DCML Digest, Vol 18, Issue 5

[Olaf Solstrand]

On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 15:42:49 +0200, <dcml-request at stp.ling.uu.se> wrote:

>> From: "Olaf Solstrand" <olaf.solstrand at andebyonline.com>
>> Being pinned to a young audience can't scare the older audience away.
>
> This is where you are wrong and which is exactly my point. This is  
> America. I was not referring to the future success of the sales of
> and individual's perception of Disney comics in Europe. I have
> traveled throughout Europe and one of the things that most amazes
> and pleases me is how people, kids and adults, *think for
> themselves*. It is not uncommon to see an adult reading a Disney
> comic on a train, or see a young person reading both SANDMAN and
> DONALD DUCK, or listening to both heavy metal and Benny Goodman CDs.  
> That's NOT how it is with American youth! (Or their parents!)

Hm ... OK. I hope that you understand that it is very hard for a  
Scandinavian (at least for this particular one) to understand that. To me,  
what you're saying almost sounds like Americans don't have free human  
minds, but are just a bunch of zombies who walk around without purpose,  
watch some TV and eat the food they see advertised there, vote for whoever  
spends most money on their election campaign and read whatever comic they  
know for sure wouldn't be appropriate for their children. And ... whenever  
I talk to an American (on this list or anywhere else), I get a stronger  
feeling that Americans are NOT like that, but free individuals, able to  
think individually like everybody else in the world. Anyhow ...

If this is a matter of how the American mind works, you would know that  
better than me. It just seemed strange to me. I thought we were talking  
about what lays in the word "suited for a younger audience", but if you  
were talking about how Americans interpret those words, I quit arguing  
because I know you have a much better knowledge of that than I do.



> The knowledge that something is "aimed at a younger
> audience" will absolutely scare away the older audience in America, and I
> don't want that to happen to our Disney comics, not when we have such a
> shaky grip on keeping them around!

I agree, but ... then WHY does this award exist? If being suited for a  
younger audience is known to be something bad affecting sales, shouldn't  
the Eisner people just stop giving it?



> We want them to be as successful as
> possible here -- we don't want outside forces like prejudiced nomination
> committees to limit their appeal.

Hm ... I have to ask a few questions to the way you use the word  
"prejudiced".

One: Has the nominination committees changed that much since the Gladstone  
days?

Two: Todd Klein mentioned in his mail July 27th that he'd thought about  
taking his name out of the running. If this prize really is so bad,  
couldn't Gemstone do the same?

Three: What makes you sure that is is this prejudice that has caused  
Gemstone not to get any other nominations? We have an equivalent to the  
Eisner award in Norway, the Sproingprisen. (and yes, it has a category for  
foreign comics). Disney comics hasn't won that award since in 1997 when  
Egmont managed to dig up a Carl Barks story never published in Norway  
before. But that's not because the Disney comics have been BAD! That's  
because other comics have been BETTER than the Disney comics! Yes, I know  
you're a donaldist like me, Don. But couldn't it be possible that Uncle  
Scrooge wasn't nominated to "Best humor title" simply because it wasn't  
_as good as_ the titles nominated?


-- 
O l a f   S o l s t r a n d

http://www.andebyonline.com/olaf/
    My web page

http://www.andebyonline.com/olaf/stories.php
    Index of Disney comics I've written