Law & The Multiverse

Ever thought about the legal ramifications of some of the more off-the-wall antics of your friendly neighborhood superheroes? You know you have. When bullets ricochet off of Superman's invulnerable chest or the Health & Human Services folks look into that little matter with the kid in a birdy suit that Batman runs around with, or Homeland Security wants to discuss illegal immigration and/or a green card with a certain amazon princess--what would happen? How would this sort of stuff play-out in the Real real-world?

Well now we can finally find out. Two lawyers, James Daily (Missouri), and Ryan Davidson (Indiana) have teamed-up to create the Law & The Multiverse blog. Both are actual-factual practicing attorneys who have taken it upon themselves to sort out the various and sundry legal implications faced by various comic book superheroes on a regular basis. It's an incredibly cool look into just what would happen if this stuff were actually taking place here and now--and that makes it an incredible resource for Writers, Editors and especially Game Masters who are running scenarios for Mutants & Masterminds or some similar superhero RPG.

To quote from the Law & The Multiverse About Page:

"If there’s one thing comic book nerds like doing it’s over-thinking the smallest details.  Here we turn our attention to the hypothetical legal ramifications of comic book tropes, characters, and powers.  Just a few examples: Are mutants a protected class?  Who foots the bill when a hero damages property while fighting a villain?  What happens legally when a character comes back from the dead?"

Here are some sample posts to give you an idea of what these guys are doing:

• Supervillains and Insurance: Who's Gonna Pay for That?
•  Shapeshifting and Trial Testimony
• Superhero Privacy Rights (Part One)
• "Gadget" Superheroes and Federal Arms Control Laws

Very cool stuff. And as you would expect from a blog done by a pair of lawyers--it comes with a legal disclaimer:

On this blog we discuss fictional scenarios; nothing on this blog is legal advice.  No attorney-client relationship is created by reading the blog or writing comments, even if the authors write back.  The authors speak only for themselves, and nothing on this blog is to be considered the opinions or views of the authors’ employers.

These guys need to be on the speed-dial of every comics writer & editor (and publisher) in the business!