Disney-comics digest #214.

[Torsten Wesley Adair]

On 17 Jan 1994, Don Rosa wrote:
> DAVID:
> 	The JWW emblem -- well, yes, at one time I'd sneak it into the
> circle on the hats of the Woodchucks in spots where it isn't too
> noticeable... but, of course, I "officially" leave it off since it's
> just gibberish to any market but the tiny American one. I didn't even

Couldn't the non-JWW countries just redraw the emblem?  Or just blot it
out with a colored circle?  Or is allowing publishers to edit part of the
art too slippery a slope?

And what do the Boy Scouts use as an international emblem?  Is there one,
or does each country have it's own logo?  Perhaps the Duckburg branch of
the JWW could have a specific logo, and for whatever country Duckburg is
located in (whichever the reader chooses), that is the JWW logo.  

I haven't seen the GotLL story yet, so I can't comment on that aspect.

> try to sneak it into the corners of the "GotLL" story since a key part
> of the story hinged on it and I think I just felt better leaving it out
> entirely. I've added it to the art in the important spots for Gladstone,
> and John says he might just be nice enough to stick it on all the other
> hats and books. I HOPE he'll at least stick it on the hats and books on
> the cover.
> 
> 	And though you seem to know an extraordinary amount of stuff
> about things Disney, you do sometimes ask questions I would think you
> could see the obvious answer to: why doesn't Gladstone arrange to have
> its comics placed at grocery store check out lines. Don't you realize
> the HUGE amount of money that each publisher must pay for each space for
> each magazine you see in that tiny area across the country??? I think
> they literally need to BUY the racks or something, and pay rent for the
> space in one trillion (some odd?) stores across North America. One
> reason I suspected (and still suspect) that Disney is still publishing
> its DIGEST is that it has SOOOOOO much money invested in that rack space
> that it is treating the DIGEST as an advertisement of its TV shows and
> continues to publish it at a loss and because they may well have a
> contract to that shelf space that they can't get out of. And consider
> the physical size of the DIGEST compared to Gladstone's 6 comics! I
> wager there isn't a publisher in America that could afford to even place
> TWO magazines in those check out lanes, much less six. So, you can save
> time hoping for that possible marketing idea.

Here's an idea.  I didn't say this, so don't quote me.  Whenever you go to
a grocery store or department store which has magazine racks near the
cashiers, take some copies of Gladstone comics, and leave them in the
racks, in front of other magazines.  Maybe someone will pick one up.

I don't know what the sales figures are for cashier racks, but I do know
that Panini (the sticker album company) used to do this, so I don't think
it would be too difficult for Gladstone/Disney/Marvel, especially
Disney/Marvel.

Oh, Don, you lost the wager.  Time/Warner places People and Life by
checkouts.  If DC Comics (owned by Warner) had the rights to Disney,
they'd probably be there by now.  I wouldn't be surprised if the new
Looney Tunes comic book is place near checkouts.

A question:  What is the strangest place you have seen a Disney comic book
for sale?  Open air bazaar in Tibet?  Research station in Antarctica? 
Disney store in the U.S.?

Torsten Adair	torsten at cwis.unomaha.edu	Omaha, NE, USA