Gladstone's publication frequency and ads

David A Gerstein David.A.Gerstein at williams.edu
Fri Apr 29 03:52:24 CEST 1994


	Dear Folks (and Gary Leach, to whom I am also posting this in
the hope that it will have an effect),

	The real problem with Disney comics in America is that no one,
including most people who would like them, is aware of their
existence.

	The word has gone around my school that I work with Disney
characters (because last year when I first began working for Egmont, I
foolishly shot my mouth off about it).  Most people think I write
television cartoons for the Disney Afternoon (!) if I mention the
Ducks.

	When I explain that, no, there are actually COMIC BOOKS out
there with the characters, people are amazed.  Many Disney fans I know
have *never* seen them or even heard of them.  A lot of people faintly
remember the Gladstones from the first run, but only as a dim memory
and believe now that the comics are no longer made.

	Gladstone needs to increase its production schedule.  If the
company feels that having bimonthly comics means that they are on sale
longer, they're right.  But from what I've seen, comics will appear,
and however many are bought, they tend to be bought quickly.  The new
issues will come, and in a month or less, all the copies that are
GOING to be bought have BEEN bought.  (And those that are left are
often yanked anyway -- see below.)

	Most shops I know buy a relatively small number of Gladstones.
They generally sell pretty well.  But since so few are issued, there 
are just not a sizeable NUMBER of Disney comics on the racks at any 
given time.  The fans who know about them are clearly buying them, 
but the books aren't visible enough -- due to the bimonthly schedule --
to be seen by a lot of people.  As a result, though the comics do a 
brisk business (as noted, better than Disney Comics did) with many
CONSISTENT buyers, the shops feel no need to INCREASE their orders,
because no one else KNOWS about their existence and asks for them.

	Further news:  I know of virtually no shops, either direct or
regular market, which leave DD on the racks when DDA comes out and
vice versa.  Same with US and USA.  D&M and WDC&S often share a rack,
because they are obviously different titles.  But dealers who know
little about Disney comics simply assume that Donald Duck gets one
title a month, and when one appears, it's time to yank the other one
because the month is over.  By contrast, way back when two DD and US 
titles came out each month, their frequency (as with DC'S Superman 
comics now) was a clear cue to all shops to leave them both on sale 
at once.

	Gladstone needs to advertise more.  By all means, the Disney
comics should be advertised in Hamilton's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
comic.  And in the Marvel Disney comics.  And Disney ADVENTURES as
well -- I have heard that this was too expensive... but that was when
the new titles were just starting up, and now they're apparently more
successful.  Can this be afforded now?  Second, Gladstone could make 
publicity posters available to comic shops, and ads with the same
design for comic "fanboy" magazines (not just the CBG, but I mean 
magazines which kids at comic shops buy), which simply advertise the 
comics with dynamic panel art from the stories.  The posters could be 
along the lines of Gladstone's 1988 subscription ad, but with an added
punch.  I propose this:

	* * * * *

	(Top 1/4 of poster)
	[in big letters] "DUCK!"
	[Barks images of Donald and US, a FG Mickey, and a Jaime Diaz
Goofy [?] running, as a "tidal wave" of Gladstone comics, made from 
cover reproductions, flops toward them from right]

	(Middle half of poster)
	"What's so special about Gladstone's Disney comics?  They have
	ADVENTURE! [Splash from "Lost in the Andes," DD and kids
discovering Plain Awful]
	THRILLS! [From "Monarch of Medioka":  "That's the end of yer
power, Duke Varlott -- ya big *dumb* palooka!"]
	COMEDY! [From "Master of the Mississippi":  Scrooge, Ratchet,
and ship's cabin impaled on steeple, as Scrooge rattles off a list of
the Beagle Boys' crimes ending with "dressing up in *women's 
clothing!*"]
	The stories of CARL BARKS, DON ROSA, FLOYD GOTTFREDSON, AL
TALIAFERRO, and other top talent!"

	(Bottom 1/4 of poster)
	[A jumble of cover logos from the various comics, and then at
bottom:]
	GLADSTONE WALT DISNEY COMICS!  Catch them HERE!"  [Clarabelle
Cow from "The Great Orphanage Robbery": "I'm so excited I could break
down on all fours and *moo!*"]

	* * * * * 

	Next, Gladstone really needs to restore "CROSSTALK," or
something similar, to their comics.  Last fall someone wrote in asking
for that, and was told, "We'd like to add it again, but as it stands
now, we would have to drop an ad page for that, and cannot do it."
But as of last month, every Gladstone comic has had enough space to
run an extra 1-pager on the inside back cover.  I'd sure like to see
"CROSSTALK" there.  I could *write* it if Gladstone wants!

	I think if any one of the above suggestions is more important
than the others, it is to issue the comics more often.  If Disney will
not let Gladstone add additional titles to the line, I cannot see how
they could object to the current ones more often.  I suggest WDC&S and
US being published 10 times annually (due to their serial format,
which is kinda slow to follow over two-month breaks), and the others 
8 times annually.  If Gladstone decided it had the manpower to make 
WDCiC (before Disney refused) then maybe this is possible.

	Some of the above suggestions may be very naive, because
although I know a lot about the stories themselves, I know little
about the distribution and advertising of comics in this country.  But
I know that many potential readers simply don't know about the comics.

	Yours,

	David Gerstein
	<David.A.Gerstein at Williams.edu>




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