YouTuber Dan Shahin interviewed fellow YouTuber and comic book creator Ethan Van Sciver. I watched the interview as soon as I learned about it.
I’ve watched a few of Shahin’s videos. Shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shahin made videos with Diamond Comic Distributors President and CEO Steve Geppi.
When Geppi decided to stop distributing comics, not pay publishers, and blame it all on the coronavirus, I thought the man had a lot to account for. It became clear from watching those videos, and Shahin wasn’t going to make Geppi account for anything.
If Steve Geppi ever needs someone to carry water for him, I can think of no better candidate for the job than Dan Shahin.
The most annoying thing about Shahin’s YouTube videos is how terrible his audio is. He shoots video in front of a green screen, and he utilizes elaborate backgrounds, but he doesn’t seem to care at all about the audio he is recording. He doesn’t seem to be wearing earbuds or earphones. He’s probably listening over his computer’s external speakers. Since I’ve never seen a microphone, that would indicate he’s using his computer’s built-in microphone. That combo makes for terrible audio. The microphone picks up the output of the speakers and causes feedback.
Shahin would do himself a huge favor if he invested in a quality microphone and some headphones.
Spoiler alert: Dan Shahin does not like Ethan Van Sciver
It was clear from the beginning of the interview that Shahin didn’t like Van Sciver on a very personal level. He even said he lost a friend because he planned to interview Van Sciver on his show (3:30). The friend claimed Shahin was “platforming” Van Sciver by interviewing him. I hope Shahin realizes that person was never his friend. Friends don’t do things like that.
Dan Shahin’s biggest problem with Ethan Van Sciver
The biggest problem Shahin claimed to have with Van Sciver was that Van Sciver started a GoFundMe for YouTuber Richard C. Meyer. It was to raise money to sue comics writer Mark Waid for tortious interference (48:48). Shahin claimed the lawsuit was “targeted harassment,” and establishing the GoFundMe page for Richard C. Myer was the worst thing Van Sciver has ever done.
Helping a friend seek justice in a court of law is not targeted harassment. It’s asinine even to suggest it.
The lawsuit came about because Antarctic Press agreed to publish Meyer’s comic. When the publisher posted the news on social media, Meyer’s detractors were not at all pleased. If I remember correctly, some of his more vocal critics were tweeting about boycotting books published by Antarctic Press. I doubt any of them actually read comics, let alone books published by Antarctic Press. Waid took it upon himself to contact the publisher of Antarctic Press and convince them not to publish Meyer’s book.
Shortly after Waid’s phone call, Antarctic Press announced they would no longer publish Meyer’s book. Waid then bragged about it. He even said on at least one podcast that he was the reason Meyer lost his publishing deal.
What Waid bragged about doing sounds a lot like tortious interference.
I should point out that I’m not a member or supporter of Comicsgate. I’m also not a huge fan of Richard C. Meyer. I agree with some of the things he has to say, but I can’t entirely agree with him about other things. When he was still on Twitter, he blocked me. I don’t even remember why. I like Ethan Van Sciver. I’m a fan of his art and I’m a fan of his YouTube videos. He can be quite funny and is extremely entertaining.
I think Waid was out of line calling Antarctic Press. He had no right to decide what should and should not be published. I think he used his status as a weapon to intimidate Antarctic Press into doing something that didn’t want to do.
Back to the interview. Shahin claimed to have spoken to lawyers and “legal friends” who told him the lawsuit didn’t have a “leg to stand on” (50:40).
Sure. This is the same man who didn’t seem to understand that a verbal contract is as legally binding as a written contract (50:11).
Dan Shahin thinks suing someone is ‘cowardly’
Shahin said more than once that he thought Meyer suing Waid was a cowardly thing to do. What would he rather have Meyer do, knock Waid over the head with a sock full of pennies?
Implying that Meyer is a coward is ridiculous and embarrassing. Meyer is a veteran who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bad people tried to kill him. People like Shahin have no business implying that people like Meyer are cowardly.
Comic book people can get really weird.
I should point out that Ethan Van Sciver remained professional throughout the interview. He provided a good example of how to conduct yourself when a host acts unprofessionally.
I think Shahlin could have asked Van Sciver all the same questions he asked but in a much more professional manner. I think he was trying to impress his so-called friends by going so hard at Van Sciver. If only Shahlin had gone even a fraction as hard on Steve Geppi when interviewing him.
Here’s the video if you want to watch it: