I’ve seen two threads get closed down because people whined about giving Niles money. Boy, I hope we don’t get a third! If you don’t want to give Niles money, feel free. That’s fine. But why people feel the need to complain about others giving him money is beyond me. Some people need to get a grip.

What’s funny, Greg, is that I didn’t even know about those other threads, I just know that people get REALLY weird when you suggest that maybe, if they’d like, they could donate money to help a guy out, so I figured I’d address it beforehand. That’s really sad about the other threads. What sites were they?

That is extremely depressing (re: the other threads). And with that information it makes it even easier for me to decide to scrape together a few bucks to donate.

Annnnd DONE.

Melrose shut down the comments on Parkin’s post on Robot 6, and the moderator of Bleeding Cool actually deleted every single comment, apologizing to the people who commented who weren’t being asses. I kind of wish I had seen the ones on Bleeding Cool, because they must have been really bad for the mod to go scorched earth like that.

I kind of wish I had seen the ones on Bleeding Cool, because they must have been really bad for the mod to go scorched earth like that.

Yikes, definitely, because Bleeding Cool typically allows a whoooooooooooooooooole lot of nasty stuff go by untouched (which is fair enough, of course, if you want a pretty much hand’s off approach for your site, that’s fine, but to know that a thread got so nasty that they had to step in…wow, that must have been some really fucked up shit).

Bleeding Cool has moderators?!?!?!?!?

Just kidding.

To be clear, I guess I was the reason the first thread got shut down and all I did was ask a simple question as to why someone who has been and continues to be successful in their field needs charity. I said nothing nasty. I didn’t whine. I just asked a question. And I was repeatedly called a “judgmental jerK” and other things by the clearly tolerant and charitable individuals in the thread.

I never did get an answer, but it’s cool, if you feel that’s the best place to donate your money, have at it. I do feel bad for the guy. I just thought the situation was odd and wanted to understand it better.

Jerzy, success doesn’t always equate financial security. You’re making an assumption that the guy has access to liquid cash that can replace the thousands and thousands he lost. You’re making assumptions that the guy is loaded. Maybe he was one day, maybe he isn’t now. Maybe he never was. Instead of making assumptions, listen to what he’s saying — he needs help. He’s asking for help. That takes a level of honest and vulnerability most don’t want to live unless they’re forced to.

I disagree with your logic but I see how you could think that and I think it’s kind of emblematic of how some people view indy creators. Guys like Kirkman tend to bury the lead when it comes to the “owned” part of creator owned. Most creator owned books don’t make a lot of money and most writers recoup only after paying everyone else. I talked with a gentleman at c2e2 early this summer who has an indy that was has a movie adaptation in the works and I think it might’ve started filming by now but he’s still taking ad agency work because he isn’t making a living wage from his comic.

But anyway…good dude, lend a hand.

Sounds like he needs to be bailed out.

@ ArchieLeach: Sorry to be a pedant, but it’s actually spelled “bury the led zeppelin”

I think a lot of the negativity relates to the well-publicized bidding war for 3o Days of Night and the mistaken impression so many have about movie money. I’m shocked how many people believe that a successful movie makes everyone involved filthy rich. And these are likely the same people who don’t understand what is meant by “lost everything.”

I saw about half a dozen posts in the Bleeding Cool thread and while they were bad, I’ve seen a whole lot worse on that site. I went back into the thread about an hour later and Mark had locked it down.