Older Than They Think/Comic Books: Difference between revisions

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* Many moviegoers have accused the ''[[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]]'' [[Fantastic Four (Film)|movies]] of ripping off ''[[The Incredibles (Animation)|The Incredibles]]''.
* Many moviegoers have accused the ''[[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]]'' [[Fantastic Four (film)|movies]] of ripping off ''[[The Incredibles]]''.
** Likewise, the ''[[Watchmen (Comic Book)|Watchmen]]'' [[Watchmen (Film)|movie]].
** Likewise, the ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'' [[Watchmen (film)|movie]].
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* The Thing is often accused of being a ''[[Incredible Hulk (Comic Book)|Hulk]]'' ripoff, which is quite an accomplishment, seeing as how the Thing was created first -- by the ''[[Marvel Universe|same]] [[Stan Lee|people]]''.
* The Thing is often accused of being a ''[[Incredible Hulk (Comic Book)|Hulk]]'' ripoff, which is quite an accomplishment, seeing as how the Thing was created first -- by the ''[[Marvel Universe|same]] [[Stan Lee|people]]''.
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* ''Wizard'' magazine, the most "mainstream" magazine on comic books, once contemptuously referred to the immortal supervillain [[Vandal Savage]] as "a cheap Ra's al Ghul knockoff". Actually, Vandal Savage predates Ra's by ''twenty eight years'' -- 1943 and 1971, specifically.
* ''Wizard'' magazine, the most "mainstream" magazine on comic books, once contemptuously referred to the immortal supervillain [[Vandal Savage]] as "a cheap Ra's al Ghul knockoff". Actually, Vandal Savage predates Ra's by ''twenty eight years'' -- 1943 and 1971, specifically.
** Ming the Merciless has been referred to as "a cheap Ra's al Ghul clone" as well. Ra's and Ming are, of course, knockoffs of [[Fu Manchu]], who wasn't the first [[Yellow Peril]] villain either.
** Ming the Merciless has been referred to as "a cheap Ra's al Ghul clone" as well. Ra's and Ming are, of course, knockoffs of [[Fu Manchu]], who wasn't the first [[Yellow Peril]] villain either.
* It's a meme among ''[[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]]'' fandom that Trelane from the ''[[Star Trek the Original Series]]'' episode "The Squire of Gothos" was ripped off from FF villain Infant Terrible, apparently for no more reason than being child-like and omnipotent, despite the fact that there are literally hundreds of examples of this combination going back at least to the 1920s.
* It's a meme among ''[[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|Fantastic Four]]'' fandom that Trelane from the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "The Squire of Gothos" was ripped off from FF villain Infant Terrible, apparently for no more reason than being child-like and omnipotent, despite the fact that there are literally hundreds of examples of this combination going back at least to the 1920s.
* Many people seem to think that [[Aquaman (Comic Book)|Aquaman]] came before [[Sub-Mariner|Namor the Sub-Mariner]], even though Namor predated him by two years. This may be because Namor went out of print during [[The Interregnum]], while Aquaman held on as an ''Action Comics'' backup.
* Many people seem to think that [[Aquaman (Comic Book)|Aquaman]] came before [[Sub-Mariner|Namor the Sub-Mariner]], even though Namor predated him by two years. This may be because Namor went out of print during [[The Interregnum]], while Aquaman held on as an ''Action Comics'' backup.
* The [[DC Comics]] skull-faced supervillain Doctor Destiny is often called a knockoff of [[He Man and The Masters of The Universe (Animation)|Skeletor]], despite the fact that he predates him by several decades. It is also important to note that, besides appearance and the fact that they're both villains, ''these two characters have absolutely nothing in common.'' And a skull face is [[The Grim Reaper|not exactly a new or unique concept]] to start with.
* The [[DC Comics]] skull-faced supervillain Doctor Destiny is often called a knockoff of [[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe|Skeletor]], despite the fact that he predates him by several decades. It is also important to note that, besides appearance and the fact that they're both villains, ''these two characters have absolutely nothing in common.'' And a skull face is [[The Grim Reaper|not exactly a new or unique concept]] to start with.
