I can’t believe the big news the twenty-somethings took out of NYCC isn’t all the movie rumors and comic book reveals and trade announcements, but that Rob Liefeld charges $40 for a picture and that’s somehow a lot of money to the kids and Rob’s ego is obviously out of control and who is he anyway when the answer is he’s a genius and that’s the market price for a photo with Rob.
I can’t believe no adult in their lives ever told them before now that artists and writers and entertainers don’t owe anybody in their audience jack shit beyond their work, and the audience isn’t entitled to anything besides the work. I mean, you do the work and the audience consumes it. Hopefully they enjoy it; nobody gets up in the morning and thinks, “I can’t wait to go to work and half-ass it, today!” So, thanks! “If you didn’t like it, sometimes that happens; hope you like the next one” is all you can hope for in polite response.
Rob is on record saying he doesn’t like pictures; being “on” all the time at cons is exhausting right there, and add pics from EVERYBODY and I bet he’s tired of it on Day One. So forty bucks is the OK, I’LL DO IT price. He’s making people happy with that, doing a thing he doesn’t want to do. “Thanks, Rob!” is all you should say. Crying about how you can’t afford it and… and this is the best one… how creators should just take a picture or, get this, give away sketches for free because come on, how much time does it take to do a sketch? That’s crazy. It’s like walking into a Krispy Kreme and asking for a dozen donuts for free because, come on, there are a million right there, I can’t afford them and nobody’ll miss ‘em and I want everything right now.
Maybe these kids should get some perspective instead of crying they can’t afford market prices for lasting memories. I mean, I doubt it; their parents haven’t told them that they aren’t entitled to anything so they will be moaning forever until they get their way and that is no way to run a railroad.
Hey, kids? The future is what we make it.