Comic Artists Don't "Deserve" More Money
Comic Reviews for the week ending 9/1/2024
Good morning, my friend,
It’s been a while since I’ve written an Op-Ed, but this one got under my skin.
It’s time for a little tough love directed squarely at comic artists who wonder why they don’t make enough scratch and get a case of the green-eyed monster when they see other artists who do.
I name names to make the point clear, but it’s not personal. It’s business.
Next, our Pick of the Week for the most entertaining comic is…
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Now, let’s get on to this week’s reviews (and a little catch-up)
[Pick of the Week] THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #4 – New Comic Review
EYE LIE POPEYE #1 – New Comic Review
GRIMM FAIRY TALES (VOL. 2) #87 – New Comic Review
SANCTION #4 – New Comic Review
BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS #2 – New Comic Review
THE SACRIFICERS #11 – New Comic Review
KING SPAWN #37 – New Comic Review
NEMESIS: ROGUES GALLERY #2 – New Comic Review
VOID RIVALS #12 – New Comic Review
NOTTINGHAM #15 – New Comic Review
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: FRANKENSTEIN #1 – New Comic Review
Deadpool Team-Up #1 - New Comic Review
Green Arrow #15 - New Comic Review
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Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #1 (Titan Comics)
Scarlett #4 (Image Comics)
Spawn #356 (Image Comics)
Army of Darkness Forever #11 (Dynamite Comics)
Rook: Exodus #5 (Image Comics)
Red Sonja (Vol 7) #13 (Dynamite Comics)
Vampirella: Dark Reflections #4 (Dynamite Comics)
GunSlinger Spawn #35 (Image Comics)
Flash Gordon Quarterly #1 (Mad Cave Studios)
Flash Gordon #2 (Mad Cave Studios)
Marvel Viewers’ Choice (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to vote)
DC Viewers’ Choice (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to vote)
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The piece is both right and wrong at the same time because it compares apples to oranges.
Jim Lee can possibly get such money because he is doing these works for collectors. These are the wealthy who hold vast numbers of high grade slabbed comics and buy multiple copies of every variant of every big title comic. It is a very small marketplace. He is working for rich collectors of pop art who view him as a unique creator who has a "name".
Jen Bartel is complaining about working for a big corporation who sees her as a replaceable independent contractor. And they are not wrong! She is only undermining herself by commenting on it on social media.
It is not really worth discussing art quality when it comes to many modern comics. Decisions are not overly dependent on that these days. There is an editor at Marvel who, for whatever reason, gave her a chance to do some works.
I would take it and smile if that were me, and the last thing I would do is complain about how much money they gave me (as long as they paid me). And you know why? Because it would give me a profile. And, maybe, put me on the radar of comic collectors because I would have some sort of a name they would recognize at least a tiny bit. That is extremely valuable. Ask Jim Lee.