Detail of Cover Art by William Van Horn, Donald Duck Adventures #38 (May 1993)
© Disney
The Story So Far...
In our PROLOGUE we saw how the rise of graphic novels, TV and cinematic adaptions of comic book properties and a rising speculation market created the comic collecting craze of the 1980s. At the same time, a languishing Walt Disney Productions was revived thanks to the incoming leadership of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells into the company. The U.S. Walt Disney comic book license was reclaimed from Another Rainbow Publishing's Gladstone imprint, as the reinvigorated Walt Disney Company decided to publish the comics in-house.With self-inflicted market saturation comes dipping sales. Naturally, the expansion goals for their comic lines would be have to be reconsidered, revised or flat-out reduced. Disney Comics readers had no idea just how severe that reduction would be.
CHAPTER 1 revealed a growing corporate culture at The Walt Disney Company, and the formation of the new comic book line under W.D. Publications, Inc. The first offerings of Roger Rabbit and Dick Tracy specials led to the April 1990 launch of eight monthly Walt Disney comic book titles debuted under the in-house imprint, appropriately named Disney Comics. The new books were upgraded to high-quality paper and coloring, with primarily brand new content, and an ambitious plan for growth within the first year of publishing.
CHAPTER 2 showcased the "Disney Explosion"—launching Disney Adventures, specials and annuals published alongside the monthly books during the first year of Disney Comics. Much new content was tied to then-current television series, films and anniversaries. Expansion plans included three new imprints, based on Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures films, as well as original action-based and mature themes. By the close of 1990, the Disney Comics Album Series had been discontinued as their own market saturation had begun to settle in.
With that in mind, let's pull back to take a wider view of the business of comic books around 1991/1992...
We've already covered how comic book publishers benefited from the collector's surge and took every opportunity to capitalize on the situation. In fact, most of the larger media companies began to take a page from Disney's marketing playbook and utilized hyper-synergization strategies across multiple platforms.
Image Courtesy of IMP Awards
© DC Comics/Warner Bros.
Image Courtesy of DVD Covers
© DC Comics/Warner Bros.
Image Courtesy of Comic Book Movie
© Marvel
Image Courtesy of The Mary Sue
TM & © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Fox had already gained momentum with television animation: in 1987, their Sunday night schedule of original live-action programming garnered major ratings thanks to the irreverent comedy Married... With Children, followed by the quirky sketch comedy of The Tracey Ullman Show. Before commercial breaks, Ullman featured 30-second animated bridge sequences with original characters written and designed by Life in Hell cartoonist Matt Groening. The stars of these sequences were a dysfunctional cartoon family, the capers of whom skyrocketed in popularity—they spun off to a prime-time Christmas Special in December 1989, followed by a weekly prime-time series of their own in January 1990. The Simpsons quickly became a cross-generational sensation and a merchandising bonanza.
© Dark Horse Comics
Independent comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics held comic book properties that launched several successful box office films in the mid-1990s, the most successful of which was already in development: The Mask was released in 1994 starring Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz. Though the property was previously known only to staunch comic readers, The Mask would be a financial success, thanks in large part to Carrey's rising stardom. The film begat a hit soundtrack and a 1995 animated television series.
Cover Artwork © Respective Owners
Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before them, each of the above were spun off into comics resembling their television and cinematic counterparts. New comic book titles adapted from the Batman, X-Men and The Mask animated series would occupy shelf space alongside the titles that launched them onto the screen. The Simpsons appeared as comics in the magazine Simpsons Illustrated through Welsh Publishing—the quarterly publication was so successful, that it led Matt Groening to form his own publishing company, Bongo Comics in 1993. There, multiple Simpsons titles and several other properties would dwell as standard-format comics.
The Biggest Comic Book Event of All
Beyond synergistic efforts, DC Comics dropped a bombshell of an announcement that would draw focus back to the pages where the excitement began. In October of 1992, a three-arc storyline kicked off, running across multiple titles—a saga that would occupy a full year of publishing. Simply stated, no comic book plot has ever received media attention like The Death of Superman.
