<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><FONT BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">I kind of have mixed feelings about it all. On one hand, I've a lot of Barks stories and so when they're reprinted for the 10th time(an exaggeration I know), they're kind of lost on me. On the other hand, there's still a lot of Barks stories I haven't read that when they're reprinted, I don't mind seeing them, since they're new to me. I guess perhaps one way to avoid the reprinting syndrome is to not reprint Barks' absolute best known stories, since those are the stories most likely to have been read by many people. <BR>
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Overall, I've been pretty satisfied with Gemstone's comics(though in the coming issues, there will be more issues with reprinted stories I've read before). And so far I'm pretty happy with the variety of stories(though Gottfredson, etc. have been ecluded so far). There have been times in Disney comics when you would have thought Barks, Rosa and Van Horn were the only people who made Disney comics stories if the issues were anything to go by. I think a good balance has been achieved as far as that goes. Like showing the great Shambor stories, etc. <BR>
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And I really like the Italian stories, especially Romano Scarpa, but I hope Gemstone doesn't publish many of them. Maybe it's just me, but whenever Italian stories become prevalent in Disney comics, that usually means the death kneel of the line. In Gladstone series I, toward the end, usually at least every issue had an Italian story. Then Disney Comics came in and you seemingly saw less of them. Then towards Disney's end, you had an increase(though not as much as series I). When in 1997/98, there were so many Scarpa stories in Gladstone series 2, I knew the line didn't have long to live. ;) So for the sake of the Gemstone line, use Scarpa stories sparingly. ;) <BR>
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As for the titles, I think DDA is the best. There hasn't been a lemon for a story so far in the three issues. And DD and Friends and MM and Friends have turned out a lot better than I initially thought they might(they may be aimed more towards kids, but the stories are still interesting).<BR>
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To Jonathan Gray: You draw for the Sonic the Hedgehog comic? I'll check out the latest issue then. Though a Super Mario comic would be even better. ;)<BR>
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Derek Smith</FONT></HTML>