Disney-comics digest #380.

Don Rosa 72260.2635 at compuserve.com
Mon Jul 11 06:39:06 CEST 1994


GEIR:
	I continue to be puzzled by either Svein Erik's alleged rude
treatment of you, or by your reaction to it. You have seemed so utterly
sensible in every other thing you've posted, but you seem to take
Soland's actions too personally. Of course I don't know the details of
whatever he did that you didn't like -- but you need to realize he is
NOT the big boss. He has his own bosses watching him and how he runs
things in the Norwegian offices and the Norwegian press. And you KNOW
that you act as a "free agent" when you discuss the Disney/Barks Ducks
-- as you have every right to do. But Egmont is the sole publisher of
those comics in Norway, and Soland's bosses are watching what's
happening in Norway, holding him responsible... and to him YOU are a
"loose cannon". You get lots of attention and he has NO control over
what you do or say. Naturally this is going to worry the $##@^%& out of
him -- you can put yourself in his position. I guarantee you that he has
a great interest in the Duck fans... more so than ANY other Egmont
publisher that I've visited. He wants to hear from them, he loves it
when they gelp get publicity for the comics, he loves their help and
advice... but he needs to balance all that with not letting his bosses
think he's lost control. Otherwise they might tell him to CUT OUT all
the special promotional stuff he does with the Ducks to help elevate
them out of kiddie-garbage, which is where other publishers prefer to
leave them. Why would he want to be unfair to you unless he was being
pressured to, perhaps by GRANDEY? Soland KNOWS you're one of my friends
and supporters, he KNOWS that he has to keep Barks and his Weasel happy
or risk his boss' displeasure, and he's probably afraid of what you
might say about Barks and me and all the stuff that he is trying to keep
quiet so as not to spoil Barks' trip. That's why I said it was kind of
you, but UNWISE to promote ME in your VG interview when you saw that
Soland was obviously trying to avoid any mention of me in any press
release or ANYWHERE. He's a good friend of mine and wouldn't be doing
that if he had any choice. I'm sure you have taken steps to further
condemn yourself in Soland's eyes, and I don't think you should be able
to blame him in the least. You did just what he feared most!
	Svein Erik Soland is one of the NICEST people I've ever met in
my life, and I'm the sort of cynic who hardly ever meets anyone that I
trust. You two need to have a meeting and maybe a talk then even a BIG
HUG. I think you both have the same interests in mind, but your job
doesn't depend on what Svein Erik does the way HIS might partially
depend on what you are doing totally outside of his control.
	Does any of that make sense?




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