A member of the Star Wars fan organization The 501st Legion recently called for a mass reporting campaign against an artist in an effort to forcefully dissuade him from parodying the organization’s logo.
Artist Steve Wayne recently presented his followers with a logo for the collective of Star Wars fans disillusioned with the direction Disney-era Star Wars has taken, known as The Fandom Menace, which was intended as an obvious parody of the long used logo of The 501st Legion:
I’ll just leave this here #TheFandomMenace pic.twitter.com/EiZfdb5WA0
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 8, 2019
A side-by-side comparison of the two logos can be seen below:
This parody logo was later rightfully recognized as looking similar to the logo of The 501st Legion by Legion member Marietta Ivanova, who took offense to the parody and called for other members of the Legion to “react quickly” to prevent the logo from being available for further use. (Archive link: http://archive.is/unC8D)
“501st Members, we need to react quickly.
Youtube’s Disney hater movement “Fandom Menace” has hijacked our logo and started making products with it. Fandom Menace should not be underestimated. They have a combined fan base of hundreds of thousands of Star Wars fans. We’re talking potentially tens of thousands people buying clothing with our well known logo twisted to publicly and vocally fight Lucasfilm and Disney, promoting that logo at Disney’s events, like the Star Wars celebration.
Please go to Twitter, my username is mariettanova. Retweet! Please comment, contact the youtubers who I have tagged there. I don’t think they are even aware that their artist ripped off our Logo!”
The reporting campaign eventually spilled over onto Twitter, where Wayne defended himself by stating that his logo was a parody, noting Ivanova’s hypocrisy that the logo used by The 501st Legion was itself a parody of United States military emblems:
It’s called parody, my dude. pic.twitter.com/1yvvVm2MXd
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 18, 2019
Then do a parody/mockery of whom you oppose: Disney, not a charity organization! Yet even @GeeksGamersCom was sensitive enough not to violate Disney trademarks with the Last Jedi parody shirts. But you didn’t even make it an independent artwork. You 90% directly copied our logo.
— Marietta (@mariettanova) August 18, 2019
Your (charity) organization’s logos are literally parodies of US military emblems. If this is the route you want to go, then maybe the 501st Legion should be “sensitive enough” to change their logos and stop mocking our armed forces. pic.twitter.com/TbjipL0iYz
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 18, 2019
Ivanova, faced with unexpected backlash against herself, deleted the original Twitter thread with her call to arms whilst simultaneously putting forth her reasoning behind the campaign:
Ok guys, I deleted the Fandom Menace logo thread, nothing to add. I’m just a Star Wars fan, doing art, trying to look after my local charity group. Hopefully we can find respect for each other and find something good to do tonight. I’m building a life-size Geonosian Warrior.
— Marietta (@mariettanova) August 18, 2019
Seriously? After accusing me of plagiarism and getting the attention and drama you wanted, now you act like it was no big deal?
You’re a disingenuous clout chaser, Marietta, and everyone see’s that now. You and your whole “legion” of toxic fans can take a hike. https://t.co/DMzWk5wX3z
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 18, 2019
But your logo cannot to kill the dog Ecks. 501st however, must not be connected with a movement opposing Disney. We exist just for their grace and patience. One wrong incidence/comment wearing a logo that looks like ours can lead to Disney shutting down our charity organization.
— Marietta (@mariettanova) August 18, 2019
It’s the only reason I’m doing this Steven.I said in the first tweet: we can do this only due to delicate respect from Disney. They cannot shut down FM. Disney WILL shut down the 501st if they get a reason.Lucasfilm times are over.For the sake of our work please don’t involve us.
— Marietta (@mariettanova) August 18, 2019
This explanation did not sit well with Wayne, who responded by stating that he ultimately believes Ivanova “owe[s] everybody [an] apology”:
If that’s the case, Marietta, you could have DM’d me this morning & asked me to change it instead of creating all this drama. And you know what? I kindly would have done it for you. Instead, you accused me of ripping off a design that you allowed everyone to believe was yours… https://t.co/Q3XB8j48Ai
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 19, 2019
@mariettanova you haven’t apologized to me for the slander you caused, even when I patiently explained to you what the logo means. No one’s mocking the 501st – The Fandom Menace is the parody in this situation and the logo is meant to mock those who call us the “bad guys”…
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 19, 2019
Something that none of the brilliant white knights defending you today were able to figure out while they all made fools of themselves at your expense. The way I see it, you owe everybody and apology, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for mine.
— ⚡T E V E N – The (Unintimidated) Illustrator ✝ (@StevenWayneArt) August 19, 2019
Since deleting her initial Tweets, Ivanova claims to have been hospitalized due to the stress and backlash surrounding the campaign:
Hospitalized due to arrythmia. Didn’t think this even happens, the stress from the online episodes / harrasment yesterday took a toll on my heart. Going to step away from Star Wars and art for a while. pic.twitter.com/l9L1ChRHrW
— Marietta (@mariettanova) August 19, 2019