No idea has proven more damaging to the comics industry than the myth that its professionals – not just creators, but retailers, even distributor – work for love and not money. It’s a philosophy that has justified exploitation of creators and theft of intellectual property. It’s allowed the entire industry to pass the buck for its failures – from publishers to retailers, and retailers to – for decades. And it’s why the comics industry lingers in a frozen adolescence, clinging to a shrinking target audience like a sea captain railing at the storm–when the real problem is the rotting wood of his own hull.