STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We learned about a new graphic novel superhero this week. He doesn't have a cape, but he does have a signature outfit.
R. SIKORYAK: A black turtleneck, glasses, a beard and jeans.
INSKEEP: The hero is Steve Jobs. And the artist, R. Sikoryak, gave him a starring role in his web series, "iTunes Terms And Conditions: The Graphic Novel."
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Lovely title, but appropriate to Steve Jobs, who beats up bad guys and woos women. All the while, the character's dialogue includes many phrases lifted from Apple's iTunes terms and service agreement.
SIKORYAK: It's kind of a joke that no one reads it.
MONTAGNE: A joke, and also the truth, since the document is more than 20,600 words.
INSKEEP: Sikoryak says that's why he wanted to turn it into an action-packed web comic with the dialogue already written.
SIKORYAK: I didn't have to worry about visualizing the Apple services, including security technology that limits your use of Apple music products.
INSKEEP: That is just one of the tedious lines in the agreement.
MONTAGNE: In the graphic novel, Jobs talks in this Apple legal jargon as he wanders into well-known comic strips, such as "Cathy." There, the hero falls in love with Apple gadgets, ignoring his girlfriend, Cathy.
INSKEEP: Now, it's not clear how Apple will respond all of this, but it is fun to think of the possibilities. For all we know, the company could add even more words to the terms and services agreement, compelling consumers to agree not to make literary use of the terms and services agreement. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
