Before I begin to talk about the issue expressed in this comic, I just need to say — Scott Kurtz is like a god to me. Perhaps a demi-god. He is deified on some level in my mind. But come on. Come on. I would be fascinated to find out if he’s played or even heard of 1998’s most under-rated game (and my favourite game of all time). This can’t just be a coincidence can it? Tell me what you think:
Compare this big guy…
…to this big guy.
The characters are uncannily similar. Anyone who has played and loved Grim Fandango and who also reads PvP must have noticed the similarities in appearance and personality. I mean, to a certain extent the writers of Grim Fandango and my man Scott are drawing on common character archetypes — we’re all familiar with the archetype of the big lug with the child-like mind — but… a brightly coloured monster? Same goes for the character design. As an artist and a cartoonist I know the secret to making a cool-looking monster is varying big and small body parts — big head, little ears, big stomach, little hands. But come on. They both have the same shaped nose!
I know there will never be any way to conclusively prove that one character was plagiarised from another — it could just be an example of parallel thinking. Then again, so could that fairy in Spells and Whistles that looked so much like Skull. Let me put it this way — I thought Skull’s voice in the PvP animated series sounded weird because I always imagined him as sounding like Glottis from Grim Fandango.
Something weird’s going on here. Someone needs to sue someone else. I’m not saying who needs to do it. But someone does. In five years’ time, remember who lit the fuse. Right here, baby.
Seriously, this is going to make me famous. They’ll be doing a Daily Affirmation about what a little prick I am before you know it. Either that or I’ll get a call from George Lucas. I think I’d prefer the former to be honest. But I digress. Famous.
Discussion ¬