Cartoonist turns iTunes Terms and Conditions into graphic novel

Originally published November 4, 2015.

New York cartoonist Robert Sikoryak has turned the entire contents of the iTunes Terms and Conditions into a series of comics. He's been posting one page a day on his blog.

"As is my wont, I was looking for the most absurd thing to adapt," Sikoryak tells As it Happens host Carol Off. "It's famously a joke that it's very long. It's also famously a joke that no one ever reads it. I thought it was time to put it into a form that maybe people would like to read." 

The comics feature Steve Jobs, Apple's late CEO and co-founder, wearing his signature black turtleneck and glasses. The dialogue is taken directly from the iTunes Terms and Conditions document.

When Sikoryak first started the project late last year, the iTunes document was 70 pages long. But earlier this year, Apple updated it, increasing by a full 20 pages.

"To my horror, in June, they not only updated the terms and conditions but they actually added a Part C," says Sikoryak. "Luckily, I didn't have much text to edit from the earlier draft."

The cartoons are also drawn in the style of other cartoonists. One comic, for example, draws inspiration from the Archie comics.

"I was trying to find a balance between these very appealing iconic characters of comic strips and this text which is hard to break down into word balloons."

In one comic, Sikoryak has been inspired by Canadian cartoonist Kate Beaton. She spoke with As it Happens in September about her latest collection, Step Aside, Pops.

"I've known Kate for a long time and I'm a big fan of her work," says Sikoryak. "So, I chose three of her strips … They all featured a teenager from the Middle Ages and I've put him in the Steve Jobs gear."

To learn more, take a listen to our interview and check out his blog.