If one sifts through indie comics (X)Twitter this month, they will probably see plenty of controversy surrounding Eric July or his Rippaverse Comics. One such controversy has actually sparked a great conversation about artist ethics, however. A growing thread of free 3D assets that were merely rendered and slapped into the pages of ISOM #1 and #2 brought into question just how much actual drawing the artist Cliff Richards did. This sparked debate not only on advertising an artist that didn’t really do the art, but also on the use of 3D assets in comic creation at all.
Comic artists (both indie and mainstream), commercial artists, and even 3D asset artists as well as fans have all had a say in the conversation, with the general consensus being that everyone has their own personal set of ethics they hold to. Many point out that plenty of hit manga and mainstream comic series use some 3D, clipart, and/or photo assets in their work, and it often goes unnoticed.
