According to some other information I had, the decision was taken for economic and "strategic" reasons, but not really because the company itself is in trouble (although maybe the economic perspectives are not that good).

Maybe Hachette considered ordering cheap comic material from Denmark or Italy is easier than producing it.

It is expected that covers also will either be drawn by Comicup in Barcelona (or a French studio for children magazines) or foreign material will be imported.

LadyQuackly: historically, Tintin was pub'd by Casterman, a distinct company.

LadyQuackly wrote:

cacou wrote:

LadyQuackly: historically, Tintin was pub'd by Casterman, a distinct company.

Oh, that's right!  Though I thought in some way Hachette was connected either with Tintin or some other French-language comic. Maybe they distributed him in France...I'll look it up. Anyway, it's too bad about the company.

LadyQuackly, you probably had Astérix in mind. That's from Hachette.
Cacou, do you know if Hachette stopped any comic production or just the Disney comic branch?

Will Barks wrote:

Cacou, do you know if Hachette stopped any comic production or just the Disney comic branch?

Hachette recently bought the rights for Asterix and lately they've come to mangas. But I'm not sure exactly what they produce(d) apart for Disney comic. Most of the French comic production is not made by Hachette (but Glénat, Delcourt, Soleil, Casterman, Dupuis, Fluide Glacial).
To me, Hachette is mainly a non-innovating company making a lot of profits (2 billion EUR/year revenue acc. to wikipedia) from their power in the distribution network.

Are the Italian Disney publishers still taking new stories?

Who at Disney Italy do I send stories to?  Egmont Denmark isn't taking any for the next couple of years.

cacou wrote:

And Hachette is now firing a lot of persons, mainly those in charge of the comic production...

There's a non-Disney comic strip in today's Picsou Magazine that jokes about the licensing plan. Will scan it if I can.

Maybe not all is grey though, as in the US, Dark Horse may have plans for Disney comics? this is a message at the DCML from John Chadwick (unconfirmed/unofficial info)
http://nafsk.se/pipermail/dcml/2009-April/025746.html

From what I see, there is not even a hint that Dark Horse is interested in taking on a franchise to publish traditional Disney Comics.  Apparently, they are working on a deal to sell figures of Uncle Scrooge.  Nothing has been said by ANYONE, in any place I have read, that Dark Horse wants to try to sell traditional (Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck/Uncle Scrooge, etc.) Disney Comics.  I hope they DO (or someone else does).  But I'll only believe it after I receive my first issue.

Thanks, but are there any email addresses?

stavner wrote:

Egmont Denmark isn't taking any for the next couple of years.

How do you know? Did you contact Egmont? I just wanted to send them some stories and artwork.

Robb_K wrote:

From what I see, there is not even a hint that Dark Horse is interested in taking on a franchise to publish traditional Disney Comics.  Apparently, they are working on a deal to sell figures of Uncle Scrooge.  Nothing has been said by ANYONE, in any place I have read, that Dark Horse wants to try to sell traditional (Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck/Uncle Scrooge, etc.) Disney Comics.  I hope they DO (or someone else does).  But I'll only believe it after I receive my first issue.

That's too bad. Are there still some Disney comics (Witch) published in the US by Hyperion Books?