* A couple of [[Alan Moore]]'s [[Superhero]] [[Deconstruction]] plots were used by the novel ''Superfolks'' first. To be fair to Moore, he had way fewer [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Incredibly Lame Puns]].
* A couple of [[Alan Moore]]'s [[Superhero]] [[Deconstruction]] plots were used by the novel ''Superfolks'' first. To be fair to Moore, he had way fewer [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Incredibly Lame Puns]].
* Name a character:
* Name a character:
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** singlehandedly builds a fortress in a wilderness;
** singlehandedly builds a fortress in a wilderness;
** has adventures where he lifts a car, and rips the door off a bank vault...
** has adventures where he lifts a car, and rips the door off a bank vault...
*** The character is Hugo Danner, ''[[Gladiator (Literature)|Gladiator]]'', from a book published in 1930, before [[Superman]] or Spider-Man. Siegel & Schuster have admitted to taking inspiration from it when they created Superman.
*** The character is Hugo Danner, ''[[Gladiator (novel)|Gladiator]]'', from a book published in 1930, before [[Superman]] or Spider-Man. Siegel & Schuster have admitted to taking inspiration from it when they created Superman.
*** Even better, Marvel later created a character named Gladiator as a [[Captain Ersatz]] of Superman for their own universe, bringing it full circle. Read more about that here: [http://www.cracked.com/article_17299_6-famous-characters-you-didnt-know-were-shameless-rip-offs.html\]
*** Even better, Marvel later created a character named Gladiator as a [[Captain Ersatz]] of Superman for their own universe, bringing it full circle. Read more about that here: [http://www.cracked.com/article_17299_6-famous-characters-you-didnt-know-were-shameless-rip-offs.html\]
*** DC, which published a few stories of the original Hugo Danner (as did Marvel), gave Danner a son named "Iron" Munroe who filled in for [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Superman in the [[Retcon]] patchwork that [[The DCU]]'s [[World War II]] history became [[Post-Crisis]], when many of the formerly Golden Age heroes were given new, recent origins. Now, the adventures that happened to Superman [[During the War]], mostly happened to Munroe instead.
*** DC, which published a few stories of the original Hugo Danner (as did Marvel), gave Danner a son named "Iron" Munroe who filled in for [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Superman in the [[Retcon]] patchwork that [[The DCU]]'s [[World War II]] history became [[Post-Crisis]], when many of the formerly Golden Age heroes were given new, recent origins. Now, the adventures that happened to Superman [[During the War]], mostly happened to Munroe instead.
* Shuma-Gorath predates his appearances in the [[Doctor Strange]] and [[Conan the Barbarian]] comics, all the way back to a mention in one of [[Robert E Howard]]'s Kull stories. The story was published in the 1960s, but could not have been written later than the mid-30s, making this character [[Older Than Television]]. This is also a case of [[Adaptation Displacement]].
* Shuma-Gorath predates his appearances in the [[Doctor Strange]] and [[Conan the Barbarian]] comics, all the way back to a mention in one of [[Robert E. Howard]]'s Kull stories. The story was published in the 1960s, but could not have been written later than the mid-30s, making this character [[Older Than Television]]. This is also a case of [[Adaptation Displacement]].
* DC's [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Deathstroke]] has often been criticized as a [[Deadpool]] rip-off, despite the fact that not only does Deathstroke predate Deadpool by over a decade, Deadpool was [[Captain Ersatz|originally created to be a rip-off of Deathstroke]] (though he later became a character in his own right).
* DC's [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Deathstroke]] has often been criticized as a [[Deadpool]] rip-off, despite the fact that not only does Deathstroke predate Deadpool by over a decade, Deadpool was [[Captain Ersatz|originally created to be a rip-off of Deathstroke]] (though he later became a character in his own right).
