Gemstone cancellations & new titles

Olivier mouse-ducks at wanadoo.fr
Fri Oct 27 10:55:22 CEST 2006


Hi everyone!



First, thank you Derek, for forewarding the information!


1/   Cancelled Titles
Like Dean, I would be curious to know how much the price would have had to be for MM&F, DD&F, DDA and MMA to continue?


2/   Continuing Titles
No problem with the price here, though I can understand it might be much for many readers.
On a sidenote, I wish amazon.fr got the titles faster (I only received the October issue of  WDC&S yesterday-- # 673) and provided a "Subscribe" option for periodicals, but that's an other matter, unless maybe Gemstone can try and suggest it. amazon.com does have such a service, after all.


3/   Reprints
The eternal Barks reprint "dilemma". I guess it's like those movies that systematically get a re-run on TV every year; "same old thing", but also nice memories, and a chance for many to discover them.
I don't think a new Barks Library would warrant cancelling those reprints, Dean. How could people new to Disney comics (there must be some) decide to buy such $30+ anthologies if  they did not get a few samples once in a while in the regular comics?
The big problem is figuring out how to space them.
Besides, if only older readers are interested in the comics and Barks stories as you suggest, then most must already have either Barks Library, if  not both, which means they would not need another.
I'm all for a new anthology, with new essays, ... I have the CBLiC and only the first set each of  DD and US CBL, and I would gladly invest in a new, hardcover, all-color Library. Incidentally, I purchased as many EC comics sets as I could find (new) three-four years ago, yet I am most interested in the new EC anthology series-- even though I will surely start with those series I do not have yet, just because I cannot get everything at once.


4/    Walt Disney Treasures
The first volume was a wonderful idea, and making it an ongoing series is even better! The ideal thing, of  course, would be to have them released at the same time as the DVDS, which I am sure is what was planned from the beginning. The DVDs ought to contain a leaflet advertising the albums, by the way; I hope you were able to arrange this for the upcoming new batch.
I love the idea of  such a compendium / sampler of  everything Disney; all the characters and most major authors & artists were represented. The production was top quality, and two essays were even included. This was a most sumptuous release, and definitely my favorite of  the new books you have produced.
As for your suggestion, Dean, I agree volumes focusing on one author / artist (Scarpa, Cavazzano, Jippes, ...) would be great, but I think this ought to be yet another title; it seems to be the Disney Treasures should retain the current compendium format, to appeal to as many people as possible, and to celebrate as many creations and creators as possible at once.


5/    Shonen Jump-style books
Dean's explanation &  parallel with the DC & Marvel books, plus a little search, gave me an idea of  what this might be.
"More bang for your buck" always sounds good. I have just thumbed through my "House of  Mystery" (which I have not read yet, but I will start this week); good quality; I'm sure Gemstone will do their best to deliver the best quality possible.
Comics in black and white? Well, this was presented as a major asset for the CBL and EC anthologies: clear art, the artist's work in the purest state, with no interference from an exterior agent (colorist's interpretations, poor color quality for technical reasons, ...). If  the paper quality is cheaper than that of  the current comics, black and white might be much better, indeed.
The idea of  Disney comics in black and white is all the less odd to me as I grew up reading Mickey Parade and Picsou Magazine, which, unlike Le Journal de Mickey, were not in full-color (ie, not until the second half / late '80's), but were in an hybrid format: two pages in color, two in black and white, two colored, two b&w, ... And another publication, Mickey Poche, was all black and white.


6/   Special books
Mickey and the Gang is a most splendid book, and I don't regret getting the hardcover rather than the (already gorgeous) softcover. Are there ore such books in the making?


7/   Anthologies
An old request: a link was posted this summer to an article evoking the possibility, not only of a new Barks anthology, but of  a Gottfredson one.
Is it possible now to have more information on the chances of  this happening?


8/   The Future
Be sure I'll keep doing my best buying the comics & books (I'm quite behind in the now-to-be-cancelled titles, but that's because amazon.fr doesn't carry them and I have to order them in bulk from US comics retailers) and promoting them.
Disney comics have always been great, wholesome, fun comics, with many well-written & well-drawn gems, and we have been fortunate to have Gladstone & Gemstone, not only to publish them, but to do such a remarkable job of  it.
My only regret in the switch from one to the other is the loss of  special features ("The Year That Was", essays on stories, comics history, ...), but I understand we still won't get any right now, due to those price issues. Scoop! does provide similar features online, but it is not entirely devoted to Disney comics-- and it is online.


Thanks again to the Gemstone (for some, formerly Gemstone) team your efforts!
Even though the loss of  four titles is a sad thing, those other projects sound mighty intriguing-- and, dare I say it, the black & white books might even turn out a lot better than the pocket books: more cumbersome, but more profitable (lesser costs for you, more pages for us) and possibly with more gems, with nice, long stories that even the pocketbook comics would have had a hard time holding.



Olivier
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