At this link: http://www.newsarama.com/marketreport/nov06sales.html
you can find the sales figures for the top 300 comics in North America. I took a link at how the Gemstone titles did and thought I would share a few thoughts.
Before I go any further though, I realize the Gary has said that these figures may not be very accurate, and also that these sales estimates are just that: *estimates*. Still, it is all I have to go on. Here are how the 7 titles sold:
Uncle Scrooge # 360 -- 4600 issues
Donald Duck and Friends #346 -- 4500 issues
Mickey Mouse and Friends # 295 -- 4200 issues
Walt Disney's Christmas Parade # 4 --3800 issues
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories # 674 -- 3700 issues
Donald Duck Adventures # 21 - 2500 issues
Mickey Mouse Adventures #12 -- 2300 issues
A couple things I noticed. Not counting the "pocket book" titles, the 5 other titles had fairly similar sales figures. I think that that is a very good thing. What it seems to say to me is that people who buy the Gemstone titles non-pocket book titles *tend* to buy all of these Gemstone issues. Yes there is a difference from Uncle Scrooge with 4600 to WDC&S with 3700, but in the scheme of things, that is not a huge difference. Just look at some the sales figures for DC and Marvel. It is not uncommon at all for the highest selling DC and Marvel title each month to sell *5* times more than some of their lesser selling titles. So overall, Gemstone deserves a lot of credit for keeping the sales for all 4 of the regular monthly titles near each other.
Interestingly enough, the lowest selling title, WDC&S, is one of the two Gemstone is keeping. I understand that though in that it is the longest selling Disney title, it is already a prestige format title, and allows for the widest body of stories of the 4 titles.
The sales figures also seem to show that it was not the sales of DDAF and MMAF that got them cancelled, but that financially Gemstone could no longer support stories in such a format. That brings me back to the idea I am perhaps pounding into the ground: how about a *3rd* monthly prestige "Donald and Mickey" title? The sales estimates seems to support the idea that there would be a market for it, plus since it was in a prestige format, Gemstone could actually make a profit on it each month. If Gemstone did not want to upset the numbering of DDAF and MMAF, it could easily make each a bi-monthly title, keep the numbering, and still have a 3rd prestige titles coming out each month. To me, the idea of such a 3rd monthly prestige title seems like a "no-brainer". I am sure though that Gary or David could explain why it is not such an easy thing though. I would still love to hear from either of you why you think this might not work and/or why such a 3rd title is not in the works. Feel free to demonstrate to the whole list how little I know about comic book publishing! :) And of course, I still would like to hear from more people on the list with their thoughts on a monthly 3rd prestige title.
It looks like there *are* some problems with the two "pocket book" titles. They were not selling near as well as the other Gemstone titles. Just speaking personally, I tended to like the stories in these two titles the least. Not that there weren't any good stories, and of course I liked the Scarpa stories in them, but on the whole I was underwhelmed by them. So perhaps when Gemstone starts its "Shonen Jump" style B&W title they could focus on some of the classic Scarpa and other stories that have never been printed in North America before.
One other idea for future Gemstone TPBs: collections of Gottfredson stories. While I am excited that Gemstone is publishing the Mickey "Foreign Legion" story and will be publishing "The Gleam" later on this year in WDC&S, I can't help but think how great these stories would have made for a Walt Disney Treasures TPB. This way they would have been collected all in one place and you wouldn't A: have to wait 4 months to read the whole story and B: go through 4 separate issues each time you wanted to reread it. So hopefully we will see some Gottfredson TPBs in the near future.
Dean Rekich
Author
Topic: 200612
(65 messages)
Deanmary
November Gemstone sales and some thoughts
Message 46 -
2006-12-19 at 02:22:09
Leo Schulte
Marketing
Message 47 -
2006-12-20 at 20:12:42
Many thanks to Dean Rekich for his comments!
Again, the marketing of these comic books does not seem to be done
properly. At Borders or Barnes and Noble there are large racks of comic
books with the usual superhero stuff, and the only "funny" comics are
Archie, The Simpsons, and amazingly (I saw this recently) Futurama, a
defunct cartoon show with a rough semi-obscene edge like the Simpsons.
Futurama has been off the air for several years, and could not possibly
have the "recognition factor" of Donald Duck and company. (Young kids
should not know this show!)
