Carson Grubaugh:
I was going to send this to Matt, as he just pointed out to me that David is saying I am avoiding answering the questions David posed to me under the guise of Hazel Poni, but figured I would save Matt the effort and post it myself.
"Hi Matt,
Please feel free to post the response I had
written to "Hazel" before David came out as being Hazel (which is what I
expected was going on all along) and caused me to lose all respect for
him due to his deceitful behaviour.
Maybe
also suggest that David go read Matthew 7: 1-5, Luke 6: 37-42, James 4:
11-12, Roman 2: 1-3 and 12:16-18 since he is supposedly so well versed
in scripture and such a devout follower of Jesus.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original response:
I am very confused about this Hazel Poni/David Johnson
situation. The original communication I received from Hazel stated that
she was a "middle-man" for David. All of the questions and accusations
in the communication were presented as David's. I see no clear
indication of what their actual relationship is or why she feels
empowered to ask Brian, Ger and myself questions on David's behalf. If
David has questions David can ask them himself. If David finds something
we have done untoward he is free to express that himself. I am tempted to think this actually IS David using a pseudonym for some totally incomprehensible reason. Is there some
good reason for Hazel to be communicating for David that I am unaware
of (his caretaker, partner, lawyer etc.)? As I have never heard from, or
of, David Johnson until now my conclusion was that Hazel was either
inserting herself into a situation where she does not belong, or was
manufacturing a situation that does not exist.
Her
response to me on AMOC today suggests that some of the
problems/questions that she originally presented as David's are actually
problems/questions she has, namely the concern about the "Take On Me"
story I did with Brian C. and Gerhard. As it is now clear that this is
HER concern/question I am willing to answer it.
Following
is the communication Hazel sent, with my replies interspersed. This is
an answer to Hazel. I believe that these are her words, not just
sentiments she is passing on.
This
is NOT an answer to David. David, if you read this and have problems
with my answers please feel free to speak with me directly.
I only speak for myself, not for Brian or Gerhard. My inclination is to follow their lead and just ignore all of this. Hazel is thoroughly ignorant about any of the pertinent
details and really doesn't need to know them, but really seems to want to.
But, given that any attention I get from you all is due to your being
Dave Sim Fans I am trying to follow the example Dave Sim has set for
interacting with his fans: If they ask questions you answer them
publicly and as thoroughly as you can.
I'm trying to be a middle man between Dave Sim, Matt
Dow, certain fans or not fans whoever they may be, and David Johnson, with
Brian Copolla, Carson Grubaugh, and you concerning the Take On Me story that
the three of you did. Not any of them or anyone has asked me to do this.
Not sure why anyone here needs a middle man. We are
all adults who can speak for ourselves. Dave Sim, Matt Dow, and I can all
communicate with one another very easily. Any fan can get a hold of me as easily
as you have.
David has replied to me about an earlier unrelated email I
sent him. David has lodged a complaint concerning the story and the three of
you, to the fans or not fans and Dave. He wrote to Dave about it and Matt Dow
of A Moment Of Cerebus. Matt replied about a about a couple of days ago to
David's points made about the three of you, along with other unrelated things
David had asked him.
I emailed David and asked if I could email you three about
all of this, and see if I can get some kind of business reply from all of you.
If all of you do so, I will email it to Matt and ask if he'll run it in as a
reply for the AMOC Mailbag, and I'll fax Dave your replys. I'm sending this to
all three of you.
David explained to me, how he once liked you along with
Dave a lot. That he also helped you once by asking Dave not to be hard on
you, after your stomach or something hurt around Cerebus #288. Lately, David
started to get back to you too and was interested in seeing if you would do a
small regular commission for him. Once he saw the Take On Me story, he was
hurt. He started to write the three of you, but was hurt more by seeing certain
things that Carson Grubaugh was into. Then, he decided not to write the three
of you.
Something
I am “into” "hurt” David? I would
apologize to David but he hasn't reached out to me to explain what I did
to harm him, and none of this has anything to do with you, Hazel. I find it very unlikely I managed to hurt an individual I didn't even know existed.
He wants all of you to know that he likes all of your past
good works, but he doesn't like Take On Me. At first his complaint was that all
of you were in his words, doing an unauthorized Cerebus comic book and breaking
the law by using a copyrighted work, when you had asked Dave to buy out your
share of it for your own reasons.
Since then, Dave and Matt have said to him that Dave
allows anyone to do whatever Cerebus thing they want to, and that their works
will either prove or disprove if or if not it's a good work. Dave has added,
that it doesn't sound like Brian's approach to Take On Me is a good one, but
David said that Dave told him that kind of action by one taken towards him
isn't a new thing.
As you point out yourself, Dave has long had a policy
of authorizing anyone to do anything they want with Cerebus. Why even bring
this up?
Furthermore, when Brian came to me with the idea the first thing I did was talk to Dave about
his interpretation of the project from a Comic-Book-Metaphysics standpoint and obtained
permission to work on it (at my own risk, according to Dave). There were a
number of ideas I shot down in the planning stage based on the input Dave gave
me and out of my personal respect for Dave.
