Steve Bissette has details, conjecture, and links.
Based on today’s arrest, I think the possible scenario I’ve been tossing and turning over might be correct:
First of all, I don’t think the Davis couple could grasp how or why Steve was getting money — to Davis, no doubt Steve was just running another scam.
They may not have even believed he was a writer, or had written comicbooks and TV shows. How could anyone give a rat’s ass about this cancer-riddled, inpoverished old man?
So — where was Steve getting this magic money from?
I believe the donations and support from me and you and Gail and other creators and fan and readers who cared, the help Steve received since November from the Hero Initiative likely made no sense whatsoever to Davis.
Furthermore, I suspect that a theft by another party from Steve in December of a significant amount of money Hero Initiative had provided — a theft Steve complained about in his emails time and time again, from the day he’d discovered he’d been robbed right through to May 9th, a theft he must have complained about to the Davis couple in passing (it was, in part, the reason he had to take in roommates, according to Steve’s emails) — that theft and the amount of money stolen may have led the Davis couple to suspect Steve had more money hidden on the premises that he was not admitting to.
God.
Steve’s assessment is dead on.
Many people cannot grasp the idea that creatives are not all rich and living in some palace somewhere. If they’re not, they must be lying about what they do.
If people figure out what you do, they come looking for what you have.
’tis true. If ever I’ve showed any of my stuff to work colleagues, or whoever, on spying my byline they usually give the “Wow, you must be rich!” response. People only ever hear of the success stories of JK Rowling or John Grisham so, ergo, all writers must be coining it in.
If only, eh?
It’s either/or with people. Either you are a RICH creator, or you are lying about being a creator.
The idea of a “middle class creator” is positively alien to people.
According to the government stats I’ve read, and artist’s union stats, most creatives make less than $15,000 a year.
Of those who are full-time employed creators, only about 10-15% make a decent middle class living (this is me).
Only a tiny percentage are wealthy.
Embarrassed at being seen as either failures or “not real creators”, some creators then lie like crazy about their level of success. The whole “keeping the day job secret” schtick.
l know. It’s so sad. I remember once at a Virginia Beach convention many moons ago, there was an artist selling pages for $ 10-20 each. I bought about a dozen pages. After I paid him, he said ‘now I can get myself some new jeans. I felt like giving him more money.
Oh, man. I’ve been there. About 20 years ago, I sold a load of pages to a retailer for $5 a piece. Gack.
There are so many people who want to do this for a living, and so few jobs to go around. The art market is shrinking, of course.
And I cannot tell you how many times I have had stuff shoplifted, or had people argue with me over my prices because as a rich artist I ought to be able to afford to give them a break.
This PO’d me big time:
My agent asked me to look out for an older creator at a show. He had no convention experience, and was living in a trailer on nothing but social security.
So this jerk comes up and claims his dad was an old friend of the elderly creator. Out of friendship for his dad, he wanted this poor creator to give him a 50% discount on original art sales. I shit you not.
And the elderly creator turned to me and asked me what to do. In my best bad cop manner, I told the cheapskate NO. No discounts.
The cheapskate then went online and complained about that Colleen Doran bitch who put her nose where it wasn’t her business.
Spencer Beck, my agent, then went online and gave the guy a talking to about how it was my business to look out for the elderly creator. That is why I was there.
If I ever see that cheap little weasel again, trying to exploit a tenuous connection for a “professional discount,” I will beat the shit out of him with my bitch stick.
And then me and my friends will all go out for ice cream.
Because that’s how bitches take care of business.
We don’t let cheap weasels rob poor old men who are so out of it they can’t even remember where their wallet is from minute to minute.
I’ve sat next to this elderly creator on several occasions at shows, and some of the older fans are so FRICKING RUDE I could scream. They not only exploit the older creators whenever they can, but they treat anyone who didn’t work in comics in 1967 like they’re, you know, somehow broken.
LOL!
I’ll gladly pay to watch that and I’ll even buy the ice cream.
But getting back to artists and creators, the sad thing is that many of them never have any retirement income and end up in desperate circumstances in later years.
This is just so sad. I just don’t have the words. It just floors me how people could treat people like that.
@ Miki: you know it.
Serious family issues ate up a good deal of mine. I have to start over. Gack.
I went and read Steve’s post, and now feel very ill. Horrific.