First off, thanks so much for checking out my stuff and offering a critique, SC! I so seldom hear back from anyone as to the job I’m doing, so any kind of constructive feedback like this is greatly appreciated. And, considering this is peer-to-peer feedback (IMO the best possible kind) I’m especially grateful!
To answer your questions, regarding my taking copyright and trademark protection, I mostly did that on a whim. When I started out, I had hoped to take my comics somewhere and make a living from them, and figured what the hell; to secure a copyright was cheap and the form easy to fill out. I was just going for the novelty of it all. My trademark was the same way. In the case of a trademark, however, as I understand the law - and someone please correct me if I’m wrong! - an artist can use the trademark designation in lieu of filling out the complicated paperwork and paying the expensive fee, but it doesn’t have any legal backing with the US Library of Congress' OCT. In the case of trademark disputes, the one who can prove prior ownership is the one who wins in a court of law. The (TM) symbol, what I and a lot of others use, is an unregistered trademark. A registered trademark (R) means the owner actually went through the process to secure a legally-backed trademark. Additionally, since the government knows that its trademark process is long, complicated and expensive, you also have the option of securing a legally-backed trademark through your state of residence. I’m told the process is a lot cheaper and easier than an OCT one, but I never quite got around to looking into it. As far as my use of the trademark and copyright qualifiers go, I’m more than reasonably sure I *have* to use them according to the law. Course, after all, what’s the point in having protection if you’re not gonna tell anyone you have it?
As I became more serious about my strip, and actively worked to increase my readership in other areas and markets, I came to better see how much I needed the protection. Especially when I delved into the anthropomorphic or furry segment! Brother, you wanna see some blatant disregard for an artist’s property and intellectual rights (termed use of Rule 34 by the fandom), look at the furry genre! True, there isn’t much I can do if some fur is ripping off my designs, but at least I have some measure of protection that gives me a little more leverage if/when he does.
Regarding your point that my comics aren’t all that different than what’s currently in print, I had to take that as both a compliment and an insult. I’m complimented, as I evidently have the stuff to run with professional cartoonists - hell, it even gives me hope I may do this for a living yet - but given pause slightly in that I thought (at least some of) my stuff already did touch on topics too taboo for mainstream newspapers. Oh, I’ll agree with you in that a lot of my stuff is tame enough for print syndication. I have to be, if I want to remain in the papers I’m printed in. But some other stuff, like my serials “And Baby Makes Three” and “Girl’s Night Out,” for example... I’d be hard-pressed to believe that I could actually get away with them in major publications.
I read with considerable curiosity you advice that I venture into more dangerous and edgier content. Please, forgive me for asking, SC, and I mean absolutely no offense, but did you have the opportunity to check out my more PG-13-rated cartoons on my Critters Plus page? That’s where I keep my harder stuff. The Archives page primarily contains cartoons that’ve been released for publication. Do you suggest I should venture into R-rated territory?
Lastly, my target audience is more the 18-35-year-old, coffee shop-frequenting, indie publication-reading kinda viewer, furry and non-furry alike. Not much - if any - money to be made from it, but hey - like you said, if you see me being published in newsprint or some other outlet like that I might have a shot at syndication after all.
Again, thanks so much for the feedback and kind words regarding my cartoon! I hope to hear more from you guys here!
