Have you seen that comic book Iron And The Maiden? We haven't. But heavy metal stalwarts Iron Maiden surely have and they aren't happy about it.
Basically, Iron And The Maiden is a four issue mini-series released in 2007 about some big, surly dude named Michael Iron and an angel that assists him with fighting evil-doers in his alternate-universe 1930's metropolis. It was created by Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog/major impetus for cartoon cult figures Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter.
Anyway, Iron Maiden may not give a rat's butt about the series but they're certainly not amused by it's name. They are, in fact, quite protective of their bread 'n' butter, having trademarked it up the yin-yang.
TMZ.com reports that the band has filed a lawsuit against Aspen Comics/Iron And The Maiden, LLC for using a name that is "confusingly similar" to their own as "a ploy used to profit off the band's heavily trademarked name."
Naturally, Iron Maiden are pressuring to have the company stop using the Iron And The Maiden name to sell its comic books, video games and other merchandise. Not only do they wish the materials pulled but they are also seeking an undisclosed amount for damages/costs.
Fair enough. While the absence of Iron Maiden mascot Eddie The 'Ead on any Iron And The Maiden stuff clearly indicates the lack of a connection with the band itself (not to mention the "And The" in the title), Maiden geeks that we are, we'd be suckers enough to buy whatever has something remotely similar to their name on it. If we didn't have Bruce and the boys looking out for us - or their pristine image - we'd all be screwed, right?
Iron Maiden - from here to eternity
Basically, Iron And The Maiden is a four issue mini-series released in 2007 about some big, surly dude named Michael Iron and an angel that assists him with fighting evil-doers in his alternate-universe 1930's metropolis. It was created by Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog/major impetus for cartoon cult figures Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter.
Anyway, Iron Maiden may not give a rat's butt about the series but they're certainly not amused by it's name. They are, in fact, quite protective of their bread 'n' butter, having trademarked it up the yin-yang.
TMZ.com reports that the band has filed a lawsuit against Aspen Comics/Iron And The Maiden, LLC for using a name that is "confusingly similar" to their own as "a ploy used to profit off the band's heavily trademarked name."
Naturally, Iron Maiden are pressuring to have the company stop using the Iron And The Maiden name to sell its comic books, video games and other merchandise. Not only do they wish the materials pulled but they are also seeking an undisclosed amount for damages/costs.
Fair enough. While the absence of Iron Maiden mascot Eddie The 'Ead on any Iron And The Maiden stuff clearly indicates the lack of a connection with the band itself (not to mention the "And The" in the title), Maiden geeks that we are, we'd be suckers enough to buy whatever has something remotely similar to their name on it. If we didn't have Bruce and the boys looking out for us - or their pristine image - we'd all be screwed, right?
Iron Maiden - from here to eternity
