It’s true they are just individual blog entries (though, let’s be honest – Gary Tyrrell, at least thus far, is Fleen.) What I was saying is that Fleen, of all the webcomic blogs out there, is the only one that really comes close to a genuine news source, but that their bias towards Dumbrella being the primary reminder that they aren’t.

Which, sure, they never claimed to be – I’m just putting out my opinion of what the site could be and what the site is.

They are certainly welcome to their opinions, and I happen to agree in large part that the Dumbrella comics are certainly quality. That said, Fleen does come across a bit overagressive in promoting them – not just in paying attention to them, but in how they do so.

Seriously, I cringe every time I hear Gary say, “If you don’t like , You Are A Bad Person!” Yes, I know it is done in a joking fashion – but that’s the sort of attitude really just rubs me the wrong way.

Anyway. What I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t attempting to attack Fleen, nor even disagree with their opinion of the Dumbrella collective. Instead, I was just trying to indicate that Fleen is the one webcomic site that comes closest to legitimacy as a news source, due to their usually professionally and objective discussion of events, except that objectivity is usually lost when it comes to Dumbrella. I could be right, could be wrong, but I wasn’t trying to make an attack – just share an opinion and my view of the situation.

Look, they (actually, individual authors) post blog entries, often those entries are statements of their opinions rather than an instance of investigative reporting. This is fine since it is a blog and not a newspaper. If you think the reasons they offer for their position are incorrect attack those. If you think it is a matter of taste and you have different tastes, say that. But I don’t know how Gary Tyrrell’s credibility as to his own opinions can be shot unless you think he is systematically inaccurate about whether he thinks the things he says. So, if you disagree, cite your disagreement, but don’t tag them with a phoney-baloney label of lacking credibility. I mean, that’s an ad hominem attack at best, which doesn’t undermine the arguments they give or positions they have, and since you haven’t actually established that they are somehow soft on fleen, what you’ve really done is basically just name-calling.

Honestly, William, your summary of the situation is a bit cut and dry for my tastes. Jeffrey Rowland wasn’t knowingly stealing someone else’s ideas, but when the matter was brought to his attention, he recognized the mistake and resolved the matter accordingly. Despite the fact the instigator was, in all likelihood, just a troll.

As Jon argues, it was a gray area. Jeff could have easily continued selling the shirt, especially given how likely it was that no lawsuit would actually appear. Heck, if he had made a fuss over the matter, he might have even managed to send sales on the shirt design through the roof. Instead, he decided not to – because he felt it was wrong, if only to a mild degree, and because it was better to avoid the drama entirely.

Now, considering the way webcartoonists often act, and considering just how fans tend to idealize them, can you genuinely argue that setting a good example is in any way a bad thing?

For the record, I agree with you regarding Fleen. It is probably the single closest thing webcomics has to a legitimate news journal – but their credibility goes right out the window when Dumbrella comes up, and that’s a shame.

But, just as Gary is always quick to see the best side of Dumbrellians (Dumbrellites? Dumbrelli?) in any given situation, you seem just as eager – if not more so – to see the worst.

Sure, geek culture may have a skewed view on reality – but so do you. So does everyone, probably, but the fact that you are always putting your position forward as the single undeniable truth is exactly what drives so many away – including many who would otherwise agree with you.

Rowland shouldn’t have used the image to begin with, legally, but it’s the ORLY Owl, whp’d've thunk the photographer was actually policing it? So good on him for being civil about it.

He doesn’t deserve a hero cookie, but any cookies he has shouldn’t be taken away from him either.

Or maybe you’ve overlooked the definition in your rush to condemn a Dumbrella member! I know that you are a bitter, lonely, jealous man isolated in a far-away country but even you must recognize that the work is a) transformative, in that it does not use the original photograph, b) passes the amount and substantiality test, int hat it only resembles a portion of the original photograph, and does not use it in its entirety, and c)has zero effect on the value of the original work. In addition jeff’s work could easily be considered parody.

Basically this would be up to a judge to decide, it is not as clear cut as you make it to be and I personally think Jeff is within his rights here.

I have learned that anything you say about Dumbrella should not be taken seriously either. You are a troll who would do better to spend time working on your comics than attacking your fellow cartoonists on the internet. I dare you to come and meet any of the people you talk trash about at a convention or one of the many other gatherings and spend five minutes talking with them and see if your perspective is not changed.

Gary is generally a smart guy, but Fleen has a Dumbrella-shaped blind spot the size of Texas and nothing that gets published about them there should be taken seriously.

Much like Rich Stevens before him, Jeffrey Rowland took someone else’s ideas and tried to make money off of it. The owner of that idea told him to stop and he did. End of story.

Doing what you’re supposed to do doesn’t make you noble, and Rowland doesn’t deserve a hero cookie for it. No one should be portraying him as being unfairly picked on picked upon, nor portraying as a poster boy for Fair Use laws. The only reason to do that is fanboy wank: “I like his comic, therefore he’s in the right.”

I figured it would have been kind of obvious. But I always underestimate the power of geek culture’s skewed view on reality.

Happy now?