The new Netflix series “1899” is currently celebrating great success: The mystery series made it into the top ten series in 90 countries in four days, making it more successful than “The Crown”.
In eight episodes, “1899” tells the story of a ship with international passengers that wants to travel from London to New York. It encounters a ship that disappeared months ago. The series, which came from the “Dark” makers Jantje Friese (45) and Baran bo Odar (44), is said to be the most expensive German series ever.
But at the peak of their success, the screenwriter and director Baran bo Odar also have to deal with a huge accusation and shitstorm: the Brazilian comic artist Mary Cagnin accuses the creators of having copied many details from her.
She posted pictures of her 2016 graphic novel Black Silence on Twitter and wrote that she was shocked that the series was identical to her comic. “It’s all there: the black pyramid, the deaths in the ship, the multinational crew, the seemingly strange and inexplicable events, the symbols in the eyes and when they appear,” she lists the similarities in her tweet. To do this, she juxtaposes images from her comic with scenes from the series.
Friese denied the allegations on Instagram: “Until yesterday we didn’t even know about the existence of the graphic novel.” It was her original idea, says Friese, and reports that she was “bombarded with messages – some of them ugly and hurtful.” Ultimately, she accuses the artist: “Of course, if that’s a strategy to sell more graphic novels, then: congratulations”. In the meantime, Friese has deactivated her Instagram account, probably due to the violent shitstorm.
Baran bo Odar also made a statement on Instagram. They would never steal from other artists and would never have known the artist or her work. They had tried to get in touch with her and hoped that she would withdraw the allegations.
However, the chances of that happening are slim. Cagnin announced in another tweet on Monday that the case would now be legally processed.
Will she be successful with that? In the comments on social media, many point out that the stories have little in common except for the details that would appear as elements in many mystery or sci-fi stories. If you want to see for yourself: “Black Silence” can be read here for free.
