Maggie Thompson,
honcho at the Comics Buyer’s Guide (CBG),
received from following communique from the financially beleaguered Steve Geppi: "In the past few
days, there have been a number of rumors circulating about Gemstone Publishing.
As has been the case with many businesses across a wide array of industries,
there has been a reduction in staff at Gemstone, and this included the
departure of many valued employees. This, however, is not the end of Gemstone
Publishing. Our flagship title, The
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, remains a vital tool for comic book
collectors throughout North America and around
the world and it continues to be a highly profitable item for the retailers who
carry it. I look forward to making announcements regarding new developments for
the Guide’s 40th anniversary next
year. At this time, no final decision has been made regarding The EC Archives or our comic books
featuring Disney’s standard characters, but it seems certain that both lines
will continue in some form. We all anticipate resolving the issues facing us
and moving forward, and I will be happy to announce the specifics once things
have been finalized." I’m not sure this answers all the questions that
recent reports about Geppi’s fiscal plight have raised, but it does seem, in a
backhanded sort of way, to confirm reports about Russ Cochran and various
Gemstone employees being freshly unemployed.
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