Biohaz_Daddy wrote:
Kind of a catch 22 isn't it? I know a few people who have their intellectual properties stolen and reworked into various products, concepts, and even mainstream comics. Each of the creators were so disillusioned that it for all intents and purposes ended their pursuit within that field of endeavor. However, I have never heard of anyone getting anywhere without putting their intellectual property at risk.

You can do some simple things to reduce the risks though. If you are putting a general art portfolio out there don't include consecutive pages of sequential art. It's harder to grasp the fullness of your story that way, but still shows how you handle the art form. If you have a character that has a distinct design, don't reveal it in your samples. Instead do some general character sheets that demonstrate your design ability. If you have an interview and show your portfolio, document the meeting: date, time, location, everyone who you meet with, and all of what you showed them. Seems anal sure, but having a copyright on a concept you can't prove the thief ever had access to, is like having a blank winning lottery ticket that you accidentally put through the wash.