The Serie 1899, from Netflix, became the center of virtual conversation on social platforms. But not only because of its great story and visual section. Also because the Brazilian artist Mary Cagnin denounced through Twitter that most of the script of the production reproduces the story of a comic of his authorship, Black Silence. The work, published in 2016, can be read in a free version and in English at the Web page of its author.
The story is described as “science fiction set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future.” At the same time, he adds that “the psychological drama of the characters is in focus.” What makes it directly related to the recently released series of Netflix. But, more than that, it seems to narrate the same plot as the series created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese.
In fact, several of his points are so coincidental that Cagnin accuses the creators of the production of plagiarism. From a multicultural crew faced with a maritime mystery that ends up being much more complex, to a denouement akin to scientific science fiction. So much 1899 What Black Silence they share identical settings and even plot twists so similar to each other as to cause confusion.
Of Black Silence a 1899a long journey through identical stories
Even more worrying is the fact that the author showed specific images of the series 1899essentially identical to vignettes of Black Silence. “Everything is there: The Black Pyramid. Deaths inside the ship/ship. The multinational crew. The seemingly strange and inexplicable things. The symbols in the eyes and when they appear”, counted the artist.
He also included descriptions of the plot that are almost entirely consistent with 1899. “Written codes. The voices that call them. Subtle plot details, such as the personal dramas of the characters, including their mysterious deaths,” he explains. In the end, Cagnin’s big conclusion is that the argument of Black Silence is the origin of the script 1899.
According to Cagnin, although the comic is much shorter and with faster resolution than the Netflix series, the resemblance is more than suspicious. Especially when both stories coincide in essential elements of their mythology about an enigmatic fact capable of changing time and space.
David vs. Goliath or Cagnin vs. Netflix
Of course, Cagnin for now has no way of proving that the more than obvious similarities between Black Silence Y 1899 They are the result of intellectual property theft. The artist, who asked for help through her personal Twitter account to collect evidence in this regard, recounted the long journey that the original story went through.
“I had the opportunity that many comic artists never had: to show my work to an international audience. People. I gave lectures. I talked about the plot. I introduced him to influential people in the area. The business is serious, ”she detailed when explaining how Black Silence it is more than just a lucky experiment.
However, it makes it clear that, despite the support received, it is unlikely that you can demonstrate the similarities between 1899 and his work. “I’m going to see the paperwork I have to do. If there is something that can be done, ”concludes her thread on Twitter. So far, her virtual complaint received more than 297,000 likes and has been shared more than 86,000 times.
Black Silence Y 1899when two stories that are too similar
Of course, it is not the first time that a popular and highly successful work has more than understandable similarities with material from different authors. In 2018, Guillermo del Toro had to face similar accusations when the plot of his film The Shape of Water was pointed out as plagiarism to a story from 1969. The play Let Me Hear You Whisperby Paul Zindel, narrates the same plot as the Oscar-winning film.
Another relevant case is the accusations against the suspicious resemblances between The Lion King Y Kimba: The White Lionby Osamu Tezuka. Accusation similar to the one he had to face Black Swan, by Darren Aronofsky, due to its overlapping plot points the animation Perfect Blueby Satoshi Kon.
Even the box office phenomenon Avatar, by James Cameron, was accused at its premiere of taking obvious elements from previous works. Since Pocahontas, Ferngully: The Last Rainforestst until Dancing with Wolves. The work of a man who ends up abandoning his culture to find personal fulfillment in a new and more sensitive one seems to be commonplace in the cinema. What caused accusations against the director’s best-known work.