Greg vs. Greg Part 2: Another Retort

It's a little late to comment on Rich's second Greg vs. Greg post, so I'll keep it short. I agree with Rich on pretty much all points concerning Land's quality: his art is definitely pleasing to the eye. His characters have personality, they have beauty, they have emotion. I can get behind an artist who's style brings all of that to the table. But you know, there's a something seedy about him taking another creator's work and tracing it to make comic art.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure even doing that takes a level of skill that most of us don't have. I know I couldn't do it. And there are plenty of artists who take their own snapshots for posing, lighting, etc. to get it just right. But Land is going beyond that. To me, if he's not giving credit to the photographers and models who he's swiping, then he's stealing someone else's creativity for his own gain.

This topic has been done to death, so I don't need to add my two cents to the debate. But I learned early and often that a writer does not plagiarize, and I know I'd never make it at Marvel if I sent in a Star Wars ripoff with Han and Luke replaced with Wolverine and Cyclops. So why does he get away with it? I don't know, but I do know that this question is all it takes for me to find fault with the man's work.

As I said, I like Land's art. I can really let my eyes soak in every detail and the art stands up to that scrutiny. And his characters have solid emotion in their eyes (probably because of the photo tracing), which lets me connect with the fictional character in a way few artists allow me to. Yet that only takes me so far. No matter how much I enjoy a particular image, I always find myself stepping out of that moment and realizing that it probably came from somewhere else. And that's almost unforgivable. Not because I'm looking down from some moral high ground, but because his style all but forces me out of the moment. As a storyteller, that's simply inexcusable.

Yeah, I know. It's because of his style that I like his work, yet it's because of his style that I don't like his work. It's a sick catch 22. Some cruel joke from the comic Gods. Lucky for me, though, it's not something that keeps me up at night.