Golden Legacy comics (16 issues
Fitzgerald Publ, 1966. 1st Edition. Ephemera. African-American historical comics series from 1966-1983 in 16 issues! Brainchild of Bertram A. Fitzgerald, an African-American soldier (Air Force) who “was frustrated to see the African-American experience either negatively stereotyped or omitted” in the comic books of the day. Notable biographies featured in the series: Toussaint L'Ouverture, Harriet Tubman, Crispus Attucks, Andre Dumas, Frederick Douglass, Robert Smalls, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, and Alexander Pushkin, among others. Fitzgerald acquired sponsorship from Coca-Cola and other corporations and “published a total of nine million copies of its 16 32-page full-color volumes, distributing many of them to schools, libraries, churches, and civil rights organizations.” According to Wikipedia, “in 1983, Seattle, Washington-based Bill R. Baylor of Baylor Publishing Co. and Community Enterprises fraudulently convinced Fitzgerald's printer that he had bought the business from Fitzgerald. Baylor then used the original plates and negatives to republish the Golden Legacy series under his imprint. Bertram Fitzgerald sued for copyright infringement and won after a five-year court battle. In 1988 he got the negatives back and was able to publish his own comics again. Baylor, meanwhile, disappeared and never paid the damages he had been assessed by the court.” This comics collection contains one (1) volume (Volume 1) that was originally published by Fitzgerald, and fifteen (15) volumes (Volumes 2-16) that were pirated editions by Baylor. The pirated copies all contain paper inserts describing the outcome of the court case in favor of Fitzgerald and retaining all copyright privileges. An extremely rare piece of African-American history, it is of interest on numerous levels— culturally, artistically, historically, legally. This belongs with someone or some institution that will treasure and protect this golden legacy. Very Good. Item #11134
Price: $125.00