Here’s a bit of a sticky wicket I thought you Jazz Pickles might find interesting. After my pantsless doctor cartoon appeared in papers the other day I got an email from my friend and colleague, Dan Reynolds. Dan is a terrifically talented and successful cartoonist whose work I have always admired. It seems my doctor cartoon is uncomfortably close to a very popular one that he did some years ago. 
Did I steal this cartoon? Of course not and Dan did not accuse me of it. Cartoonists with a large readership and an I.Q. above 75 (me) are not foolish enough to publish a stolen cartoon, especially from someone with an equally large readership (Dan R.).
Did I get this cartoon from someone who stole it and didn’t tell me? No again. In this case, the idea came from one of my closest friends, Cliff Harris, who is himself a retired doctor. Cliff is one of the most honest, sensitive, and ethical people I have ever known. So much so, in fact, that he got wind of the previous version of our cartoon and called me in tears. (Well, symbolic tears.) He was mortified to think that he had ripped someone off, even unknowingly.
I assured him that this is just one of those ideas that more than one person is going to come up with and that all professional cartoonists go through this kind of unfortunate coincidence from time to time––from both sides of the equation. Cliff and I work together frequently so we committed to redouble our efforts to Google-Image-search all of our ideas to make sure no one else had gotten there first. The thing is, though, we decided to retro-search this one and could not find it under any of the titles we could think of. “Backwards Doctor Coat Cartoon” was our most obvious choice but Dan’s cartoon didn’t show up in that search. So we still would have been screwed.
Oh well, these things happen. Dan R. was a gentlemen about it and readily accepted our apology. We’re all still friends. :o)
Here are some more of Dan Reynold’s terrific cartoons. I’m sure any of my Jazz Pickles not currently a fan of his, will be now.
I’m glad everyone was understanding and amicable. Any time I come up with an idea I think is funny, I worry about this exact thing happening.
Dan;
I am conflicted here. Though I am a huge fan of your work, I am also a man who frequently wears hospital gowns. I feel your cartoon diminishes my personal choice to go commando when I’m gowned and I’m hurt by your insensitivity. Hospital gowns offer the consumer a remarkable range of personal freedom from their lack of constricting seams, etc. and wearing them en flagrante only heightens that freedom.
I’ll keep reading your cartoons and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them. But every time I read one sans pants, I’ll have to remember that cartoon and there will be that slight, nearly imperceptible discomfort.
Sincerely;
Pantsless in Chicago
I am pantsless as I approve this comment, in fact.
Can one being naked en flagrante?
Bull you are just too funny for words and made my Day!
Thanks, but who is “Bull”?
I will accept your apology if you are willing to baptize yourself in the holy bebop brine and post it in a YouTube video. Here’s a little inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1OXAi7rNMg
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That patient bears a striking resemblance to Mona Lisa, viewed in profile. You need to engage in more abject groveling, it seems to me . . .
Dan,
Kind of you to point this out on your blog, but we are good.
I would like to share a true story that has always haunted me. This is true, bizarre as it may sound. My habit for years was to write down my ideas on a slip of paper (usually a post-it note) and shove them into my pocket for later. One morning I had a great idea for a cartoon which was sort of a take off of one of my own cartoons (which at the time was one of my early signature cartoons – “Moses First and Last Day as a Lifeguard”). The cartoon I came up with, wrote down on a piece of paper, and even told my secretary about, was called, “Moses Parting His Hair.” You can probably guess where this is going…That night…that VERY night I opened the newspaper and saw the latest Far Side cartoon (this was during the years Far Side was still running new work)…Moses Parting His Hair. I almost crapped myself. I immediately called my secretary and told her what happened. Serious what in the world are the chances of THAT??? Unfortunately for me, it was one of those ideas that I rarely get excited to draw up. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. Obviously, I never drew up my idea. Larson had beat me to the punch. There’s a lot of interesting stories like this cartoonist who have been around awhile can tell. I have more, but maybe for another day…
I was wondering, though, Dan, your first name…well, that MY name! It’s even on my birth certificate. What are we going to do about this? :)
Your cartoon friend,
Dan (as in Reynolds)
I guess the one of us who is older gets to keep it and the younger has to change it. :o)
I find it heartening to know that there are at least two such clever, funny, creative people in existence simultaneously. And it’s extra cool that they’re friends!