The Death of Superman Storyline Remains the Most Widely Publicized Comic Book Event in History
Cover Art for Superman #75 (Vol. 2, November 1992)
Pencils by Dan Jurgens, Inks by Brett Breeding
Artwork Courtesy of Comic Art Community
© DC Comics
Pencils by Dan Jurgens, Inks by Brett Breeding
Artwork Courtesy of Comic Art Community
© DC Comics
Not only did this event draw new attention to the entire line of Superman titles, it drew PLENTY of readers and spec buyers to comic shops around the country to snare multiple copies of Superman #75, which was available as a standard cover, and several sealed polybagged editions containing special "Superman Memorial" ephemera.
DC Comics Teaser Ad for Superman #75
Of course, DC had no intention of keeping Superman "dead"... there were development deals in place for a new series of films with Warner Brothers, and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was being prepped for ABC's prime time line-up in 1993. The Death of Superman was a marketing event, engineered to sell more comics to those who had jumped on the collector's bandwagon, and those who couldn't resist plunking down a few dollars and salt away (at the very least) one of the variant offerings of landmark issue #75.
The Disney Touch
The Disney Afternoon Promotion Attracts Extra Visitors to Disneyland: Exactly the Type of In-House Synergy The Walt Disney Company Perfected
Cover of Spring 1991 Issue of Disney News
Scan Courtesy of Tim's Disney News Archive
© Disney
Increased attention and buzz surrounding the above comic book projects led new and return customers to make more frequent visits to the comic books shops that were proliferating across the country. This I.P. cross-pollination was exactly what The Walt Disney Company wanted with the inception of the Disney Comics line. They were especially aware of their own brand recognition: Parents and Grandparents picking up comic books for the kids at home probably couldn't identify Doctor Strange or Guy Gardner, but they surely knew Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.
Left
to right: Michael Graves (Architect), John Tishman (Owner), Michael
Eisner (Past CEO of The Walt Disney Company), and Frank Wells, (Past
President and COO of The Walt Disney Company) - See more at:
http://www.disneyeveryday.com/vintage-construction-photos-of-the-walt-disney-world-swan-and-dolphin-resort/#sthash.0twAoeBX.dpuf
(Left to Right: Michael Graves, John Tishman, Michael Eisner, and Frank Wells)
Left
to right: Michael Graves (Architect), John Tishman (Owner), Michael
Eisner (Past CEO of The Walt Disney Company), and Frank Wells, (Past
President and COO of The Walt Disney Company) - See more at:
http://www.disneyeveryday.com/vintage-construction-photos-of-the-walt-disney-world-swan-and-dolphin-resort/#sthash.0twAoeBX.dpuf
Photo Courtesy of Disney Every Day © Disney
The Walt Disney Company's well-known properties and acquired/licensed I.P. only bolstered the confidence behind their growth strategy. Established and original content could be exploited to and from the comics page. This made perfect sense in 1991 as the massive wave of the comic book craze was about to crest.
On the occasion of the comic line's first anniversary, Editor-in-Chief Len Wein reported that over the course of their first twelve months, Disney Comics had produced 3,000 pages of original material: that's not counting reprints of U.S. stories or translations of existing overseas material. He also promised that more new titles would be joining the line-up later in 1991.
Their output had been the result of a tremendous marketing push and initial capital investment to W.D. Publications, Inc.—but dipping sales figures and shrinking quantity orders from direct market comic book shops proved the first year of Disney Comics was only a partial success, with some significant holes in their initial publishing strategy.
To help patch the holes, an attempted outreach to readers beyond letter column replies was run in most of the monthly books: a basic survey encouraging feedback on the habits of Disney Comics readers.
In 1991 This Survey Form Was Run Throughout All Titles to Get a Better Grasp on Reader's Preferences (But Had Little to Do With Comic Book Content)
© Disney
The only problem with the information requested was that the survey inquired no information that sales figures couldn't already determine, nor did it evoke motivation to actually improve or modify the contents of the books.
Still, regular monthly titles, specials and Disney Adventures came out on schedule after the Disney Comics Albums were quietly discontinued.
The Rocketeer Fails to Soar at the Box Office
The Studio was hopeful for the potential of a new franchise with the release of The Rocketeer from Walt Disney Pictures in the summer of 1991. The Disney Comics team was also hopeful for the film's release, as it would attract a new, built-in set of consumers who were fans of the original comic series by Dave Stevens. Stevens himself illustrated the cover for the official Rocketeer movie adaptation graphic novel, released by W.D. Publications, Inc. in June 1991.
