The “what is the small press for?” thing – in that there was this perceived divide between those for whom creating a comic was the end in itself & those who were thought to see it as a ‘step up’ to ‘something greater’.
Essentially it was a perceived divide between ‘art & craft’ & ‘career’.

Nothing is as clear as the above assertion… I personally like good comics – but then I have my own personal criteria as to what makes such…