Just in case anyone was thinking about using an image of Superman in any upcoming publications, here is some advice: make sure you get permission from the Man of Steel first. Obviously, Superman has more important concerns than copyright and trademark infringement, so you will have to get permission from his lawyers. Unlike Marvel super heroes like Spider-Man who have an exclusive deal with Corbis to distribute their images, Superman is the property of DC comics. Despite DC’s silly comb-over logo, try to remember that this is a serious matter. Copyright infringement is a crime. The singer Sufjan Stevens learned this the hard way last week when his album, titled Illinoise, had to be recalled because it had a drawing that resembled Superman on the cover. The moral of the story is this: If you want to use the likeness of a super hero in a publication, you have to grease the wheels first. Superman has bills to pay, too.

Disclaimer: The image above, which was created by Corbis, is not meant to represent any super hero, real or fictional. Any likeness to any copyrighted characters is purely coincidental. The fact that Corbis sells stock images that resemble Superman (in spite of their agreement with Marvel) is not ironic. Rest assured that Corbis has greased the DC wheels appropriately.