From The Rocketeer—The Official Movie Adaptation (June 1991)
Cover Art by Dave Stevens, Interior Art by Russ Heath
Artwork Courtesy of Cracked Magazine and Others
© Disney
Cover Art by Dave Stevens, Interior Art by Russ Heath
Artwork Courtesy of Cracked Magazine and Others
© Disney
Disney's promotional hype for Dick Tracy the previous summer had been rampant. While the film experienced an impressive opening weekend, the studio had anticipated a hit on the level of 1989's Batman, but the pop culture impact of Dick Tracy paled in comparison to the phenomenon and grosses of the worldwide Bat-Craze. Box office returns led executives to declare Tracy as a mild to moderate success, thus squashing the potential for a franchise of films or synergistic theme park expansion for the famous comic strip detective.
As a result, Walt Disney Pictures was a bit more conservative with the scale of marketing of The Rocketeer for 1991. The comic book stories had gained a respectable fan base since the character first appeared in Pacific Comics titles in 1982—but The Rocketeer was considerably less of a household name than comic book heroes such as Thor or Green Lantern.
Though the overall reception from fans and critics were high, the film failed to perform, and was considered a disappointment in ratio to the high budget. Once again, the Studio immediately severed all future plans for a Rocketeer franchise of films or development of presence in the theme parks. The Rocketeer later found its audience, and enjoys a remarkable cult following today.
A Bounty to Bag and Board
The summer of 1991 also found Disney Comics at their zenith—with the addition of Roger Rabbit's Toontown in June, their schedule now consisted of TEN regular titles published per month, in addition to the Junior Woodchucks Limited Series, and Summer Fun #1, not to mention the comic book content that took up a good portion of the monthly Disney Adventures. The June 1991 Between The Lines column proved the breadth of their output released in a single month (not including Disney Adventures!)
(Click Below to Enlarge Scan)
The June 1991 Disney Comics Between The Lines Column
© Disney
The list of offerings bursted with text, leaving no space for the usual left column greeting from Len Wein. The selection was an impressive line-up, in sync with the new, synergistic Walt Disney Company under Michael Eisner and Frank Wells.
To non-comic book readers, it represented a sign of Disney's marketing might, securing success in yet another corner of media.
To fans and collectors, it was a bounty of variety to "bag and board."
But to the casual reader, it may have been too much of a variety to dedicate $15, minimum, to purchase every issue of the standard books each month (about $40 a month, minimum, in 2014 comic book prices.)
The Time Tetrad
In August of 1991, Editor Bob Foster used the four titles under his direction (Donald Duck Adventures, Uncle Scrooge, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, and DuckTales) as a springboard to sell multiple books within the same month: The Time Tetrad series contained four indirectly linked stories centered around a time machine built by Gyro Gearloose.
The Time Tetrad Spanned Across Four Disney Comics Titles in a Single Month
Panel Detail for "The Only Way to Go," Art by Vicar (Uncle Scrooge #259, August 1991)
Image Courtesy of Joe Torcivia's The Issue at Hand
© Disney
At the same time, Mickey Mouse Adventures and Goofy Adventures (two other titles not under Foster's Editorship)
also featured non-Gearloose time travel stories to round out the notion of a
monthly theme. Perhaps themed issue promotions or connected multi-part
storylines might have benefited sales figures a few seasons earlier.
But
it was already too late...
The Disney Implosion
© Disney
The first sign of real trouble for Disney Comics showed up during that August of 1991: Goofy Adventures #17 was released with "FINAL ISSUE!" emblazoned below the corner logo in capital letters. Sales for the title beyond the first few issues had dipped alarmingly low, enough to justify the title's cancellation. The most unfortunate aspect of the cancellation is that the book was wholly original in the world of Disney Comics, containing plenty of excellent new material and parodies that were quite clever, in the satirical tone of MAD magazine.
© Disney
The letter column in the final issue was penned by Editor David Cody Weiss (in the guise of "Goofy" himself) explaining the basic facts, and foreshadowing not only the need to make room for other titles, but the addition of Goofy to The Disney Afternoon the following year in the weekday series Goof Troop, promising a new comic book title based on the upcoming show.
