Barks' Gyro story with Morte and Ferdie

[Donald D. Markstein]

> Could someone please give more information about this very odd rule? When
it
> was stated and how long it lasted? And WHY postal officers dictated the
> insides of comic magazines (any requirements for other types of mags?)??
And
> how they were able even to do it?
> How this effected to other comic books? I know Barks had to made changes
to
> some of his stories.

Oh, for heaven's sake, who knows why bureaucrats do ANYTHING? It was a
chance to exercise petty power and make people spin their wheels. Isn't that
enough to motivate a bureaucrat?

The STATED reason, I believe, had to do with qualifying for a very
inexpensive class of mail. If an item didn't have varied editorial content,
they wouldn't allow it to be called a "magazine", and therefore it would be
transferred to a different class, and it would cost more to send out
subscription copies. Practically all U.S. comics of the time had some kind
of minor feature that didn't involve the title character. It's probably why
the Gyro Gearloose stories were included in the first place.

Another effect of postal regulations was the text page nearly all comic
books had. Some used the page for a story too short to hold any real
interest, some used it for odd facts, and some used it for comics' first
letter columns. The latter eventually led to fans finding one another and
forming organized groups, which later had a profound effect on the evolution
of the comics industry in America.

So if you happen to LIKE the way the fan community influenced the industry,
then stupid, useless postal regulations actually had a good effect on
comics. And if not -- well, too bad.

Quack, Don

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