Comic Book Resources

You would think that if, if, you were going to rip off any manga you’d rip off one a little more obscure (in the West) than Bleach. In fact. it’s hard to imagine a less obscure manga than Bleach. I’m not sure if Incarnate contains plagiarism, but it sure seems derivative as all fuck.

You could hardly choose a worse title to “borrow” from. If you rip off your story/art, try to steal from a poor seller.

I hope Radical doesn’t suffer too much of a loss from this. It’s hardly their fault, though they might want to get someone on staff who reads more manga. At least the best selling titles.

Wow, this story even made What Would Tyler Durden Do! That’s kinda nuts.

Also: insert Greg Land joke here.

Radical just did the preemptive cease-n-desist. They’re doing it before they’re slapped with the impending legal action. Nothing honorable about it, Brian, you sentimental fool.

@azjohnson: So if they pull the stuff before being legally forced to, they’re dishonorable; and if they only pull the stuff after being legally enjoined to do so, they’re also dishonorable?

Good to know no publisher can ever do the right thing if plagiarism comes to light. Guess they should all assume the worst of their writers and artists and police them from the start.

Well, in your sad, cynical little universe, anyway.

Handled well in a covering-our-asses sort of way. I don’t think it is honorable but it is worth mentionning that a there is a comic company out there who can still handle this sort of situation as opposed to simply making it worse.

Radical, upon find out the claims, took quick, decisive action, when they probably could have tripled their sales just by putting the books out, cashing in on the controversy, and stocking up their war chest for the eventual legal battle. The big two likely would have shuffled their feet, denied, fought, repeat, as they have with most of their most popular creators at one time or another.

You could argue that Radical has been complacent in hopes of a better deal when the time comes to make one, but they did the right thing, regardless of why. A kudos is fair when the alternative would’ve been complete jackassery.

I can summon no emotional reaction to this, though the outrage is kind of funny.

I was gonna say the same thing, the indignation is a bit silly.

Wow. I’d say that they aren’t direct, Greg Land style lightbox swipes, but the poses are pretty clearly referenced. The plot sounds very similar as well.

The one thing that keeps surprising me is the stance that “Radical should have known”. I mean, really?

I write my comic store’s Previews orders. I have, in the past, tried to support manga in the store. It’s not my personal taste, so I asked some customers what I should order. Bleach, Gantz, Fruits Basket, and the like all made the list. I ordered some. They didn’t sell. I stopped ordering. When they came in, they typically come shrink-wrapped, so why would I open one?

Considering my own lack of time to educate myself thoroughly with every book that doesn’t sell well at my store, I can only imagine that a company that is creating its own product probably has less time to educate itself on products that only marginally (at best) relate to the subject matter of their projects.

On the surface, Incarnate is about ages-old semi-immortal creatures. Is Radical supposed to research every story that’s ever used that premise? Seriously?!?

When Incarnate #1 came out, I posted an advance video review on my YouTube channel (see my link above). Today, I’m getting pelted with comments about how wrong my statements are about it being a good book because it’s plagiarized, up to and including someone speculating that I’m “kissing [Nick Simmons'] ass”.

Nick Simmons should’ve known better. Radical had virtually no way of knowing better, and they’re handling it as responsibly as they can. While I haven’t seen a follow-up miniseries solicited, I do seem to remember the first series being solicited in a collected edition. Pulling the material and sending up the white flags in the face of what seems to be an obvious case is the best choice to make. Would Marvel or DC make a similar decision? I doubt it.

I’m seriously shocked by this. I mean, did he not know Bleach is the most famous anime/manga IN THE WORLD next to Pokemon? I mean, there are people in RUSSIA that know Bleach. RUSSIA!

And it’s so blatant. I don’t know what there is to investigate. I saw a side by side panel of a page from his comic and a page from the Bleach Manga… IDENTICAL except for the hair color.

or the scene where Orohime is crying and says… “Just please, don’t hurt yourself anymore than this”

Well Simmon’s blonde chick character that looks like a blonde orohime, says “Just don’t hurt yourself anymore” in an almost identical looking panel.

You have to be BLIND to NOT think this is stealing.

the differance is Marvel and Dc would have fought once the legal order came down and then made an agreement not to publish said material and also pay dammages Radical not being as big as Marvel and Dc did what wast best for them since if they waited till the candd came they could have wound up owing a lot of legal dammage to the parties nick stole from since Nick still has to tell his side of things.not to mention Bleach is not the only Magna Nick is said to have borrowed with out the okay from . for other articles on the story says Nick might have done the same from Vampire hunter D and Hellsing. RAdical did what was best for them. for after all as a business they have to protect themselves also. and Nick side of the story has yet to be told. so most should wait to finish comdeming Nick till he tells his side of the thing. like did he think that borrowing some art from bleach and adding his own twist to scene would not wind up having the creator take notice and be happy about being ripped off.

Nick side of the story has yet to be told. so most should wait to finish comdeming Nick till he tells his side of the thing. like

Why?

If there’s enough lifting from other sources, with not enough changes made to make it original – ie. if everyone involved agrees it’s plagiarized, then who cares what he has to say?

I think it’s pretty funny in a way – he wouldn’t have got the gig if it wasn’t for who his father is, basically, he got to skip all the hard work people normally have to put in to start getting their work published, and thus he didn’t have the talent to pull it off, which he could’ve gotten if he’d put in the work.

Spoiled rich kid with a famous daddy, uses daddies name to get a gig, and then can’t be bothered doing the actual work the gig entails, so tries to rip off others and gets caught out?
Hilarious.

Wow, this story even made What Would Tyler Durden Do! That’s kinda nuts.

Not really that nuts. It’s the Gene Simmons angle, plus the kid is pretty douchey.

@azjohnson: So if they pull the stuff before being legally forced to, they’re dishonorable; and if they only pull the stuff after being legally enjoined to do so, they’re also dishonorable?

I don’t think he’s saying they’re being dishonorable, but rather just being smart and covering their asses. I agree with him, I don’t think honor had anything to do with it.. I think what they deserve credit for is being smart.

Also, what chad said. They handled things differently than a big company like Marvel or DC because they had no choice.

another difference is, Nick isn’t stealing stuff from comics like DC or Marvel… he’s going clear across the world to steal the art of a Japanese artist… and clear across the internet to steal the fan art or original works of Deviant art artists… then claiming it to be his own work which is just a lower than scum thing to do.

too bad for him he picked one of the most popular mangas around that even third world countries know about it.

“Spoiled rich kid with a famous daddy…”

This.

Good to see that no Nick Simmons apologists have cropped up yet-”If you get mad at him for tracing then you have to get mad at Geoff Johns for writing Green Lantern!”

Those fucking guys.

“If you get mad at him for tracing then you have to get mad at Geoff Johns for writing Green Lantern!”

Please tell me that’s an actual quote. I would love to see that stretch of logic.

“And please: ‘A guy who traded on the work of others in blatant fashion to build his own career? We should leave that alone? I don’t think so.’

Then we’ll be going after Geoff Johns, Brian Bendis, Alan Moore, Ed Brubaker, Alex Ross, Stan Lee, and basically everyone else working in corporate superhero comics too, right??”

-A real human being in the Robot 6 discussion of the subject.

‘”Spoiled rich kid with a famous daddy…”

This.’

Totally unrelated to the merit of any arguments on any side, but that particular usage of “this” really needs to die as a Net Thing People Think It’s Cool To Do.
(See also “Do not want.”)

Jack, I agree…

along with QFT and 3…2…1…

“Well, in your sad, cynical little universe, anyway.”

That. Just. Hurts.

BWAAAHAHAHAAHA!!