Image Courtesy of 9teen87's Postcards
© Disney
Consider that in the pre-digital age of publishing, most comic books were prepped for press three months in advance of their release date. Weiss likely wrote the column in May, right after the first anniversary of the Disney Comics imprint. At the one-year mark, accountants had likely taken a good, hard look at which books covered their costs and which were less than profitable.
The severe changes to come weren't necessarily known at the time of Weiss's missive to readers. What wasn't foreshadowed in the letter column was the impending cancellation of six more Disney Comics titles in the following two months. After eighteen months of aggressive publishing, low sales figures were predominant in their roster of titles. The only books that kept up their sales were those reprinting the comic book stories of Carl Barks and vintage comic book stories, or material directly inspired by the same.
Budget Cuts Were Thrown Down So Quickly, Most Books Ran Copy for the Next Issue's Contents: Mickey Mouse Adventures #19 and "The Phantom Fires" Never Made It to Press
Detail of Letter Column From Mickey Mouse Adventures #19 (September 1991)
© Disney
Disney Comics announced they would restructure their efforts to provide content along the lines of Gladstone's efforts a few years earlier, with a minimized emphasis on contemporary content. Starting November of 1991, the monthly publishing schedule would be slashed by over two-thirds: Mickey Mouse Adventures, Goofy Adventures, Roger Rabbit, Roger Rabbit's Toontown, DuckTales, Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers and TaleSpin titles were all cancelled.
Seven
Titles Would Be Cancelled by December 1991, Restoring Traditional Content as the Primary Focus in U.S. Disney Comics
© Disney
The same fate met the annual specials: Autumn Adventures and Holiday Parade had material prepared to each justify a second issue, the Disney Comics volumes of Spring Fever and Summer Fun never made it past their first year.
Also completely cut was the Final Fantasy Limited Series written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Dell Barras, with cover art by Hellboy's Mike Mignola—all four issues had been written, with art nearly halfway completed.
Gone, too, were expansion plans exploring different genres via the new imprints Touchmark Comics and Vista Comics.
Only three monthly titles remained under the Disney Comics banner: Donald Duck Adventures, Uncle Scrooge and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories—the promise was made that these titles would feature newly-translated overseas material and reprints of rare, classic U.S. material.
Gone, too, were expansion plans exploring different genres via the new imprints Touchmark Comics and Vista Comics.
Only three monthly titles remained under the Disney Comics banner: Donald Duck Adventures, Uncle Scrooge and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories—the promise was made that these titles would feature newly-translated overseas material and reprints of rare, classic U.S. material.
Classic Comic Book Artists Featured Prominently in the February 1992 issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
© Disney
It was also declared that new material featuring contemporary characters was still being produced to be released in the form of Limited Series and specials. But inside, Disney's management dictated that there would be no budget for new stories to appear in Disney Comics.
The "no new stories" mandate did not apply, however, to material featuring The Disney Afternoon characters in the pages of Disney Adventures digest, which usually consisted of 50% comics content and remained a strong seller.
More accessible (available in locations beyond comic book or collector's shops) and kid-friendly formats were scheduled to debut by the end of 1991. A new series of hardback editions featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were also in the planning stages, to further entice fans of classic material.
Image © & Courtesy of Bob Foster
Comic
book titles and projects in the planning stages were not the only
casualty of the reduction: Editor-in-Chief Len Wein departed, with David Cody Weiss
not long after, giving Bob Foster the opportunity to take the reins as
Managing Editor. It was a logical choice of succession: Foster had been
the Editor on Donald Duck Adventures, Uncle Scrooge and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories since the in-house Disney Comics began.
The massive reduction of output was appropriately nicknamed "The Disney Implosion" by The Duckburg Times fanzine publisher Dana Gabbard—a term that gained momentum throughout both the fan community and the comic book industry.
It was a hard pill to swallow for W.D. Publications, Inc. Behind closed doors, it was even harder for stubborn Marketing executives at The Walt Disney Company to accept the fact that their greatest profits were coming from the very material that Disney wanted Another Rainbow/Gladstone to move away from.
