DCML digest #692

[Don Rosa]

> From: joe gouldIII <joegouldiii at yahoo.com>
> Subject: US Disney competition ?
>   Could it possibly be that TWO different companies
> might vie for US Disney comic book rights ? Recently ,
> the assets of Western Publications ( those that they
> themselves owned ) were bought by an outfit...that
> also bought the comic-book characters once owned by
> Harvey Publications ( Richie Rich , Little Dot , etc.
> ) , a kids-oriented comic-book powerhouse in the US in
> their own right ! With that many valuable
> copyrights...

Oh, nononono. It don't work dat way! If Western sold out the rights to all
it's comic book properties, that would not be like when Harvey sold out.
Harvey *owned* its own characters. The only comic characters and stories
that Western owned were biggies like DOCTOR SPEKTOR and  TRAGG AND THE SKY
GODS. They actually *did* have one real classic called TUROK SON OF STONE
about two peace-loving American Indians trapped in a prehistoric valley in
pre-Columbian Arizona...  that character was sold years ago to a publisher
of American superhero comics who, naturally, immediately trashed it into a
typical American futuristic ultra-violent super-gunpower mess. Western did
not (could not) sell anyone any rights or any materials that pertains to
any old licenses they ever had, not Di$ney or Warners or ERB or anything
else. All the stories or art that those licenses utilized.... all that
belongs to the original copyright owners.
So that still leaves us with only Steve Geppi as our only hope, Obiwan
Kenobi. No other publisher would want a license that requires such
expertise to operate, involves dealing with such a sweet licensing
corporation as that one, and which offers so little hope of profits in the
American market. As a comic fan and Barks fan, Geppi would have the
expertise to operate the license using his friends at Gladstone and be
willing to support it with his other ventures. No other publisher would
have such intentions or abilities.
Well... maybe that company that bought TUROK could take Uncle $crooge and
turn him into SUPERMONEYDUCK and have him blast the bejeezis out of the
Beagle Boys with Uzis... but I don't think Disney, bless their lil' hearts,
would allow that.