Speaking as someone who had an entire climactic arc be a Whole-Plot Reference to Babylon 5, I've got some experience with this kind of thing, and my feeling here is that if you are going to go so far as to 'borrow' entire lines, you need to acknowledge it in some way. I don't know what legally constitutes plagiarism, but if you take the line wholesale without giving any indication that it's not yours originally, then I personally would not approve, whether it's technically legal or not.
Playing this sort of thing for laughs tends to give you a wider margin, but as a Badass Boast? Yeah, it's probably too far.
If you go that far, you need to acknowledge it in some meta-way.
I need a drink
Consider it scrapped then. I could make a reference to Promethea, but it would ruin the pacing and it would just be put of place, even for a character whose meant to be a comic book writer.
Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.
Shout-Outs, References and Homages are three devices I love to put into my works, partly so I can challenge my readers, encourage multiple readings and to honor writers and the ideas they have brought before me. My current project is one big collection of Shout-Outs to comic book writers, artists, character mythos etc, Alan Moore in particular getting a pretty big focus. All that being said, I've encountered a bit of a dilemma...
See, so far I have been tactful as to keep all these references and homages subtle, but there is an instance where I felt being bold and, on reflection, I think it could be seen as a rip-off:
A character, closely modelled on Alan Moore, quotes a line from Moore's Promethea almost at verbatim as a Bad-Ass Boast.
Commander Ux: Pathetic human! Do you have any idea who I am?! I am Zoril Ux! High Commander of the Mot Imperial Forces, and I bring you pain!
Ux throws Less towards an old curios shop, but is stunned when Less submerges into the the shop's windows as if it were water. Less casually walks out the glass of a shop window behind a bewildered Ux.
Adam Less: Yeah? Well I'm Adam Less. I'm the spark of Humanity's Imagination, and I bring you fire!
Less pulls a glowing Caduceus from the ether and discharges a bolt of fire from the sceptre into Ux's face.
edited 30th Nov '11 10:41:16 PM by AtomJames
Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.