Disney-comics digest #645.

[DAVID.A.GERSTEIN]

WES:
> [In FG's "Island in the Sky"] Captain Doberman is a dashing, 
> debonair, Clark Gable-esqe Air Force commander . . . [while in "The 
>Mail Pilot"] Captain Doberman seemed to be a Sad Sack mutt.
Er -- the Sad Sack character in "The Mail Pilot" is Captain 
Doberman's mechanic, Gloomy, isn't it?  The only change in Cap 
Doberman over the years is that he's quite stocky in his first three 
stories, substantially thinner in "The Pirate Submarine," and his 
final, svelte self after that.  I don't think his personality changed 
all that much.

STEVE:
I had two Gladstone subscriptions in the 1980s, and the comics were 
always slow.  I don't think they ever actually lost one, but they 
were awfully sluggish in reaching my doorstep at times.  So don't 
worry, the comic is most likely yet to come.

JOHN L.:
> The situation you describe [strict formats that Gladstone uses for 
> DD and DM, laid down by Bruce Hamilton] is based--I assume--on what
> Gladstone is currently doing with those titles. Will that continue to be the
> case? Have you talked or written to John Clark to find out?
Yes.
> I can't think of any reason why Bruce Hamilton would (or should) 
> change his approach to business just because we tell him we'd like to 
> have more of our stories printed.
You want reasons?  I've got 'em!
A)  THE UPHOLD-YOUR-SLOGAN REASON.  Hamilton's subscription ads 
actually ANNOUNCE that he's printing your stories, John.  He isn't.
B)  THE ECONOMIC REASON.  The "Mickey" stories in DM sell badly even 
to Mickey fans, from what I've heard.
C)  THE READER-INPUT REASON.  At least 50% of the letters in DD 
actually discussing the comic (many are simply trivia questions) 
criticize its AT overload.  Similar situation in DM.
D)  THE "BRUCE'S FAVORITES" REASON.  Stories that Bruce Hamilton 
likes (i. e. Goofy 44-pagers) gets printed.  Mr. Hamilton also sees 
very few of the new Egmont stories, because Gladstone's foreign 
reference subscriptions are delivered to the office, and he works 
outside the office a lot of the time.  So the sets of "What Bruce 
Hamilton Likes" and "New Egmont Stories" don't intersect often merely 
because they don't have the CHANCE to.  If Mr. Hamilton received a 
package of "Egmont stories by Lustig, Gerstein, Rawson, Gilbert, and 
Ingersoll," along with letters from the lot of us, things might 
change.  I have the strong conviction that our current stories would 
be a hit with him.

DAVE:  On the phone, you once mentioned having done some Mickey 
stories with Eli Squinch.  Can you perhaps tell us which ones these 
are and when we might expect to see them anywhere?  Have you used any 
other vintage FG characters?

David Gerstein
<9475609 at arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
"The only way for anyone to get ahead of Mickey Mouse -- is to run in 
front of him!"