Charles Nicholas

Charles Nicholas is a house name used by comic book industry professionals during the 1940s and 1950s. It was not uncommon for publishers to force contracted writers and artists to use a pseudonym on certain stories, particularly first appearance and/or origin stories to avoid any potential legal entanglements should said creator later wish to claim ownership rights to whatever property they had worked on. The practice is seldom used anymore in the comics industry insofar as creators claiming ownership over certain characters. Mostly, it is only employed if a creator wishes to distinguish or distance themselves from a project that they look upon unfavorably. This tactic has also been used in the film industry with directors using the pseudonym Alan Smithee.