Are you sure you should be reading?

The 'Comics' forum for created comics, I really want to post there. But, I know it would be moved. I avoid it, why? Legal reasons. Basically, since you'll be using the same characters, is it the best idea to be reading their ideas? Legally?

Especially if you know how copyright law works: Availability + Similarity. So why not make certain things unavailable to yourself?

All it took is 3 notes on a song to convict one guy.

"HE TOTALLY STOLE MY BACKFLIPPING 'THE BLACK TERROR', WHUUUUUTTTT!!!!"

And yes, sometimes it is that stupid. Superman/Superboy... DC was sued for making a boy version of superman because they didn't accept/buy superboy in the original negotiations (foo). That's why I (as a matter of policy) design armored, lycanthropic, furry, kids, adult, animal, etc... versions of every character... even if I don't publish them... I design the complete spectrum.

My Black Terror, either a panther or a cat.
My Green Llama? do I even freaking need to say? Of course he's an Aardvark. (Kidding).

Now could someone please make a page that lists all the public domain characters so I can just look at them? (There are not over a thousand public domain characters, I had trouble compiling a list of 50). And if anyone can find the original public domain comics in PDF format I would be appreciative (why doesn't google books have them?).

YarnSpinner, you must be new...if you go to the "Public Domain Super Heroes" wiki, you will find that it lists more than 1500 public domain characters, at least 1300 of which have appeared in public domain comics (there are around 100 on
the Free Universe site). I don't know of any site that has PD comics in PDF format, but you can find thousands of free PD comics in zip, cbz, rar and cbr format if you google Digital Comic Museum or Comic Book Plus.

BTW, availability doesn't really change because you don't read something, unless you can legally prove you didn't. I don't think that is possible when it is out there on a public forum. Might as well read what others are doing, so you can avoid covering the same ground. I could claim I've never seen Star Wars, but it doesn't excuse me using darth vader.....