Kurtz suffers from some sort of crazy reverse-Nixon syndrome.

Kurtz has a right to his Peer Principle. It’s a shame that he has to be shortsighted about the wide variety of places to get good feedback. It would also be nice if he could do it without being rude.

So if an artist or writer comes away with something valuable from some of my reviews, then great! I’m glad for you! But the truth is that it’s probably something that, deep down inside, you knew you had to improve all along.

Exactly. But maybe that something would have stayed deep down if it hadn’t been pointed out in a review. Because sometimes that’s what it takes, and thus reviews can be an integral part of the artist’s growth. I’m not pro-critic or anything, but good advice is good advice no matter where it comes from–simple as that. And often a critic will be the only one to stand up and tell the artist he/she has no clothes, and so, potentially at least, the critics have their role because we artists need to know when we’re naked. There are universal truths regarding any art form, and the Artist is not always aware of them. Ignore the source, and delve for good advice. Ignoring all critics is just pointlessly bullish and full-on ignorant, and this is coming from someone who dislikes critics as much as anyone. The progression of one’s work should come from truth, and no man is a ready-made island of truth. When people tell me “your comics have too many words,” I know it’s subjective and I ignore it (ain’t no cap on words). When they say “the pop culture references are tired,” I know they’re right because they ARE tired (it’s been done, so I ought to stop doing it if I want to stand out). Simple. Either it’s true or it isn’t. What IS a critic? A person with opinions. Should the artist ignore people with opinions? Obviously not. Avoid a void: develop an ear for truth and you can learn from anyone. This is not to overstate the importance of critics, this is merely to say that sometimes they’re right, and when they’re right they’re right.

Oh, and I always thought the Prime Directive was a dumbass rule.