My Gemstone Thoughts: Gottfredson Library

[JTorci3511 at aol.com]

First, I’d like to thank Dean, Jonathan, Oliver,  Francesco, and everyone 
else – especially those at Gemstone – for maintaining  such a lively discussion 
on Gemstone’s direction and the Gottfredson  Library.  Here are my long 
thoughts  on the subjects at hand – broken up into separate posts on each subject.   
Of every project that could possibly be done within the  realm of Disney 
comics, the Gottfredson Library is probably the most important  and the most vital 
(given that proper tribute has already been paid to Carl  Barks in many ways) 
because so much of Gottfredson’s work remains unseen by the  general public.  
 
Excepting Sunday strips, the Gottfredson Library material  should be in Black 
and White.  I’m  am NOT a fan of B&W comic books or comic material – and I 
am on record as  stating that I would not buy the thick B&W collections, if 
Gemstone were to  publish them.  However, as the daily  strip material was 
originally in B&W, it would be the most accurate  representation for it.  Not unlike 
 the Popeye and Dick Tracy collections that are out right now.   
As for censorship, or “editorial prerogative”, we may be  in the best place 
in recent memory for the Gottfredson Library to happen!  There are certain 
strips I don’t believe  we will ever see in any “authorized” fashion, but things 
seem to be far better  now than they were in the eighties and nineties.  We 
stand to get MORE of the material in  this climate than we would have gotten at 
any other time.   
I think it will always be a matter of DEGREE.  For those familiar with the 
LOONEY TUNES  GOLDEN COLLECTION DVD sets, we are now at a point where we CAN 
have an uncut  “Porky at the Crocadero” – but will likely never have “Coal 
Black an’ de Sebben  Dwarfs”.  Personally, I’ll take the  former and run… even 
if we never get the latter.   
But, never forget that the pendulum swings back and  forth… and Gemstone 
should go full-throttle with the Gottfredson Library right  now, before things 
change again!      
Oh, and as an American of Italian descent, I’ll say that  I’d prefer to have 
the Italian Fruit Vendors and such portrayed as they  originally were -- and 
that no offense will be taken.  Unlike the more personally offensive  
stereotypes seen each week on The Sopranos, such persons worked hard at an  honest 
living.  As did both my  grandfathers – one of whom pressed garments and the 
other scrubbed chewing gum  vats – a job Donald probably had at some point.   
Besides, if the Gottfredson Library is a high-end  collector’s hardcover 
edition, not to be confused with a mass-market, general  audience publication – 
and is front-loaded with enough apologetic explanatory  text by a historian or 
two – it should be complete enough to satisfy most of  us.     
Joe Torcivia. 



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