Archive for March, 2009

Two days ago I posted that Gemstone ended it’s Disney license, but it looks like no final decision regarding Gemstone’s Disney comics has been reached after all. The following statement from Steve Geppi, President of Gemstone, was posted in their Scoop newsletter yesterday:

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Update: In June 2009 publisher BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.net) picked up the Disney comics license in the United States. They have continued to publish Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories, Uncle Scrooge and several other monthly titles. See all their titles at boom-kids.com/series

It looks like Gemstone Publishing will no longer be making any new Disney comics in the United States. The news comes after it was revealed last month that owner Steve Geppi is facing financial problems. Gary Leach, who has been doing art and editorial work for US Disney comics for over two decades, reported on the DCML yesterday that “Gemstone is not renewing the Disney comics license, and won’t be putting out any more issues”. This sad news means the end of Disney comics in the United States, at least those with classic Disney characters like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Gary added that “Disney is looking for someone else to take the license” and he believes that they do have some candidates, although nothing is nailed down at this point.

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D23, Disney’s new community for fans, has daily comic strips with Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Scamp on their website.
Head on over to http://d23.disney.go.com/comics.html to view today’s comics. It would be great if they could add an archive and RSS feed, but this is a good start.

Denmark’s Donald Duck weekly Anders And & Co, which was launched in March 1948, turns 60-years-old this month! The popular magazine celebrated its anniversary with a golden cover of the 9th issue and a special competition.

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In 1998, Disney comic book writer and illustrator Don Rosa drew a story about speedskating for Dutch (but English-language) magazine Speedskating World. The story is titled The Annual Speedskating Race of the Burg of Ducks and was written by Norwegian professor of mathematical statistics at the University of Oslo, Nils Lid Hjort, who is also a Disney comics fan and has edited two books with the works of Don Rosa.

The two-page story was made specifically for the Speedskating magazine and has, as far as I know, not appeared anywhere else. It was printed in black-and-white, which really brings out Don Rosa’s beautifully detailed artwork, and extra large at two (sideways) rows per page. I was lucky to obtain a copy of the magazine back in 1998 and have scanned the two-page story below. More »

Amazon currently has a 4-for-3 promotion on books under $10. This is your chance to get a great deal on Gemstone’s Uncle Scrooge and Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories issues. These comics normally sell for $7.99 but with this promotion you can get them for $6 each (if you buy 4). And shipping within the United States is free on orders over $25 with Amazon’s Super Saver Shipping.

It was recently announced that Gemstone Publishing is in trouble due to unpaid bills, so the future of Disney comics in the United States is uncertain. The last issues that came out were Uncle Scrooge 383 and WDC&S 698 in November 2008 and these may very well be the last American Disney comics for a while. Amazon still has many of these great Gemstone comics in stock. Buy any 4 eligible items and get the lowest-priced item free. Check it out.

This 5-minute animation from 1982 was made by Italian Disney comics artist Romano Scarpa as an introduction to a Disney TV special in Italy. The video shows a parade of Disney comic characters, including Detective Casey (by Floyd Gottfredson), Donald Duck’s superhero alter ego Paperinik (known in the US as Duck Avenger) and Brigitta McBridge (created by Romano Scarpa) following Scrooge McDuck. It’s a unique piece of animation with these characters that can normally only be found in the comic books, and some of them only in Italian comics. (via Cartoon Brew)

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