** Deathstroke himself is based off of Taskmaster, a Marvel villain that debuted a few months before him. Not surprising, since [[George Perez]] created both of them. All three characters have diverged. Deathstroke is a [[Lawful Evil]] [[Professional Killer|mercenary]] played [[Knight of Cerebus|dead seriously]]. Taskmaster is a [[Lawful Neutral]] [[Punch Clock Villain]] slash [[Punch Clock Hero]] who is slightly quirky (albeit a [[Consummate Professional]] nonetheless) and [[Only in It For The Money]]. Deadpool is a [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|competent but ''very'' quirky (i.e. insane)]] [[Lovable Rogue]] who toes the line between [[Chaotic Neutral]] and [[Chaotic Good]].
** Deathstroke himself is based off of Taskmaster, a Marvel villain that debuted a few months before him. Not surprising, since [[George Perez]] created both of them. All three characters have diverged. Deathstroke is a [[Lawful Evil]] [[Professional Killer|mercenary]] played [[Knight of Cerebus|dead seriously]]. Taskmaster is a [[Lawful Neutral]] [[Punch Clock Villain]] slash [[Punch Clock Hero]] who is slightly quirky (albeit a [[Consummate Professional]] nonetheless) and [[Only in It For the Money]]. Deadpool is a [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|competent but ''very'' quirky (i.e. insane)]] [[Lovable Rogue]] who toes the line between [[Chaotic Neutral]] and [[Chaotic Good]].
** "Deathstroke the Terminator" appears first in a Marvel comic book; Spider-Woman, during the early 1980's. He's the leader of some ninja-likes, the Terminators (who are not cyborgs from the future).
** "Deathstroke the Terminator" appears first in a Marvel comic book; Spider-Woman, during the early 1980's. He's the leader of some ninja-likes, the Terminators (who are not cyborgs from the future).
*** [http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/spiderwoman-2.html Incorrect]; the Spider-Woman villain first appeared in August of 1981, whereas the DC villain [[wikipedia:Deathstroke|first appeared in December of 1980]]
*** [http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/spiderwoman-2.html Incorrect]; the Spider-Woman villain first appeared in August of 1981, whereas the DC villain [[wikipedia:Deathstroke|first appeared in December of 1980]]
* A number of comic book fans commented that the [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/zaitchick/grenier/ValerianEmpMilPlan-02.jpg spaceship] in the European comic book ''Valerian'' was ''totally'' plagiarized from the Millennium Falcon. Except Valerian and his ship were created in 1967, and ''[[A New Hope (Film)|Star Wars]]'' was made in 1977.
* A number of comic book fans commented that the [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/zaitchick/grenier/ValerianEmpMilPlan-02.jpg spaceship] in the European comic book ''Valerian'' was ''totally'' plagiarized from the Millennium Falcon. Except Valerian and his ship were created in 1967, and ''[[A New Hope|Star Wars]]'' was made in 1977.
** Others commented that the [[Flying Car|flying cars]] seen in one of the Valerian stories were totally plagiarized on ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' -- forgetting that the idea of flying cars has been around since... well, the invention of the car. Not to mention that the story was published years before the movie was made, ''and'' that the director is a ''Valerian'' fan who '''specifically''' asked the series' artist to work on the design of the movie.
** Others commented that the [[Flying Car|flying cars]] seen in one of the Valerian stories were totally plagiarized on ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' -- forgetting that the idea of flying cars has been around since... well, the invention of the car. Not to mention that the story was published years before the movie was made, ''and'' that the director is a ''Valerian'' fan who '''specifically''' asked the series' artist to work on the design of the movie.
* Some have claimed ''[[Watchmen (Comic Book)|Watchmen]]'''s ending, {{spoiler|in which the world unites against an alien threat after New York City is destroyed}}, is an attempt to capitalize on post-9/11 feelings. However, not only does Watchmen predate 9/11 by 15 years, but the eerie similarities between 9/11 and Watchmen's climax have been noted by more than a few people, especially in regards to whether {{spoiler|Ozymandias' plan to bring about world peace}} would work even temporarily in real life given that world sympathy for the United States was temporary and only lasted until the United States invaded Iraq.
