Red Alert - Gisele and her Tio Patinhas (Uncle Scrooge) Comics

[asaramelli]

On Saturday August 20, Alexandre Samarelli wrote:>Situation is not good in 
brazilian subsidiary of McDuck Enterprises . Unfortunately, Disney Comics in 
Brazil is in an advanced death penalty process. 

On Thursday, August 25, Alexandre Samarelli wrote: >I and all the brazilian 
comics fans are under red alert. Help us with your >influence, to keep the 
brazilian Disney Comics Quality. 

Could you tell us some more about this "red alert" situation, you seem very 
concerned about? I'm afraid I didn't quite understand the fully extend of 
this. Is your local Disney comics publisher in danger of closing, or is this 
simply a case of them doing too many reprints of old stories and too few new 
ones, and you not liking it? Or is it the quality of new stories, you are 
concerned about? 

Best regards, Ole Daamgard 



Dear Mr. Ole Daamgard and all DCML friends 

I thank you for the ask, and curiosity. It´s good to share this situation 
with the international Disney Comics Fans, because, some times there are 
things only fans are able to observe. 
And with your help we become more stronger to our voice be heard. 

In the first place, I´m going to comment some aspects we observe as readers 
(customers) in Disney Comics brazilian market, and after, my personl opinion 
about the causes : 

Disney comics used to be for many years the top selled products for our 
local publisher, the Editora Abril. From a small publisher in 50's  and 
60's, Editora Abril turned the first brazilian publisher, with an enormous  
industrial and commercial operation. 
Since the end of the local comics histories production, the comics quality 
is decreasing each month. When I say "quality decreasing ", I´m not saying 
about the quality of histories. I´m saying about the quality of print 
product, distribuition ,  promotion  and sales structure : 

- Pages are being cutted. The Tio Patinhas magazine for example, used to be 
printed with 130 pages. Since April 2004 , 100 pages, and this month, 
august,  only 80 pages. 

- There´s no more promotion . In the past, the new magazines used to be 
promoted via TV advertisements,  Now, nothing. Even a little paper 
advertisement in newsstands are made. 

- There´s no more publicity. In the past, each comics used to receive 
advertisment by strong companies like Nestle. Today, nothing. 

- There´s no more people commenting about the stories. Childrens, and teens, 
generally, buy another publishing products. 

- There´s no more subscriptions. The magazines are only selled in the 
newsstands. And newsstands generally don´t sale as sucessful as 
subscriptions systems are . 

And since this month, Editora Abril promoted  nonsense decisions : 

The traditional Almanaque Disney was finished . Almanaque Disney was so 
famous than Topolino is in Italy. In it´s place they began Aventuras Disney, 
with only 80 pages. 

And the worst off all decisions : They decided to sectorize the 
distribuition. I explain : 
They print the comics, send only to the southeast cities ( the richest 
brazilian cities, like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte), and 
after three months, they are going to send  the non selled comics in another 
brazilian cities. 
This decision causes an exclusion feeling in brazilian readers that live on 
"sectorized" cities. If you live in Porto alegre or in Salvador, you are 
under a "second class reader" sensation. 

And now, let´s analyse the causes : 

First of all, Editora Abril created some years ago, new magazines for the 
children public : Revista Recreio, and Witch. Both of them are receiving all 
kind of sales efforts.  The Disney Comics are completely outside of the 
process. 

Second ; Disney Brasil company don´t work integrated with Editora Abril. 
Disney Brasil promote only the new Disney characters, and forgot the 
traditionals. Mr Marcos Rosset, the Disney Brasil President as I obsorve, 
only  acts on the Disney Channel Closed TV . 

And the main problem : They planned the Disney comics to be as cheaper as 
possible. It´s wrong. The real whisper is to act on the "reader quality 
perception". 
Because promotion  less, people dont´t see quality on the comics. 
So, they don´t buy comics! It´s possible to put  the best histories ever 
time created by Disney Artists, and to sale with the cheaper price , people 
are not going to buy. 

Brazilian Comics market, if good management,  is a very profitable market. 
At the same time, I think we are on the point of no return. The next step, 
if nothing professional is done, is to finish the comics production. 

To finish a comics magazine like Uncle Scrooge, in a country where 85 % of 
new enterprises dies in it´s first 5 years old is a crime. Uncle Scrooge is 
the only business world character , who gives the opportunity to talk about 
business world subjects to children young and adults. obviously I love Uncle 
Scrooge as a fan, but talking with professional vision : We need characters 
like Uncle Scrooge. 

Under this situation I ask for all : See with special care the decisions are 
taken by the Editora Abril and Disney Brasil´s  executives . 

Alexandre Saramelli 
São Paulo - SP - Brasil 

Alexandre Saramelli is 32 years old, and is an accountant. 
Alexandre and his father Darcy Saramelli, 74 , loves Disney Comics, 
specially Uncle Scrooge Character.