I think it's ok to cash out once your career is over. It's bad to do while creating, because the money people will inevitably influence your works. But, if you're not creating anymore, then there's no great harm in it.
It may depend on the type of work but there is something to be said about the longevity of the art and legacy.
Calvin and Hobbes was a massive part of my youth. It fed that creative and mischievous part of me that "regular" life just wasn't satisfying. I was smitten and still am.
Fast forward to my daughter's birth... At around 4 years old, I bought her the giant anthology of strips which includes everything Calvin and Hobbes ever printed. Like me, it shaped her in undefinable ways. It drove her drawing and reading off the charts. She very much grew as a person because of Bill's work and my influence in reading to her often. She took over very quickly! She latched on and studied those books with a fervor that I've not seen repeated in her yet.
Do you think the result would have been the same if there were T-shirts, TV shows, video games, and the like plastered all over? You can only shield a child from the world so much. They absorb everything.
Anyway, I think Bill absolutely made a most excellent decision. Not only for himself, but for us.
> Anyway, I think Bill absolutely made a most excellent decision. Not only for himself, but for us.
Especially for us. It has remained special all these years later as it hasn’t been supersaturated or made overrated by virtue of being commoditized.
I’m guessing whoever inherits his estate sells the license and rights for untold millions. You can only hope a billionaire super fan buys it and buries it.
At some point in the future it will all be public domain anyways. So enjoy it while you can.
That is still a crap shoot. I hope his legacy is well-protected, but you could still end up with a Dr. Seuss situation. Or Tolkien for that matter. I get it that Christopher hated the movies, but they were done with great respect and love. The moment he passed away, however, Amazon descended and began their... what I can only describe as rapine.
I do see a lot of car decals with Calvin pissing on [insert name of hated automaker]. Now obviously these are unlicensed, but a lot of people obviously have no problem with it.