Yet Another Rainbow to Chase
Speaking of Another Rainbow/Gladstone: their offices in Prescott, AZ weren't exactly idle. Despite the removal of the traditional comic book license, Bruce Hamilton and his staff were still operating with their surviving license from The Walt Disney Company to produce high-end lithographs of oil paintings of the Disney ducks by Carl Barks. They had also been amicably handling the subscription and back issue services for Disney Comics since the inception of the in-house comic books in April of 1990. In the middle of 1991, the following ad appeared in the pages Disney Comics to great reception...
Another Rainbow Delighted Readers With the Announcement of The Carl Barks Library in Color, Published Under the Gladstone Imprint
Having completed their run on the hardbound, black-and-white Carl Barks Library, a new opportunity arose for Another Rainbow: a set of prestige format comic book albums, The Carl Barks Library in Color. The album series would cover Barks's entire comic book output in lavish color editions, each book accompanied by numbered trading cards. This was arranged as a separate deal from the traditional comic book license, and the albums would be published by Another Rainbow under the familiar Gladstone imprint—a gesture which tickled fans and collectors to no end.
The massive reduction of output was appropriately nicknamed "The Disney Implosion" by The Duckburg Times fanzine publisher Dana Gabbard—a term that gained momentum throughout both the fan community and the comic book industry.
It was a hard pill to swallow for W.D. Publications, Inc. Behind closed doors, it was even harder for stubborn Marketing executives at The Walt Disney Company to accept the fact that their greatest profits were coming from the very material that Disney wanted Another Rainbow/Gladstone to move away from.
Yet Another Rainbow to Chase
Speaking of Another Rainbow/Gladstone: their offices in Prescott, AZ weren't exactly idle. Despite the removal of the traditional comic book license, Bruce Hamilton and his staff were still operating with their surviving license from The Walt Disney Company to produce high-end lithographs of oil paintings of the Disney ducks by Carl Barks. They had also been amicably handling the subscription and back issue services for Disney Comics since the inception of the in-house comic books in April of 1990. In the middle of 1991, the following ad appeared in the pages Disney Comics to great reception...
© Disney
Having completed their run on the hardbound, black-and-white Carl Barks Library, a new opportunity arose for Another Rainbow: a set of prestige format comic book albums, The Carl Barks Library in Color. The album series would cover Barks's entire comic book output in lavish color editions, each book accompanied by numbered trading cards. This was arranged as a separate deal from the traditional comic book license, and the albums would be published by Another Rainbow under the familiar Gladstone imprint—a gesture which tickled fans and collectors to no end.
The Terror That Flaps in the Night
© Disney
Right at the same time Disney Comics began scaling back their efforts, a new show premiered on The Disney Afternoon, thus beginning the trend of rotating out older series each year. Re-runs of The Adventures of the Gummi Bears was cycled out to make room for the first spin-off from Walt Disney Television Animation: Darkwing Duck was birthed from a 1987 episode of DuckTales, titled "Double-O-Duck."
The
series was developed over the course of a few years, originally
starring Launchpad McQuack as a bumbling secret agent, then placing him
as a sidekick and comic relief to a new lead character who would take
the title role. It was decided that the new Double-O-Duck resembled
Donald Duck a bit too closely, so animation artist Toby Shelton was
tasked to redesign the the masked mallard with some unique touches and a
slight nod to Roger Rabbit's design.
With Darkwing Duck, series creator and Producer Tad Stones introduced a smart, broader sense of humor to The Disney Afternoon, and rounded out the show from a singular premise into a full-blown sitcom:
Still operating on their initial strategies, by the time the series premiered in September 1991, Disney Comics had planned to incorporate the launch of the new series just as it had with TaleSpin the year before. Darkwing Duck comics would be included in the latest issues of Disney Adventures and debut as another four-issue Limited Series, paving the way for an ongoing, monthly title. The September 1991 issue of Disney Adventures featured the very first Darkwing Duck comic book story "Let's Get Fiscal", the Limited Series kicked off later that month, recounting the TV movie that set up the premise for the series.
The Limited Series was penciled by John Blair Moore and inked by George Wildman: the pair utilized a bold, cartoony look that strayed from the "house" Disney style by other new artists. Moore's adaptation managed to captured the lunacy of the series perfectly, while keeping the pathos intact.
