Time Out Periods for American Disney Comics

[JTorci3511@aol.com]

Mads Jensen wrote:

"I just browsed a bit through INDUCKs, and noticed the dates for US 210 and 
WDC 511, and then looked at the previous issues, and saw that there was a 
gap of about 2 years. AFAIK the previous publisher was Whitman, and then 
Gladstone. Have there been any other time out periods for American Disney 
comics than this one and then from 1999 to 2003 ?

"It just seems weird to me that there could be a period from 1984 to 1986 as 
comics must have been more popular at that time, than they seem to be now in 
USA."

Comics WERE more popular at the time, but Whitman simply was unable to adapt 
to the changes brought on by the new "Direct Market" for comics.  They 
continued to primarily market their product as a toy manufacturer would, and failed 
to seize upon a (...pardon the pun, for those who get it) "Golden" opportunity. 
 

True, there was a gap of about two years between REGULARLY PUBLISHED USA 
Disney comics between Whitman and Gladstone Series I.  

BUT, until 1999, there was never an entire year with no Duck and Mouse comics 
published in the US.  Bruce Hamilton released "Prestige Format" reprints of 
"Disneyland Birthday Party" (...with a new cover by Barks, that was used for 
the first CBL Hardcover set) and "Uncle Scrooge Goes to Disneyland" in 1985.  
Both were also released in "Digest Size".  

By doing do, Hamilton kept alive a streak of consecutive years going back to 
1940 and WDC&S # 1.  (...even further, if you count "Mickey Mouse Magazine").  


So, thanks to the Walt Disney Company and its ridiculous legal machinations, 
the period of 1999 thru mid-2003 has been the only sustained period in which 
we Americans did not have our Duck and Mouse comics.  

During those years, there were various movie adaptations published by Dark 
Horse, and maybe others, like "Atlantis" -- so there might not have actually 
been a single year where there were NO Disney comics of ANY kinds published in 
the USA.  I didn't care enough about this material to bother keeping track.  

LONG LIVE GEMSTONE!!!  

Joe Torcivia.  




 
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