David Horsey wrote
“a reality of the cartoon business is that, on any given day, several artists are likely to produce very similar images. Many cartoon ideas that seem brilliant and unique are actually pretty darn obvious and pop into more than one deadline-driven brain. Folks in my profession launch into frequent disputes about plagiarism because of this phenomenon. Though sometimes the ripping off is real and shockingly brazen, most of the time similarities between cartoons merely prove that the muse of satire is a promiscuous lady.”
And that’s why I don’t take ideas from readers or editors or publishers. A good cartoonist goes through several ideas a day. A good cartoonist. When an editor or a reader has an idea they think it’s brilliant and it has to be because they so rarely produce an idea for a cartoon. But usually, and by “usually” I mean always, it’s the most obvious thing in the world. I always listen to their ideas and say thank you but I have never used one. I might take a concept from a conversation but I will not use an idea that is not my own. Editors are actually worse than readers at submitting bad ideas but that idea, that cartoon, has my name on it which is another reason I won’t use your idea.
I spent most of my career trying to think like other cartoonists. Now I try to use my brain to think of something so bizarre that no other cartoonist, or anyone, could come up with. Sometimes I succeed.
But still there are those days I’ll draw a cartoon that’s similar to something someone else did. And quite often someone will draw a cartoon a day or two later that’s similar to something I did. Sometimes even eerily and suspicious. I have never accused anyone of plagiarism and I don’t think I ever will.
Recently someone commented on my blog accusing me of stealing a cartoon idea. Yeah right. If I only had a nickle every time I felt someone stole from me….I’d have a bunch of nickles.
A couple of cartoonists have told me they never look at other cartoons out of fear of stealing something subconsciously, or to avoid being accused of theft. I’m not afraid of that because I avoid obvious ideas and oh yeah, I’m not a thief. I make a point of looking at other cartoons to see if someone’s stolen something, or to see if I’m being obvious, or to see if I’m sucking and I’m getting my ass kicked by another cartoonist (which I think happens almost daily). Looking at other cartoons makes me want to raise my game. I also believe that looking at bad, lazy, contrite cartoons, encourages me to do better as in “oh, Mr. GooberSmith did that lame idea….I gotta avoid that sort of stuff.”
Honestly, I don’t think a lot of cartoonists are doing great work right now. But there are a few I can count on two hands and have fingers left over that I think are doing brilliant work…and the work being done by those are the best in the history of American editorial cartooning. I won’t name names. Those egos are big enough as it is, including mine.
All that said, I do believe there’s a few plagiarist walking among us. I think they’re rare. I think for the most part we have a lot of lazy cartoonists walking among us. But I have learned over time, experience and advice from colleagues, particularly Matt Davies, that the only work I can control or have any say over is my own.
Enough of this naval gazing. I’m going to draw a cartoon. Now if anyone has an idea for me…..
CLAYTOONZ 
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