But no box set for the first two volumes "Disney Afternoon Adventures" are announced yet. I've been holding of buying those books as I prefer getting the box sets. But it would be nice to know if they are going to do boxes for this series or not.
Between the Disney Afternoon books, the Hemingway book and the upcoming futuristic stories book, it's nice to see the Fantagraphics Disney line expanding beyond just Barks and Disney Masters. I hope these books do well.
deb Yes, but what isn't nice to see is the near total domination of Italian Disney comics. I get that David likes them, but not everyone does.
But... David has already explained that good sales for the Italian comics is a huge part of the reason why they're featured prominently in the Disney Masters line. Another reason is what Disney itself wants. It isn't just "because he likes them", as you imply.
deb Yes, but what isn't nice to see is the near total domination of Italian Disney comics. I get that David likes them, but not everyone does.
But... David has already explained that good sales for the Italian comics is a huge part of the reason why they're featured prominently in the Disney Masters line. Another reason is what Disney itself wants. It isn't just "because he likes them", as you imply.
But they don't know how well a Van Horn volume not featuring his earlies, worst comics, or a Daan Jippes without Freddy Milton volume, or a Marco Rota volume would sell since they haven't published any of those. (And don't tell me that Rota is Italian, I know that, but his comics aren't "Italian Disney comics", they are part of the Barks tradition.) As for Disney wanting Italian Disney comics to be published: 1. I don't buy it. Let's be real, we ALL know the people at Disney have no idea about Disney comics. 2. Maybe someone at Disney asked Fanta once to publish a couple of Italian Disney comic books but no way they asked them to publish THIS many Italian Disney comic books before a Marco Rota volume or a "Jippes without Milton" volume or a Daniel Branca volume.
13/23 volumes feature Italian Disney comics. They are waaay overrepresented in this series.
But... David has already explained that good sales for the Italian comics is a huge part of the reason why they're featured prominently in the Disney Masters line. Another reason is what Disney itself wants. It isn't just "because he likes them", as you imply.
But they don't know how well a Van Horn volume not featuring his earlies, worst comics, or a Daan Jippes without Freddy Milton volume, or a Marco Rota volume would sell since they haven't published any of those. (And don't tell me that Rota is Italian, I know that, but his comics aren't "Italian Disney comics", they are part of the Barks tradition.) As for Disney wanting Italian Disney comics to be published: 1. I don't buy it. Let's be real, we ALL know the people at Disney have no idea about Disney comics. 2. Maybe someone at Disney asked Fanta once to publish a couple of Italian Disney comic books but no way they asked them to publish THIS many Italian Disney comic books before a Marco Rota volume or a "Jippes without Milton" volume or a Daniel Branca volume.
13/23 volumes feature Italian Disney comics. They are waaay overrepresented in this series.
I was referring above to an earlier comment David wrote in this very thread. As a reply to you, no less:
77% of the Disney Master books so far are dedicated to either Italian Disney comics or Paul Murray. It boggles the mind.
All through production of Gottfredson, Barks, and Rosa, the most constant demands we received WRT other content were for Paul Murry and Romano Scarpa. For various reasons (including profitability and the limits of our license), we couldn't put out complete sets of their work in our market—but this instantly explains why we've had a lot of both Murry (five volumes thus far), Scarpa (four), and his disciple Cavazzano (two) in this series; the series itself grew from a need to showcase them.
The other volumes that received the biggest buzz were the two Ice Sword books, which also reflected reader requests. Another reason a lot of Italian material is included: Disney prefers that the more dated stories (e. g. more grown-up subject matter, etc.) be kept to collectors' books. Thus, the only place many of the longer Italian stories could ever appear unedited is in this format.
If I were basing this series on my own personal preferences, you'd easily see less Murry, probably a little less Scarpa, more Dutch material, and probably all four Kinney-Hubbards by now. But Fantagraphics has to respond to what our market seems to want, not just what I like best.
In the past, Caballero, at your most frustrated, you've implied that both IDW and Fantagraphics should fire people whose decisions you disagreed with—effectively including me and my colleagues. Yet you've also been quick to rejoice when our minds thought alike (e. g. when I was greenlit to announce that we'd already had a Bear Mountain book in development similar to what you wanted to see).
Sometimes good people can still disagree. For instance, my team's presence at IDW was the only reason you were seeing new Van Horn material in those magazines (because we liked it and chose to use it even when not everyone liked it!).
Please understand that it's not common sense, or even a measure of smartness, that everyone should agree with your personal tastes. I'm constantly publishing things I don't personally like best—and still trying to do absolutely right by them, including Paul Murry. Preserving our Disney comics heritage requires it!
He has also stated in other comments that Disney Italia (Disney's publishing arm) does want to see more Italian material printed in the U.S. market.