Where were the Disney Comics??? Why are they not placed in the
Children's Books or somewhere at such chain outlets?
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
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Again, the marketing of these comic books does not seem to be done
properly. At Borders or Barnes and Noble there are large racks of comic
books with the usual superhero stuff, and the only "funny" comics are
Archie, The Simpsons, and amazingly (I saw this recently) Futurama, a
defunct cartoon show with a rough semi-obscene edge like the Simpsons.
Futurama has been off the air for several years, and could not possibly
have the "recognition factor" of Donald Duck and company. (Young kids
should not know this show!)
Where were the Disney Comics??? Why are they not placed in the
Children's Books or somewhere at such chain outlets?
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
Bror Hellman
November Gemstone sales and some thoughts
Message 48 -
2006-12-20 at 20:40:10
> One other idea for future Gemstone TPBs: collections of Gottfredson
stories.
I can't tell if there's a market for it or not, but I know that *I* would do
my outmost to buy a hard-cover collection of _all_ Mickey Mouse dailies and
sundays.
Gottfredson collections of individual Story-lines would be great too. I have
a few old Gladstone collections, but there are many not published collected
still out there.
// Steamboat Willie
stories.
I can't tell if there's a market for it or not, but I know that *I* would do
my outmost to buy a hard-cover collection of _all_ Mickey Mouse dailies and
sundays.
Gottfredson collections of individual Story-lines would be great too. I have
a few old Gladstone collections, but there are many not published collected
still out there.
// Steamboat Willie
Håvar Eide
DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 19
Message 49 -
2006-12-20 at 22:26:18
Hello out there - Norway calling!
I am working on a complete index over all the american Disney comics issued
in America. This is a sort of a colleting index, where you can tick out the
issues you have and state the quality of the comic. All covers are pictured
in the index from the first to the late nineties for the 4 main series - and
all other covers up till today is also pictured in the indeks.
But I have som problems with the MOVIE COMICS - so if anybody have
informations about this series - please make contact.
H?var Eide - he at an.no
So far the index is about 200 pages in A4-format, and I an gonna publish it
in the spring.
-----Opprinnelig melding-----
Fra: dcml-bounces at nafsk.se [mailto:dcml-bounces at nafsk.se] P? vegne av
dcml-request at nafsk.se
Sendt: 20. desember 2006 12:13
Til: dcml at nafsk.se
Emne: DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 19
Send DCML mailing list submissions to
dcml at nafsk.se
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
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or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
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You can reach the person managing the list at
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of DCML digest..."
I am working on a complete index over all the american Disney comics issued
in America. This is a sort of a colleting index, where you can tick out the
issues you have and state the quality of the comic. All covers are pictured
in the index from the first to the late nineties for the 4 main series - and
all other covers up till today is also pictured in the indeks.
But I have som problems with the MOVIE COMICS - so if anybody have
informations about this series - please make contact.
H?var Eide - he at an.no
So far the index is about 200 pages in A4-format, and I an gonna publish it
in the spring.
-----Opprinnelig melding-----
Fra: dcml-bounces at nafsk.se [mailto:dcml-bounces at nafsk.se] P? vegne av
dcml-request at nafsk.se
Sendt: 20. desember 2006 12:13
Til: dcml at nafsk.se
Emne: DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 19
Send DCML mailing list submissions to
dcml at nafsk.se
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://nafsk.se/mailman/listinfo/dcml
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
dcml-request at nafsk.se
You can reach the person managing the list at
dcml-owner at nafsk.se
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of DCML digest..."
Stefan Persson
DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 19
Message 50 -
2006-12-21 at 10:39:37
On 2006-12-21 05:26, H?var Eide wrote:
> I am working on a complete index over all the american Disney comics issued
> in America. This is a sort of a colleting index, where you can tick out the
> issues you have and state the quality of the comic. All covers are pictured
> in the index from the first to the late nineties for the 4 main series - and
> all other covers up till today is also pictured in the indeks.
> But I have som problems with the MOVIE COMICS - so if anybody have
> informations about this series - please make contact.
In which way is this any different to what is already provided by Inducks? For
the ticking part you can use COA's comics collecting function:
http://coa.inducks.org/account.php
The only difference I noticed was the availability of images (Inducks doesn't
provide any images), but if anyone needs any images, that person could look them
up in a separate data base, such as Outducks.
