Exploring Dan Clowes Justin M. Damiano Comic and its Infamous Plagiarism

Alright, so lemme tell ya ’bout this fella, Justin M. Damiano. Sounds fancy, huh? Don’t know him from Adam, but seems like he stirred up some trouble, or maybe got stirred up himself. Anyways, I heard tell there’s this fella, Howard Cantour, got himself a website and all. You know, one of them internet things the youngsters are always on about.

Well, turns out this Howard fella, he ain’t so original as he thought he was. Nope. See, some folks are sayin’ he went and copied a whole bunch of stuff from this Justin M. Damiano fella’s comic book. Yeah, a comic book. You know, them picture books for grown-ups.

Now, I ain’t read no comic books myself, mind you. Too busy workin’ the land and keepin’ the chickens outta the garden. But from what I hear, this Howard fella, he took the whole idea, and even a lot of the talkin’ parts, straight from that Justin fella’s comic. Plagiarized, they call it. Sounds like a fancy word for stealin’ if you ask me.

• Heard tell this happened back in 2013, so it ain’t exactly fresh news.
• But folks are still talkin’ about it, so I reckon it musta been a big deal.
• Imagine, stealin’ someone else’s work like that. Just ain’t right.

They say this Justin fella’s comic came out in 2007. So, Howard had plenty of time to come up with his own ideas. But no, he went and took the easy way out, I guess. Makes ya wonder what kinda person does that sort of thing. Don’t they have no pride in their own work?

And it ain’t just some small thing, neither. From what I gather, the whole darn premise, the main idea of Howard’s website, was the same as Justin’s comic. And the words, the things the characters said, they were the same too. That ain’t no accident, I tell ya. That’s plain as day stealin’.

Now, I don’t know what happened after that. Maybe Howard got sued, maybe he apologized, maybe he just shrugged it off. But the point is, he done wrong. And folks remember that kinda thing. It’s like they say, your reputation follows you around like a stray dog.

So, this Justin M. Damiano fella, he might not be a household name, but he sure made his mark. And Howard Cantour, well, he’s probably known more for stealin’ than for anythin’ else. It’s a shame, really. But that’s the way the world works sometimes.

You gotta be careful what you do and what you say, especially in this day and age with the internet and all. Things spread like wildfire, and before you know it, everyone’s heard about your business. Good or bad.

I always say, hard work and honesty, that’s the way to go. Maybe it ain’t the fastest way to get ahead, but it’s the right way. And in the long run, it’s the only way that’ll make you feel good about yourself.

So, that’s the story of Justin M. Damiano, as far as I know it. Like I said, I ain’t never met the man, but I reckon he’s got a right to be upset. And as for Howard Cantour, well, I hope he learned his lesson. Stealin’ ain’t never worth it, no matter how you slice it. It’s always better to do things the right way, even if it’s the hard way. That’s just common sense, ain’t it?

Tags: [Justin M. Damiano, Howard Cantour, plagiarism, comic books, website, 2013, 2007, intellectual property, stealing, reputation]