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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you go this link: <A
href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=&author=&select-author=field-author-like&title=&select-title=field-title&subject=&select-subject=field-subject&field-publisher=gemstone&field-isbn=&node=&field-binding=&field-age=&field-language=&field-dateop=before&field-datemod=0&field-dateyear=2009&chooser-sort=rank%21%2Bdaterank&mysubmitbutton1.x=52&mysubmitbutton1.y=12">http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=&author=&select-author=field-author-like&title=&select-title=field-title&subject=&select-subject=field-subject&field-publisher=gemstone&field-isbn=&node=&field-binding=&field-age=&field-language=&field-dateop=before&field-datemod=0&field-dateyear=2009&chooser-sort=rank%21%2Bdaterank&mysubmitbutton1.x=52&mysubmitbutton1.y=12</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>you can see the titles Gemstone has listed they are
publishing through August 1st.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>At first glance, I noticed there were no "Shonen
Jump" style titles listed. However, there very well may be some titles
released in this format by August 2007. Amazon never listed the $2.95
titles, so I think there is a good chance that they also would not list or sell
a Shonen Jump style title that is sold for a cheap price more as a magazine than
a book. So hopefully we will get a few issues of such a title by or before
August of next year.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In April the first "Spring Fever" volume is listed
which I assume is one of the two new annuals that Gemstone is
releasing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>May brings a $8.50 title that reprints Barks'
classic Pygmy Indian story along with Rosa's "War of the Wendigo".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>June brings two trade paperbacks. The first
is the next Walt Disney Treasures Volume. The other is a collection of
DuckTales stories first printed when Disney Comics had the North American
license.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Finally, in July comes the $8.50 "Donald Duck: Case
of the Missing Mummy"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have to admit that at first glance I am not very
impressed, and am in fact kind of worried at what seems to be a new direction
for Gemstone. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First a more minor point, that being prices.
Why are the two $8.50 titles priced that high? They both have the same
page amount as the monthly prestige titles but have a higher price. Why is
that necessary?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I very much understood Gemstone raising the price
of the prestige titles to $7.50, especially since there had not been a price
increase in about a decade. However by July, they are raising prices
*again* this time to $7.99! Are paper prices going up *that* fast?
>From a PR point of view, wouldn't it have made more sense to just raise them to
$7.99 to begin with? Why anger buyers with *two* price increase in 6
months when there had been no price increases for about 10 years? I just
do not get that.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My overall biggest disappointment and concern is
that Gemstone seems to be starting to focus primarily on re-re-reprinting
stories. So far I have thought Gemstone has done a pretty good job
concerning reprints. There have been some Barks, Rosa, and Van Horn
reprints, but they have not dominated the titles. This seems to be
changing though. Even titles like the next two annuals and the next
Treasures TPB have more re-re-prints than before. Along with the two new
TPBs including either all or mostly reprinted stories, how about a TPB that
contains all *new* stories? Is there so little confidence that an all new
TPB would just not sell?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We now only have two regular titles each
month. With less titles each month, you would think re-re-reprints should
be kept to a minimum. Yet that seems to be the opposite of what is
happening. In the first 8 issues of Uncle Scrooge to be published in 2007,
4 of these issues have a Rosa reprint! Before there were not 4 Rosa
reprints in U$ in a whole year, and that is when we had more titles each
month! Of course that does not even count Vacation Parade 4, Pygmy/Wendigo
and the next Walt Disney Treasures TPB which *all* feature Rosa
reprints! Does Gemstone feel it cannot sell even two monthly titles
without continually re-re-reprinting Barks and Rosa stories? If so, I
would at least like them to come out and say so. If that is the case
though, I do not see much of a future for Disney comics in North America.
Also, what happens in say 3 or 4 years when they have reprinted all of Don's
stories again in U$ or WDC&S or annuals? Do we then start over having
them re-re-reprinted *again*? Should I "look forward" to seeing the
Life and Times of Scrooge stories re-re-reprinted in U$ in 2009 or
2010?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don't think the readers of any other line of
comics have to deal with getting so many re-reprints all of the time. Try
this example. Marvel Comics has printed a monthly comic book called
"Fantastic Four" since the early 1960's. The first 100 or so issue were
done by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and are considered classic stories. "FF"
is still published monthly to this day. Imagine though if every second or
third issue of "FF" had a Lee and Kirby reprint in it? Would not that be
absurd? Aren't readers each month looking for *new* stories which they
have not read before? I don't think any other comic publisher could get
away with re-reprinting stories in their monthly titles like we have to deal
with Disney comics!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now lets take it one step further. Imagine
Marvel using a Lee and Kirby "FF" re-reprint every few months if there were
*hundreds* of "FF" stories that were already written and drawn but never printed
yet! Imagine how fans would feel then! Yet that is just the case
when it comes to Disney comics. We get re-reprints after re-reprints when
there are *thousands* of stories that have never seen print in North
America! Does that make any sense? Why in the world can't we have
more new stories, especially considering that Gemstone does not even have
to pay for them to be written or drawn??? I realize that Gemstone still
has to color them and letter them, and sometimes have new dialogue
written. However isn't that a *far* cry from having to pay for the new
stories themselves?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now is there is a place for reprinting these Lee
and Kirby classic "FF" stories? Of course! However, the one place
*not* to reprint them is the current monthly "FF" title! Marvel and DC
both reprint their most classic stories in not just one but *two* formats!
They both have a line of high priced archives. And they also both have low
priced black and white versions where you get over 500 pages for about
$16.00. Why can't Gemstone have a line or two that reprints classic
stories, and at the same time leave their monthly titles for new to North
America stories? Why do we have to get so many re-reprints with
comparatively few new stories?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would really like to hear what other members on
this mailing list who buy Gemstone comics monthly have to think about
this. And if there are people who *do* like seeing re-re-reprints much
more than new stories, can you please explain why? Perhaps I am just not
seeing this the right way and someone can help me look at it from a different
view. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>At this point though I am losing much of my
enthusiasm for the future of Disney comics in North America and I *love*
Disney comics, even more than it perhaps makes sense to do so! How
exciting can it be though to get even *more* copies of stories I already
have... Perhaps the new Shonen Jump style title will focus on new
stories. Yet I have a bad feeling that Gemstone will take the "cheap" and
"easy" way out and just fill lots of them with more re-re-reprints.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I realize that Gemstone wants to talk about their
new titles and direction at their own place and time. Wherever and
whenever that happens though, could Gemstone *please* address why they are to my
way of thinking largely giving up on new stories?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dean Rekich</FONT></DIV>
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