Why isn't there more demand for Mickey Mouse comics ??

[codfish]

Gottfredson's Mickey is the best stuff. The stories entertaining and he was the only person that seemed to be able to give Mickey life on a page. Paul Murry and the other of his ilk produced REALLY sterile art and the stories were ... hum drum.

 

As for popularity the Micky universe is/was just too small and except for the Gottfredson days Mickey just seemed like your ever so common middle class person. considering most of us know what that lifestyle is like and his adventures paled to Uncle Scrooge and Donald who actually seem to have some character we don't see to often or find more entertaining than our own plain middle class lives.

 

IMO if it was Gottfredson stuff that had seen the publication rather than decades of Drury Murry and co. I think Mickey would be a bit more popular. Thankfully Gladstone revived the Gottfredson stuff.

[codfish]

 

Has anybody noticed that most of the real key breakout books over the last 25 years have been non-superhero books? examples TMNT#1,Cerebus#1,

Sonic #1,Bone #1,Chew #1 and Walking Dead #1, maybe there is a reason why monthly comicbooks are at a all-time low in sales. dare I say it`s our beloved superheroes, maybe mainstream wants a little variety.

 

Actually there is a alot of variety out there. More so than when I got into comics.

 

With all of those titles you mention (except for Cerebus and Chew) caught on or have caught on with a wide age range. Perhaps instead of mostly focusing on the 16-30+ year olds out there companies might want to try broadening their focus. All they are going to get with the focus they have now is either a declining base or net zero growth.

 

They also have to get into a digital distribution similar to iTunes and not the way Marvel does things right now. I am sure they are losing some money to piracy right now and they cannot close that door but having a good legal option will stem the flow and could actually allow them to increase their distribution range for considerably less money than hard copy distribution costs them. Taking a hardline approach to piracy is also not a wise choice considering many people actually increase what they buy in hard copy format. (Unfortunately they are not taking that approach right now)

[Senormac]

Paul Murry and the other of his ilk produced REALLY sterile art and the stories were ... hum drum.

 

IMO if it was Gottfredson stuff that had seen the publication rather than decades of Drury Murry and co. I think Mickey would be a bit more popular.

 

You, sir.......are a codfish

[kimik]

 

Has anybody noticed that most of the real key breakout books over the last 25 years have been non-superhero books? examples TMNT#1,Cerebus#1,

Sonic #1,Bone #1,Chew #1 and Walking Dead #1, maybe there is a reason why monthly comicbooks are at a all-time low in sales. dare I say it`s our beloved superheroes, maybe mainstream wants a little variety.

 

I don't know if that is entirely accurate. Variety is good, but super-hero books still dominate the market and will continue to do so as long as new books continue to be published. There are always new characters/titles, but how long do they stay hot for? TMNT is the only one of these books that has any impact outside of the comic medium, and that is probably on the wane now as well. Look back 10 - 15 years ago, and we would have been talking about the impact of Image and Valiant but how many of those titles are still in print?

 

[mica]

Why Bugs isn't a bigger niche is a little perplexing. I'd guess that probably 85-90% of the members here (and collectors) were raised on a steady diet of Bugs. I know I was. Yet, I don't collect Bugs books.

 

I don't know why I don't. Just not appealing to me. I'd love to own an animation cel for Bugs. But have no interest in collecting comics. Maybe b/c the first exposure was to the cartoon, not a comic book?

 

I think it's because we don't have that iconic voice from Mel when you pick up a Bugs comic.

His ability to "fast talk" and confuse his opponent (Rabbit season-Duck season) would have

taken 4 pages of scripting in a comic.The cartoons rock.

 

This is opposite in the Donald Duck books.

Barks gave Donald fantastic dialogue that would have been undecipherable with the cartoon voice.

[codfish]

You, sir.......are a codfish

 

. Yes sir I am and as a codfish I am at risk so you will get in big trouble if you try and beat some sense into me Sorry I am just not a Paul Murry fan.

[AtlasFan]

Interesting question.

