DCML digest, Vol 1 #9 - 12 msgs

[Don Rosa]

This discussion of "the best Disney comics" still fascinates me... but I'm
noticing one thing here....
I completely understand why several folks say they prefer the weeklies over
the fancy French or Italian or Greek editions. I see their point. But I
notice that the reasons they give for that preference and for others'
preference of those fancy editions is cockeyed. The logic is backwards.
They are the ones who prefer the weeklies because they are knowledgeable
Disney-comics experts who have seen all the old stories umpteen times and
know all they need to know about the history and writers and artists.
Others prefer the fancy editions simply because they love to see the best
of the best presented in a manner that it deserves, *regardless* of how
many times they've seen those stories before.
Take this hypothetical situation, silly as it is: suddenly every Disney
comics reader in the world forgets his/her past knowledge of Disney
comics... and simultaneously they are implanted with a universal-translator
chip in their bean so that they can read any language on earth. Then they
are all sent *free* subscriptions to the standard weekly (minus the toys)
as well as PICSOU and/or KOMIX and/or ZIO PAPERONE and/or (if it were still
possible) any Gladstone deluxe title or I MAESTRI DISNEY. So, here they are
now reading all these stories, new or old, for the first time ever (and I'd
say that's the normal situation with about 99.999% of the *average* readers
of *any* Disney comic published today, anyway, but never mind, back to this
hypothetical deal...). They are reading the standard weekly with a nearly
random selection of stories, mediocre coloring, mediocre printing, bad
lettering, good translations only when an inspired translator works on
them, no texts. Then they are also reading these other editions which have
gorgeous production values, interesting writing on the histories of the
material (which they can skip if they are not interested in such stuff),
and stories that are the *best of the best* of the last half-century,
hand-picked each issue by experts.
With all these factors being equal.... which comics would be the ones that
would be the unanimous choice as the best Disney comics? Or easier still,
which comics would be the unanimous choice as being the *least*
interesting? It's obvious, eh?
But sure, if you already know all you want about the "best of the best",
it's more interesting seeing something new! Yet what you *prefer* to read
is not the definition of "best available" in that instance... it's "that
which I have not yet seen". And that's great. But not best.
(And no "alphabetical lists" this time. I screwed up a lengthy three-item
list last time... I don't want to try something that difficult again!)