Editing 1228: Prometheus

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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This comic is most likely about copyright and patent, which are temporary government-granted monopolies for authors and inventors. It refers to the cultural hero {{w|Prometheus}} in Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. In this case, Prometheus claims that it is more like sharing than stealing because the gods still have the original fire. By analogy, uploading music, movies, and software is more like sharing than stealing because the authors and inventors still have the original files. Fire-sharing is a pun for {{w|file-sharing}}. "Fire wants to be free" is a pun for the slogan "{{w|Information wants to be free}}."
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{{incomplete|Information wants to be free.}}
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The cartoon is referring to myth of {{w|Prometheus}}, who "stole" the secret of fire from the {{w|Twelve Olympians|Greek gods}} and gave it to humankind and is an (only slightly) oblique reference to {{w|file-sharing}} activities, where opponents accuse those taking part of stealing music / movies / other {{w|copyright}} content but others say that 'sharing' is just that — no one is deprived of the original and many shared copies would never be purchased anyway.
  
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This could also be a reference to the strict punishments of copyright laws as one could be fined a lot for failing to comply with the copy and Prometheus was also heavily punished by having an eagle rip out his liver every day and the liver regrowing every night.
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It is also making a not so subtle dig at the prevalent idea that you can't steal ideas because the original owner still has them.
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The caption is a play on the phrase "{{w|information wants to be free}}".
  
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The title text refers both to {{w|Michael Bay}}, the director of the movies ''{{w|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}'' and ''{{w|Armageddon (1998_film)|Armageddon}}'', who is known for using over the top special effects, and to the novel "Salvation War" by Stuart Slade, in which Humanity goes to war just as described. "Returning fire to the gods with interest" is also the plot of the Terry Pratchett novel ''The Last Hero''; Randall has previously made references to Terry Pratchett.
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The hover text references Hollywood director {{w|Michael Bay}} (famous for ''{{w|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}'' and ''{{w|Armageddon (film)|Armageddon}}'') whose over-the-top action movies often involve a character saying a line that is a play on words right before doing something heroic.  The play on words here is that "What Prometheus stole" was fire, and without it, modern rocketry and missile technology would not exist, so a fighter pilot firing a missile at {{w|Mount Olympus}} (where the Greek gods reside) would be, in effect, "returning" the fire that Prometheus stole from them.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[Cueball addresses his Cueball-like friend, who just walked in-panel. Cueball points at Prometheus (who is also Cueball-like). Prometheus is holding his hand to his chin and holding a colorful flaming torch in the other hand.]
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:[Prometheus holding a torch. Cueball pointing at him and talking to another person.]
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:Cueball: Prometheus has stolen fire from the Gods!
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:Cueball: Prometheus has stolen fire from the gods!
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:Prometheus:
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:Prometheus: Well, sort of.
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::Well, sort of.  
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:Prometheus: I mean, when you use a fire to make another fire, the first fire doesn't go away.
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::I mean, when you use a fire to make another fire, the first fire doesn't go away.  
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:Prometheus: So really, it's more like ''sharing''
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::So really, it's more like "sharing".
 
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:[Caption below the frame:]
 
 
:Fire wants to be free.
 
:Fire wants to be free.
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Comics with color]]
 
[[Category:Comics with color]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
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[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
 

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