tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post6920613691938118668..comments2024-03-22T12:11:58.453-06:00Comments on Michael Offutt: It blows my mind that illustrated comic books in full color were sold so cheaply in the middle of last century.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-55769936605219188662021-04-17T18:54:32.443-06:002021-04-17T18:54:32.443-06:00Goods were cheaper then, too. I don't know if ...Goods were cheaper then, too. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-84489769700083408842021-04-16T14:22:14.699-06:002021-04-16T14:22:14.699-06:00@Pat: We are living in an age where people are wak...@Pat: We are living in an age where people are waking up to exploitation. On one hand, it is really good for people like you and me. On the other hand, it is also really bad for people like you and me. Allow me to explain: you've probably noticed the cost of goods has just skyrocketed. My weekly groceries now cost 75% more than they did pre-Covid. Everything is more expensive. And you can't hire people to do menial work for hours on end for crap wages. No one is taking those jobs anymore. On one hand, this is good. But on the other, we pay a nurse from my dad's estate an eye-watering sum that is equivalent to full-blown high-end assistive living. It's his money...and I'm glad he has that option. I'm the caretaker so I make sure that all that money is spent to ensure his last days on this Earth are in comfort. However, I do pause occasionally and wonder, "What ever happened to people that would do this work for like $10.00 per hour? This nurse only has a C.N.A. and she makes more than I do at my job and I have a bachelor's degree." But then I realize that we tried to find someone else that wanted to deal with his poop and other issues, and no one would for less money. So yeah...people are now demanding they get paid, and it's both good and bad. To relate this to comic books, there is no way that industry could have even started if all those comic book artists and writers had demanded the pay they deserve. Industry (it seems) is built on the ability to exploit for free labor.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-46408782649255601052021-04-16T13:27:26.240-06:002021-04-16T13:27:26.240-06:00Since it was just on Pluto TV, there's an old ...Since it was just on Pluto TV, there's an old Mystery Science Theater 3000 short film called "The Chicken of Tomorrow" about raising chickens and at one point Mike Nelson has a reaction like yours, saying that the process of raising chickens for eggs and meat is so complicated that eggs should cost a thousand dollars each.<br /><br />If you haven't yet, you should read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. The first 2/3 of it are about the "Golden Age" of comics. Most of the comics were created by young guys who worked around the clock for little money and then didn't even retain control of their creations.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-64486546044669911222021-04-16T12:16:35.452-06:002021-04-16T12:16:35.452-06:00Some were less than that.
That's why I'd h...Some were less than that.<br />That's why I'd have no interest working for Disney as an illustrator. Most make a paltry wage and work long hours.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-2797598550942775102021-04-16T09:58:54.716-06:002021-04-16T09:58:54.716-06:00Actually the early comics were usually stuffed wit...Actually the early comics were usually stuffed with written stories. Some of Stan Lee's early work was writing stories in Captain America comics.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com