I will be the first to say that our project is
dramatically inferior to Dave’s work. This is not a Cerebus story. This is a
story about a Cerebus fan, me, running around in a world Gerhard designed.
Since these things were said, David has agreed to the
three of you having the rights to do Take On Me, but he still doesn't like it.
He says people like Matt Dow and you three love the old Dave and Cerebus, but
don't like them after God became a part of them. David is ok with all of you
choosing those things, but wants you to know that God doesn't like it.
The first time I read Cerebus the biblical
commentaries in Latter Days were some of my favorite parts. The second time I
read it, I found them boring. I said as much in the re-read commentaries I did
a few years ago, which I assume are still available to read for anyone who
cares.
I
find it seriously disturbing that anyone could think they know what God
does and does not like. Given the massive amounts of information you
are obviously missing about this issue, mM
David says Brian makes it clear on his notes on your posts
of the Take On Me story, that besides liking the old Dave and Cerebus, it's all
about making fun of God and Dave, how fans like you three have now grown up and
put Cerebus behind them (In relation to how all of those fans like yourselves,
can take a trip back through it sometime like Brian did.), but how in the
end in all of your words it's being said Dave was saying in the past in Cerebus,
that all of the fans were wrong for not believing in God, because all of
you are saying that Jesus isn't the son of God.
Not how I read Brian’s commentary, but, hey I am not
Brian, so who am I to say. Please don’t confuse my intentions with your
interpretation of Brian’s intentions.
My understanding was that it was intended as a piece
of fan-fiction-tribute for the 40th anniversary of Cerebus and a fun
piece for Brian add to his impressive art collection. Brian is one of the largest collectors
of original Cerebus art out there. He has commissioned many pieces from Gerhard,
and one other piece from me. This was all in good fun - “Let’s bring Dave’s
former artistic collaborator together with his current one for a special treat
to the fans.” Brian also owns all kinds of other amazing art, so being part of his collection is a huge honor and a great line for my resume.
My personal intentions with Take On Me were: Get paid
a good chunk of money to have the honor of seeing Gerhard put backgrounds behind
my figures. An honor so cool I never even bothered to dream it was possible
until Brian suggested the commission.
Beyond that, I worked very hard to make sure that what
we did would not affect my relationship with Dave or our work on SDOAR and
YDKJ. It has not.
In Matt's reply to David he explained all of you could do
what you want, that he was an agnostic, and that belief in a Creator
outside of any simple idea and sharing that with others was wrong, and added a
link to Take On Me. He made it clear that he liked the old Dave and
Cerebus, but not how God is a part of them now. David says Matt and some of the
other fans wish to continue helping Dave do, what they call the old style
Cerebus in Cerebus In Hell?, but they don't want to do anything about God.
David says that God is the one who Dave serves and that
CIH? has it's foundation in making the point, that not serving God will send
one to hell. He says they know that but continue to (The creative team on CIH?)
do new CIH? stories each month, where they assume that they're getting what
they want.
David said he has asked David Birdsong to do a stand alone
story with him about God or one for CIH for Feb. 2020? David Birdsong said he
would look at the story and get back to him in private with his answer. David
Birdsong said that Dave probably wouldn't do it for CIH?, but said he was game
if Dave was, but if Dave is, it would come out in 2021 probably because CIH? is
plotted up to then. David Johnson said that if the three of you would do the
backgrounds to the cover with David Birdsong for it for free, that would show
that all of you were sorry.
I am not part of the CIH? Team, nor do I want to be.
The money I made from the Take On Me commission is the
only money I have ever seen from my involvement with Dave Sim. Everything I
have done for SDOAR and YDKJ has been done absolutely free of charge. Dave does recompense
me for my material costs.
I spent two-and-a-half years ignoring my own fine-art and
academic careers - probably putting the later at risk by working with Dave - working
almost exclusively on Dave-Sim-Projects. This was done with the understanding
that my payment comes on the back end. I signed up for it being that way, and
remain content with that agreement. Two graphic novels and two 24-page issues
of YDKJ - somewhere between 75 and 100 pages of extremely painstaking art - completed
for over a year now, with no release date in sight, and I don’t make a single
cent until they do get released.
So, no, thank you, I will pass on doing a free cover
as an apology that is not owed.
At first David said Dave had willingly handed the keys
over to the inmates in the asylum, and he said the chess game principle used by
Dave in Cerebus, when the feminist wins and asks, "Now what?", to
which the other replies, "I don't know. You tell me.", was his way of
proving that. David also thought that maybe Dave was making fun of hell and
those who go there, and asked Dave to seek God more through Jesus.
Since then after hearing Matt, some fans, and Dave's
replies concerning those things about how that's wrong, David now believes Dave
is happy with doing CIH?, and believing in God the way that he does. Dave told
David that he wasn't making fun of hell or those that go there, but was using
dark humor to make fun of feminism. David said the needful thing was Christ and
his gospel. Dave told him he doesn't want to talk about those things, but said
that he'd made a choice, and that others and David could make their own choice.
