Judge, 1935-10 · page 11 of 36
Judge — October 1935 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Drawback" - Judge Magazine Cartoon **The Setup:** A best-selling author's literary agent excitedly reports massive financial success—serial rights, film deals from Paramount and Warner Bros., MGM bidding, stage rights, song publishing rights, and a twenty-week lecture tour. **The Joke:** The author responds with sighs of despair. When asked if he's happy about his book's success, he replies: "Only now I've got to get busy and write the darn thing!" **The Satire:** This mocks the commercialization of literature and Hollywood's appetite for stories. The author has profited enormously from *the idea* of a book—through adaptations and ancillary rights—before actually writing it. The irony is that commercial success has created an obligation to produce the actual work, which he clearly finds tedious. It's a commentary on how publishing and entertainment industries monetize intellectual property while the creative labor itself becomes an unwelcome burden. The top cartoon appears unrelated—a sports scene with the caption "C'mon you guys. Cut out the comedy."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Judge “C'mon you guys. Drawback HE best-selling author sat in the office of his literary agent and lis- tened somewhat gloomily to news that should have brought a smile. “This new book of yours,” the agent was saying, “is turning into a regular gold mine. The serial rights alone brought a small fortune.” les pretty good, eh “Best we've ever had. But that’s nothing, When Paramount saw what Warner's were bidding for the story, they offered so much that M.G.M. is sure to buy it.” “How about the stage rights?” “They are all set. Besides that, I have sold the title to a popular song publisher.” hink that there is any radio I'm working on that. Then there is the lecture tour. I've got you booked for twenty weeks already The author hea “Why, man!” said his agent. “Aren't you happy over the success of your book “E suppose so,” with another sigh. “Only now I've got to get busy and write the darn thing!” visiting today, ladies, the workers are staging another demonstration!” comicbooks.com