Comments are not curation...curation is curation.
Getting an upvote on a comment is an author reward and that has nothing to do with your SP. If I upvote a comment or an article, the vote counts the same for the person (as long as the voting percentage is the same).
This strategy is for newer people. Curating is something that is not a great deal for anyone under 50K SP. Even the 15K you mentioned doesnt net a great deal in proportion.