You know its interesting reading this thread. Because not only are people getting burned but what about the quality of the art itself if it ever does end up being created. I say this because I have always felt bad about getting commissions for the obvious reason being you do not know what you are going to get. But I have gotten commissions in the past and have only had positive experiences and on top of that some artists take that commitment to heart. For instance I have commissioned Greg Simkins,Jota Leal,Dave Sim,and Gerhard. All four of those guys not only completed everything before the deadlines but did some of their finest work just for me. Some artists like the ones I have dealt with really take commissions more seriously then their regular jobs. It is like they feel privileged to have someone willing to pay them to create something special and they deliver. There are artists out there who put more man hours into their commissions and then do for gallery shows and such. I guess it is just interesting for me to see both sides of the spectrum here. I really do feel for the people who have such horrible experiences because for me, it would put a very bad taste in my mouth for the artist, the comic, and pretty much possibly the whole hobby in general with some of these crazy stories.