US Disney Comics Support/Promotion and a Topic Arguably More Important

[Chuck Munson]

Good evening Everyone,

I've finally found a quiet moment to voice my own thanks to everyone who has been associated with putting out the quality printings that we saw from Gladstone I and II, Gemstone and even Disney when they seemingly were allowed.  It seems, from what I've gathered here and there, and against my fondest wishes, that Disney comics have really never been able to regain the foundation here that they enjoyed from the '40's through the '60's.  It could be said that everyone who signed on for this voyage ended up watching the Titanic go down four times.  Five, if you count the original demise of Dell/Gold Key/Whitman.  You all have worked your darndest to give us Disney comics better than the so-called Golden Age for over twenty years.  You have "fought the good fight" on our behalf and I give you my profound and sincerest thanks and kudos for your efforts.  That said, I think the most important thing I am writing in this is the last paragraph, please read that
 before the rest.

Let's set aside for the moment the issues affecting Gemstone that have been noted here and suggested by Geppi himself in last week's Scoop (Gemstone's collectibles newsletter that you can subscribe to). I've gained some insight into the mentality that prevents outside help from occurring when I was working part-time for the Disney Stores in the '90's.  Some of you are already familiar with my soapbox on this subject; I'll try to say *something* new or insightful.

We have, I believe, all read the beseeching here for the parent company to come in and support this.  Understandable, for many of us here, this is our most tangible and important link to Disney.  I would guess that for not a few of us, a trip to the theater to see the latest Disney or Disney/Pixar animated film or a trip to one of the theme parks is not what really means Disney to us as much as the classic characters on the printed page.  It has been incredibly frustrating to see the item we love downright ignored in the places that would, we believe, introduce the object of our adoration to others.  And that right there is the problem.  If you are a merchandise buyer for the parks or the stores you are first looking for something that either has a track record, or you have solid research (read "test marketing" or "polling") that it *will* sell.  Our wonderful books fall short for a number of reasons here.  First, the buyers are looking for sales of
 whatever in the tens or hundreds of thousands in under-$10 to $20 category; a few thousand doesn't cut it (yes, the Catch-22 logic of this is deliciously ironic).  Second, they're a printed product which is hard to market when the classic characters are taking a decidedly back seat position.  (I contend this even though they trot them out once in a while, overall it seems that in the marketing world it is all about Princesses and the latest flick.)  Third, books seem to be difficult for Disney to market outside of a bookstore.  Even when it is attempted, as referenced by Arthur's photos from The Art of Disney in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World, they are a periodical and The Art of Disney was not set up for selling periodicals.  And these are roadblocks just with the parent company!  Disney does not have any obligation to aid any of its licensees, regardless of what we might want, hope or dream.

We all, I believe, held out great hopes of the big marketing breaks for the comics with the chain bookstores, Walmart, Target, etc. I'm not certain how much and how far that went, but I do wager that it wasn't easy however far it went.  You are competing against everyone else who wants to get their printed page on a shelf at Borders.  The largest Borders or Barnes and Noble, in spite of their seemingly endless rows of shelves still has a finite number of display shelf feet available.  Everyone has to pony something up to play with the big boys.  They pick you and not the other way round.

If I am mistaken in any of this, please Gary, David, correct me.

Couple this with a US public who no longer views comic books as one of those things that just naturally goes along with childhood and I think you have a true Herculean uphill battle.  And if you do get a parent interested, unless they are someone who has been around comics for the last 20 years, they are definitely going to balk at the price.  It does not matter one iota that everything else has gone up as well, the cliche of the "cheap" comic book dies a hard death - "why aren't they [depending upon your age] 15/20/25/50 cents a copy?"  Even more scary - kids are mostly not interested.  If they are, they have moved on to super heroes by the time they are five or six and the complexity, richness and sophistication of the stories that we love are completely lost on them.  Add in the so often demonized computer/video games and it paints a bleak iceberg filled seascape through which our Titanic must maneuver. So, very, very frustrating.

Still, I hope that something good can still happen, but I would guess no one is really still on staff with Gemstone.  

Which brings me to something that people have skirted around, but I've not seen anyone address directly: I am currently even worried more about the livelihoods of our friends there at Gemstone than the comics.  They didn't work in a vacuum after all - they've become one of those wretched statistics we're seeing every day.  They've got families, mortgages, utility bills, vehicle payments, etc.  This economy is not affording them many options I would guess. Those of you with Gemstone - how are you all doing?  And what can we, as a community, small though it may be, do to help you if you need it?  I suggest to the DCML membership and the Disney comic readership beyond (if it exists) that we are after all their friends, whether or not they know us personally.  I'm not exactly certain how to approach this, especially when I am comparatively close to a similar situation myself, but doggone it - twenty plus years of giving the rest of us enjoyment in a
 precarious business deserves something more than a few keys typed here. Anyone have any ideas?  I might not be able to help much, but I will do what I am able. 

Thanks for everyone's patience with this long post,
Good night,
Chuck Munson
Herndon, Virginia, USA