Disney Italia

[Sue and Gary Leach]

Rob:

As I understand it, Disney Italia is a division of Disney, not a licensee
(or franchisee). Back in the late 1980s-early 1990s Disney served Mondadori,
the longtime Italian Disney comics licensee, with their walking papers (at
about the same time, and it would seem with about the same level of thought
and sensitivity, as they did Gladstone), and established Disney Italia in
the same expansive spirit as they'd established Disney Comics, along with
reorganized practically their entire publishing sector, in the U.S. Disney
Italia, however, inherited a line that was (seen from here, certainly) very
well established in both scope, style, and success, and there seems to have
been little Disney did re corporate oversight except say "Carry on!".
Anyway, whatever there is to say about Italian artists going "off model"
these days, it would appear to be with the tacit blessing of Disney that
they do so.