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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">First, I’d like to thank Dean, Jonathan, Oliver,
Francesco, and everyone else – especially those at Gemstone – for maintaining
such a lively discussion on Gemstone’s direction and the Gottfredson
Library.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Here are my long thoughts
on the subjects at hand – broken up into separate posts on each subject.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Of every project that could possibly be done within the
realm of Disney comics, the Gottfredson Library is probably the most important
and the most vital (given that proper tribute has already been paid to Carl
Barks in many ways) because so much of Gottfredson’s work remains unseen by the
general public.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Excepting Sunday strips, the Gottfredson Library material
should be in Black and White.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’m
am NOT a fan of B&W comic books or comic material – and I am on record as
stating that I would not buy the thick B&W collections, if Gemstone were to
publish them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, as the daily
strip material was originally in B&W, it would be the most accurate
representation for it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Not unlike
the Popeye and Dick Tracy collections that are out right now.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">As for censorship, or “editorial prerogative”, we may be
in the best place in recent memory for the Gottfredson Library to happen!<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There are certain strips I don’t believe
we will ever see in any “authorized” fashion, but things seem to be far better
now than they were in the eighties and nineties.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We stand to get MORE of the material in
this climate than we would have gotten at any other time.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">I think it will always be a matter of DEGREE.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For those familiar with the LOONEY TUNES
GOLDEN COLLECTION DVD sets, we are now at a point where we CAN have an uncut
“Porky at the Crocadero” – but will likely never have “Coal Black an’ de Sebben
Dwarfs”.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Personally, I’ll take the
former and run… even if we never get the latter.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">But, never forget that the pendulum swings back and
forth… and Gemstone should go full-throttle with the Gottfredson Library right
now, before things change again!<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Oh, and as an American of Italian descent, I’ll say that
I’d prefer to have the Italian Fruit Vendors and such portrayed as they
originally were -- and that no offense will be taken.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Unlike the more personally offensive
stereotypes seen each week on The Sopranos, such persons worked hard at an
honest living.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As did both my
grandfathers – one of whom pressed garments and the other scrubbed chewing gum
vats – a job Donald probably had at some point.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Besides, if the Gottfredson Library is a high-end
collector’s hardcover edition, not to be confused with a mass-market, general
audience publication – and is front-loaded with enough apologetic explanatory
text by a historian or two – it should be complete enough to satisfy most of
us.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Joe Torcivia. </FONT></P></o:p></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Check out AOL Money & Finance's list of the <A title="http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001" href="http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001" target="_blank">hottest products</A> and <A title="http://money.aol.com/top5/general/ways-you-are-wasting-money?NCID=aoltop00030000000002" href="http://money.aol.com/top5/general/ways-you-are-wasting-money?NCID=aoltop00030000000002" target="_blank">top money wasters</A> of 2007.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>