 

Growing up in the 70s, Mickey Mouse cartoons were not generally available to youngsters. While Bugs Bunny and the WB cartoons were syndicated into TV shows, the classic Disney cartoons were not.

 

To me, Mickey was more of an icon that represented the Disney brands (movies, theme parks, toys, etc) rather than an entertaining character that would make you laugh (the polar opposite of Bugs). Without access to the cartoons, there would be little demand for the comics.

 

Although, as a kid I was never interested in "funny animal" comics anyway... and one would think that Bugs comics would have been popular while Bugs was on TV -- maybe they were in the 70s... But with classic Bugs cartoons almost inaccessible to kids in the last 10 years (I think the only place you can find them now are sporadically on the BOOMERANG channel), Bugs' popularity has declined sharply.

 

Truly a shame...

[rjpb]

I think that one of the mani reasons no funny animal books are ever in demand is the lack of "key issues". Other than first appearances, #1 issues, and Barks art, what other keys are there?

 

The same goes for war and crime books to a certain extent ..... not that many key issues.

 

But the superhero comics are littered with "key issues". Mind you, key issues are basically what Bob Overstreet has defined as being a key issue over the years, but collectors agreed with him and pushed the prices up on most of the books he identified as being keys.

 

 

 

The dominance of Superhero books when it comes to fandom will translate to an abundance of "key" books in that genre, but they exist elsewhere. True, first issues play a more limited role in many genres, but scarcity, content and especially covers play a big role in deciding what is a "key" issue.

 

The real reason for the lower interest in Funny Animal comics is that outside of Barks' work, they are considered too juvenile, even by comic collectors. While this attitude overlooks some great work from a variety of other creators, it's true that most "Funny Animal" books

were geared towards the youngest readers back in the GA, and still read that way today.

 

Has anybody noticed that most of the real key breakout books over the last 25 years have been non-superhero books? examples TMNT#1,Cerebus#1,

Sonic #1,Bone #1,Chew #1 and Walking Dead #1, maybe there is a reason why monthly comicbooks are at a all-time low in sales. dare I say it`s our beloved superheroes, maybe mainstream wants a little variety.

 

I was in a Barnes & Nobles today and the Graphic Novel section consisted of 8 shelving units - 4 of which were Manga and 2 of which were Marvel/DC/Darkhorse and Image type collections, the rest being more alternative type stuff. While comic shops carry little if any Manga, I'm guessing it is the dominant genre at book stores. It's interesting that the current interest in Superhero movies with the public at large doesn;t translate into much in the way of comic book sales. Just as Mickey Mouse remains a popular character, even when new comics and cartoons aren't being produced, I can see a day when Batman and Spiderman continue to show up as pop culture icons, even after the comics have stopped being published.

[Senormac]

You, sir.......are a codfish

 

. Yes sir I am and as a codfish I am at risk so you will get in big trouble if you try and beat some sense into me Sorry I am just not a Paul Murry fan.

 

3 part continuation Paul Murry Mickey and Goofy stories

[rodan57]

To tell you the truth, I'm perfectly fine with Mickey NOT being in great demand. That just means I wont have as much trouble picking them up .....nor will I have to pay an arm and a leg

 

I like this way of thinking. God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world.

[the blob]

 

 

My companion question to the main question in this thread is why is there no demand for Bugs Bunny? I've only met three Bugs collectors in my life.

 

BUGS was always my favorite cartoon when I was a kid. I could still watch them today and be highly entertained, as long as they are not those censored versions with all the good violence cut out.

 

 

I collect Bugs Bunny....I don't really go out of my way to do so anymore, but hindsight being 20/20, I probably overpaid for some Bugs Merry Melodies and Four Colors back in the day when I was more actively collecting them.

[Senormac]

Some Bugs eye candy

 

[MR.COMICBOOK]

Interesting question.

 

Growing up in the 70s, Mickey Mouse cartoons were not generally available to youngsters. While Bugs Bunny and the WB cartoons were syndicated into TV shows, the classic Disney cartoons were not.

