Go ahead create, you guys. (Never mind the money.)

Lots of activity in comics, right now.

At least there is the impression of much more activity in comics than there used to be. 

Of course, the internet has much to do with that.  But there seems to be more shows, more meetings, more interaction than ever before.  More aspiring young writers (and not so young) and artists and publishers.  More commentary and reviews and just .... all around creative energy.

But...I wonder if there is any more money floating around than there ever was?

Huge money for the corporate owners of the big franchises of course.  But it seems to me that very little of that money trickles down.  The corporations are mining very old ideas, actually.  The Batman movies were based on stories and themes that are 20 years old, at least.  The Marvel movies, even further back.

There is the occasional indy success -- but again, the money doesn't seem to stretch very far.  There is some credibility lent -- though not as much as there should be.  The snobbishness toward comics will never go away.  (I used to think we could break through the bias, but now I don't believe it will ever happen.)

The store is selling slightly more comics, but nothing dramatic (though I'm getting reports that stores in the bigger cities are seeing a resurgence, and if that is true I'll see it something in the future.)

I've quit worrying that comics will die altogether, at least.  (Which, as some wag pointed out, has been a worry from the beginning of comics as readership seems to shrink with every decade.)

Having my young guys working at the store has helped, I think.  I can probably make the store run better when I'm there, but it's difficult to generate the enthusiasm that my guys are showing.

But everyone seems to be involved in ways that involves rewards that aren't money.  A little bit of attention, a little bit of fellowship, a little bit more ease in the creation and non-paying suffusion of creative efforts.  

Periodically there is the concern that artists are -- you know -- actually starving.  That creators of the previous generation didn't actually  make any money. 

But meanwhile, the creative ferment just keeps bubbling.  I suspect the same circumstances are there for all the creative fields -- music, painting, writing, etc. etc. 

It's like the world has conspired to make it easier for artists to create -- it just doesn't want to pay them anything...

Interesting, and I have no idea with it means for the future.