiz30/>
In 1992, comic creator Rob Liefeld applied the term to two digest-sized prototype versions of ''Youngblood'' #1, but this ashcan was created for mass release. Instead of denoting the material as worthless, Liefeld's usage implied rarity and collectability.<ref name=Wiz30/> This ashcan was the first publication from Image Comics, a publisher started by popular artists during a boom period for comic books. The sales success of the ''Youngblood'' ashcans prompted imitation, and for the next year nearly every new Image series had a corresponding ashcan.<ref name=Hero>{{cite magazine |last=Colabuono |first=Gary |title=Ashcan Comics |magazine=Hero Illustrated |issue=1 |location=Lombard, Illinois |publisher=Warrior Publications |page=56 |date=July 1993}}</ref> Typical print run for Image ashcans was between 500 and 5,000. Soon, other publishers began releasing ashcans in a variety of sizes and formats.<ref name=Wiz30/> In 1993, Triumphant Comics advertised ashcan editions of new properties with print runs of 50,000.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Advertisement |magazine=Hero Illustrated |issue=2 |page=125 |location=Lombard, Illinois |publisher=Warrior Publications |date=August 1993}}</ref>
Following the collapse of the speculation market in comics in the mid-1990s, the term has been used by publishers to describe booklets promoting upcoming comics.<ref name=CGC>{{cite web |title=Historic DC Ashcan Comic Books in Heritage New York Auction |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=CGC Comics |date=January 31, 2012 |url=https://www.cgccomics.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?IDArticle=2587&historic-dc-ashcan-comic-books-in-heritage-new-york-auction |access-date=June 19, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626054518/https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/2587/Historic-DC-Ashcan-Comic-Books-in-Heritage-New-York-Auction/ |archive-date=June 26, 2018}}</ref> Established publishers such as Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, and DC Comics continue to use ashcan copies as part of their marketing plans for new titles.<ref>{{cite web |title=C2E2: Bobby Curnow Unleashes "Battle Beasts" at IDW |last=Dietsch |first=TJ |website=Comic Book Resources |date=April 12, 2012 |url=https://www.cbr.com/c2e2-bobby-curnow-unleashes-battle-beasts-at-idw/ |access-date=July 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Let's All Read The Dark Matter/Master Class Ashcan From DC Comics |last=Johnston |first=Rich |website=Bleeding Cool |publisher=Avatar Press |date=April 20, 2017 |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/lets-read-dark-mattermaster-class-ashcan-dc-comics-together-shall/ |access-date=July 2, 2018}}</ref><ref name=DH>{{cite web |title=Dark Horse Sends Fight Club 2, Rebels And Archie Vs. Predator |last=Johnston |first=Rich |website=Bleeding Cool |publisher=Avatar Press |date=March 12, 2015 |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/recent-updates/dark-horse-sends-fight-club-2-rebels-archie-vs-predator-ashcans/ |access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> Aspiring creators also apply the term to hand-stapled photocopied books they use to demonstrate their abilities to hiring editors at comic book conventions or as part of a submissions package.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hart |first=Christopher |title=Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy |publisher=Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale |isbn=9780770434861 |date=2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=88dnAgAAQBAJ&q=ashcan&pg=PT265}}</ref>
==Film and television== The term has been appropriated by the film and television industries to refer to low-quality material made specifically to preserve rights to a licensed character, which often expire if unused for a set period of time. One of the earliest examples of this practice is the 1967 animated adaptation of ''The Hobbit''.<ref name=MF>{{cite web |title=The Weird History of the "Ashcan Copy" |last=Wirestone |first=Clay |website=Mental Floss |date=March 13, 2015 |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62203/weird-history-ashcan-copy |access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> Other prominent examples include the unreleased ''Fantastic Four'' film from 1994,<ref name=itop109>{{cite news |title=Fantastic Faux! |first=Robert |last=Ito |work=Los Angeles |page=108 |date=March 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SF8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22lee+is+talking+about+a+far+different+movie%22&pg=PA108 |access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref> the 2004 direct-to-video film ''My Name is Modesty'',<ref>{{cite book | last=Sherman | first=Dale | year=2015 | title= Quentin Tarantino FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Original Reservoir Dog | isbn=9781495025976 | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers }}</ref> the low-budget sequels ''Porky's Pimpin' Pee Wee'' (2009) and ''Hellraiser: Revelations'' (2011), and a TV pilot adaptation of ''The Wheel of Time'' (2015).<ref name=MF/>
==See also== {{Portal|Comics}} * Burning off, the airing of otherwise-abandoned television programs in less desirable time slots or on sister networks, often for contractual or legal reasons.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Comics}}
Category:Comics publications Category:Comics terminology Category:United States trademark law