It's always interesting to me to see how people react to emulation (not to be confused with immolation). I've publicly acknowledged my appreciation for and idolization of Mike Krahulik's artwork (and Jerry Holkins' writing too) and have admitted openly that I'm influenced a lot by Penny Arcade in general to the point of emulating their style.
Despite this admission, some people, who shall remain nameless, seem to think I'm "ripping off" the artwork, as though I was somehow photo-shopping images out of Penny Arcade comics and transplanting them in my own and then taking credit for the comic. If that were true, any one could have come out with the most recent comic I've posted, including this nameless commentator. I would love, and I mean love to see this commentator's version of my comic.
The real point is that people see a similarity between two works of art and assume that one must have ripped-off the other. There is no room for the sharing of ideas any more. Are we to assume that Raphael never drew a woman with the hope that he could capture the same subtleties of the female form that da Vinci managed to produce time and time again? And what about music? Sampling is so prevalent now that everyone seems to forget that it is literally lifting a portion of an older song and using it in a new one. Profit is being made off someone else's work quite literally - and yet, because the overall song is different enough, and work was clearly still put into the new song, sampling is completely legal. I offer, that my emulation of Krahulik's artwork (with regard to the child-like faces my characters have in the comic "Like Children Again") is no more an infringement than Eminem using Aerosmith's "Dream On" in his song "Sing For The Moment."
Bottom line: I still drew the comic myself, using my own skill. Isn't imitation the highest form of flattery?
dude! i didn't mean to be an ass about it, it's just that you basically took that strip -- the poses, the facial expressions -- and transplanted it into yours. emulating another person's style is well and good, but come on.
ReplyDeleteHey man, more than anything, I appreciate your comments. Just the fact that you check here means a lot to me. But I still felt it necessary to explain my side of the story. Thanks for your comments, and keep checking back!
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