A reader of this blog (thanks, Jon) alerted me to one of the coolest works of edutainment I've seen in a long, long time. The work in question is Tales from the Public Domain: Bound By Law?, and it's a graphic novel (published by Duke University's Center for the Study of Public Domain) that explores and explains copyright, "fair use", licensing and other tricky, sticky issues that inevitably arise when you're making a documentary. If those topics usually make your eyes glaze over, look no further. Granted, as a graphic novel, Bound by Law's anecdotes about licensing problems in docs like Sing Faster and Mad Hot Ballroom can't compete with the storylines of, say, V for Vendetta or Watchmen, but I was genuinely impressed with the quality of the art and writing. Plus, how many other graphic novels are going to help save you money and keep you out of court when you make your next documentary?
The cost? A mere $5.95 for the book