Why Rob Granito Hits Us Where We Live
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 9:38AM
As everyone has probably already heard, Rob Granito is a plagiarizing conman. He claimed to have done work for DC and Marvel, been the secret hand behind Stelfreeze and, hilariously, to have worked on Calvin and Hobbes, and sold direct copies of other people's work with a few scribbles on top for hundreds of dollars. Not the usual pose tracing for a different use or character, but direct copies, with perhaps an arm moved slightly. And he did it for years.
Yes, you wrote Calvin and Hobbes. Have I told you about my new play Hamlet?
It was only when Bleeding Cool ran a short piece highlighting Granito's false credits and modus operandi that the comics internet discovered him and Ethan Van Sciver and Mark Waid decided to shut the man down. Adding fuel to the fire, Granito had just claimed to have worked with late comics great Dwayne McDuffie, taking quick and shameless advantage of his recent death. They announced their intentions, forced a confrontation at MegaCon last weekend, told him his name was mud in the comics world, and passed the word around about him to as many conventions as possible. Ever since, his victims have been sharing their stories of past wrongs, or suddenly finding out they've been hit. Artists known to have been plagiarizedto include Jan Duursema, Tim Sale, Bruce Timm, Mark Bagley and Ivan Reis among others. As a response to this, the website Legit-o-mite.com has been started as a clearinghouse for evidence of direct plagiarism and fraud like this, on the part of Granito or any other artist.
There are many, many conmen in the world and one more shouldn't be a surprise, but on some level, he is. The reason artists and fans feel such a deep level of anger and betrayal over his actions is the very same reason he was able to operate for so long – in many ways, the comics industry and fandom is genuinely a community, one that has built up a certain level of trust and goodwill. Yes, there's a certain amount of static between publishers and creators, between creators and fans, between fans and... well, everyone, but at the heart of it, when you walk down artist's alley, there's a feeling that we're all in it together. That if someone has a booth and tells you he's an artist, he's a fellow and a brother, a member of the club, even if he has fudged his resume a little or traced a pose or two. A genuine, verified plagiarist and blatant fraud, one who ripped off thousands of dollars from fans and by extension the original artists over the course of his career, is a punch in the gut.
And Granito's career has proven that fans and creators aren't the only ones to take things on trust – surprisingly, comic book conventions have a similarly rosy view of humanity. An official announced and advertised guest at Wizard World Austin and Wizard World Toronto, not to mention MegaCon 2011, as well as such smaller cons as Animation Supercon 2009, Intervention 2010, Florida Comic Con 2007, one can only assume that no one bothered to google any of the projects he claimed to have worked on. His Wizard World convention bio – now taken down, but here for your viewing pleasure thanks to Google Cache - claims “his most recent projects is Calvin & Hobbes” and that he “is currently working on a Batman story arch” [sic]. How did someone so blatant and downright incompetent slip through the cracks?
Although his plagiarism had been caught by individual fans and artists as early as 2006, the word didn't spread. The comics world is notably lacking in organized defenses against people like Granito. If they don't catch the eye of an angry publisher – and he wouldn't, he never published anything, he simply sold “original” art – a lawsuit is never going to happen, few comics creators or cons could afford it. The only way to get him or people like him was what eventually happened, to call them out, to name and shame. If you think you've caught a fraud, don't just tell your closest friends, don't be too polite to name names, don't think that nobody cares. Find proof, tell the cons, tell the artists, spread the word as far and fast as you can. Don't let the next person get hurt the same way. It may be frontier justice, but it's the only justice we have.
comics, what not to do in psa 
Reader Comments (5)
contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.-Cartier cheap designer purses
Clay Matthews Jersey
Aaron Rodgers Jersey
B.J. Raji Jersey
A.J. Hawk Jersey
Jordy Nelson Jersey
Aaron Kampman Jersey
Al Harris Jersey
Bart Starr Jersey
Brandon Jackson Jersey
Brett Favre Jersey
Charles Woodson Jersey
Donald Driver Jersey
Greg Jennings Jersey
James Starks Jersey
Jermichael Finley Jersey
John Kuhn Jersey
Nick Barnett Jersey
Nick Collins Jersey
Paul Hornung Jersey
Ray Nitschke Jersey
Reggie White Jersey
Ryan Grant Jersey
Tramon Williams Jersey
William Henderson Jersey
Replica White Pennington Jersey
Jets Revis Jerseys
Jets Sanchez Jerseys
Authentic Sanchez Jersey
Authentic Black Sanchez Jersey
Red Sanchez Jersey
Premier Sanchez Jersey
Replica Green Sanchez Jersey
siedsd1117 Covers with Nba Jersey Item sales and Partner AssistanceAn interesting
Giants Jersey
Cowboys Jersey
Eli Manning Jersey
Danny Clark Jersey
Kevin Boss Jersey
Lawrence Taylor Jersey
Michael Strahan Jersey
Tony Romo Jersey
Dez Bryant Jersey
Emmitt Smith Jersey
Miles Austin Jersey
DeMarcus Ware Jersey
Ahmad Bradshaw Jersey
Brandon Jacobs Jersey
Hakeem Nicks Jersey
Harry Carson Jersey
Justin Tuck Jersey
Kenny Phillips Jersey
Mario Manningham Jersey
Mark Bavaro Jersey
Osi Umenyiora Jersey
Phil Simms Jersey
Plaxico Burress Jersey
Steve Smith Jersey
Tiki Barber Jersey
Chuck Howley Jersey
Felix Jones Jersey
Jason Witten Jersey
Jay Ratliff Jersey
Marion Barber Jersey
Michael Irvin Jersey
Mike Jenkins Jersey
Patrick Crayton Jersey
Roger Staubach Jersey
Roy Williams Jersey
Tashard Choice Jersey
Terence Newman Jersey
Terrell Owens Jersey
Tony Dorsett Jersey
Troy Aikman Jersey
Zach Thomas Jersey
An New York Giants fan? Then our New York Giants shop can help you make your dream come true. Here you can find New York Giants jerseys you want with all kinds of styles and colors. It's easy to get, just click your mouse. Here you can choose many types of Giants jerseys, such as authentic jerseys, premier jerseys, and replica jerseys, they are all of high quality. They are made of high-quality polyester two-way stretch pique fabric and has solid mesh inserts for ventilation. You can also see many jerseys of hot players such as Justin Tuck, Eli Manning and so on; you can choose what you like best from them. They are all free shipping and not tax.
"You got a chance to make that decision privately,In Hester Replica Blue Men's Jersey Forte explained involving certainly not coming back again until he has been Totally Forte Authentic Jersey Payton Blue Women's Jersey Forte Premier Blue Men's Jersey "My state of mind is collection in that will Payton Premier Black Women's Jersey That's not me gonna genuinely step out generally there along with participate in until I am just Totally i could manage direct ahead of time along with race and earn reduces, because when a new jogging rear you really men and women pass up Hester Premier Women's Jersey Hester Authentic White Youth's Jersey Forte Replica Orange Men's Jersey You simply can't you need to in visitors and have pounded in Peppers Replica Black Youth's Jersey Urlacher Replica Black Jersey Hester Authentic Pink Women's Jersey Payton Premier Black Men's Jersey You have far more incidents for you to therapy Payton Replica Men's Jersey " Peppers Authentic Blue Youth's Jersey Payton Premier White Women's Jersey