Stefan
> I am working on a complete index over all the american Disney comics issued
> in America. This is a sort of a colleting index, where you can tick out the
> issues you have and state the quality of the comic. All covers are pictured
> in the index from the first to the late nineties for the 4 main series - and
> all other covers up till today is also pictured in the indeks.
> But I have som problems with the MOVIE COMICS - so if anybody have
> informations about this series - please make contact.
In which way is this any different to what is already provided by Inducks? For
the ticking part you can use COA's comics collecting function:
http://coa.inducks.org/account.php
The only difference I noticed was the availability of images (Inducks doesn't
provide any images), but if anyone needs any images, that person could look them
up in a separate data base, such as Outducks.
Stefan
Gary Leach
Third prestige
Message 51 -
2006-12-21 at 18:26:00
Dean:
> The sales figures also seem to show that it was not the sales of
> DDAF and MMAF that got them cancelled, but that financially
> Gemstone could no longer support stories in such a format. That
> brings me back to the idea I am perhaps pounding into the ground:
> how about a *3rd* monthly prestige "Donald and Mickey" title? ... I
> am sure though that Gary or David could explain why it is not such
> an easy thing though.
In a way, the "easy" part would be to simply launch a third prestige
book. All of the mechanics, so to speak, are in place to do so. The
main question is just what title that should be - Mickey and Donald,
Donald and Mickey, or perhaps simply Donald Duck. (Mickey Mouse would
not be a contender for this third title because Donald Duck does, as
the very figures you cited show, have a modest sales edge.)
While a third prestige seems likely to be able to pull its weight in
the lineup, there are more doubts about what has been referred to as
Shonen Jump-style books. The DC Showcase and Marvel Essentials
projects are the true market touchstones for the idea, since they
only have retail distribution, and we need to gauge our prospective
sales performance at least partly in comparison to those. One
approach might be to design them to present as part of a collection,
rather than as merely a series of periodicals, so they would have a
potentially longer store shelf life - a big plus for this sort of
thing. However, that means they couldn't be simple replacements for
the pocket books, but entirely new entities with very focused
content. And just what focus these should have would be a matter of
no small import.
In short, there's lotsa puzzling and pondering ahead.
Gary
> The sales figures also seem to show that it was not the sales of
> DDAF and MMAF that got them cancelled, but that financially
> Gemstone could no longer support stories in such a format. That
> brings me back to the idea I am perhaps pounding into the ground:
> how about a *3rd* monthly prestige "Donald and Mickey" title? ... I
> am sure though that Gary or David could explain why it is not such
> an easy thing though.
In a way, the "easy" part would be to simply launch a third prestige
book. All of the mechanics, so to speak, are in place to do so. The
main question is just what title that should be - Mickey and Donald,
Donald and Mickey, or perhaps simply Donald Duck. (Mickey Mouse would
not be a contender for this third title because Donald Duck does, as
the very figures you cited show, have a modest sales edge.)
While a third prestige seems likely to be able to pull its weight in
the lineup, there are more doubts about what has been referred to as
Shonen Jump-style books. The DC Showcase and Marvel Essentials
projects are the true market touchstones for the idea, since they
only have retail distribution, and we need to gauge our prospective
sales performance at least partly in comparison to those. One
approach might be to design them to present as part of a collection,
rather than as merely a series of periodicals, so they would have a
potentially longer store shelf life - a big plus for this sort of
thing. However, that means they couldn't be simple replacements for
the pocket books, but entirely new entities with very focused
content. And just what focus these should have would be a matter of
no small import.
In short, there's lotsa puzzling and pondering ahead.
Gary
Deanmary
Third prestige title + more
Message 52 -
2006-12-23 at 03:37:14
So Gary, "there's lotsa puzzling and pondering ahead." I think that is a good thing. It means that the people at Gemstone are putting a lot of thought into what Gemstone wants to publish in 2007 and beyond. While of course all of us Disney comics fans want to see new publications as soon as possible, if the new publications are not thought out well and then fail, what good is it in the end? If it takes a bit longer to plan and figure out what the best possible publications are and thus these publications succeed, then the wait will be well worth it. And of course Gary, please "puzzle" and "ponder" all you want if that is what it takes to get a third monthly prestige title! :)
As for what the title of a third prestige title should be, as long as there *was* a 3rd prestige title, it could be "Gary Leach's Book of Stuff" for all I care! :) Seriously though, I think it should be whatever title Gemstone thinks would sell best. The contents matter much more than the title to my way of thinking.