David thinks that your choice to ask Dave to buy you out,
was based on you wanting to hurt him for whatever it is that made you make that
choice. He thinks that hurt Dave. He says Dave had to seek work for hire and
things to help himself, or he would've maybe lost his house and more. He thinks
that these things helped lead Dave to do CIH?
David's complaint is that, if all of you have made or are
still making money off Dave, who has helped make you popular Gerhard, Brian
make money from the comic book art of Dave and things that he sells, and
Carson be helped too by things like The Strange Death of Alex Raymond,
but that all of you don't want to like God or him, then all of you should leave
God and Dave alone.
I have probably spoken to Dave twice in the last
year. We do pretty good at leaving one another alone.
What goes on, or does not
go on between me and God is between me and God.
David says, instead all of you have done Take On Me, which
he says is how all of you are telling Dave to take all of you on. It hurt David
that all of you used Cerebus to do these things, when he says all of you
should've just left them alone, because they weren't hurting any of you.
David said, instead all of you even looked for a publisher for your story, when
all of you could've asked Dave to do it, and David thinks Dave would've said
yes.
“Take On Me” is the title of a song by the band Ah-ha.
The music video has real people getting sucked into a drawing, as I do in the
story. It was just a cute name that many people would recognize, not a
challenge to Dave. Don’t over complicate things, Hazel.
I had actually suggested we call it “Carson’s Ah-Ha
Moment” but Brian had the final say. I highly doubt it was antagonistic.
I do know that Dave thinks Brian is antagonistic towards him.
We talked about that. I disagree.
As far as I understand this stems from Brian helping Gerhard regain
possession of his share of the original Cerebus artwork, which,
apparently, Dave wanted to keep in the archives. This is before my time,
so I really don't know more than that.
All I know is that Brian is an
extremely nice guy. We have only had pleasurable interactions and I have
personally seen evidence that Brian still tries to do things to benefit
Dave, not attack him.
I did send the project to Ted Adams at IDW, who
forwarded it to the editor of Full Bleed Magazine. We never heard back and assume
they are not interested. The same is true with a submission to Fantagraphic’s
NOW anthology.
We were trying to get it out there so that the fans could own a copy. This is a fan project meant to entertain fans, after all.
Dave told me that he wanted nothing to do with the
project, so, Hazel, you are wrong that Dave would have published it. Why? Because you are ignorant about every aspect of this.
The
last we talked about how to release it Brian, super nice guy that he
is, suggested doing a set of prints through Kickstarter and donating the
proceeds to
Pride Stables, an organization that offers therapeutic horseback riding
to people with disabilities. So much for the idea that we are trying to
make money off of Dave Sim's creation and a fine example of exactly how
much ignorance you display in coming at us with these accusations of
trying to do Dave harm.
Earlier, David thought all of you were wrong to recreate
Cerebus comic backgrounds or covers to use in your story. Matt told David that
the backgrounds belong to you. Before, David had said that you had Dave buy
back your backgrounds. Now, he thinks you can use them. Still, David thinks
that all of you are wrong to do the story.
When he saw that Carson likes kabbalah, he didn't
understand how he could make fun of God and Dave, when in David's thinking that
Dave's thinking of the unified field theory, kind of sounds like it. David
wants all of you to tell God and Dave you're sorry, and not do the story. He
says if you don't, it will make God mad. He says if all of you do the right
thing, God will be happy.
I spent eight years of my artistic life doing a series
of paintings about the Kabbalah and Tarot, pretty much because Alan Moore’s
Pormethea had such a huge impact on me. It was silly and derivative, but I do
not regret it.
Nothing
I have done makes fun of God. If I have, that is between me an God.
Brave of you to not only act as an intermediary for David, but for God
on top of that. Hope that goes well for you.
Take On Me does not make fun of Dave. It has nothing to do with Dave. We do make
plenty of fun about Dave in YDKJ and the Hermitage Auctions catalogue, both of
which I made with Dave, and in which Dave also makes fun of me. Lighten up. We
are adults and can handle poking fun at one another.
I myself like all of you, but think what all of you have
done by doing the story, is wrong. If all of you reply to this, I'll send it to
Matt, Dave, and David. Matt and Dave didn't ask me to do this. If any or
all of you do or don't agree with David, he wants all of you to reply back. If
I can help any of you, let me know.
As
far as I am concerned our communication is over. I
have no interest in your thoughts on any of this as it is obvious they
have been formed with the deepest ignorance of the situation possible.
I
also hope that you do not pass any of this on to David Johnson,
especially as a response from me to him. This is to you, Hazel.
Furthermore, you do not have my permission to be a "middle-man" between
me and David. Leave David alone. Let him speak for himself.
David, if you see this on AMOC and feel like you need to respond I will be happy to answer you questions.
Best,
Carson Grubaugh
