Author Neil Gaiman wins lawsuit claiming Spawn characters were based on ones he created

Author Neil Gaiman wins suit over Spawn characters

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge has ruled that Coraline and Stardust author Neil Gaiman (GAY-min) is owed royalties for three more characters that appeared in artist Todd McFarlane’s classic Spawn comic book series.

U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb ruled last week that the characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany were derived from characters Gaiman created.

A jury eight years ago found that Gaiman was due money for being a co-copyright holder for three other characters that appeared in the comic series. Neither side has agreed to how much is owed.

McFarlane created the series about an undead superhero in the early 1990s.

Some of Gaiman’s other work includes The Sandman comic book series, The Graveyard Book and American Gods.