Simpsons Did It!

For several years now, my friend Conrad has been working on a comic called 'Cool Beans' about a candy store run by the granddaughter of a mysterious magic-usey person whose candy gives kids awesome super-powers, which they then use to fight the bad kids in the neighborhood who have powers of their own.

He and his friend Stephen (the artist at the time) published a four-page minicomic that outlines the plot and introduces the characters in an anthology a few years ago, but he's been having some trouble finding an artist so it isn't finished yet.

This September, a book appeared on the shelves about a candy store opened by a mysterious magic-usey person whose candy gives kids awesome super-powers. Even the cover art bears a passing resemblance to the Cool Beans concept art:



He's really hoping it's just a (really unfortunate though ultimately superficial) coincidence, like you sometimes get in this business, but the other writer is well-known, so Conrad's main worry is that people will think he's pulling a ripoff job of the other book.

I know this from experience: being accused of stealing a story you stabbed your claim flag into long before the other guy came along is a real pain in the proverbial. Luckily, Conrad has hard copies that prove Cool Beans predates the other book by several years.

In the event that plot similarities do end up being a problem (again, not likely, but who knows?) he will at least be covered in that respect.

Now, I have a strong desire to have a fat copy of the finished Cool Beans clasped in my hot little hands, so this post is me going on the record to officially state that Conrad got there first and I was there to witness it and his story is ten times cooler anyway so there.

Now find an artist and go go go!