Gladstone and Furries

[rich.bellacera@amail.amdahl.com]

Are all Gladstone Disney comics going to be "reprints only"?  No new, fresh
material?  :-(  Don't get me wrong, I like the reprints, especially when we
(in the U.S.) are treated to some of the foriegn market stories, but I find
sort of sad to think that Disney comics are just rehash of old stories.  I'd
like to continue to see some modern twists to our favorite furries.  I guess
we will still be treated to some new stories featuring Disney's more
contemporary titles (Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Rangers, Roger Rabbit,
Bonkers, Goof Troop, Marsupilami, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Tailspin)
only in the digests Disney Adventures and Colossal Comics Collection.  I just
wish they'd get rid of that "Jack the Lego-maniac" featurette and replace it
with something else, and that we'd be treated with an occasional Gummi Bears
feature, too.  But the stories in these digests are rarely very long and don't
quite have the feel of a full-sized comic. :-(

BTW, someone commented that France's "Disney Babies" features were "for
babies" and I meant to respond, though not to flame.  Just to remind him/her
that many people still hold that comics are for babies, too.  Despite the
great following that they have in the adult arena.  I personally like to share
the Disney Babies golden books and such with my nieces and nephews, as well as
appreciate their history within the Disney company, themselves.  I really
think Disney could do much more with them.  I have noticed that, of late, they
have expanded the line to include the young versions of Bambi, Thumper and
Flower.

However, speaking of "furries" I was wondering if there was a definition
anywhere concerning exactly "what is a furry?" I recently posted this to
the internet and will share it here too:
----------( Enclosure 1 follows )-------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been wondering if there is a genuine definition of a "furry?"  If not
I would like to suggest the following:

furry - (noun) From the usually hirsuit nature of an animal depicted in comics
and animated features.  The designated term for any anthropomorphic cartoon
character, usually of the hirsuit variety (bears, mice, dogs, etc.), but may
include amphibians, crustateans, fowl and other normally non-human creatures.
Typical furries include Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, or Yogi Bear.  Other, non-
furry furries include Sebastian (TLM), Daffy Duck, and Wally Gator.  Also,
normally non-organic "animate" objects may also be considered furries.  Such
non-organic animate objects include Benny the Cab (WFRR), Brave Little
Toaster, and Casey Jr. (Disney). Characters who are usually depicted as non-
anthropomorphic furries include Figaro the Kitten (Pinocchio), Pluto the Pup,
and the like.  Also, there are those furries which are only temporarily
transformed into furries for a limited or undefined period of time, such as
The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Beast (BaTB), the little boy/cat from Rock-a-
doodle, and even Mrs. Potts (BaTB).

However, I can see where there might be some confusion around characters who
are already one type of furry who are temporarily transformed into another
type of furry.  Then there are Semi-Furries like Ariel the Mermaid and non-
Furries, like Mr. Magoo.  Or even Xeno-Furries (strange furries) which are
roughly humanoid, but do not correspond to any "real" animal-like creature,
such as Smurfs, Schmoo, Go-Go, and spectral forms like Slimer (The Real Ghost-
busters).

Furry
  -Anthropomorphic Furries          Others:
  -Non-hirsuit Furries                 -Semi-Furries
  -Non-organic Furries                 -Xeno-Furries
  -Non-anthropomorphic Furries         -Non-Furries (usually Humans)
  -Temporary Furries

Rich the Furry