TWCL

[raines80]

Okay... So a lot of you on here have obviously seen my webcomic because I am on here constantly looking for advice. I feel like I am becoming dangerously close to becoming a CAD clone.

Currently, my comic is based on 3 gamers who live together. They are attempting to tackle, what they consider, real life issues. I am currently working on a story arc about a mysterious "spare room". The story is actually going to be very timely and (in my mind) funny. CAD has done a story line about a room that ended up being (spoiler alert) a control center for an evil penguin that had taken control over their room mates mind. So there are obvious similarities between CAD and my comic.

I am worried that what I want to do next will take it over the edge. I like to post little dork posters in the background of my comics. It is actually pretty time consuming and I would like to use clip art instead of trying to replicate the characters and text styles of the subject matter. CAD already does this. Tim usually does it when he is doing a poster or video games in the background.

I don't want people saying my comic is a knock off of his comic. The material is completely original and the characters are very unique... but I am worried if I start using clipart for the posters in the BG... that will put a label on my comic.

Any thoughts?
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[Bjork]

raines80 wrote:

The material is completely original and the characters are very unique...

lol your chararacters are exactly ethan lucas and zeke. the guy with the beard is ethan the funny childish one and the fat guy is lucas the boring normal one and the military guy is pretty much zeke but not as a robot because all he does is get angry and threaten other people.

but i mean who cares lots of people rip off cad and pennyarcade so just go with it.

[raines80]

Bjork wrote:

raines80 wrote: The material is completely original and the characters are very unique... lol your chararacters are exactly ethan lucas and zeke. the guy with the beard is ethan the funny childish one and the fat guy is lucas the boring normal one and the military guy is pretty much zeke but not as a robot because all he does is get angry and threaten other people. but i mean who cares lots of people rip off cad and pennyarcade so just go with it.

I do see what you are saying, but you haven't gotten to know the characters enough just yet. If anyone is like ethan it would be "the fat one".. the military one is about to reveal something VERY interesting about his character... and the "boring one" well... he will stay kind of boring, but trust me... he has his faults as well.

I see what you are saying, but the characters haven't revealed their "true identities" just yet. I guess you could relate them to CAD because they are only on their 9th comic and most of that has been building up to the scene where their true personalities will come out. The only issue I have ever had with CAD is that they characters are boring to me. I wanted to avoid this issue and very soon you will see I have. I am someone who puts a lot of stock into character. The situations they will be in will be funny, but as you get to know them... their reactions will make it even better.
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[Bjork]

raines80 wrote:

I see what you are saying, but the characters haven't revealed their "true identities" just yet. I guess you could relate them to CAD because they are only on their 9th comic and most of that has been building up to the scene where their true personalities will come o

well okay that makes sense but why didnt you start with their true identites to begin with?

[raines80]

Bjork wrote:

raines80 wrote: I see what you are saying, but the characters haven't revealed their "true identities" just yet. I guess you could relate them to CAD because they are only on their 9th comic and most of that has been building up to the scene where their true personalities will come o well okay that makes sense but why didnt you start with their true identites to begin with?

It all plays out a certain way. Don't get me wrong... they aren't going to pull off their heads and end up being a gangsta rap group or anything, but each character has its own agenda. That agenda is something that has to be developed at a moderate pace in the story line or it will feel rushed. Eventually this will all make sense, but I never post spoilers about the comic.
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[Kail]

raines80 wrote:

Okay... So a lot of you on here have obviously seen my webcomic because I am on here constantly looking for advice. I feel like I am becoming dangerously close to becoming a CAD clone. (snip...) Any thoughts?

I'd say it depends on who you're drawing your comic for.

If you're drawing it because you enjoy it, then do what you want to. Whatever idea you enjoy the most is the one you should run with. You're not under any obligation to be original or, indeed, to do anything you don't feel like doing. Make it a CAD clone if you find it interesting, go ahead.

You can also gain a fair amount of skill working in someone else's framework, too. I've known a number of people who gained a fair amount of proficiency in writing fanfiction, for example.

If you're drawing it to attract an audience (as in, your subscription thread) then you might want to worry a bit more about that, since CAD is pretty big and the space they occupy is pretty saturated. For what it's worth, I didn't think "CAD Clone" when I read it, though I don't read much CAD. I get that the characters are kind of similar, but it's not like CAD invented the comic trio or the gamer comic or anything like that.

That said, if you're worried about doing X will cause people to think you're ripping off CAD, then don't do X. If you're worried about the posters specifically, cut them. I don't personally think that the posters are going to be what does it, but they'd be fairly easy to work around if you removed them, wouldn't they? If you're worried about the general tone of the comic being similar to CAD, then you've got a bigger problem, but you can either A: restart the comic, or B: try to differentiate it going forward. Restarting the comic is dangerous, and tends to lead to burnout, but if you feel really strongly about it might be your only option.

If you want to differentiate it going forward, look into artistic styles or storytelling styles that CAD ignores. You can shift it into a more serious style, or change the genre, or shift the art style into something more distinct if you want (since you're working on the art anyway).

[smbhax.com]

There are about a bajillionty gamers-living-together comics and they all look pretty much the same to me, if that helps answer the question.

It's pretty much gotten to the point where as soon as I come across a panel where a character is sitting on a couch holding a controller, I leave the site. I'll sit and play with a controller now and then, but I can't say I want to read a story about someone else doing it.

Anyhoo more pertinently, CAD has ripped off other people in the past, so eh. And that would be one way to leech readers (from the topic title, I thought you'd successfully picked a fight with CAD's author--so see there you go, that got me clicking ;). Not that I really endorse such shenanigans, of course. :P
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[vulpeslibertas]

Ditto what everyone else said. You have 3 gamers in a webcomic: Why worry about copying someone else? That said, if that's what makes you happy then go for it.

At any rate, lots of people do fake posters. I'd be more concerned if there was an evil penguin in your spare room trying to control one of your gamer's minds.
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[Spamwise]

The King of Queens is Everybody Loves Raymond is Family Matters is the Cosby Show is Family Ties is All in the Family is The Honeymooners....

Great comedy begets great comedy and no one cares that one started out looking just like the other one but with a few changes. Take the format, make it your own, and you're golden.

[Casual Notice]

You'd have to be about ten times as douchey to be anywhere near Buckley's league.

Oh, you meant the look and tone of your comic? Enh. That style is a pretty widespread art style among modern gag-a-days (and not just gamer comics).
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What I lack in sincerity, I make up for in sarcasm.
S*P*Q*R