Nick Simmons Plagiarism?

Nick Simmons Plagiarism? (Watch the Video)

Here is a shock. Nick Simmons is the son of Gene Simmons, and I guess he is considering himself a manga. Because he is a Hell Spawn from Gene Simmons he already gets some points taken off, but it has come out in the Manga community that Nick’s work in the book Incarnate seems to be too close to the Manga book Bleach.

And looking at the comparisons, I have to say this is more than just a tribute, it is tracing the art over with your pen and copying it onto your book. Nick appears to even take lines from Bleach word from word. There are many times when an artist will pay homage to other works with shots or panels that are supposed to evoke memories of earlier work. But, this is taking it to the copy-paste level.

I can see the editor of Radical Comics with a cigar in hand saying, “Damn it, Nick. I said pay homage to Bleach not trace the damn comic book, son.”

It looks like Radical Comics is halting production of the Simmons book. While I'm sure Simmons didn't do it out of making a quick buck, it does have the smell of a Kaavya Viswanathan Book-packing scandal all over it. Perhaps he can claim that he was merely “sampling” like a DJ.

Taken from the Radical company, ((We at Radical Publishing, Inc. and Radical Comics, Inc. are quite concerned to hear the news surrounding Nick Simmons’s Incarnate Comic Book. We are taking this matter seriously and making efforts now to contact the publishers of the works in question in an effort to resolve this matter. We have halted further production and distribution of the “Incarnate” comic book and trade paperback until the matter is resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Rest assured that Radical is taking swift action regarding this matter and will continue in its efforts to maintain the integrity and protect the intellectual property of artists throughout the world whose creative works are the bedrock of our Company and the comic book industry. ))

Nick did release a statement, ((“Like most artists I am inspired by work I admire. There are certain similarities between some of my work and the work of others. This was simply meant as an homage to artists I respect, and I definitely want to apologize to any Manga fans or fellow Manga artists who feel I went too far. My inspirations reflect the fact that certain fundamental imagery is common to all Manga. This is the nature of the medium.

“I am a big fan of Bleach, as well as other Manga titles. And I am certainly sorry if anyone was offended or upset by what they perceive to be the similarity between my work and the work of artists that I admire and who inspire me.”))

Something tells me Nick's father will claim “KISS invented Manga style comics.” And, Nick can always start doing KISS Manga books.

-CCW special discussion of Swiping/Rip Off Part 1, Part 2.