"that Disney Italia (Disney's publishing arm) does want to see more Italian material printed in the U.S. market"
So what? I am sure Egmont wants to see more of their material printed in the US market. And the same goes for the publisher of Brazilian and Dutch Disney comics. Seriously, the arguments trying to justify the huge overrepresentation of Italian Disney comics within the Disney Masters series are getting more and more outlandish.
caballero , I don't get your problem. If the volumes in their current form are well-selling, then surely people must like them; it would be waste of money to buy things you don't like, especially after 13 volumes (I copy that number from you; I didn't check it myself). So, there are people that like those volumes.
You've made it clear that you don't like them, and that's okay. But, despite those volumes being well-sold, you instead demand that they have to publish something differently, that you like, accusing the publisher of only publishing things they like, although it has been stated that they don't. So why on earth must we listen to your advice of publishing things *you* like, if you accuse other people of publishing things *they* like, even if that's not the case?
because a number of European Barks scholars/nostalgists suggested it
No way any Barks fan specifically suggested the old Dell coloring. They probably simply suggested flat coloring, which Kim Thompson misunderstood. Again, I do prefer the Dell coloring to the garish gradient coloring of the first few CB Collection books, because at least it's flat, but if I were tasked with recoloring every single Barks comic, never in a million years would I try to replicate the Dell coloring.
That about Donald eating hot dogs must have been a misunderstanding between Disney and Egmont. The alternative, that Disney really no longer allows Donald Duck to eat hot dogs is too depressing to contemplate. I mean why? What's wrong with hot dogs?
2. Maybe someone at Disney asked Fanta once to publish a couple of Italian Disney comic books but no way they asked them to publish THIS many Italian Disney comic books before a Marco Rota volume or a "Jippes without Milton" volume or a Daniel Branca volume.
And then, if people come with a reason for the current situation (like Disney Italia asking for something, and don't forget: Disney Italia is much, much bigger than Fantagraphics – and no, that's different from Egmont or Abril or DPG, since the latter are 'just' Disney licensees), you simply come up with a new strategy: telling that it all is in fact just a misunderstanding, even though you weren't there and the people who wrote instead did. I mean, people not liking your opinion? That must be impossible! Well, here's the thing: not everyone has the same opinion on things as you do, and not all decisions in a company are based on the feelings of a specific fan.
Why don't you just start your own publishing company? You mentioned that they don't how well your proposed volumes sell, so you must like taking some (financial) risk. Then you can publish all the things you like. And then some caballero2 can join this forum, accusing you of publishing things only you like. With the exception that this time that person is right.
"that Disney Italia (Disney's publishing arm) does want to see more Italian material printed in the U.S. market"
So what? I am sure Egmont wants to see more of their material printed in the US market. And the same goes for the publisher of Brazilian and Dutch Disney comics. Seriously, the arguments trying to justify the huge overrepresentation of Italian Disney comics within the Disney Masters series are getting more and more outlandish.
"Disney Italia" is the company that makes the creative decisions for Disney comics WORLDWIDE today. They are the ones deciding that Detective Casey can no longer smoke cigars in new comics, for instance. Or that the characters can no longer eat meat or go on fishing trips. It's a very different thing from licensees like Egmont.
You have to ask if it's even worth responding to someone who's implying the explanations from David Gerstein, the ultimate Disney comics insider whose name is attached to any English publication (and maybe otherwise) worth reading, are "outlandish". Please sit down, you're just irritating everyone and look silly.
Pim I have explained it a thousand times but I can explain it again: the Disney Masters series supposed to be representative of the best Disney comics not created by Barks, Rosa or Gottfredson (since they already had their separate Fantagraphics series when the Disney Masters started). And right now the series is not representative of the best Disney comics not created by Barks, Rosa or Gottfredson since Italian Disney comics are waaay overrepresented. It's as if someone started a "greatest crime novels of all time" book series, and then within that series published three Gillian Flynn books before publishing a single Agatha Christie one.
And I never ever said they should publish what I like. For example I do not particularly like Manuel Gonzales, but a Manuel Gonzales book definitely should have been published before FIVE Scarpa ones. Also, are you suggesting that as long as I do not start my own publishing company I am not allowed to express my opinions about other publishing companies?
Mesterius What is your source for that information about Disney Italia? As far as I know their rule that Detective Casey can no longer smoke cigars only applies for Italian Disney comics. IN other words, they do not have authority outside of Italy. If that isn't the case, then it would mean that they were the ones that banned those two Rosa comics.
Anybody know what "Fantastic Futures: Classic Tales with a 22nd Century Twist" will contain?
This is a fun one with, I think, yet-to-be-published anywhere stories, all written by Francesco Artibani and drawn by various artists. They all use various classic Disney cartoons (Lonesome Ghosts, Boat Builders, Thru the Mirror to name a few) as springboards for futuristic fantasies. If you liked the other potpourri books Fanta has done of this nature, you'll like this.
An upcoming non-English release that seems pretty interesting: "Das große Entenhausen-Lexikon" (meaning The Big Duckburg Lexicon) by David Gerstein: www.amazon.de/-/en/Walt-Disney/dp/3770403681