Gary, is there anything we Disney comics fans can do to help make a third prestige title a reality? Would it help if people who very much want a third monthly prestige title wrote "snail-mail" letters to Gemstone expressing our interest in this? I know emails are much quick and common now, but have also heard that one written letter often has a bigger effect than one hundred emails. Also, if we were to send Gemstone a letter about this subject, if there a certain person or office we should direct this letter to?
Boy, I agree that there are lots of things to consider with a "Shonen Jump" style title. I must admit I don't have a lot of ideas on that one, other than they should contain more than just the type of stories that were in DDA and MMA since they did not sell as well. Once again, whatever has the best chance for good sales is probably they way to go. Of course what stories, format, etc. that would cause good sales is the $64,000 question...
At this time I would like to wish everyone at Gemstone and everyone on this mailing list the very merriest Christmas! I know the end of 2006 has been a hard time for Gemstone, but I hope 2007 and beyond are much brighter!
I have been a member of this mailing list for about 10 years now. 99.9% of the time I am just a "lurker" and read what others have to say. In the past few months I have written a number of times to this list. I want to thank everyone for listening (or is that reading...) what I have had to write, and encourage other list "lurkers" to "decloak" for a bit and share their ideas too. It has been great to hear other list members views on these subjects and hope these good give and take conversations on the mailing list continue well into the new year.
Dean Rekich
P.S. I don't know what the new Chinese "Year of the ..." is, but perhaps we can make 2007 the "Year of the 3rd prestige title"! Hey, it can't hurt! :)
As for what the title of a third prestige title should be, as long as there *was* a 3rd prestige title, it could be "Gary Leach's Book of Stuff" for all I care! :) Seriously though, I think it should be whatever title Gemstone thinks would sell best. The contents matter much more than the title to my way of thinking.
Gary, is there anything we Disney comics fans can do to help make a third prestige title a reality? Would it help if people who very much want a third monthly prestige title wrote "snail-mail" letters to Gemstone expressing our interest in this? I know emails are much quick and common now, but have also heard that one written letter often has a bigger effect than one hundred emails. Also, if we were to send Gemstone a letter about this subject, if there a certain person or office we should direct this letter to?
Boy, I agree that there are lots of things to consider with a "Shonen Jump" style title. I must admit I don't have a lot of ideas on that one, other than they should contain more than just the type of stories that were in DDA and MMA since they did not sell as well. Once again, whatever has the best chance for good sales is probably they way to go. Of course what stories, format, etc. that would cause good sales is the $64,000 question...
At this time I would like to wish everyone at Gemstone and everyone on this mailing list the very merriest Christmas! I know the end of 2006 has been a hard time for Gemstone, but I hope 2007 and beyond are much brighter!
I have been a member of this mailing list for about 10 years now. 99.9% of the time I am just a "lurker" and read what others have to say. In the past few months I have written a number of times to this list. I want to thank everyone for listening (or is that reading...) what I have had to write, and encourage other list "lurkers" to "decloak" for a bit and share their ideas too. It has been great to hear other list members views on these subjects and hope these good give and take conversations on the mailing list continue well into the new year.
Dean Rekich
P.S. I don't know what the new Chinese "Year of the ..." is, but perhaps we can make 2007 the "Year of the 3rd prestige title"! Hey, it can't hurt! :)
Leo Schulte
DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 22
Message 53 -
2006-12-23 at 15:06:00
Recent issues of the Wall Street Journal have carried articles of
tangential interest: on Thursday an article detailed the career of
the recently Joseph Barbera, co-creator with William Hanna, of Tom
and Jerry, the Flintstones, Yogi Bear, the Jetsons, etc. Friday's
issue had an article on Archie comic books, and how the characters
are being re-designed. Archie and company are similarly "frozen in
time" like the Duckburg Universe, and there is some controversy about
the updating of the characters.