John Blair Moore's Loose Cartooning Style Reflected the Show's Sensibilities, While Retaining Genuine Moments
Moore also prepared another adaptation of a two-part Darkwing Duck episode: "Just Us Justice Ducks" which was anticipated to serve as fodder for the launch of a monthly, ongoing Darkwing Duck title. This time, Editors prompted feedback from readers on whether or not there would be a regular title: though Darkwing's world held plenty of comic book D.N.A., a monthly Disney Comics title never came to be.
Walt Disney's Comics & Surplus?
Model Sheet of Toby Shelton's Masterful Character Design for Darkwing Duck
Image Courtesy of Toby Shelton: Stuff I Did
© Disney
"Jeffrey Katzenberg told me it was a one-note spy parody and ordered me to do it over. Darkwing Duck fought crime at the same time as raising an incorrigible daughter who wouldn't stay out of his hero business. That's a richer story mine than just superhero parody. It became a much stronger, much funnier and fresher series."
Story Possibilities Grew as Series Creator Tad Stones Developed the Notion of Darkwing Balancing Heroic Life With Family Life
Image Courtesy of The Mickey Mindset
© Disney
Still operating on their initial strategies, by the time the series premiered in September 1991, Disney Comics had planned to incorporate the launch of the new series just as it had with TaleSpin the year before. Darkwing Duck comics would be included in the latest issues of Disney Adventures and debut as another four-issue Limited Series, paving the way for an ongoing, monthly title. The September 1991 issue of Disney Adventures featured the very first Darkwing Duck comic book story "Let's Get Fiscal", the Limited Series kicked off later that month, recounting the TV movie that set up the premise for the series.
The Limited Series was penciled by John Blair Moore and inked by George Wildman: the pair utilized a bold, cartoony look that strayed from the "house" Disney style by other new artists. Moore's adaptation managed to captured the lunacy of the series perfectly, while keeping the pathos intact.
© Disney
Moore also prepared another adaptation of a two-part Darkwing Duck episode: "Just Us Justice Ducks" which was anticipated to serve as fodder for the launch of a monthly, ongoing Darkwing Duck title. This time, Editors prompted feedback from readers on whether or not there would be a regular title: though Darkwing's world held plenty of comic book D.N.A., a monthly Disney Comics title never came to be.
Walt Disney's Comics & Surplus?
"Gosh! What'll I do with these unpublished comics?"
Image Courtesy of Wonders of Disney
© Disney
© Disney
Happily, there would be plenty of well-executed Darkwing Duck comics in Disney Adventures. But with no monthly title, what would become of Moore's "Just Us Justice Ducks" adaptation?
To that end, what would become of the other completed material prepared for cancelled titles, such as TaleSpin or Goofy Adventures?
Nothing would go to waste: plans were already in place via the "accessible, kid-friendly formats" Bob Foster alluded to. These formats would serve as an excellent vehicle to deliver the surplus material while exploiting their own library (reprinting recent material in different formats was already a method long utilized by other comic book publishers.)
First up, was a second digest, this one containing 100% comics content with an alliterative (and somewhat vague) moniker...
Cripes! Comics Converge! Colossal Comics Collection Comes Calling!
Disney's Colossal Comics Collection: the Little Digest With the Unusual Name!
The premiere issue of Disney's Colossal Comics Collection was released in October 1991—the bi-monthly digest indeed served as a means to capitalize on both their past library of comic stories in Disney Adventures and completed material intended for cancelled titles.
The covers featured an assemblage of characters from The Disney Afternoon, but outside of "Disney's" within the title, the book's nonspecific title lacked unity and instant recognition: it came across as merely a random collection of characters. The Disney Afternoon Comics Digest might have made for a more cohesive banner.
"The Volcano of Gold!" Had Potential as a Stand-Alone TaleSpin Graphic Novel From Disney Comics
Scan Courtesy of Animation Source
© Disney
Still, the digest served its purpose and made a fitting companion to Disney Adventures, sharing the coveted placement on supermarket and drugstore checkout racks during its run. A true highlight for Colossal Comics Collection was issue #5, featuring a 41-page TaleSpin story "The Volcano of Gold!" with bold color rendering and dynamic art that was likely intended as a stand-alone graphic novel, before the reductive effects of the Disney Implosion.
Collecting Cartoon Tales
Disney's Cartoon Tales Intended to Fill a Demographic and Distribution Void
© Disney
The second reprint format came under the banner of Disney's Cartoon Tales. Geared toward younger readers, the Cartoon Tales
series were designed to sell in toy stores and "big-box" retail shops
such as Target and Kmart alongside children's coloring and activity
books.
