Hey, That Was My Idea
There is this interesting phenomenon called simultaneous invention. This is when the same idea shows up in different places independently or when a discovery is made simultaneously by multiple scientists or inventors.
This happens in comedy too when different comedians have the same or similar joke. I’m not talking about joke theft, where one comic is just plain stealing another comedian’s joke. I’m referring to when it’s simply a good premise and they both came up with a similar punchline apart from each other.
The same thing happens with movies. Multiple Jungle Book or asteroid or volcano movies or whatever coming out at the same time. Sometimes ideas are just ready to come out. Years ago, my buddy Dennis and I came up with an idea about a big action scene with a fuel tanker. A rocket launcher shoots at the tanker. The missile flies towards it, slamming into the side exploding but instead of a massive secondary explosion of fuel, the tanker rips open and milk gushes out.
A few months later, Dennis and I went to see the movie Three Kings. We were dumbfounded when in the movie, a tanker is shot with a rocket but it turns out to be a milk tanker. It was exactly our idea. The movie makers of course did not steal our idea and in truth, they had come up with it before us seeing how movies take a long time to make. It was simply a good idea that different people came up with independently.
Now if I put that scenario in a comic book, anyone who had seen Three Kings would think I ripped it off. I could spend my time trying to convince others I came up with it before I saw the movie or I could spend my time coming up with new ideas. I’d rather come up with new ideas.
I like comedian Sam Morrill’s approach. If he has a premise similar to someone else’s, he either takes it in a completely different direction or drops it entirely and moves on to the next thing.
I’m working on a comic about an Earth kid that goes to space and travels around in a spaceship going on adventures with a group of alien kids. There is a kids cartoon called Star Trek Prodigy about a group of kids on a spaceship going on adventures. It is quite different from what I am doing but there are also a handful of things that are obnoxiously similar.
I could double down on my own similar ideas or come up with new ones. I choose to come up with new ones. The interesting thing about that is that I often like the new ideas even better than the original. To quote Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Star Trek and Star Wars can both exist and thrive. Marvel and DC comics can both exist and thrive.
Also, put your work out there! No one cares or will ever see the genius idea you had first but never did anything with.
Favorite Thing I Drew This Month
I made a comic about when Penny was born. I made one back when River was born too. His was a bit more dramatic. (Scroll down to read it.)
I also finished a sketchbook. This one took me two years to fill. (I’m not terribly prolific.) I use my sketchbooks for ideas. I’m not trying to make finished pieces. Just doodling, exploring and working stuff out. I find it can also be quite useful with my writing. If I’m stuck with something, sketching out different things can lead to clarity or breakthroughs. That also acts as a sort of journal with where and what I was interested in at the time.
Favorite Thing I Didn’t Draw
I came across Ralph Meyer on Instagram. He’s a French comic artist I was not familiar with. Really gorgeous work. The French have a love and respect for comics that I wish was present in America with the general populace. I also wish I knew French so I could read the amazing books that don’t make it into English translations.
What I’m Reading
I went to Stuart Ng Books, a shop that specializes in Illustration and Animation books. It’s a fantastic shop which also includes a huge selection of foreign books. The place is dangerous though, the books are not cheap. So good luck with your wallet. Here’s what I picked up.
Family Stuff
Penny is officially standing hands free. She’s been pulling herself up and hanging on to things for a bit now. She’ll stand for a bit before plopping back down. She’s enjoying the walker, so walking on her own is on the horizon.
The library has kicked off its kid’s summer program and River (and Dad) is a fan. We got to attend a fantastic reptile show where the kids learned about and got to interact with snakes, lizards and turtles. And another program with DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba came and sang and danced with the kids.
Congrats if you made it to the end. Sorry, that was a lot. This one got away from me. I hope your summer is off to a fantastic start. Thanks for reading. See you next time.
-Josh
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