The infamous "your comic sounds like... this other thing"

[NickRowler]

The only one I really got was Naruto...which I guess sort of happens when your comic was originally a Naruto parody (yet I tried to deviate away from that).

I did once have someone claim one of my character was a copy of a Homestuck character. Even tho I never read Homestuck and the character was created in 2005.

I have had people compare me to Tim Burton (especially in high school when I liked to hatch and cross-hatch and everyone had thin limbs). I don't even like Tim Burton. Similarly I had someone suggest me to read Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (because something about my work reminded them of it???)...god, I hated that comic so much. I honestly cannot stand "Hottopic"-like comics or media. I guess people weren't too aware that at the time, my art style was inspired by the Madeline books.

[dojo]

Personally, it doesn't bother me. Granted I get it more over style than story, but GENERALLY, if fans of something else are seeing something that reminds them of that other thing, they're more often than not going to be more interested in giving my work a chance than if it's completely unfamiliar territory. I've seen artists openly and publicly criticize their fans for doing this, and all it really serves is to drive people off who may have been genuinely interested in what you're doing (hell, it's driven me from being interested in stuff in the past). If it serves as a hook to draw people in, I am 100% okay with all the "your style reminds me of invader zim/tim burton" comments I get all the time. And I'll be okay with it if I get comments about the story reminding them of whatever the heck it reminds them of. (well, unless they're being rude about it and accusing me of stealing, but I have my methods for dealing with folks like that and in the end it still doesn't really get to me)

Not saying I don't understand why it can be upsetting to get your work compared to someone elses even when it's being presented as a form of compliment, but I do feel like it's more of a boon than people realize sometimes.

[NickRowler]

I am 100% okay with all the "your style reminds me of invader zim/tim burton" comments

It is a bit annoying when people keep comparing me to Burton and Invader Zim despite me really disliking Burton and Invader Zim.

[efdvorsky]

This happens to me A LOT because people think I design fakemons (and I haven't played Pokemon since 2003?). It used to bother me a lot but I've gotten past it.

The newer designs don't help either tho hahah

[Down_the_Rabbithole]

This hasn't happened to me personally, but I can imagine how it can be frustrating. It's not a good feeling to be accused of copying something when you've worked so long and hard to make something original. On the other hand, I am legitimately curious on why someone would do this because I am just fascinated on how the mind works. These are some of my hypotheses:

1. They are insecure about their own work and feel the need to accuse others of being unoriginal. This hypothesis comes in when their comment sounds accusatory towards you. Best thing to do is ignore it.
2. It is someone trying to give a compliment by comparing your work to something else they like. I don't hold it against them especially if they're not creative types and don't know better. They don't mean any harm.
3. Someone is trying to give criticism, but isn't wording it well. It happens.

Those are my best guesses on why this happens. Don't let these people discourage you. You are the master of your story, not them. Keep your passion stoked and keep producing. The people who love your work will keep on loving it.

[dojo]

I'm not a Burton fan at all, but I still don't mind if people want to compare me to him if it means they'll give my comic a read. Like I said, I do understand why it can be upsetting/annoying, but I personally am just not bothered by it. (on the otherhand I do like invader zim but there was still a time I didn't really want people comparing me to it, but I just don't care anymore)

[VermillionWorks]

Yes, I get this on occasion, usually with things I've never watched or heard of, and my main character used to be compared to Levi from AoT SOOO often, though that's starting to become less frequent.

I try not to let it bother me since most of the time it's meant to be a compliment or little more than an observation. Sometimes people say things just to say things - to be nice and leave a comment. Unless they're directly ACCUSING you of ripping off something, then that's obviously a different situation.

Also @dojo is right, if anything it means you've piqued the reader's interest. If you don't react with too much bitterness (or at least don't react at all) then they might just stick around and get into your comic for the unique story it actually is. XD

Basically, I recommend taking this with a grain of salt and a bit of good humor when it happens, because it may definitely happen more than a few times.

