The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan

Joined : 05 Mar 2008 Posts : 6

I'm assuming nobody has noticed how similar DD is to a syndicated novel series several years in the making named The Dresden Files. I thought it's only fair to point out the latter's existence.

http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/

Essentially I started reading the comic with some interest, but I noticed how uncannily similar the two are. Example:

1. "Harry Dresden: Wizard for Hire"
--- "Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire"

2. Both are private investigators hiring out their talents to whomever believe in them.

3. Both make use of divination rods, hexes, magic in general, and Second Sight is something generally credited to Harry Dresden back in Book 1.

I've not red much further than the whole fish-curse thing, mostly because I was aggravated by what can't be accidental similarities. I can understand using something for inspiration, but going to the point of copying themes and character outlines is somewhat beyond ignoring. I sent an e-mail to the comic creator a while ago, no reply so far. Not sure if it was read yet, but I thought it would be fair to bring it to readers' attention.

Hopefully folks won't flame too much. I'm not saying the guy is a hack, but come on, give credit where it's due.

Joined : 05 Mar 2008 Posts : 6

And as always, the creator is free to e-mail me if he likes.

Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:56 pm

Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:58 pm

never heard of this obviously, but i dont think it matters much, i mean, even i he was similar in its origins, just read a bit more to see that nothing else is ripped of, im almost sure of that, besides, with this kind of thing its always tricky to know who really was first

Joined : 05 Mar 2008 Posts : 6

I'm fairly sure Jim Butcher came first. He's a nationally published author, for one. His first novel "Storm Front" was printed in 2000. So if this strip is nine years old I might buy that he ripped Deegan off (but doubt it).

As a writer, I suppose it matters more to me than it might for others. I don't see how it's statistically possible to get so many details identical and not have seen the series.

I'll read further, but I'm not sure if that will help things. It's not a matter of disliking the story rather than disliking the copy/pasting from the books.

Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:11 pm

You're not likely to get an answer from Mookie here, he checks the forums only very very rarely; if you get an answer it'll be from the email you sent.

However, I can't check it out for myself (unless there's a free version of the books somewhere, which I doubt), so all I can do is encourage you to read further and let us know if the next few storylines (which I believe are Siegfried and Luna, then the Infernomancer, then the introduction of Jacob and the Chosen) continue to coincide with the Dresden books.
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Joined : 05 Mar 2008 Posts : 6

I've been skimming for other bits and pieces, though it seems he only nabbed mostly the character details for the best part. There is a window-character he has as a pranking cat, Dresden uses a talking/pranking skull named Bob.

I recommend reading the books or looking them up on Wikipedia, perhaps.

Methinks beyond the initial introduction as an Oracle for Hire, divination rods, hexes, being a private investigator, the storyline itself finds its own pacing outside of the realm of Harry Dresden. Even so, you may as well name the guy Bobby Baggins, give him an amulet of power and tell him to throw it into Mount Boom. Change what happens after still doesn't do much to reconcile the initial creative theft.

Joined : 02 Mar 2008 Posts : 34

I wouldn't call Dominic a private Investigator. He's a seer. People come to him to learn their future, not to have him solve their problems. [Other then when he gets roped into saving the world, but that's by friends/blue aliens. Not customers.]

And while I have not read the Dresden files I am rather sure Mookie did not 'copy and paste' from the books.

Were there tusked self loathing sorceresses in the dresden files? How about necromantic golems with a fondness for puns, costumes and bubble pipes.

Gay swodsmen with fantasies of murdering their best friends fiancee and sweeiping him off his feet?

Older brothers who rip their own flesh off to creep people out. [Okay..so he did it to become the zombie alive..but he made Dominic watch to creep him out.]

Really. While I'm sure some of the similarities you spotted are legitimate I doubt they are anything more then a coincedence.

Edit: Hexes, magic, and second sight are by no means unique to Dresden files either. They were in use long before. So claiming that those similarities are proof of DD being a rip off of Dresden hold, quite frankly, no merit at all.

Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:16 pm

I don't remember any divination rods. Crystal balls don't count, those are far too generic and common to be limited to one series or another. and Dom's less of a PI and more of a local fortune-teller. Which, BTW, doesn't last long, as he ends up quitting that job....
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Joined : 05 Mar 2008 Posts : 6

http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-05-25

Mention of divination rods for yah.

Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:22 pm

Ah. That would be the only reference in the entire comic, at least that I'm familiar with; I don't remember anyone ever using one is what I meant, and a one-off mention in a catalog is hardly a ripoff, IMO.
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Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:36 pm

It's likely just coincidence, the comic changes quite quickly from that point onwards.

There are only so many things someone can write about a seer.
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There might be similarities, and indeed, Harry Dresden might have inspired Mookie, but the comic is his own creation full of his own characters and his own storylines and his own social situations.
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Subject: Re: The Dresden Files & Dominic Deegan Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:52 pm

I don't think there's ANY parallel between Dresden and Deegan at all. The title "Oracle for Hire" is kind of misleading because no one actually "hires" Dominic to do anything, other than the vapid idiots in the first arc. After that, there's no customers at all (and Dominic is overjoyed about that).

Everything else you've mentioned, from divination rods to crystal balls to magic and hexes to wisecracking sidekicks are more or less fantasy-world staples that appear in dozens of works outside of both Dresden AND Deegan.
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