The article mentions that Archie isssues sell between 15,000 and
75,000, with some digests hitting 100,000! This is down from the
good ol' days 50 years ago when sales of 1 million were not uncommon.
Again, I have mentioned that Archie comics are quite visible in the
major book stores, and at grocery stores: look at the sales numbers
in comparison to our Disney Comics!
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
tangential interest: on Thursday an article detailed the career of
the recently Joseph Barbera, co-creator with William Hanna, of Tom
and Jerry, the Flintstones, Yogi Bear, the Jetsons, etc. Friday's
issue had an article on Archie comic books, and how the characters
are being re-designed. Archie and company are similarly "frozen in
time" like the Duckburg Universe, and there is some controversy about
the updating of the characters.
The article mentions that Archie isssues sell between 15,000 and
75,000, with some digests hitting 100,000! This is down from the
good ol' days 50 years ago when sales of 1 million were not uncommon.
Again, I have mentioned that Archie comics are quite visible in the
major book stores, and at grocery stores: look at the sales numbers
in comparison to our Disney Comics!
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
Bob Peterson
Geppi's Entertainment Museum visit
Message 54 -
2006-12-24 at 07:53:24
Their Web site is a bit shoddy, quality wise, but the museum is quite
good. I saw it today while in the area visiting family for Christmas.
It's tucked away above the Sports Museum, on the same property as the
Baltimore sports area. $10/adult seemed fair, given how packed the
small museum is. I'd expect anyone under 20 to be bored stiff,
unless they were a particular fan of an artist, character or comic
art. It takes up one floor. The walls are plastered floor to
ceiling with original posters, art, vintage comics, and other
memorabilia. The latter pop memorabilia kind of give it the non-
comic museum touch.
I noticed only one original Disney strip, by Mr. Gottfredson. There
was a computer display that allowed me to read a Donald Duck comic (a
very nice simulation I thought, but could have used a Mac OS X touch
with curling pages). I assume this was a Barks comic, but there were
no credits on the comic or on the display.
In the store, Gemstone was given a large endcap display of all their
books and recent comics. I didn't see any current Marvel or DC.
I wish they'd had an -index- of the museum! The organization was
basically by time periods. Otherwise, finding something specific is
hard. Given the large assembly, and index would help fans and
students find items. For example, some Shirley Temple (pop
memorabilia) was in the main hallway, almost lost in the virtual
comic art wallpaper. There could have been more original Duck art
but I missed it. (I am also a Pogo fan, so I enjoyed checking out
the blue pencil work behind Mr. Kelly's ink. Saw two such originals.)
Merry Christmas, Glad Jul, Feliz Navidad, and (insert Italian
greeting here)!
\bob
/\peterson
good. I saw it today while in the area visiting family for Christmas.
It's tucked away above the Sports Museum, on the same property as the
Baltimore sports area. $10/adult seemed fair, given how packed the
small museum is. I'd expect anyone under 20 to be bored stiff,
unless they were a particular fan of an artist, character or comic
art. It takes up one floor. The walls are plastered floor to
ceiling with original posters, art, vintage comics, and other
memorabilia. The latter pop memorabilia kind of give it the non-
comic museum touch.
I noticed only one original Disney strip, by Mr. Gottfredson. There
was a computer display that allowed me to read a Donald Duck comic (a
very nice simulation I thought, but could have used a Mac OS X touch
with curling pages). I assume this was a Barks comic, but there were
no credits on the comic or on the display.
In the store, Gemstone was given a large endcap display of all their
books and recent comics. I didn't see any current Marvel or DC.
I wish they'd had an -index- of the museum! The organization was
basically by time periods. Otherwise, finding something specific is
hard. Given the large assembly, and index would help fans and
students find items. For example, some Shirley Temple (pop
memorabilia) was in the main hallway, almost lost in the virtual
comic art wallpaper. There could have been more original Duck art
but I missed it. (I am also a Pogo fan, so I enjoyed checking out
the blue pencil work behind Mr. Kelly's ink. Saw two such originals.)
Merry Christmas, Glad Jul, Feliz Navidad, and (insert Italian
greeting here)!
\bob
/\peterson
Leo Schulte
DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 23
Message 55 -
2006-12-24 at 20:07:39
Merry Christmas to all around the world!