Though I will say what bothers me even more is getting said comparison multiple times from the same person. I'm sitting there thinking, "Okay, let it go. Still wasn't inspired by that." XP

[TheHerald]

Most of my past experiences in telling my stories to others, I end up getting offended. Like this current comic I am working on (which is not even up yet), I had people compare it to Game of Thrones and even Berserk. The one person some said it sounded like Berserk even subtly accused me of stealing the story idea and changing it up, when I never even read the manga or watch the anime.

For me, I do not really bother telling people who are not creators themselves anymore since I keep getting those sort of comparisons and accusations. Since I find a lot of non-creative (in the sense of writing stories, drawing, and all) people seem to believe the saying "There is no such thing as a new idea". So yeah, I usually keep to myself when it comes to story creations and all. xP

[antimekii]

I probably fucked up somewhere but whenever someone points out that something is similar, I'll just blatantly do a parody of it. Like oh, sure my characters doesn't look original I'll use that and make fun of it. It's an anti-roast way, it's fun for me and funny for the people who can recognize the reference.

[shazzbaa]

The big trick with this, I feel like, is to find a way to not be defensive, because if you can treat it as a non-issue, it'll feel like a non-issue to the commenter, too!

If somebody goes "did you get this character idea from homestuck?" and you're like "No!! I've never even read homestuck so I'm not copying it!!" that's just gonna make you look weirdly defensive. If you're just like "I actually never read it, I guess great minds think alike!" or "no I didn't but LOL YOU'RE RIGHT they do both have the horns!" or "lol maybe he could be Tavros for halloween" ---- they're not even gonna have a second thought about it.

I don't expect those sorts of comments to ever go away, but having a casual or silly stock answer ready for those kinds of comments can help you feel less flustered when you get them!!

[keii4ii]

The big trick with this, I feel like, is to find a way to not be defensive, because if you can treat it as a non-issue, it'll feel like a non-issue to the commenter, too!

This is true for most cases! Unfortunately, there's that one person who just won't drop it. "Are you 100% SURE YOU'RE BEING HONEST... because there's no way this could be a coincidence"

Happened to me once. OTL There's no point in getting defensive even when that happens, though, because that's definitely not going to change their mind. Sometimes nothing will.

[spadesart]

my comic is like a complete ripoff of more than meets the eye especially chapter 1 im not even going to deny it

[shazzbaa]

There's no point in getting defensive even when that happens, though, because that's definitely not going to change their mind.Sometimes nothing will.

Yeah, that's how I feel too! If it makes you feel better to be really really certain I got this idea from another place like... I've already given ya my answer! If you think I'm lyin then I got nothing else to tell ya.
¯ \ _ (ツ) _ / ¯

[Quinineer]

This has never happened to me.

But when people (irl) look at my art and go: "Oh so you draw anime!!!" It's...kind of irritating because that's not what I want my art to be. So yeah, I kinda get how it feels.

I'm sure that a lot of people saying this kind of stuff really don't mean any harm and thinks of it as a compliment, comparing your work to something they like. They might even just want something to say in the comments. To the creator, it kind of sounds like they're accusing you of not being original, or even copying said work/franchise.

Of course we're all likely to be defensive about our comics and art- we put a lot of work and time into it, and hope to be recognized for that.

I don't think this situation has a person in the right or wrong. The commenter isn't trying to be offensive or cause harm (unless they are directly attacking you, in which case it's an entirely different situation), and the creator has a right to feel upset if this isn't what they hoped people would see their work as.

With all things, there's a line to be crossed. If a commenter starts harassing a creator on perceived similarities even after being told to stop, it's crossed the line, and they're in the wrong. If a creator starts attacking any commenter pointing out similarities and getting into a huge fit over it, they've crossed the line, and they're in the wrong.

We all probably react differently to this kind of thing. Heck, some people might be very pleased to be told that their art looks like anime. We can't control how readers will respond to our comics, and they can't control how we want to present ours. It's about communication, I guess, and what creators and readers both need to understand.

