WTF was I thinking?I've never been a big KISS fan. I am however a big fan of the A&E reality show, Family Jewels featuring KISS front man Gene Simmons and his family. My wife got me to watch a couple of episodes and it wasn't long before we were both regular viewers thanks in no small part to Sophie and Nick, the two children of Gene Simmons and his romantic partner Shannon Tweed.
Unlike so many reality shows revolving around celebrities and their families Family Jewels hasn't been a dysfunctional tale of alcohol and drug induced delirium. Gene Simmons and his family have been a shining example for those of us in the "Nation of Rock" to rub in the faces of christian conservatives and gleefully proclaim, "We're not all pot heads and wastrels! See, we have values too." Sophie and Nick Simmons have served as proof that we of the Nation of Rock are just as capable of raising good children as any of our bible thumping counter parts.
When I heard that Nick Simmons was producing a comic book under the Radical Publishing banner I was more than a little interested in seeing what he had to offer so I added Incarnate to my pull file and waited to see what he had to offer the comic book world. I liked the series from the very first book even though I'm no lover of Manga and by the end of the third book I was a fan of Incarnate and looking forward to more of Nick's work. I'd been impressed with both his pencil work and writing abilities.
Then came the story this afternoon of his plagiarism. I've seen the panel comparisons and the overlays and yes, the evidence is pretty damning. I don't know what Nick was thinking or why he did what he did, but if he's an individual of even half the character he appears to be he's regretting the mistake and wishing he'd never made the errors in judgment he's being publicly vilified for at this moment. It sucks to be Nick Simmons right now and I'm sure no one is torturing him more than himself. Well maybe his sister, Sophie or his famous dad, Gene...
Jesus, it must really suck to be Nick Simmons right now.
I think this mistake is the exception to his character and not the rule of it. He's young and who among us did not pull some fairly boneheaded stunts of our own when we ourselves were young? Unlike a lot of people I don't think Nick Simmons is either a douche or a scum bag. He's a good kid who made a dumb mistake, but he certainly isn't evil incarnate. I think people need to call him out for his actions, but let's not forget that at the end of the day he's still just a kid who did something stupid and there's no need to crucify him for it.
I'm still a fan of this kid and I hope he mans up to his actions and apologizes for his lapse in judgment and grows on to have a good career in the comic book industry or whatever endeavor he undertakes with the rest of his life.
Look, I'm a lot older than Nick Simmons and I'm still making mistakes. As much as I hate to admit it, I still haven't figured everything out and I still manage to stumble over the simplest of things on a daily basis. I guess I can take some measure of solace knowing I'm just as human as someone as famous as Nick Simmons.
Nick, hold your head up and don't let this keep you down. Be humble, be truthful and the furor will die away. Just learn from this mistake and don't let it happen again. Okay?
Unlike so many reality shows revolving around celebrities and their families Family Jewels hasn't been a dysfunctional tale of alcohol and drug induced delirium. Gene Simmons and his family have been a shining example for those of us in the "Nation of Rock" to rub in the faces of christian conservatives and gleefully proclaim, "We're not all pot heads and wastrels! See, we have values too." Sophie and Nick Simmons have served as proof that we of the Nation of Rock are just as capable of raising good children as any of our bible thumping counter parts.
When I heard that Nick Simmons was producing a comic book under the Radical Publishing banner I was more than a little interested in seeing what he had to offer so I added Incarnate to my pull file and waited to see what he had to offer the comic book world. I liked the series from the very first book even though I'm no lover of Manga and by the end of the third book I was a fan of Incarnate and looking forward to more of Nick's work. I'd been impressed with both his pencil work and writing abilities.
Then came the story this afternoon of his plagiarism. I've seen the panel comparisons and the overlays and yes, the evidence is pretty damning. I don't know what Nick was thinking or why he did what he did, but if he's an individual of even half the character he appears to be he's regretting the mistake and wishing he'd never made the errors in judgment he's being publicly vilified for at this moment. It sucks to be Nick Simmons right now and I'm sure no one is torturing him more than himself. Well maybe his sister, Sophie or his famous dad, Gene...
Jesus, it must really suck to be Nick Simmons right now.
I think this mistake is the exception to his character and not the rule of it. He's young and who among us did not pull some fairly boneheaded stunts of our own when we ourselves were young? Unlike a lot of people I don't think Nick Simmons is either a douche or a scum bag. He's a good kid who made a dumb mistake, but he certainly isn't evil incarnate. I think people need to call him out for his actions, but let's not forget that at the end of the day he's still just a kid who did something stupid and there's no need to crucify him for it.
I'm still a fan of this kid and I hope he mans up to his actions and apologizes for his lapse in judgment and grows on to have a good career in the comic book industry or whatever endeavor he undertakes with the rest of his life.
Look, I'm a lot older than Nick Simmons and I'm still making mistakes. As much as I hate to admit it, I still haven't figured everything out and I still manage to stumble over the simplest of things on a daily basis. I guess I can take some measure of solace knowing I'm just as human as someone as famous as Nick Simmons.
Nick, hold your head up and don't let this keep you down. Be humble, be truthful and the furor will die away. Just learn from this mistake and don't let it happen again. Okay?
I agree that the internet could be handling this situation more maturely. My own anger was initially directed at Radical Comics and the publishing industry in general. My stance when I published the news article on deviantART was for everyone to boycott the product itself. But seems inevitable, amidst all the fan anger, that the personal attacks would arise. The situation is regrettable.
ReplyDeleteIt would be okay if he actually owned up to his mistake but through this whole thing he said he didn't copy it.. But as you've written it cannot be denied that it is a direct trace of someone else's work, work that took them a very long time to perfect. I don't understand how someone of his age could do something so idiotic and seem to think that because he's a son of a famous singer that its okay, people like him need to be held accountable for their actions and not let it slip under the radar. Alot of fans of the Manga that was copied are furious at his actions and attitudes towards this, it will not be over so lightly.
ReplyDeleteIf you liked the comic, read some manga like the stuff he copied and you might find that you like that very much. In any case, Nick's old enough to answer for his actions.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that's a fair way to look at the situation. You bring up some good points, and it's also true that this situation has blown itself out of proportion. Still, I certainly hope he will show his face to say something about this. His silence to this matter is not doing a whole lot of good for his reputation at this point. I would rather he admit his mistakes, learn from it, and salvage whatever he can from this wreckage.
ReplyDelete"He's young and who among us did not pull some fairly boneheaded stunts of our own when we ourselves were young?"
ReplyDeleteFair enough, but i don't recall doing anything like having-people-fork-over-their-hard-earned-money-for-what-they-believe-is-original-artwork-but-is-actually-almost-traced-line-for-line.
I agree, i think he's getting way TOO much hate for this. I mean, its pretty beleiveable what he's done with tracing and stuff, but still, I mean he is a kid, well not a kid a young adult i guess, I mean i'm a bleach fan and im not mad. I guess he got what he deserved, so...its just that I think he just wanted to get his story out there, kinda like how i want to, but still developing it. Anyways, I think he's getting too much hate.
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