* Some have claimed ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'''s ending, {{spoiler|in which the world unites against an alien threat after New York City is destroyed}}, is an attempt to capitalize on post-9/11 feelings. However, not only does Watchmen predate 9/11 by 15 years, but the eerie similarities between 9/11 and Watchmen's climax have been noted by more than a few people, especially in regards to whether {{spoiler|Ozymandias' plan to bring about world peace}} would work even temporarily in real life given that world sympathy for the United States was temporary and only lasted until the United States invaded Iraq.
** Not to mention the ending is very similar to ''[[The Outer Limits (TV)|The Outer Limits]]'' episode [[wikipedia:The Architects of Fear|"The Architects of Fear"]]. This is acknowledged in the ending (it's the episode playing on Sally Juspeczyk's TV).
** Not to mention the ending is very similar to ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' episode [[wikipedia:The Architects of Fear|"The Architects of Fear"]]. This is acknowledged in the ending (it's the episode playing on Sally Juspeczyk's TV).
* An in-universe example has Superboy saying to [[Superman]] "Second star to the right and fly till morning." When Superman says "[[Peter Pan (Literature)|Peter Pan]]. How appropriate." Superboy replies "What are you talking about? Captain Kirk said that." in reference to Kirk's closing line at the end of ''[[Star Trek VI]]'' where he was clearly quoting Peter Pan.
* An in-universe example has Superboy saying to [[Superman]] "Second star to the right and fly till morning." When Superman says "[[Peter Pan]]. How appropriate." Superboy replies "What are you talking about? Captain Kirk said that." in reference to Kirk's closing line at the end of ''[[Star Trek VI]]'' where he was clearly quoting Peter Pan.
* After the fairly obscure character [[The Question]] became the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] of [[Justice League]] Unlimited, many people declared him to be a rip off of Rorschach. In fact, Alan Moore only created Rorschach because he was told he couldn't use The Question, the character he had originally planned to use in Watchmen.
* After the fairly obscure character [[The Question]] became the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] of [[Justice League]] Unlimited, many people declared him to be a rip off of Rorschach. In fact, Alan Moore only created Rorschach because he was told he couldn't use The Question, the character he had originally planned to use in Watchmen.
* Many fans of misfit superhero teams who are hated and feared by the public they protect and are led by charismatic wheelchair-bound men often think that DC's ''[[Doom Patrol (Comic Book)|Doom Patrol]]'' is a blatant ripoff of Marvel's more popular ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''. Other comics fans who know a little more about the books' histories know ''[[Doom Patrol (Comic Book)|Doom Patrol]]'' was actually published first, and assume the theft went the other way around. In fact ''X-Men'' followed ''[[Doom Patrol (Comic Book)|Doom Patrol]]'' by only three months, and given the lead time involved in the production of comics it's most likely no plagiarism was involved. However, some artists and writers worked clandestinely for both companies, and it is possible that information flowed one way or the other.
* Many fans of misfit superhero teams who are hated and feared by the public they protect and are led by charismatic wheelchair-bound men often think that DC's ''[[Doom Patrol]]'' is a blatant ripoff of Marvel's more popular ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''. Other comics fans who know a little more about the books' histories know ''[[Doom Patrol]]'' was actually published first, and assume the theft went the other way around. In fact ''X-Men'' followed ''[[Doom Patrol]]'' by only three months, and given the lead time involved in the production of comics it's most likely no plagiarism was involved. However, some artists and writers worked clandestinely for both companies, and it is possible that information flowed one way or the other.
** Well, when one property's [[Rogues Gallery]] is The Brotherhood of Evil and the other's The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, it's pretty obvious SOMEONE was reusing ideas.
** Well, when one property's [[Rogues Gallery]] is The Brotherhood of Evil and the other's The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, it's pretty obvious SOMEONE was reusing ideas.
*** Except that both Brotherhoods debuted at the exact same time. Both showed up in March of 1964. Yep. Same month of the same year. Making it pretty damn hard for either to be a rip-off.
*** Except that both Brotherhoods debuted at the exact same time. Both showed up in March of 1964. Yep. Same month of the same year. Making it pretty damn hard for either to be a rip-off.
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