Bleedingcool.com has been posting articles about this guy who's stolen work from professional comic book artists, cartoonists, photographers etc., CLAIMING it as his own, and SELLS THEM at comic cons. He's even weaseled his way as a "Guest Artist" at a few of them (e.g. at last weekend's Wizard World Toronto, this weekend's MegaCon). The Facebook Page, "Rob Granito is a Fraud", has gotten nearly 2, 000 "Likes" in about two days. Various artists and creators have been posting links, screenshots, and stories of the work that Granito has traced, copied, and ripped off from them.
Thanks to the internet, this guy has been caught and called out on his bogus claims. However, there are still others out there, making their way into comic cons, making profits from stolen art and claiming it as their own. A couple years ago at FanExpo Canada, there was a table behind us where these girls were selling bookmarks with screenshots of various anime printed on them, being sold at ridiculous prices. My friends and I were very angry seeing these girls selling more bookmarks than we were selling prints of our original work combined (there were 3 of us selling art). Did any of us report it? I don't think so...and I certainly didn't.
Not reporting it was of course very stupid, but what do you do when you see someone in the Artist Alley who clearly is a fake? Sure, there's the internet, but is there someone at the comic con who you could go to to report someone who's clearly stealing and selling someone else's work? I'm sure by now the people at MegaCon are quite aware of Mr. Granito, but last time I checked the Facebook page, he is still there, selling his "art".
On a slightly different thought, I wonder what procedures do take place when a faker is caught in the Artist Alley vs. a faker sitting with the Pros.
(UPDATE: From the comments in yesterday's Sequential post, FanExpo Canada has banned Granito. YES!)
(UPDATE #2: Wizard World and Chiller Theatre have banned him as well. Other Comic Cons would be daft not to follow suit.)
....And by the by, how about some reference material for the art scammers out there??
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