Let me just set the record straight so we can get back on topic.

ALL beer tastes like rancid cat piss.

On the topic of Munsters leaks and ethics....who at Stern leaked them in the first place? If it was Franchi, the ethical quandary is on HIM. Once those pictures have been leaked, anyone who doesn't work at Stern isn't ethically bound at all.

Those are weird people. Williams games have excellent rules/code matched perfectly with great designs and features. Perfect amount of depth & fun any pinball machine would need. There's a reason MM, AFM, and MB were 10k-20k games & warranted remake demand...they are pinball perfection. The thought that all pinball machines need math/chess or massive depth to be fun or worth owning is a myth. I love LOTR....deep game. I love IM...not so deep game. They're both absolutely perfect at what they try to accomplish AS GAMES. That's what makes a good game. Rules/gameplay/theme all work together in harmony.

Spot on take. Since Franchi's came onto the scene, he's always played the part of the sad-sack victim. Great artist, but doesn't understand the "rules" of professionalism...his ego gets the best of him, he wants to be THE STAR...Kaneda, as someone who talks about pinball almost exclusively in terms of art, plays to that to get him to leak art & spill the beans on podcasts. Franchi never understood that Stern is the star...Stern knows what Stern wants, and Franchi just can't run around doing whatever - it messes with their plans, their relationships, and paints them in a bad light. Long story short - he needs to learn how to do the work, get paid, and just shut up. Needing the adulation of the pinball hobby scene that badly is unhealthy - hang out with your friends & family.

I hope whatever company he's working with now lays down some strict ground rules in the contract, or they're just gonna have to deal with the same thing.

BTW, he's not just Mr. Victim with his work, it bleeds into his real life views...when I saw this hot take on equality issues, I knew exactly who he was & why Stern would eventually have to boot him. "Wah wah wah, I'm a man, my life is so hard, wah wah wah!"

Franch.png

Well, Derp Root ran with Jpoop. At least Franchi has talent & didn't steal from anyone.

That comment was from someone else’s FB page. I’m not FB friends with Franchi. That was out there in public for everyone to see....also I’m not judging him on one comment. I’m judging him based on his non-stop victimhood & “everyone is wrong but me” attitude. He’s done that here, he’s done it on podcasts, he’s done it on social media. My screen grab was just one example, but a very telling one. When a man is complaining about women not opening a door for him - he’s not even thinking that women spend a lifetime worrying about getting kidnapped, assaulted, raped, and killed every time they go out....so Wah Wah Wah, I don’t wanna hear about how bad you’ve got it as a man in this world. Bring it back around to professinal life, I don't think Stern has NEVER had a woman artist, designer, or engineer...I'm sure women artists would love to have an opportunity to create art for a pinball machine. Franchi's privilege allowed him that opportunity....but he's the victim. Wah wah wah.

It's not about a "different" point of view OR being horrible. It's about a person who is always making himself a victim. Blaming others for his faults, rather than looking inward or being empathetic toward others and their experiences. I don't think he's horrible. I think he needs to be more self-aware to understand why he is often in this position or feeling this way. Perhaps therapy if he hasn't tried it. (...and just clarifying - I'm NOT saying that as an insult. Therapy can be a wonderful tool to help you figure out things about yourself and improve your life)

Absolutely, but as Yeti put it - his problems are of his own making. He needs to recognize that and grow from that experience, or history will continue to repeat. Look, I know I'm being blunt - but I'm talking from experience. I'm an artist who works with a team...it's not just about me. When I was younger, I was a bit more like Franchi...and a few times I did some really stupid shit that made my colleagues and bosses look bad. They probably SHOULD have fired me....thankfully they didn't, and they told me why they were upset and why what I did was wrong. I took that and learned from it, and grew...I didn't resent them or keep doing the same thing again. I learned that lesson in my 20's, and it's done nothing but make my personal and professional life better. Franchi's not too old to learn and grow. I know my blunt posts are a bit caustic, but really I want the best for him - because he is an amazing talent. Just think how much more amazing he'd be if he was a bit more reflective and understood where his bosses & colleagues were coming from?

There's still a stigma about it when there shouldn't be. We all have stuff to work out, and sometimes we don't have the right people in our lives to talk to about it.

Fasle equivalency. Who's Bowen rubbing wrong? Sexual harassers & dudes who wish it was still the 80's so they could be a-holes without consequence? Oh no.

A lot of "I heard people say" going on here. If you're upset about something Bowen said, bring proof, let's discuss. I've seen his posts where he's been on the correct side of issues, sticking up for people who've been abused and harassed. If someone is upset by that, that tells me more about them than Bowen.

Everything was wrong with Oktoberfest's art. EVERYTHING. Monkey or no monkey, it's just offensive to the human eyeball as truly horrible artwork.

I literally draw all day long...but it's in the context of drawing out thousands of storyboard panels, sketching things for artists and designers, etc..mostly quick & loose drawings for animation use. I don't paint highly detailed "gallery quality" pieces of art like Yeti & Franchi.

Yes, I'm a lefty! (Political joke post in 3, 2, ....)

I think we went digital in 2008...we use Wacom Cintiq. I can't draw on a tablet for shit, but Cintiqs are fun!

Pretty sure being against abusers and harassers is the CORRECT side. Or are you pro-abuse and pro-harassment? Cool, cool.

It's Gary's company, and he's paying Chris. End of story. At the end of the day, even if Gary's reaction was bonkers, he's not wrong about any of the things he was upset about...he's paying for licensing deals that are very specific - he can't have one of his freelance employees making money off Stern & the licensors without being part of the deal. Chris was paid to skin a pinball machine. That's the end of what his involvement is. He makes art, Stern gives paycheck....unless they ask him to do anything else, it ends there.

He freelances from Michigan. Frankly, he doesn’t know what it’s like to work there.

Perhaps the slight difference is this: Marvel owns all their characters that convention artists sell sketches and prints of. Perhaps they don’t go after them because they’re too big to care, perhaps cuz it would be seen as a backlash against the fans. In any case - it’s their IP, their call to make.

Stern makes machinery. All of the artwork on their machines are licensed by other companies & regulated by a legal deal made with the licensor. None of the art or characters in Stern’s games belong to them. So when one of their contractors tries to make money on the pinball related art, there are extra layers there, and Stern is within their rights to protect their business relationships by clamping down on it.

Marvel>Rando artist selling stuff

Marvel>Licenses IP to Stern for use on machines>Stern hires pro artist to draw art for machine>Pro artist sells IP on the side that does not belong to Stern

Typo, edited.

Ferigno is selling himself...even though he's dressed as The Hulk, it's his likeness, his image. I'm sure there's some legal rabbithole one could go down and find something that's a no-no about it...but Ferigno isn't working for them, they're not his boss, etc. Franchi could sell pictures of himself dressed as Gary Stern lol

Why conflate them? His work habits are the reason he’s not working for Stern anymore.

Whining about how he’s a victim is a TREND - whether it’s how his job with Stern fell apart or how it’s everyone else’s fault when he’s offensive.

But anyway, keep not understanding the issues & have fun dying on that “I’m pro-harassment” hill. Don’t you have daughters? Your whole notion that harassment and inequality is just an “opinion” is bizarre AF.

Cool Breitbart book report. Absolutely irrelevant to this topic, but parroting far-right media about things you personally know nothing about is a fantastic life skill, keep it up!

“You guys on the coast” ....lol. Keep on dividing!

So, your priorities are harass women & live in a state that ranks 28th nationwide. Got it.

It’s been a fun time in the hobby with you, but life’s too short to talk to rapist defenders. You’re going into the bin, you’ll never hear from me again. Byyeeeee!