A First Review & a Startling Resemblance
Recently, my webcomic has been reviewed by The Floating Lightbulb, a website dedicated to webcomics. The review is generally positive, but the more startling thing about it is that it also reviewed a different comic named “Ripeville” that features fruit characters.
When I first checked out Ripeville, I thought, gee, someone stole my idea but used fruits instead! But when I read a bit further, the author of the comic started his comics in May 2007, while my site started in Jan 2008. Now am I the one who stole someone’s concept?
After crying and panicking in the bathroom for about two hours (just kidding), I calmed down and came to the conclusion that it’s really a coincident and no one stole no one’s concept. The reviewer of my comics later wrote to me, “As far as your comic resembling Joe’s (the creator of Ripeville), it is startling but this has happened before in comics. I’m just damned if I can think of a good example right now.” Well, Garfield vs. Heathcliff, for one immediately comes to my mind, and they are not webcomics to begin with.
Now I think about it, when I first started Chloroville, I already was aware of a children TV show called “Veggie Tales”, but I knew I would not be copying them because 1) my drawing style is totally different from theirs and 2) the content would be very different and geared towards adult 3) I have never watched a single episode, because I don’t know when the show starts and I am working in an office during weekdays.
There! Let’s move on and draw more comics!
June 1st, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Ben from the Floating Lightbulb, just dropping by to see what’s new. I have thought of plenty of examples of one comic artist stealing a technique from another. R. Crumb’s crowds packed like sardines look exactly like EC Segar’s of Popeye, for example.
I’ve talked a bit with both you guys and am 100% certain this is just a coincidence. No one stole anything from anyone. And I see no reason for you both not to continue as you were.
Freaky stuff happens all the time. Take me. I am an unusual ethnic mix, and never seem to resemble anyone in particular. Then today my wife encountered a 100 year old photograph of a Russian man with my face, hair and hands. We’ve been sending it to family all day.
I love the way both of you are illustrating fruit and veggies and feel that if you work hard on your writing you will both capture an audience. I’ve even wondered if, in time you shouldn’t consider making a joint site, maybe a free site with Synthasite or someone, where the gimmick is “separated at birth?” and you briefly tell your story and post strips together. I’ll write a few sentences vouching for the originality of your ideas to each of you if you want.
When I was little, I saw an ancient cartoon on TV featuring produce in a refrigerator dancing and singing. I have an idea it was called “The Fruit and Vegetable Mystery,” but I’ve never been able to locate it. It was some of the best animation I ever saw, and it was probably made 70 years ago, featuring characters that in some ways resembled yours. There are only so many ways to draw a tomato!
Well, that’s just an idea. I have to get back to my sites.
Best,
Ben Gordon
http://floatinglightbulb.blogspot.com/
http://redmenace.synthasite.com/
http://scratchinpost.synthasite.com/
http://psychedelictreehouse.synthasite.com/