Ms. Rowling had one very successful idea (Harry Potter). This sort of thing always reminds me of something that happened when I saw Spider-Man(actually, it was my ex's idea, as she's a huge Tobey Maguire fan -- I was very much of the "wait until DVD" mindset).

There was a preview of the Hulk movie. My ex asked, "Who created the Hulk?" I told her. She replied, "Who created Spider-Man?" I told her. She was stunned. "The same guy co-created both characters?" I shrugged, not as impressed because I'd grown up with it as a fact of life. "He also co-created Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and X-Men."

"Wow!" she said. "That's amazing!"

"Much like the character whose film we're about to see!" (Jokes like this are probably why I'm currently single)

"Well, he must be a gazilionaire!"

"Not exactly."

"Why not?"

And I didn't have much of an explanation for her, other than stating that contracts were signed and certain things were work for hire.

"That sucks!" she said.

And I couldn't argue with her all that much.

I thought the exact same thing when I heard about Rowling. While I think it's a great upswing for creators of all mediums, it makes me terribly upset to think of all our beloved heroes in the comic industry. As popular as Harry Potter is, he's not the cultural icon some of the long running comic heroes are. The fact that Kirby, Shuster, Siegal, Finger, Kane, Ditko, and others don't get a quarter of what Rowling has earned is too depressing for words.

Ill agree...

its sad.. really sad..

regardless of teh fact I dont see anythign particularly groundbreaking about potter...

people like Stan Lee and other creators should be making the equivalant money since they made much more long lasting characters and more well known characters.

But such is life.