Netflix recently released 1899, a new puzzle box show from the creators of Dark, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. The series follows a group of immigrants heading to New York when they encounter a ship that went missing four months earlier. Throw in some mysterious incidents, a creepy kid, and some unsettling backstories, and you have 1899. However, a Brazilian comic book artist named Mary Cagnin has recently come forward with claims that Netflix stole the plot for 1899 from her comic, Black Silence.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers regarding the Netflix series 1899.]
What is ‘1899’ about?
It’s a simple question, but we can’t guarantee a simple answer. 1899 on Netflix revolves around a group of passengers on a ship named the Kerberos as it travels to America from Europe. During their journey, the ship comes across another vessel that disappeared four months earlier, called the Prometheus. Both ships belong to the same company, but most believed the Prometheus was lost at sea. When the captain, the crew, and some passengers decide to investigate the Prometheus, they discover no one aboard except for one little boy. 1899’s full-length trailer gives off some serious Ghost Ship vibes. However, knowing Odar and Friese are behind it means not everything is as it seems.
1899 uses a lot of symbolism throughout all eight episodes. The upside-down triangle is shown the most, and viewers catch glimpses of the symbol in everything from clothing to jewelry. Each episode focuses on the backstory of a different passenger. That passenger, in particular, starts off the episode by hearing a voice say, “Wake up.” When they open their eyes, audiences see their pupils are shaped like an upside-down triangle.
Comic book artist Mary Cagnin calls ‘1899’ ‘identical’ to her story ‘Black Silence’
Over the Nov. 19, 2022, weekend, Cagnin posted on Twitter claiming that Netflix, along with Friese and Odar, used a plot that’s startingly similar to her original idea. Cagnin published her comic, Black Silence, in 2016, long before 1899 was announced.
Cagnin’s tweet thread, translated from Portuguese to English using Twitter’s translation service, says, “I’M IN SHOCK. The day [sic] I found out that the 1899 series is just IDENTICAL to my comic Black Silence, published in 2016.” She continues in a thread, “It’s all there: The Black Pyramid. The deaths inside the ship/ship. The multinational crew. The apparently strange and unexplained things. The symbols in the eyes and, when they appear, codes written. The voices calling to them. Subtle plot details, such as the characters’ personal dramas, including their mysterious deaths.”
Cagnin believes Netflix and showrunners got the idea when she appeared at an “influential and international fair in Europe” called the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2017.
She also adds, “I’ve been on panels and distributed the Black Silence comic to countless publishers and people in the business. It’s not hard to imagine my work reaching out to them. I not only delivered the physical comic but also made the translated version available in English.”
Cagnin concludes the thread by stating that even though Black Silence is a short story, “the essence of what she created” is found in the Netflix series 1899.
Several people disagree with Cagnin’s claims
Not everyone jumped on board with Cagnin’s claims that Netflix’s 1899 is a blatant rip-off of her story Black Silence. Many think that the connection between the two is flimsy at best.
One Twitter user wrote, “The reason for this blowing up is that the prospect of ‘catching’ a Netflix show for plagiarism is a much more exciting narrative to spread as opposed to simply looking into the matter and accepting that her accusations borderline delusional so far it seems.”
Another Twitter user added, “I have to say, after reading the English translation of this comic it’s not similar enough to 1899 for this to count as plagiarism in my opinion.”
Netflix hasn’t commented on the matter as of this time.
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