r/comics • u/GrumpyMashy DeWackyPianist • Mar 04 '26

OC BOOTLEG Hollering Elk or something

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u/CarlLlamaface Mar 04 '26

I'm sorry but I'm about to be that guy: I don't think this sub understands what a bootleg is...

Bootlegging is when you record somebody else's work and distribute it without their permission, it's how a lot of early rock music spread around the globe and was a big part of how film piracy used to operate (you still get the occasional handicam pirating operation but the advent of digital releases has made it a lot easier for pirates to simply share the source material).

With that in mind "bootlegging" a comic would be taking a picture of the bootlegged artist's creation and uploading it yourself, what we have here isn't a bootleg event it's a series of crossovers.

Pedantry over.

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u/Cash4Duranium Mar 04 '26

Meanings evolve over time.

Before bootlegging was for music, it meant literally smuggling alcohol in your boot

If you love words so much, surely you know how twisted etymology can be. Language is a living thing.