I liked the piece linked above by Tom Spurgeon. It is an understatement to say that the main issues at play here are incredibly important, and I don’t want to sideline them, but a quick, tangentially related point:
I happen to find convincing Tom’s point that a lack of professionalism in comics might be a contributing factor here. I also happen to very much wish that comics people conducted themselves with more professionalism.
That’s not an all-encompassing statement, obviously, and the more casual aspects of comics industry culture certainly have their positives. To give just one example, I think it’s great how accessible most cartoonists are to fans and to less established peers, and I wouldn’t want that access to be blocked by a veneer of professional distance. I’ve certainly benefited from reaching out to cartoonists who I admire, and I would hope to be just as welcoming to anyone who might decide to get in touch with me.
However, I think those kinds of positive traits can be maintained while still acting in a more professional and considered manner when common sense dictates that would be the right thing to do. I could do a better job with this myself, and I will try to.