You’re probably already aware of the Orphan Works Act. In short, Google is behind a move to radically change copyright law so they, and others, can display cartoons (as well as other things) with no regard to copyright. Someone could take one of my (or your) cartoons, remove the creator’s name and post it anywhere for profit.
The cartoonist would be responsible for tracking it down. Even then, the violator is only responsible for giving you a small one-time usage fee and is not liable for any damages. And the only way one can protect yourself is to upload everything you’ve ever done into two or three not-yet-created databases. The idea being that if someone scans those “official” databases and doesn’t see your stuff, it’s okay for them to use it.
Oh, those databases will be run by for-profit groups so you would have to pay to have this done … The working number is $10 per image upload. Yes, it’s that one sided.
You can read more about it here.
The initial legislation was introduced in the middle of the night tacked on to a bill for funding bridges. Luckily, a lifelong friend to the cartoonist community, Stu Rees, caught it. The initial push was stopped. Several arts organizations, the National Cartoonist Society included, are now fighting back and are having an effect. They’ve made it amazingly simple for you to respond. It can all be done electronically in seconds by going here.
The counterattack is having a distinct effect. But since Google is behind this (initially hiding behind a couple of museum organizations), it’s going to be daunting.
To be honest, this has been bugging me for a while. The site makes it amazingly simple to fire off a few e-mails to your congresspersons (even if you don’t don’t who they are). Heck, I have no idea if it’s going to help, but it made me feel that much less helpless.
And that was worth the short time it took.
There are some Bigfoot problems that hit harder than others — and for certain legendary figures, male pattern baldness anxiety isn’t just about looks… it’s about legacy. Today’s comic imagines what happens when one very famous cryptid starts wondering if his myth might not survive a receding hairline.
What I’m Watching: Invincible, JJK, and the Great Animation Trade-Off
I’ve been watching Invincible with my sons, and I’ve got… thoughts.
First off: the story? Very, very good. Genuinely compelling stuff — even though the violence and gore is way past my personal comfort range. I'm not super comfortable with one character shooting another. The stuff that happens on a median-level episode of Invincible is a real challenge for me.
As someone who does NSFW comics, I'm constantly amazed at how perfectly acceptable Invincible is... yet an animated series based on Phil Foglio's XXXenophile would have people losing their ever-loving minds.
Further, it's a little disappointing to go from watching Jujutsu Kaisen (which we're also following at the moment) to watching Invincible.
JJK features jaw-dropping visuals and animation that constantly raises the bar episode after episode. It's phenomenal.
On the other side of the spectrum, Invincible clearly put all of its budget into getting celebrity voice talent. Some of them are very good.
I just wish a few of those Amazon dollars had been spent on the animation. Some of the scenes are pretty clearly PNGs that get enlarged to show an object moving through space, and it's a goddamned embarrassment.
But the story itself is very, very good.
