Marvel Disneys dying despite preferential treatment

[DAVID.A.GERSTEIN]

DON (42 digests ago):
> [Disney] will allow Gladstone to use Donald or Mickey in an ad 
> promoting their comics, but it must seem to be a scene OUT OF a story 
> or somesuch. Disney will NOT allow Gladstone to use a picture of 
> Donald pointing AT a DONALD DUCK comic book because that would 
> indicate that Donald/Disney ENDORSES said comic.
      The interesting thing is that Disney allows Marvel to get away 
with this -- giving me the distinct feeling that Disney gives Marvel 
preferential treatment.  One of Marvel's standard subscription ads 
shows Aladdin and Jasmine in a fully painted scene, on the balcony of 
a castle (or something) against a starry sky, gesturing toward some 
Marvel Disneys.

      The Ranger List -- whose letters I now ftp from an archive -- 
has confirmed a rumor I heard:  Marvel doesn't give a whit about who 
treats them preferentially.  They have just cancelled ALL their 
Disney titles but two -- one based on the superhero cartoon 
GARGOYLES, and one "rotating" title which will feature Ariel one 
month, Aladdin the next month, and Beauty and the Beast the month 
afterward.  I don't think Disney is going to renew Marvel's license.  
I don't think Marvel cares.
      I don't know what Marvel's "rotating contents" comic is going 
to be called.  Does anyone?  The latest Diamond PREVIEWS had no 
Marvel listings, since they're distributing on their own now.  I 
didn't bother to find a Marvel distribution catalog.  Does someone 
have one, and if so, what's this comic called?
      THE LITTLE MERMAID sold very well in Disney Comics' own 4-issue 
series, but I'm starting to believe that this was due to how Peter 
David wrote the stories like classic Disney comics (even if the art 
was laid out in a more Marvel-style).  David did a good job, leaving 
me to wonder why Marvel didn't take advantage of his talent when they 
restarted the title themselves.
      All this proves is the same thing Disney proved under Len Wein: 
Disney comic readers don't tend to care for Disney comics edited, 
written, and laid out in the Marvel format.  Editors who've believed 
Marvel's way is the only way to do things have learned differently 
twice now.  Are we going to have to watch someone learn again?  I 
sure hope next time things go right.

      And I'd like to see Disney let Gladstone make its ads the way 
Marvel does -- or did.  Who, outside Disney itself, imagines that a 
Donald Duck comic book is not endorsed by Donald Duck (geez, this 
sounds silly) or that Donald's endorsing of a Donald promotional item 
has something to do with Disney themselves endorsing it?  Maybe this 
is all so much double-talk...

      David Gerstein
      <9475609 at arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
      "The only way for anyone to get ahead of Mickey Mouse -- is to 
run in front of him!"