And may Uncle Scrooge and Donald and the Duckburg Universe continue to
bring joy throughout the year!
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
And may Uncle Scrooge and Donald and the Duckburg Universe continue to
bring joy throughout the year!
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
Olivier
DCML Digest, Vol 46, Issue 23
Message 56 -
2006-12-25 at 01:30:05
Leo:
>>>> Merry Christmas to all around the world!
Merry Christmas & happy holidays, everyone!
Olivier
>>>> Merry Christmas to all around the world!
Merry Christmas & happy holidays, everyone!
Olivier
JTorci3511
Third Prestige Title
Message 57 -
2006-12-27 at 02:12:52
Gary Leach and Everyone:
With regard to a third prestige title, Gary wrote: ?There?s lotsa puzzling
and pondering ahead?.
Well, I would never presume to understand the intricacies of publishing that
exist on Gary and Gemstone?s side of the process, but on ?our side?, as end
consumers, the start up of a third (...and we?re not really asking for a
fourth, only a third) prestige title, presumably to be titled DONALD AND MICKEY,
DONALD DUCK AND MICKEY MOUSE, etc., seems to be the common sense solution
that would appear to satisfy more of us than otherwise.
The mechanism(s) to produce a periodical in that particular format have been
?up and running? since the coming of Gemstone in mid 2003. That format,
the only surviving one to date, would seem to be successful enough to support a
third title, picking up the support of the readers of the four canceled
titles. The content for some never-to-be-published issues of DONALD DUCK AND
FRIENDS, MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS, and the digests has been assembled ? or at
least has been announced through PREVIEWS and other venues ? and could easily
make up the initial issues of the new title.
Of course, there are probably certain considerations that may be lost, in
our consumer?s view of the matter, but it sure seems like the way to go from
this perspective.
One additional bit of perspective from ?our side?... well, certainly my own
personal side, would be this.
Each time a Disney comics publisher cuts back or outright ceases, be it Gold
Key or Whitman ending, Gladstone I being invaded and occupied by Disney, the
Disney Comics Implosion, Gladstone II ending, or Gemstone ?reducing? from
six titles to two, there is always the feeling of something having been taken
away from us. It has been such for me, each and every time.
Uncle Scrooge would be the first one to tell us that, ultimately, economics
rule the day. ...And would be the first one to cancel his own title, if it
failed to perform. I think most of us understand and accept the market
conditions and economic realities that are behind the Gemstone Downsizing.
That said, would not the oft-suggested, hypothetical DONALD AND MICKEY
prestige title be exactly what is needed to soften, if not outright remove, those
feelings of something having been taken away? Anything we presently miss
about DDAF, MMAF, DDA and MMA could be a part of this new title.
And, instead of taking chances on a format readers may or may not embrace
(...such as the so-called ?Shonen Jump? black and white format, which I,
personally, would not support), and the requisite set up costs and effort
involved, Gemstone could, with nary a beat skipped, continue to serve us the content
we?ve lost in the format that has proven the most successful in the
marketplace.
It makes sense to me. What say the rest of you?
Oh, and thanks to Gary for being there to address our concerns. Contrast
the open, honest, and willing response from representatives of Gemstone with
the stonewalling and misinformation spread in the wake of the Disney Implosion
of 1991, and you can?t help but appreciate all that these folks do for us, in
what must be trying times for them as well!
Joe Torcivia
With regard to a third prestige title, Gary wrote: ?There?s lotsa puzzling
and pondering ahead?.
Well, I would never presume to understand the intricacies of publishing that
exist on Gary and Gemstone?s side of the process, but on ?our side?, as end
consumers, the start up of a third (...and we?re not really asking for a
fourth, only a third) prestige title, presumably to be titled DONALD AND MICKEY,
DONALD DUCK AND MICKEY MOUSE, etc., seems to be the common sense solution
that would appear to satisfy more of us than otherwise.
The mechanism(s) to produce a periodical in that particular format have been
?up and running? since the coming of Gemstone in mid 2003. That format,
the only surviving one to date, would seem to be successful enough to support a
third title, picking up the support of the readers of the four canceled
titles. The content for some never-to-be-published issues of DONALD DUCK AND
FRIENDS, MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS, and the digests has been assembled ? or at
least has been announced through PREVIEWS and other venues ? and could easily
make up the initial issues of the new title.
