<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">Hi all!<BR>
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This is a sort of observation/complaint/question post. I'm sure probably a few of you check out Scoop, Gemstone's online comics newsletter. Query: Why can't they ever get the release dates right for Gemstone Disney comics? I mean, does the rest of Gemstone/Diamond purposely keep them in the dark? Examples below:<BR>
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<A HREF="http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=7283&si=121">http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=7283&si=121</A> <BR>
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Traditionally, the two $3 comics come out in the same week, though Scoop previews them seperately. Says MMF 273 is due out on January 5th. Didn't happen. Which is fine, delays happen. But...<BR>
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<A HREF="http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=7346&si=121">http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=7346&si=121</A> <BR>
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The article itself doesn't mention the release date, but look at Scoop's January 7th archives and it says DDF 324 is due out next week (meaning January 12th). Again, did not happen. But no problem, delays happen. But then...<BR>
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<A HREF="http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=7408&si=121">http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=7408&si=121</A> <BR>
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US 338 being released on January 19th. But Diamond doesn't have it scheduled and the $3 comics have yet to come out yet. So the real release date for US 338 (assuming DDF/MMF do come out on the 19th as scheduled by Diamond) is January 26th. So even when the US article was written, Scoop, just by the process of deduction, had to know the date was wrong. And yet the article says the 19th for US 338 anyway. Why? <BR>
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I can't wait for Friday's article previewing WDC saying it'll be released next week (January 26th). That'll be the first time Scoop's been right about a Gemstone Disney release in a good while. :p<BR>
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I just don't see how they can be so consistently wrong about release dates from their own company. When it comes to profiling the latest "Thank goodness Dad and Mom are finally dead so I can sell off all they had for maximun profit on eBay" auctions*, Scoop is accurate. But when it comes to Disney comics, heck no.<BR>
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I'd just like to know what's the cause of all this. **<BR>
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Derek Smith<BR>
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*Yes I realize kids, grandkids sometimes sell their ancestors stuff out of sheer necessity (gotta pay the estate tax/property tax or else the gov't will make you wish you weren't born) or because some of the stuff simply isn't useful or means anything to anyone in the family. Buit it seems more and more that people sell their parents, etc. stuff simply to get all they can, without thought to their own heritage and sentimalism.<BR>
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**All the above about Scoop is hereby retracted if for some reason my comics shop hasn't gotten the comics in yet/Diamond's scehdule has been wrong for weeks (not saying a Disney comic was released, when it was).</FONT></HTML>