Seeking Muhammad Cartoons

[dankorea]

Hello Artists!

I am planning to publish a collection of Muhammad cartoons, with or without captions, by the end of this summer. It is a self-publishing project, so all I can offer is a free copy of the book after publication and name recognition (if you won't mind receiving death threats - this project is dangerous).

The reason for publishing such a book is to call attention to Islamic fundamentalism and its anti-democratic tendencies. Please PM for information on how to submit your work.

[emocort]

I never thought that there was a compensation method worse than back-end %. now I know.

[dankorea]

I never thought that there was a compensation method worse than back-end %. now I know.

No compensation is better than a lie.

[Ruyei]

To add to what Emocort has said you need to give an artist a very good reason to work on your project. One very good reason is that it's a reasonably paid project. Another is that you represent an actual established publisher that would indeed bring name recognition to the artist. You are offering none of these things, and you sound insincere with the implication that you'd make money off the project without cutting in the artist for a slice. Doesn't hurt that there is a very real possibility that, should your cartoons gain notice (And some very unnoticeable comics have been noticed) that the artist will receive very real threats to his or her life. And of course even on normal circumstances you would receive either amateur art or artists who take a year to do 8 pages due to day jobs.

My advice? Save up some money. Pay the artist. Maybe even pay the artist generously.

Sincerely,
Ruyei

[Eagle-NO-Earth]

I never thought that there was a compensation method worse than back-end %. now I know.

Out of idle curiosity, think any artist would bite on this one? No possibility of pay and potential death threats.

Eagle
(Not even sure we should discuss it on the same thread)

[Zakrolldewe]

I think that this information is the best.

[Dogsbreath]

This is just straight-up offensive.

[WooDoo]

I never thought that there was a compensation method worse than back-end %. now I know.

good one!

[BoydDesign]

Listen, the only more offensive than this idea is the sheer stupidity that it somehow violates my rights as an American to NOT be able to slander someone else's belief system.

I mean, I'm sorry, but what does it really mean to me that I cannot illustrate this prophet in graphic form?

Nothing.

I don't gain anything by being a part of this project.

And I don't lose anything by NOT being a part of it either.

Lastly, as someone who has an American Indian bloodline, I find it VERY offensive for you or ANYONE to think that they can do this and not think they are simply yelling fire in a theater. You DO NOT HAVE the RIGHT to step on other people's belief systems JUST BECAUSE you think it is a violation of your free speech if you don't.

I mean, I have the RIGHT to poke a lion in the wild, but to do so is simply stupid, ignorant and foolhardy.

Okay, radical religious groups exist, and I am a person who disagrees with any form of jihad or retribution due to religious matters, but SO WHAT?

DOING THINGS LIKE THIS DOESN"T DO ANYTHING BUT STIR THE COLLECTIVE POT OF TERRORISM, SO WHAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT?

You have rights; but they extend only as far as my rights begin. You claim American Free Speech rights, but hose rights came AT THE COST OF REAL, NOT SYMBOLIC, BLOOD in the form of wars and cataclysm and despite the very real objections of people just waiting for us to fail.

The AMERICAN DREAM is an ideal. IF WE DON'T LIVE UP TO IT, IF WE CAUSE THIS KIND OF TERROR TO BE VISITED UPON US, THEN WE ARE BECOMING THE INSTIGATOR, A PART OF THE PROBLEM.

Publishing material that is purposely offensive just because you have the right makes you a very REAL enemy of the very rights you are defending.

It's people like you that make me understand the very REAL need for education in the world, and just a little more compassion.

I hope you don't have children, because if you raise them with this kind of sensibilities, then they will find they have no place in the world to come.

One day, all of this will be defined as the moment we had to make a choice about who we are, what we want to be and what we can be... IF we can manage to get beyond our own fear of someone who simply chooses to believe something we ourselves don't immediately understand or agree with.

Someone asked me once if I believed a man walked on water or changed water into wine and I said no, I didn't.

He said to me, I thought you were a Christian.

And I replied, I am.

But the person who turned water into wine, walked on the water, raised people from the dead, cured blindness and lepers, that person was NOT a man. That person, make no mistake, was GOD. He wore flesh at the time, but he was a physical manifestation of GOD.

Now that's what I believe. Some 70% of Americans do too.

And I have to tell you, to MOST OF THE WORLD, THAT, my friend, is a RADICAL BELIEF. Would I die for it? Sure. Would I kill for it? No.

But people have, and recently. We, none of us, are strangers to prejudice and ignorance of one type or another.

So my response to all of this is just this...

Go look in the mirror.

You are here by GOD'S GRACE.

And so is everyone else.

Even the people who are "stealing" your right to free speech.

Be very careful what you ask for and choose battles you can win, but mostly- mostly - choose battles that actually MEAN something.

The fact that these people do not want their prophet depicted visually is about as big a deal to me as a hangnail.

The fact that it is worth killing someone to them means I can live without my cartoon t-shirt of their religious leader.

Listen, there's an old joke around here, in the heart of the Baptist belt. And it applies here.

Do you know what a Jesus Freak is?

It's someone who loves Jesus more than you do.