Of course, there are probably certain considerations that may be lost, in
our consumer?s view of the matter, but it sure seems like the way to go from
this perspective.
One additional bit of perspective from ?our side?... well, certainly my own
personal side, would be this.
Each time a Disney comics publisher cuts back or outright ceases, be it Gold
Key or Whitman ending, Gladstone I being invaded and occupied by Disney, the
Disney Comics Implosion, Gladstone II ending, or Gemstone ?reducing? from
six titles to two, there is always the feeling of something having been taken
away from us. It has been such for me, each and every time.
Uncle Scrooge would be the first one to tell us that, ultimately, economics
rule the day. ...And would be the first one to cancel his own title, if it
failed to perform. I think most of us understand and accept the market
conditions and economic realities that are behind the Gemstone Downsizing.
That said, would not the oft-suggested, hypothetical DONALD AND MICKEY
prestige title be exactly what is needed to soften, if not outright remove, those
feelings of something having been taken away? Anything we presently miss
about DDAF, MMAF, DDA and MMA could be a part of this new title.
And, instead of taking chances on a format readers may or may not embrace
(...such as the so-called ?Shonen Jump? black and white format, which I,
personally, would not support), and the requisite set up costs and effort
involved, Gemstone could, with nary a beat skipped, continue to serve us the content
we?ve lost in the format that has proven the most successful in the
marketplace.
It makes sense to me. What say the rest of you?
Oh, and thanks to Gary for being there to address our concerns. Contrast
the open, honest, and willing response from representatives of Gemstone with
the stonewalling and misinformation spread in the wake of the Disney Implosion
of 1991, and you can?t help but appreciate all that these folks do for us, in
what must be trying times for them as well!
Joe Torcivia
Leo Schulte
Marketing and Stories
Message 58 -
2006-12-27 at 17:47:55
Thanks to Joe Torciviva for his comments.
As I have said, the marketing is curious from the consumer end! I
have delineated before that Disney Comics just do not have the same
visibility as other titles.
And ultimately, if the stories are not attracting the readers of all
ages, you need to find better stories. This becomes a closed circle
with marketing problems, however, because if your stories remain
unknown to the public, their quality is irrelevant. The public
cannot judge your product, if they cannot find it.
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
As I have said, the marketing is curious from the consumer end! I
have delineated before that Disney Comics just do not have the same
visibility as other titles.
And ultimately, if the stories are not attracting the readers of all
ages, you need to find better stories. This becomes a closed circle
with marketing problems, however, because if your stories remain
unknown to the public, their quality is irrelevant. The public
cannot judge your product, if they cannot find it.
--
___________________________________________________
Search for products and services at:
http://search.mail.com
Gary Leach
Pundling and Pozzering
Message 59 -
2006-12-27 at 18:25:56
Joe:
> With regard to a third prestige title, Gary wrote: ?There?s lotsa
> puzzling and pondering ahead?.
By that I was mostly referring to the Showcase/Essentials type books.
Yes, there are things still to be decided about a third prestige
book, but few outright obstacles. And of it's intended functions, one
is to fill the gap left by MMF and DDF, and another, in direct
relation, is to feature most, if not all, of the material already
prepared for those now defunct titles.
I'm sorry that you don't see yourself supporting the Showcase/
Essentials type books. Admittedly, at this point I don't know if
anyone will be afforded the opportunity to support them or not - re:
the puzzling and pondering - but if we do bring them out, I hope
you'll at least give them a look.
Taking off my associate-of-Gemstone hat for a moment, I've personally
been curious about the prospect of Mickey carrying a prestige title
of his own. Familiar as I am with Mickey's history of
salesworthiness, and not much encouraged by it, I still can't help
but wonder if, even so, he might not do all right in that format.
(With said hat firmly back on the ol' noggin, I should say that no
such title is currently being considered.)
Gary
> With regard to a third prestige title, Gary wrote: ?There?s lotsa
> puzzling and pondering ahead?.
By that I was mostly referring to the Showcase/Essentials type books.
Yes, there are things still to be decided about a third prestige
book, but few outright obstacles. And of it's intended functions, one
is to fill the gap left by MMF and DDF, and another, in direct
relation, is to feature most, if not all, of the material already
prepared for those now defunct titles.
