DCML Digest, Vol 45, Issue 3

[David Gerstein]

	Hi Dean,

	I'll have to save some of your concerns for an upcoming letter... I  
really appreciate you voicing so many thoughts about this stuff. But  
I can at least address one issue right away...

> With less titles each month, you would think re-re-reprints should  
> be kept to a minimum.  Yet that seems to be the opposite of what is  
> happening.  In the first 8 issues of Uncle Scrooge to be published  
> in 2007, 4 of these issues have a Rosa reprint!

	Hmm. There are Rosa reprints in the January ("Return to Plain  
Awful"), April ("Treasure Under Glass"), and July-ship ("Guardians of  
the Lost Library") issues. That's three issues, not four.

> Before there were not 4 Rosa reprints in U$ in a whole year, and  
> that is when we had more titles each month!

	As has actually been our routine for two years now (!), we generally  
try to feature a Rosa story in one out of every three US issues. This  
Rosa story can be either an original or a reprint. When Don produces  
more new stories, those will naturally occupy this spot. We're not  
wedded specifically to reprints as a rule.
	
>   Of course that does not even count Vacation Parade 4, Pygmy/ 
> Wendigo and the next Walt Disney Treasures TPB which *all* feature  
> Rosa reprints!

	Er... the subject of the Treasures TPB is the history of Scrooge.  
Would you expect a TPB based on this subject not to include a Rosa  
story?

> Does Gemstone feel it cannot sell even two monthly titles without  
> continually re-re-reprinting Barks and Rosa stories?

	Uh... er... another one of our usual techniques, for at least the  
past year and a half, has been to feature a long Barks story in one  
out of every three US issues, too.
	Remember, each of these issues has roughly 60 pages of comics  
material. That's 180 in every three months. Subtract roughly 60 pages  
for long and short Barks and Rosa stories and you'll still get 120  
pages of almost entirely new, or new-to-North-America, material over  
that time. Do you really think we're being that stingy with the new  
stories?

> If so, I would at least like them to come out and say so.

	Sure; it's not like we've got anything to hide.
	Barks and Rosa are our most popular Uncle Scrooge creators, with  
many readers of the Scrooge title repeatedly requesting reprints. But  
not much about our technique of satisfying those readers is any  
different now than it has ever been. And in the meantime, the book is  
still two-thirds full of new-to-America material by Scarpa, Kari  
Korhonen, Mau Heymans, Lars Jensen, Daniel Branca, Daan Jippes, Tony  
Strobl, and many other greats.

> Also, what happens in say 3 or 4 years when they have reprinted all  
> of Don's stories again in U$ or WDC&S or annuals?  Do we then start  
> over having them re-re-reprinted *again*?

	Hmm. Good question...

> Imagine though if every second or third issue of "FF" had a Lee and  
> Kirby reprint in it?  Would not that be absurd?

	As you point out, "FF" has had numerous reprint books, published  
rather frequently. If there was only one "FF" title per year, and  
this was the only outlet for ALL "FF" stories, both new and old, then  
I wouldn't be surprised to see a reprint in every third issue.
	With Scrooge, we're putting out a few specials to celebrate his 60th  
anniversary in 2007; but more typically, he only gets one regularly  
published title. Under these conditions, I think it's only natural to  
include some reprints, as long as we make sure that the great  
majority of the material is new.

> Why can't Gemstone have a line or two that reprints classic  
> stories, and at the same time leave their monthly titles for new to  
> North America stories?

	Because as far as we're able to gauge, most readers really seem to  
appreciate a mix (though of course, we'd always like to hear more  
opinions!). Even TREASURES, which for many publishers might have been  
an all-reprint book, is better IMHO with some new-to-North-America  
material too.

> We get re-reprints after re-reprints when there are *thousands* of  
> stories that have never seen print in North America!  Does that  
> make any sense?  Why in the world can't we have more new stories,   
> especially considering that Gemstone does not even have to pay for  
> them to be written or drawn???

	In the early days, Gemstone did feature a little more new material  
and somewhat fewer Barks and Rosa reprints. Speaking for myself, I  
might personally have preferred it that way, but Gemstone got large  
amounts of feedback asking for more Barks and Rosa... to the point  
where it was very clear that the feedback represented a significant  
part of our readership.

> I realize that Gemstone wants to talk about their new titles and  
> direction at their own place and time.  Wherever and whenever that  
> happens though, could Gemstone *please* address why they are to my  
> way of thinking largely giving up on new stories?

	All I can say is... we're not giving up on new stories anytime soon,  
nor would we want to.
	More thoughts later.

	Best, David