Supposing I took a drawing by Jack Kirby and I traced it onto another piece of paper and inked it on that paper and signed "Kirby and Evanier" to it. Would this be original Jack Kirby artwork? Never mind that it would not be very good. Let's just deal with what it is. Would it be original Jack Kirby artwork?

Of course not. I could no more create original Jack Kirby artwork than I could create a new Van Gogh…even if I signed it "Van Gogh & Evanier." Only one human being was ever able to create original Jack Kirby artwork…and he died in 1994.

(Well, to be technically accurate, there have been other human beings named Jack Kirby and if one of them drew, I suppose he could have created original Jack Kirby artwork. But I'm talking about artwork by the guy who co-created Captain America, The Hulk and The X-Men. That Jack Kirby.)

One of the prominent/frequent artists who inked that Jack's pencil art, Mike Royer, often does re-creations of old Kirby art on commission. He will trace an old cover or drawing of Jack's and ink it…and he'll sign it "Kirby and Royer." Mike, however, is always scrupulous about adding the date and some little line like "re-creation" so that no present or future buyer of the art will wrongly think they're purchasing a piece of paper on which Jack "King" Kirby drew.

Some other folks aren't as scrupulous. Keep this in mind if you're ever purchasing Jack Kirby artwork, especially on eBay lately. eBay, by the way, is a great place to shop if you want to pay thousands of dollars for a "certified and authenticated Charles Schulz sketch" that looks like it was done by a nine-year-old with a busted Crayola. Not long ago, you could have even purchased an original, certified and guaranteed Charles Schultz sketch done during the period when the creator of Peanuts forgot how to spell his own last name.

Bruce Bartlett on those folks who want to cut spending but not in the Defense budget. Frankly, I think "We need to cut spending" has become one of the most meaningless, empty phrases in our national dialogue. This is due to its never being accompanied by realistic proposals for what should be cut. (When people do make suggestions, they rarely amount to much…and they usually amount to "Get rid of things that benefit others but not me.")

Todd S. Purdum profiles the man who disappointed so many of us, John McCain. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I was deceived by all that talk of being a maverick and reaching across the aisle. The man has always lived by the credo of "I'll say or do whatever it takes to get what I want." No wonder he fits in so well with the Senate.

You've probably heard about the Westboro Baptist Church and its founder, Fred Phelps. These are the "people" who go to military funerals and picket with really offensive signs. What they believe is a little muddy because they hate in so many different directions but it has something to do with believing that gays are responsible for all the evils in the world except, of course, for those caused by Jews. The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a lawsuit brought against the "church" by a man named Albert Snyder whose son died in the service of this country. Phelps sent his "flock" to picket the funeral. Is standing outside the funeral for Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder with signs that say "God hates fags" protected speech?

I'm almost sorry to say I think it is. The Westboro protestors may have intended to inflict pain and suffering on the attendees of the Snyder services but from all reports, they obeyed the laws about where to stand and how to not interfere with those inside. (In some areas, those laws have since been made stricter.) Indeed, most of the attendees apparently did not even see the nasty signs until they watched the news later. I think they're assholes. Not only that, I think they're managing that all-too-rare hat trick of offending all three significant religious groups in this country: Those who believe in God, those who don't and those who don't know or care. That's not easy.

Every article I've read about the debate at the Supreme Court suggests the Justices made clear that they found Phelps and his mob loathesome and were trying to find some way to spank them without issuing a ruling that would restrict Free Speech. I don't think they're going to find it.

One of my favorite people in comics (or anywhere) is my occasional collaborator, artist Steve Rude. When I say I like him, I'm not just talking about the way he draws…though that would be reason enough. Yeah, I like Steve Rude art but that's not a startling revelation. As far as I've been able to tell, everyone who's seen Steve Rude art likes Steve Rude art.

I like the guy it comes from. I like working with him and talking with him and being around him. And if being sincere in your work and life translated directly to dollars, there'd be no need for what I'm about to write here. This is a pitch for you to go buy or bid on Steve Rude art because he and his family need some patronage right now. Several years ago, Steve made a decision to, in essence, become his own publisher and entrepreneur. He has turned down an awful lot of lucrative offers from DC, Marvel and other publishers to work only on projects he deeply cared about and over which he felt he had more control than he could have had if he'd said yea to those offers. It was a decision made out of pure artistic integrity and it has forced him to work very hard and to pull way back on personal spending.

I don't doubt at all that Steve will make it work in the long run. The passion this man has for his work — the sheer caring about doing it right and bettering himself with each drawing or painting — is admirable. But at the moment, the Rude family could use a financial assist. A week or so ago, it looked like they were in danger of losing their home. Many have rallied to purchase items he's selling and eviction looks less likely now…but they could still use money and you can still pick up some splendid bargains on Steve Rude art. Go to his Facebook page. Go to his eBay auctions. Go to his website.

The painting above is not available but take a look at it. How could you not want a piece done by the guy who produced that? How could you not want him as your friend?

As you might guess, I get a lot of press releases here from folks seeking publicity on this blog and often offering me interviews. I received this one this morning and I have not changed a word of it, nor corrected the spelling…

Rabbi Remembers Tony Curtis

Hollywood icon, Tony Curtis, who died at the age of 85, successfully weathered a series of career downturns and artistic reinventions, and will be remembered as one of the movie industry's most recognizable leading men, but for his rabbi, Chabad Rabbi Mendy Harlig of Las Vagas, Tony is remembered as "a wonderful person and a great friend, who was always eager to do a mitzvah when asked."

Rabbi Harlig is available for interviews about Tony Curtis and their relationship.

And then they included the rabbi's phone number. I think this is wonderful.

Kliph Nesteroff has a good interview up with comedian Norm Crosby. I've seen Crosby perform live a few times and he's very, very good at making audiences laugh…and he's one of the few guys from his era who's still working.

Mr. Crosby mentions Jack Carter and says Jack's not well and is having trouble walking. I don't know if Crosby knows it but a year or two ago, Carter was struck by a car in a parking lot. He's still doing occasional acting jobs but they have to limit his movement in those situations.

He also mentions an old pal of mine…the late, great comedy writer David Panich. David was one of the most colorful folks I've met in the TV business. Some day here, I'll get started telling David Panich stories and though they'll all be true, you'll all accuse me of making stuff up.

Anyway, go read Kliph's chat with Norm Crosby. And notice the part about how a completely bogus "fact" about him was up on Wikipedia. As of this moment, it's still there.

All the cable news channels are making a big fuss about this commercial Christine O'Donnell made in which she says, "I'm not a witch!"

I don't think Ms. O'Donnell understands. Someone needs to tell her, "Christine…people don't think you're a witch. They think you're so scatterbrained you thought you were a witch!" Big difference there.

As you may have deduced from the lack of postings here, Mark is busy. Not Mushroom Soup busy but close. Normal posting will resume shortly.

If I had more time today, I'd write an even longer rant than the one on which I am about to embark. It's about "contests" that try to con aspiring (or just hungry) artists and writers into working on spec. You know the type: They act like the prize is some wonderful opportunity to have your work published or produced. It's your golden opportunity to submit your writing and/or drawing on the most onerous terms possible.

Sometimes, they want you to use their characters…and of course, that means they'll claim ownership of your submission and prevent you from selling it anywhere else. Sometimes, they want you to invent your own characters…and of course, if they even pay you a nickel, they'll claim all rights in perpetuity to those characters. Basically, it's a one-way deal: If they accept it, they'll pay you whatever they feel like paying you. That's not always obvious if you read the terms because, for example, one current "contest" promises to pay you 40%. Well, 40% of what? A percentage deal is meaningless unless there's a fairly explicit contract that specifies whether it's a percentage of the gross or of the net and how they'll calculate those numbers.

Amazingly, people enter these "contests." And even more amazing is that in some cases, they cough up a fee to enter them. That's like paying someone to rob you.

I cannot overstate how slimy I think these rackets are…and how bad they are for the careers of anyone stupid enough to participate. You may think you have so much talent that it will surely be recognized and you'll reap whatever rewards are there for the reaping. You may even think that it won't matter to you if the rewards are small because any success is better than what you have at the moment. The problem with that way of thinking is that, first of all, you're probably climbing into bed with sleazy entrepreneurs who don't like to actually pay for what you do. That never ends well for creative talent. Secondly, you're entering at the lowest-possible level. If you want people to treat you like a professional whose work is worthy of professional rates, you have to act like one.

There's a thriving industry out there that preys on the dreams of folks who want to be writers, artists or even actors. You wouldn't believe some of the come-ons I see around Hollywood that say, more or less, "Give us money and we'll get you the lead in Scorsese's next picture." That's not how it ever works. Writers who can't get anyone to publish their work are often tempted by vanity presses that promise the following: You pay them to print your book and they'll do promotion and marketing of it (translation: you'll do promotion and marketing of it) and its natural wonderment will propel you onto the best-seller lists and a house next door to Stephen King's. Never works that way, either.

Lately, in comics and animation, it seems to go like this: Someone says, "Hey, we need to hire artists for all these projects we hope to sell." Someone else at the company (or maybe the same someone) says, "Why pay? Do you know how many kids there are out there desperate to get into this line of work? Let's just do a contest and get them all to do work and submit to us. We may even be able to get those saps to pay for the privilege."

Generally speaking, they're not asking you to audition for a project that's definitely going forward. Often, you're auditioning for something they may do if they find the financing that they obviously don't have yet or they'd just go out and hire artists the usual way. You're not only gambling they'll like your work but that their business plans will succeed. Then if they do succeed and if your free work has helped make that happen, how likely do you think it is that they're going to pay you well? If you demand what you deserve, they'll probably just start another "contest" and look for someone else who's hungry enough to work for free.

Please…I know the economy's bad. I know doors are getting slammed in your face and there's a temptation to try anything that might change the arc of your career. Not everything changes things for the better and if you treat your work like it is without value, that's how others will treat it. And perhaps they should.