I'm sorry that you don't see yourself supporting the Showcase/
Essentials type books. Admittedly, at this point I don't know if
anyone will be afforded the opportunity to support them or not - re:
the puzzling and pondering - but if we do bring them out, I hope
you'll at least give them a look.
Taking off my associate-of-Gemstone hat for a moment, I've personally
been curious about the prospect of Mickey carrying a prestige title
of his own. Familiar as I am with Mickey's history of
salesworthiness, and not much encouraged by it, I still can't help
but wonder if, even so, he might not do all right in that format.
(With said hat firmly back on the ol' noggin, I should say that no
such title is currently being considered.)
Gary
Deanmary
Joe's thoughts on a 3rd prestige title
Message 60 -
2006-12-27 at 18:47:15
Boy, Joe, you really hit the nail on the head in your comments! There *is* such a feeling of loss each time and having had something taken away each time a publisher of Disney comics has bad times and cuts back (or ends) Disney comics. I too have felt it through all the times Joe mentioned, except for Gold Key or Whitman. Sorry, I was too young for those times, Joe! :)
If we got a 3rd prestige title it would be like going from losing 4 titles out of 6 to only 2. And if you think about it further, it would in some ways be really like only losing one title. I don't know about other people, but to me DDA and MMA felt like a one monthly title. The only things different every other month was Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse before the word "Adventures" and the number of Duck or Mouse stories in each issue. So if we were to get a 3rd prestige title, all we would be losing would be a monthly pocket book title. While I would of course like to have it as well, I would be pleased as punch to just have a 3rd monthly prestige title!
A couple of questions for Gary or others at Gemstone. The first one I asked before, but I will ask again: Is there *anything* us Disney comic fans can do to make a 3rd monthly prestige title a reality. If there is, please let us know! Perhaps I am reading *way* too much between the lines, but when Gary last wrote the mailing list, it seemed like he and/or Gemstone was realizing some problems with a Shonen Jump style title. If that is the case, does that make it any more likely we will see a 3rd prestige title sooner rather than later? I will support a Shonen Jump style title as long as it is not full of re-re-reprints. Yes, I would rather read the stories in color, but black and white is better than nothing. However, if it came down to having either a 3rd prestige title *or* a Shonen Jump style book, I would *much* rather have the 3rd prestige title. Of course, if things work our right, perhaps we can have both.
As with Joe, I would love to hear what others on the list think about this subject. Even if you have never posted to the list before, please consider adding your 2 cents worth to the discussion about this topic! And of course as always, much thanks to Gary, David, and everyone else at Gemstone for communicating with us and keeping us informed.
Dean Rekich
If we got a 3rd prestige title it would be like going from losing 4 titles out of 6 to only 2. And if you think about it further, it would in some ways be really like only losing one title. I don't know about other people, but to me DDA and MMA felt like a one monthly title. The only things different every other month was Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse before the word "Adventures" and the number of Duck or Mouse stories in each issue. So if we were to get a 3rd prestige title, all we would be losing would be a monthly pocket book title. While I would of course like to have it as well, I would be pleased as punch to just have a 3rd monthly prestige title!
A couple of questions for Gary or others at Gemstone. The first one I asked before, but I will ask again: Is there *anything* us Disney comic fans can do to make a 3rd monthly prestige title a reality. If there is, please let us know! Perhaps I am reading *way* too much between the lines, but when Gary last wrote the mailing list, it seemed like he and/or Gemstone was realizing some problems with a Shonen Jump style title. If that is the case, does that make it any more likely we will see a 3rd prestige title sooner rather than later? I will support a Shonen Jump style title as long as it is not full of re-re-reprints. Yes, I would rather read the stories in color, but black and white is better than nothing. However, if it came down to having either a 3rd prestige title *or* a Shonen Jump style book, I would *much* rather have the 3rd prestige title. Of course, if things work our right, perhaps we can have both.
As with Joe, I would love to hear what others on the list think about this subject. Even if you have never posted to the list before, please consider adding your 2 cents worth to the discussion about this topic! And of course as always, much thanks to Gary, David, and everyone else at Gemstone for communicating with us and keeping us informed.
Dean Rekich