Bootleg prints, dumb with a capital “D”

For those of you who have not been to a comic book convention…I’ll give you a real quick lay of the land of a typical mid-sized con.  You got your celebrity guests, some washed up, some still famous, usually against the back wall.  You got a few larger publishers with a corner or an island type multi table set up with different pros there over the course of the show.  You have a bunch of stores with multiple tables selling old comics or comic related toys and merch, and you have your “artist alley” where THEORETICALLY the comic book professionals and aspiring artists each get a table or two to sell their books and art.  Theoretically I said, let me explain what about 40% of the “artist” tables actually are in many shows-

A giant wall/display/backdrop of prints of illustrations for sale of your favorite pop culture characters, Captain America for example.....

So far so good right? Lot’s of people like Cap.  The problem is, Cap is not their  intellectual property. He, by law, is owned lock stock and barrel by someone else.  and so is every other character on their wall of prints. They were not at any point hired to draw him and thus did not in any way shape or form contribute to his popularity past or present but are reaping the rewards of those who have. They are bootleggers. They are thieves.

“meh…so what? Disney’s not hurting for money.”

I’ll explain some of the “so what”, bear with me…