The
series collected longer, multi-part stories or multiple issues of
Disney Comics in a single book. The primary focus was reprinting stories
based on characters from The Disney Afternoon, or the previously released graphic novel movie adaptations such as 101 Dalmatians and The Little Mermaid.
Incidentally, John Blair Moore and Gary Martin's Darkwing Duck adaptation of "Just Us Justice Ducks" finally saw print in Cartoon Tales #7, as the lone volume in the series to feature original content. The two-part tale was soon reprinted in Colossal Comics Collection issues #5 and #6 just a few months later.
Tale as Old as Time
1991 closed out with a new course set for the future of Disney Comics, and a smash hit for Walt Disney Pictures: Beauty and the Beast premiered with tremendous fanfare, and tremendous ticket sales. The film's immediate success with both family audiences and critics was due largely in part to excellent buzz generated from a work-in-progress viewing at the New York Film Festival earlier that summer.
Now in tandem with the Studio's customary marketing roll-out, Disney Comics had their graphic novel adaptation on the stands a few weeks prior to the film's theatrical release. There was immediate plans to further capitalize on the popularity of Belle, Beast and the enchanted objects in a new Limited Series to follow in the tradition of their successful four issues of The Little Mermaid.
Turns out the "no new stories" mandate only applied to classic characters like mice, dogs and ducks. But new comic stories proposed to Marketing executives as direct tie-ins for new TV shows, films and VHS releases?
Apparently, that was perfectly fine.
Tale as Old as Time
The Critical Success of Beauty and the Beast Changed The Playing Field for Animated Films of the 1990s and Beyond
1991 closed out with a new course set for the future of Disney Comics, and a smash hit for Walt Disney Pictures: Beauty and the Beast premiered with tremendous fanfare, and tremendous ticket sales. The film's immediate success with both family audiences and critics was due largely in part to excellent buzz generated from a work-in-progress viewing at the New York Film Festival earlier that summer.
Despite
Cost-Cutting Measures of the Disney Implosion, Beauty and the Beast Was
Published as Both Prestige and Standard Format Graphic Novels in Late
1991
Panel Detail Penciled by Colleen Doran, Inks by Dave Hunt
© Disney
Now in tandem with the Studio's customary marketing roll-out, Disney Comics had their graphic novel adaptation on the stands a few weeks prior to the film's theatrical release. There was immediate plans to further capitalize on the popularity of Belle, Beast and the enchanted objects in a new Limited Series to follow in the tradition of their successful four issues of The Little Mermaid.
Turns out the "no new stories" mandate only applied to classic characters like mice, dogs and ducks. But new comic stories proposed to Marketing executives as direct tie-ins for new TV shows, films and VHS releases?
Apparently, that was perfectly fine.
Click the title below to continue to the next installment:
I must add that a great champion of this blog and these posts has been Joe Torcivia, who, yet again, has just put up a full post about this post! Be sure to read it, and all of the excellent topics over at Joe's blog, This Issue at Hand. He even found the perfect Gyro Gearloose panels to illustrate the topic!
Read his recap of this chapter and insight on the early 1990s comic craze here:
Panel Detail From Uncle Scrooge #82 (June, 1969)
Artwork by Kay Wright & © Disney
Joe
is not only a noted reader and collector of the comics we all like, but
he's written official articles and translated some wonderful Walt
Disney comic book stories himself... his most recent contribution can be read within the latest Mickey Mouse volume by the fine folks at Fantagraphics: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Outwits the Phantom Blot!
Joe's text accompanies that of the invaluable editing team of David Gerstein and Gary Groth. You can preview a generous 21 pages of the new book at the link below to appreciate the thought and care they've put into the series:
Joe's text accompanies that of the invaluable editing team of David Gerstein and Gary Groth. You can preview a generous 21 pages of the new book at the link below to appreciate the thought and care they've put into the series:
Guilty Admission: I had initially placed the link to Joe's post in the comments section of this post, but my HTML skills proved ineffective. Ahh, the kids today with their JavaScript, and the in-app purchases, and the snapchats, and the emoticons of the I-don't-know-what...
NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS