DCML Digest Issue 5

[Don Rosa]

> From: "Olaf Solstrand" <olaf.solstrand at andebyonline.com>
>>>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

Yes! You have it precisely! Congratulations!

>>>I talk to an American (on this list or anywhere else), I get a stronger
feeling that Americans are NOT like that

You are not communicating with the average American on this ML or probably
anywhere else I could imagine.

>>>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

That's exactly what I am talking about -- it's not the label itself, it's
the reaction of a potential American reader that I fear. All I want is the
success of Gemstone! If there had been other nominations *outside* of this
one category, even if those awards were not won, I would have no qualms.

>>>WHY does this award exist?

The Eisners are the industry patting itself on the back, which is great, I'm
all for it. People who go to the comics shops hear something about the
awards. But the general public never hears anything about any "Eisner
Awards" and if they did, they would assume it's obviously Michael Eisner
giving out awards to the 10 billionth guest at Disney World. If Gemstone
mentions the award on the cover of UNCLE $CROOGE as Gladstone did in the
90's, I sure hope they only say "EISNER AWARD WINNER!" and only describe
exactly *which* award it is in fine print inside, so the potential buyer at
the comics shop will first buy the comic and read it and enjoy it before
learning his "mistake" and deciding it was not a mistake if he can think
that freely.

>>>>Has the nominination committees changed that much since the Gladstone
days?

The Eisner nomination committee changes completely *each year*. That's done
to avoid such a prejudice as I describe I fear took place this year. That's
why I said hopefully we'll see a change next year. But I am uncomfortable
seeing a precedent like this set -- perhaps future nomination committees
will always look back at past nominations to focus their ideas on everything
meeting "accepted labels" which is part of the peer-approval aspect of this
society. Or perhaps the next committee will be more of the European
free-thinker types. We'll see......