Gladstone/Gemstone not again.....

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

RODNEY BOWCOCK to me, 22-12-2003:

>> I think those prestige format comics should contain rarities, 
>> like *facsimiles* of Barks stories that have never been 
>> reprinted in their original form. That way, I even would have 
>> been glad to see this 'Only a Poor Old Man' tale again.

> What about everyone else?  According to the letter columns, 
> there are people reading these new books that have never read 
> a Disney comic book before.

First, I said that I wouldn't mind seeing the story if it would have 
been a *facsimile* reprint (a direct reproduction of the original 
comic). That way, *both* newbies and CODs (crunchy old dinosaurs) 
would have had something to enjoy.

Second, those letters in the letters columns have been *selected* by 
the comic's editorial staff themselves. So, as a matter of fact, it's 
highly debatable if such letter columns provide a neutral source of 
information.

> Should they be deprived of reading this story because long-time 
> fans have several copies of it?  In my area, at least, back issues 
> of Disney books are tough to find and this may be the only chance 
> for them to see this story.

Even if those stories need to be re-reprinted by using the same 
retouched/redrawn reprint source, they can be published in *regular* 
comics, or in comics/albums especially devoted to reprints. In the 
1990s, there was a nice comic book series titled "Penny Pincher", 
for example. 

What bothers me is that re-reprints are published as fillers in 
an expensive prestige format comic. For me, it makes both the stories 
and the $6,95 prestige format look *very* cheap. 

I'm sure that the making of these comics need a lot of effort and 
devotion, but for me personally it does not show in the results. 

>> And what about Gottfredson? And what about rare Taliaferro stuff, 
>> which has never been reprinted before? Just to name two other 
>> classic artists.

> Gary Leach has spoken on this subject before.  Gemstone does not 
> have a license to reprint newspaper strips yet.

Okay, but what about all the other classic artists? There's a lot of 
classic material gathering dust, in archives and/or awful conditions. 
Reprints in a nice prestige format comic would be the only chance for 
us to see those stories.

--- Daniël