 

To me, Mickey was more of an icon that represented the Disney brands (movies, theme parks, toys, etc) rather than an entertaining character that would make you laugh (the polar opposite of Bugs). Without access to the cartoons, there would be little demand for the comics.

 

Although, as a kid I was never interested in "funny animal" comics anyway... and one would think that Bugs comics would have been popular while Bugs was on TV -- maybe they were in the 70s... But with classic Bugs cartoons almost inaccessible to kids in the last 10 years (I think the only place you can find them now are sporadically on the BOOMERANG channel), Bugs' popularity has declined sharply.

 

Truly a shame...

The reverse is happening now though, the modern young generation gets to watch new adventures of Mickey Mouse,Donald Duck and the gang on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel everyday while the only way to watch Bugs Bunny is to maybe get to watch a old rerun on the Cartoon Network as you say.

so yeah Bugs is more popular with adults from the 1970`s but not with the kids of today. Walk into a Toys R US or a Wal-mart and you will see tons of Mickey Mouse stuff but very little Bugs Bunny stuff.

[dekeuk]

 

I always thought the DELL GIANT series had some of the nicest looking funny animal covers ever made. If I collected funny animal, high grade DELL GIANT books would be on my list

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[the blob]

The reverse is happening now though, the modern young generation gets to watch new adventures of Mickey Mouse,Donald Duck and the gang on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel everyday while the only way to watch Bugs Bunny is to maybe get to watch a old rerun on the Cartoon Network as you say.

so yeah Bugs is more popular with adults from the 1970`s but not with the kids of today. Walk into a Toys R US or a Wal-mart and you will see tons of Mickey Mouse stuff but very little Bugs Bunny stuff.

---------

 

tiny toons or animaniacs or whatever they were were pretty popular in the 90's, maybe early 2000's....bugs would make an occasional guest appearance for his nephiew/niece

[codfish]

You, sir.......are a codfish

 

. Yes sir I am and as a codfish I am at risk so you will get in big trouble if you try and beat some sense into me Sorry I am just not a Paul Murry fan.

 

3 part continuation Paul Murry Mickey and Goofy stories

 

Murry is the Devil I tells ya.

[Senormac]

You, sir.......are a codfish

 

. Yes sir I am and as a codfish I am at risk so you will get in big trouble if you try and beat some sense into me Sorry I am just not a Paul Murry fan.

 

3 part continuation Paul Murry Mickey and Goofy stories

 

Murry is the Devil I tells ya.

 

[codfish]

Remember I am a threatened species!

[BaltimoreLauren]

The reverse is happening now though, the modern young generation gets to watch new adventures of Mickey Mouse,Donald Duck and the gang on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel everyday while the only way to watch Bugs Bunny is to maybe get to watch a old rerun on the Cartoon Network as you say.

so yeah Bugs is more popular with adults from the 1970`s but not with the kids of today. Walk into a Toys R US or a Wal-mart and you will see tons of Mickey Mouse stuff but very little Bugs Bunny stuff.

---------

 

tiny toons or animaniacs or whatever they were were pretty popular in the 90's, maybe early 2000's....bugs would make an occasional guest appearance for his nephiew/niece

 

Seeing as how I was born in 1986, Tiny Toons and Animaniacs were both on when I was in elementary school. We also had something called Disney Afternoon on local syndacate television, which aired Tail Spin, Duck Tales, and Rescue Rangers (and a few other shows). This lasted until I was in middle school, when most people here started switching to cable.

 

Now whenever I turn on the TV in the afternoon and Saturday mornings I never see local stations showing cartoons. Most families, as I said earlier, have cable/Direct TV, so kids can watch Cartoon Network or Disney Chanel. Both character groups are still popular with kids, but I feel Disney is winning out (unless of course, you're Dora or Spongebob.)

 

As far as Mickey Mouse not being that popular...I mostly just think it's because the ducks are more popular due to Barks' creative story telling and amazing art. Mickey, IMO, doesn't have the best artists in the world when it comes to his comics.