Message #267257

[Rachel Dearth]

domain. So you can't call your leader of the apes Tarzan, but you can certainly retell his story, word for word, otherwise. (Also, you'll need to change the names of Deja Thoris, Barsoom, and possibly the state of Virginia.)
Superheroes Whose Copyrights Have Lapsed

And finally, there are the characters who were created as original comic-book characters — but due to the complexities of copyright law, they've slipped through the cracks, and right into the public domain. Wikipedia lists some 36 American comic publishers that are out of business. While some of these publishers were purchased by other companies, some merely disappeared to leave their characters for the other enterprising writers.

And other writers have used these characters! Not only do some show up in the Marvel and DC universes, some also appear in comics like Project: Superpowers by Alex Ross or the webcomic Heroes Inc. by Scott Austin.

Here are some characters who are free for you to start using: