The greatest? + some thoughts on Gemstone

[The Fenske's]

At 10:53 AM 2/8/04 +0100, Olivier wrote:
>Thanks for the answer & comments!
>It's one of  theose "classics" I have yet to see-- such as "The Day the
>Earth Stood Still".

>Olivier
>
I'm sure this thread is getting dangerously off-topic, but considering the
influence
film as on Don Rosa, I'm sure we can justify it somehow...

The Day the Earth Stood Still is an excellent film that explores some
serious themes,
makes use of interesting imagery, and contains nothing of space western
influence.
The performances are strong, and the film stands up to repeated viewing
today, even 
though its effects are pretty dated (in other words, the dated nature of
the effects doesn't
make the film feel that way).  This one is well worth seeing.

And with that, I must do look up Forbidden Planet.

And while I'm here, which I rarely am, I should say that I've been meaning
to say 
something about Gemstone products, and perhaps one of these days I will.  I
am of
course thrilled to have Disney comics back, especially Rosa stories, but I
am a bit
torn at the cost of these items.  So far, I've been buying Uncle Scrooge
and Comics and
Stories, because that's where Rosa and Van Horn appear, but at $11 CDN a
pop, I'm 
feeling like many of them (the ones *without* a Rosa story, for instance)
may not be
worth it.  The smaller comics (Donald and Friends etc) I have not yet
purchased, as they
sell in Canada for $5 a pop, which is even more than Marvel's Ultimate
series, which go for
$3.25 per issue.  Now, the Ultimate Marvel comics have wonderful glossy
paper, so what's 
with the price diff?  $5 is just too much for regular Disney comics... The
same goes for
DDA.  It's $14 CDN (how can you tell I live in Canada?).  Now, here I'm
about to say something
that may be considered heretical, but here goes... When it comes to Disney
comics, pretty
much the only reason I read them is for Don Rosa stories, followed by Barks
and William
Van Horn.  Much of the work by other artists are sometimes interesting, but
often they strike me
as being rather juvenile (in both art and story).  Sorry, but there it is.
Even when they aren't, there
are not many other artists whom I consider worth $12 - 14 a month.  For
instance, in the first
Uncle Scrooge, which contained the wonderful Dutchman's Secret, there was a
Gyro Gearloose
story called Perilous Pets, that had me scratching my head.  Why would they
put that in
an inaugural issue?  It wasn't funny, or amusing, and the art was rather
basic.  That's the kind
of Disney comic that strikes me as kiddie-material, or as they say in the
music industry, 
"filler".  I have nothing against Disney comics
being designed or appropriate for young readers, but why can't more artists
produce material
that is of the appeal and quality of Rosa, Barks, Van Horn, and a few
others.  Perhaps this is
just me speaking from the perspective of someone in their mid-40's who has
very selective
tastes who doesn't have enough spare $$ for everything he likes!  But for
me, the question of
how much I will purchase now and in the future has a lot to do with the
cost of the material
versus the quality of the product.  So far I have been pleased enough with
the two main titles
to have purchased all of them, but I haven't picked up any of the other
titles.  

One final point: I realize that comics cost money to produce, and that
Gemstone are putting out
a first rate product, that they don't sell anywhere near the quantity that
Marvel does, and that quite
possibly the costs are necessary for them to see any profit.  And that many
Disney readers
seem to like a lot of what I call "the other material."  Still, I'd be
happier if every US and C&S had
a new Rosa story in it...

Dave Fenske

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