The Bad Boys of Computer Science
A sporadically updated web comic from your friends at HotZP.
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Hrm, this comic from What/s a Life? sure looks familiar. Don't you think? I'm sorry I have to be such a dick about this, but I can't be the bigger man and just let this slide. I know it's tough to be original day in and day out, and I know that he probably didn't consciously try to plagiarize from my comic; but there are a few extenuating circumstances that bear repeating.
I don't really read that comic, but I know for sure that its creator Terry Harjanto reads mine. He sent me e-mail asking for a link (which I gave) and he's posted in the BBoCS forum before so there's no question of whether or not he knew about the existence of the original BBoCS comic. A few days ago (the 18th to be exact), he asked everyone in the dal.net IRC channel #webcomics to look at his new page design and give criticism. Well, I was more than mildly surprised when I checked out the page and was greeted with this comic posted above. I pointed out the striking similarities in the chat room and provided a link to my old comic, and more than a few people typed things such as "*cough* ripoff *cough*." The most Terry managed to say was, "Shit. I thought that joke came too easy," or something to that effect. All I really was waiting for was something along the lines of "I'm sorry," but I ended up waiting a pretty long time. In fact, I'm still waiting.
I've been checking his site everyday now, hoping for some mention of an apology or a retraction, or whatnot, but I've had nary a glance at anything resembling those things. I'm hoping that he still reads the comic regularly, will come here and see this, realize the error of his ways, and still find it in his heart to do the right thing (such as publicly apologize and yank said comic). That was a very thinly veiled hint, by the way. If nothing happens in the next couple of days, well, I guess I'll just have to be a bigger dick about this sordid affair.
The last thing I want to end up doing is becoming the big bully who's pushing around the smaller and lesser-known webcomic; but for whatever reason, this has irked me beyond all frustration. If Tycho from Penny Arcade had pointed out one of my comics that bore heavy similarities to one of the PA comics, I would most definitely offer an official retraction and grovel until my face was stuck up his ass. I wouldn't offer a lame excuse like "Shit. I thought that joke came too easy," and say no more about the matter and hope that it would be buried and forgotten. I also don't want to become another Lowtax or Stile, so don't go sending poor Terry threatening e-mail or flaming his message board. Hopefully, word will get around to him and he'll see this himself and take appropriate action.
Having to indulge in this extremely distasteful activity has kind of curbed my impulse to do a comic, so I'll catch you peeps back here on Monday.
Post in the BBoCS forum or incur the wrath of Log from Blammo.