On Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse Strips (with an answer to Alecto)

[Olivier]

Hi!


Eta:
>>>Besides, the quality's not worth the price, even if appreciation
>>>of said printing quality varies wildly among my acquaintances
>>>who own it, from "alright, perfectly acceptable" to plain
>>>"unspeakable".

Some are darker, but here's nothing I'd qualify as "unspeakable".
I got mine from Laqua in '99; I don't remember the price exactly (what with
the shipping & now the euro), but it was expensive indeed; however, given
Disney's publishing policy I figured this was the closest I might come to a
Gottfredson dailies anthology. I certainly don't regret buying it, and would
gladly buy a nice (compelte) Gottfredson Library from Gemstone.



Joakim:

>>> If you are speaking of the German release I believe that it was
>>> issued with a licence.

>From what I gathered, they did have a licence / agreement at the beginning,
but the Disney Company backed out at some point, and the publisher kept
publishing it nonetheless, for those who had already ordered (plus extra
sets), limiting the run to 300 instead of  500.

Now that we have uncut cartoon shorts on DVD (thanks to Roy Disney I
believe), someone needs to strongly suggests them & convince them (through
Roy, then) to do the same with Gottfredson. Not "just" a few reprints in the
comics, but a complete, annotated Library (with Leonard Maltin-like
introductions: "there are stereotypes, but nothing downright racist; it's
part of  our history").
Releasing the strips might also clarify this point: namely, that they were
not banned (in recent years) because they supposedly convey a racist message
and show a dark evil side of  the Disney Company, but because the Company
was afraid people might be vexed. I don't see the harm of  showing Mickey
fighting the Nazis, either, and some might think they're hiding these strips
because they contain pro-Nazi material.
It's a good thing they don't own the rights to such works as "Gone With the
Wind" (a novel/movie about Southerners who have slaves? burn it! burn it!).


Cord:

>>>So if there is some definite information on the copyright status they
could be copied or even shared for free on
>>>the internet.
>>>On the other hand *I* won't be the one to risk the wrath of Disney's
lawyers...

Why do you think the webmaster(s?) who posted some 1930 strips early this
year didn't leave them on the site?
;)



Alecto:
>>> Are there story codes for these old strips?, I've just obtained a very
early
>>> Australian MM comic that I'd like to index but I can't find the codes.
It's a 48
>>> page comic with 4 panels per page, I'm not sure how many stories are in
it
>>> (might be just one), the comic starts off with MM building a Mini golf
course,
>>> later in the book another mouse called "Mr Slicker" takes up with Minnie
so
>>> Mickey starts trying various methods of killing himself.

I'm not aware of  any code; I don't remember seeing any, just the copyright
& date.
"Mickey Mouse in Color" indexes it as:
"Mr Slicker and the Egg Robbers" (Sept 22 - Dec 26, 1930)
Written & penciled by Floyd Gottfredson,
inked by Floyd Gottfredson & Hardie Kramatky (Sept 22 - Nov 15) and Earl
Duvall.

I've copied the list on my site:
http://ob7.free.fr/mice_and_ducks/
(click on Mickey, then choose List).
I hope I have corrected the typos-- a few mix-ups in the dates (inverting
month & day; you spot them easily); all my biggest apologies if  there are
any left. I need to proofread it again.


All the best,


Olivier
(about to re-format :(   )