...So unrelated to those pinups, I wanna vent a little. Recently I read about a project funded thru IndieGoGo (a Kickstarter-like platform for raising money) to self-published a comic book story using well-known superhero characters. The characters are not owned by the people affiliated with the project, and in fact they don't have any legal permission to publish the story.
I've seen a couple of these kind of things - comics, movies, etc - where fans want to produce their own story, based on characters and plots and intellectual property that they didn't create and that they don't have any rights to. Those kinds of projects can be fun, but to raise money - to fund them, so that they can be professionally produced - that feels like it crosses some kind of line. And I'm not sure why.
I love the idea (obviously!) of people contributing money to creators in order for them to realize some dream, whether it's a comic or a movie or an album or whatever. But it bothers me when it's something based on somebody else's idea. I love drawing fan art and even enjoy the occasional fan fiction... But once you start taking money to put together your own story with someone else's characters, it crosses over from "enthusiastic fan" to "someone using someone else's property without their permission."
Also, it seems like a ton of misdirected energy. Now - don't get me wrong - Toaster Guy isn't high art. Not at all. But it's a story I want to tell featuring characters I created, and it lives or dies based on that - not based on an unofficial attachment to a preexisting property with a built-in fanbase. Wouldn't your time and effort (and other peoples' money) be better spent telling your own stories, with your own characters?
I'm kind of rambling. I guess it irks me that these guys are raising thousands of dollars to, basically, stand on the shoulders of giants and enjoy the adulation of fanboys. Meanwhile I'm here with a magnifying glass and a pair of friggin' tweezers trying to fix a three year old Wacom pen.
Comments and critiques are welcome! Also, weigh in on the issue I ranted about - am I wrong? Am I right? Should I just shut up and go to bed??
I agree with you. If you are using licensed characters then you do not own all the aspects of your story, you are also using someone else's property without their permission.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fine if you want to create fan art, fan fiction or your own fan comicbook but do not expect to get paid for it, you should be doing it as a hobby or as a way of expanding your skills.