[punkarsenic]

i guess it depends... if its like, 'oh haha, thats EXACTLY like this other thing, so its already been done' that can be kind of upsetting, but also helpful to know, so you can find your ways of making your story unique from that.

but then, when people say 'oh i love x series and i see a bit of that in yours' i find it really encouraging; its comparing my work to something they love - which is either something i also love, or something i would. it shows youve got a demographic thatll want to read your work.

[indagold]

I don't get that much on account on how surreal my work is. If it is a comparison it's either "reminds me of tim burton, david firth or david lynch" or they flat out say "this story exactly like being on drugs!"
Sometimes the person is just really stupid and compares it to something that isn't even similar just because that's all they know. Someone compared one of my characters to someone from Black Butler?? I don't even make anime or do anything even remotely similar. I even tried watching it and don't even see the similarities let alone even like it as a show. Maybe the person is so knee deep in yaoi and shoujo it rules their life? Idk.

[JessJackdaw]

Oh gosh, so many good points have been made. Really I haven't gotten many comparisons yet because it's still rather early for my comic. I have been messaged that my comic's characters reminded them of some of the creatures in Spirited Away. Which I'm completely fine with.

Although I await the eventual Homestuck comparison, because it seems to happen to everyone. XD Haha.

[LoboSong_Hitaka5Ever]

Like, if its pretty clear that someone just ripped off another person's idea/characters, then yeah, call out on it, but do it privately, not for the whole world to see? Its just rude. My main gripes are super common things like African animal stories being compared to The Lion King. Because clearly only the Lion King is allowed to be about African animals even though African animals exist in the real world (so I guess God (if you believe in that stuff) is in trouble for copyright with that logic)

Blanketed message: Just a rule of thumb, leave you're comparison comments to yourself. Artists that worked hard on their characters and stories don't want to hear it

[mappypaint]

I think I only received two or three comments that made a comparison to other works and for the simple reason that it's about racing and cars they compare it to either Initial D or Speed Racer. It dunno what to feel when they compared it to that but it does tell me who doesn't really read my story.

[KSlinger]

'Avatar Jesus' was the latest thing someone called Jed from West. Everyone brings up Avatar when talking about it, which really confused me for a while because the only 'Avatar' I know is the one on the alien world with the big blue people! Mad Max is another one West is compared to a lot and I haven't seen that either but it looks like the complete opposite of Avatar in terms of subject snd feel so I have no idea what's going on there?

Samurai Jack and Fall Out have been mentioned as well along the way. Obviously a lot of people call Jed 'Jesus' which I find amusing, despite being 100% non-religious. There's loads of biblical connotations in West, I'm waiting for them to be pointed out, but I really don't mind these comparisons at all. I mean, if someone tells me my work reminds them of something else many other people love, isn't that a good thing? Doesn't it mean I'm hitting the right notes somewhere?

I mean, no offense, but do any creators here really think they weren't inspired by the things THEY love in some way, shape or form? There's no sense pretending we're all super original artists entering the comic world world with radical new ideas. I was inspired by Samurai Jack, Assassins Creed, Red Dead Redemption plus all manner of books and films- I take from everything everywhere, even my own childhood and places I live- don't you think it would be a bit hypocrticial of me to get my back up when someone tells me their work reminds me of those things? Or anything else for that matter?

I get it if you've tried really hard to be unique and different and be made to feel you're not. That must be really disappointing. But I've seen artwork and styles that are blatant, undeniable rip-offs of other projects and there's a massive difference between being accused of stealing and being told you're making something that simply reminds a person of something else. I mean, to put the shoe on the other foot, if someone gave me a load of grief because I mentioned their idea being similar to another one in what I would consider to be a complimentary fashion, I'd be quite disappointed in them because I really struggle to believe that any artist hasn't borrowed, been influenced by, or unconsciously picked up hints of what they love to get where they are today. To get all indignant like we haven't just seems cringy! If someone is trying to insult you go ahead, be pissed off. But if they aren't why not swallow your pride and take it in good grace? By virtue of the fact that you probably HAVE been influenced some way and haven't even realised it. We all have!