Old Disney Comics

Chris Lawton clawton at TFS.COM
Sun Feb 27 22:53:00 CET 1994


Hiya gang!


DON ROSA:
>	Naturally, with being constantly reminded that you're "Mickey's
>#1 Fan", I'm beginning to get the impression that you're Mickey's #1
>Fan. But now I see you saying that what got you interested in Disney
>comics was their ROGER RABBIT -- this implies that the first Mickey
>comics you ever saw were those that Disney created in 1990-91. THOSE
>were stories that made you Mickey's #1 Fan? *THOSE*???

Ouch!  A tough hit... well, actually yes, it was "those" stories that first
got me interested. I started a new job in 1990 and there was a newstand
near by that carried the Disney Comics.  Well, I bought them, enjoyed reading 
them at lunch and that's what got me started.  As for the "Mickey's #1 Fan" 
stuff, it was not the comics at all that made feel that way.  (It was the 
fact that it was something that my fiancee and I had in common when we first 
met)  But as for the comics, The Mickey Mouse Adventures were all I had seen.  
I had never even seen a non-duck title before that.  (Of course, I never 
really looked inside a Disney comic, or any other comic for that matter.
I can't even remember ever reading them as a kid!) So what could I compare 
it to?  For me, The Disney Comics were the only thing goin'. 
 
>	I'm also compelled to say something about the idea that Roger
>Rabbit attracted someone to "Disney comics". I might have enjoyed WHO
>FRAMED ROGER RABBIT as much as the next guy, but I see him as clearly
>the anathema to Disney -- the total opposite of all that was Disney.
>Roger Rabbit represents the very type of cartoon character that Disney
>was so proud to be NOT associated with for 60 years, but which Disney
>finally decided to capitulate to and embrace to cater to the modern
>American who grew up on Warner Brothers' manic not-so-wholesome
>zaniness.

I disagree.  Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck *are* different.  I don't think the
character of Roger Rabbit would ever utter the words "This means war!".  Or
do some crazy violence to another character just because he's there like
Foghorn Leghorn and the Hound Dog.

Roger Rabbit is pure nice guy - just a bit more zany than Mickey and the rest
of the Disney group.  In my (humble) opinion, Roger fits in with the rest
of the gang quite well.  He does fill a hole that was always there.  I think
the folks at Disney were right on when they added Roger Rabbit.


>I see nothing in Disney's ROGER RABBIT or MICKEY MOUSE comics
>that represented Disney comics. 

I really can't comment here as I haven't seen enough of Gladstone or others...


>(I also question the whole idea of taking Roger Rabbit, whose appeal 
>was a cartoon character in the world of live action, and putting him in 
>comic books where he was a comic character in a world of...comic 
>characters? Wha...?)

You've got a point here.  However, when Roger stayed totally in the cartoon 
world some really neat stuff was presented.  For example: the comic adaptaions
of new Maroon Cartoons.  I have yet to see any other Disney (current publisher
included) Comic seem so fast paced and action filled.  It sometimes seemed that
you could actually be watching a real cartoon.  A great thing to acomplish with
print.

>	Disney comics ceased publication because people stopped reading
>them in DROVES. They took Gladstone's circulations of 80,000 and
>decimated them to less than half that. Stores in Oslo that sold 400
>issues of Gladstone's Disneys, couldn't sell 1/4 that many Disney
>Disneys. Readers around the world recognized Disney's Disneys as having
>nothing of the spirit of true Disney comics of the previous 50 years,
>and reacted by not buying them. The only people I've noticed who seemed
>to like Disney's Disneys were youngsters attracted to their TV titles,
>and who thought these were what Disney comics were all about. I can see
>a possible anology between this and a fan of old Donald Duck animated
>cartoons who thought it would be odd that Dell's Donald comics attracted
>ME to Donald, when Dell's comics had little if anything to do with the
>Disney Donald.
>	Bob Foster was the only guy there that seemed to have read a
>Disney comic prior to showing up for work, and when he gained more power
>toward the end, things improved. But the damage was done. I doubt that
>Gladstone will soon revive the Disney line as I can tell in my
>convention travels that American readers clearly feel that Disney comics
>are now tainted... soiled... not to be trusted... and they aren't
>willing to give them the attention they had in the late 80's before
>Disney started mucking about. It's like, "Why should I get interested
>again? I'll be betrayed like before!" The decrease in interest in the
>wake of Disney's Disneys is quite tangible! Gladstone has a steep uphill
>battle -- I'm not even betting the farm that I'll get to see my entire
>"Lo$" in English.

A pretty dismal picture you paint here.  I hope you don't win that bet!
As a *very* uneducated Disney comic reader, I'd like to be able to see more.
I'm just now starting to get into the ducks! (although there's still something
about Mickey :)...) I wan't to see how Scrooge got to where he is!


Chris  		Still... Mickey's #1 Fan!! :) :)








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