Gemstone Stripped of Strips?

[JTorci3511@aol.com]

Gary Leach dropped somewhat of a bomb on us by saying:

>> The Disney comic book license no longer covers the reprinting of comic 
strips - that's now a license in itself. >>

With so much discussion of the prolonged situation in which Gemstone and 
Disney meticulously negotiated matters over a period of years, I must confess that 
it is a surprise to learn this.  

Oh, well... it is a small sacrifice to make when considering the great 
quality of that which has come from Timonium so far.  Aside from the long awaited 
returns of Rosa, Van Horn (both of them), and the Blocks, the contents of DONALD 
DUCK ADVENTURES # 1 was simply amazing.  Hopefully, however, a frequently 
asked question can be answered, without revealing details that, perhaps, we 
should not be privy to.  

In terms of this licensing agreement, what defines a "comics strip story" vs. 
a "comic book story"?  Is ANYTHING that in any way originates in the 
Gottfredson MM strip, the Taliaferro DD strip, the Silly Symphonies strip, etc. 
ineligible for publication by Gemstone?    

If the contents of a strip has already been reformatted for comic book 
publication, is that version eligible because it HAS been published as a comic book 
story?  Or, is it ineligible because of its comic strip origins?  

Can the version of "MM Outwits the Phantom Blot" that was "created" for the 
MM CLUB PARADE comic book of the 1950s be used (...if for no other reason than 
it includes original artwork by Paul Murry created for comic book 
publication)?  

Can the Dick Moores/Bill Right serialized version of "MM Outwits the Phantom 
Blot" created for 1950s issues of WDC&S be used?  It is legitimately comic 
BOOK art, though adapted from a comic strip.  

Can anything Western or Gladstone reformatted to comic book form be used?  

I'll assume that anything never before seen in comic book form will remain so 
under the prevailing situation.  

We've just taken for granted that the inclusion of Disney strip material 
(...dating back to WDC&S # 1) is an accepted part of the mix.  It seems so strange 
for this to not be so.  

An afterthought:  Steve Geppi was quoted early on to be considering a set of 
WDC&S archives, at least for the earliest issues.  How would the exclusion of 
all strip material affect such a project?  

Gary, you've been an incredible and greatly appreciated source of information 
to this community.  If at all possible, please elaborate to whatever extent 
you can.  

Thanks,

Joe Torcivia.      
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