mickey
Explanation
This comic is about Mickey Mouse entering the public domain, which actually happened on January 1, 2024, when the original 1928 Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse lost its copyright protection.
In the first panel, a crude version of early Mickey Mouse announces: "Hey, hey! Early Mickey Mouse here! I'm told you can use me because I'm now public domain, so that's fun!" A man responds that he could parody Mickey for his art and education -- potentially creating profound comics like "Maus" -- and that using Mickey to mock Disney's role in extending copyright law "would be a victory for the public domain."
Mickey warns: "But my new legal status means anybody could use me -- imagine anybody confusing what you make with the real thing." The man acknowledges this is a fair point and admits he is "not very good at art," conceding that a cartoon mixing his style with old Mickey would not be confused with Disney's version.
In the final panel, Mickey transforms into a menacing, Lovecraftian figure declaring: "Look upon my ears, ye mighty, and despair!" -- a mashup of Mickey's iconic ears with the famous line from Shelley's poem "Ozymandias."
The comic explores the irony and complexity of Mickey entering the public domain. While in theory this is a victory for free culture and artistic expression, the comic highlights several uncomfortable realities: the original Mickey is so crude and dated that using him is not that exciting, anyone could create confusing knockoffs, and Disney's cultural dominance is so vast that Mickey as a symbol is more intimidating than liberating. The Ozymandias reference in the punchline brilliantly captures the idea that even in the public domain, Mickey remains a monument to corporate cultural power -- look upon it and despair.