Many of us here on ComicBookMovie have a favourite superhero, and maybe it's because we see virtues of ourselves in these characters, or perhaps it's because we see something to strive towards. Still, I think that everyone on this site can sympathize with young Jeffrey Baldwin.
Young Jeffrey was a huge fan of Superman, and unfourtanetely at the age of five, his young life was taken by his grandparents. Jeffrey was kept locked inside a cold bedroom, devoid of toys, and hadlittle to no access to food. Jeffrey died of starvation on Nov. 30, 2002. His grandparents were convicted of second-degree murder in 2006.
“He wanted to fly,” Richard Baldwin said. “
He tried jumping off the chair. We had to make him stop. He dressed up (as Superman) for Halloween one year … He was so excited. I have that picture at home hanging on my wall. He was our little man of steel.”
On the issue of the S Symbol and it's copyright in this instance, DC’s senior vice-president of Business and Legal Affairs, Amy Genkins, declined the organizers requests to use the symbol, stating that “
for a variety of legal reasons, we are not able to accede to the request, nor many other incredibly worthy projects that come to our attention.” DC itself however has yet to comment on the issue.
The symbol will more then likely be changed to a J to avoid a copright issue, but as the statues sculptor, Ruth Abernethy, points out,
“Because Jeffrey didn’t have that opportunity (to grow up), we are reminded of our obligations. This is a reminder that we all have the option to do better and the obligation to not let this happen again.”
So what do you guys think? Should DC allow the usage of the iconic S-Symbol or is DC in the right in keeping the logo within their own control? Sound off in the comments below, and if you feel like DC should allow the use of the S-Symbol in this instance, you can always tweet at them at
DC.