Don Rosa writes:
> Someone asked about "Duck of Africa" (which is supposed to be entitled
> "The Terror of the Transvaal", originally titled "The Prey of the Transvaal
> Viper"). Where was the "Wizard of Oz" reference? Maybe I've forgotten my own
> dialogue... or did Mr. Dios add something?
I'm the one who asked. I don't have the book with me, but the way I remember
it is that when $crooge wanders around on the savannah after the Boer deserts
him, he mutters about the fact that he's not afraid, (having fought wild
animals before, in Kansas) just angry. Then a lion jumps at him, roaring,
and $crooge says something like "<gasp>... then again, I'm not in Kansas
anymore!"
That's how it appears in the translation, at any rate. Am I reading too much
into it? Maybe I think of "The Wizard of Oz" every time I hear "Kansas." :-)
Ola
Ola Torstensson \ "I must warn the reader to discount much of
dat91oto at ludat.lth.se \ what I say as the ravings of a fanatic who
Undergraduate, Dept of Computer \ thinks he has just seen a great light."
Science, Lund University, Sweden \ -- Donald E. Knuth
Author
Topic: 199305
(145 messages)
Ola Torstensson
The Terror of the Transvaal
Message 31 -
1993-05-11 at 10:44:36
Rich.Bellacera
O/~ Now it's time to say goodbye...o/~
Message 32 -
1993-05-11 at 15:44:00
Hi everyone. I'm sorry to say that I will be loosing my account by the end
of this month. My company is having *another* lay-off and I'm slated to be
released this time around.
I will really miss this group. I've learned quite a lot about the past of
Disney Comics and their masters (Carl, Don, Floyd, et al). Oh well. I'll
maintain the e-mail address and maybe one day you'll hear from me again.
Until the end of the month I'd like to maintain my membership, tho.
> My name is Chris Lawton. I have lived in Pleasanton, CA (about 40 mile east
> San Francisco or about 10 miles west of Lawrence Livermore Labratories) for
> past 17 years. I'm now 25.
Hi Chris. I live just a few miles from you (in San Jose) and pass by
Pleasonton everytime I drive to my brother's house (in Dixon). So,
Howdy neighbor.
To the rest: Take care. I'll try to post one final time (at least) before
I'm completely gone.
-Rich
of this month. My company is having *another* lay-off and I'm slated to be
released this time around.
I will really miss this group. I've learned quite a lot about the past of
Disney Comics and their masters (Carl, Don, Floyd, et al). Oh well. I'll
maintain the e-mail address and maybe one day you'll hear from me again.
Until the end of the month I'd like to maintain my membership, tho.
> My name is Chris Lawton. I have lived in Pleasanton, CA (about 40 mile east
> San Francisco or about 10 miles west of Lawrence Livermore Labratories) for
> past 17 years. I'm now 25.
Hi Chris. I live just a few miles from you (in San Jose) and pass by
Pleasonton everytime I drive to my brother's house (in Dixon). So,
Howdy neighbor.
To the rest: Take care. I'll try to post one final time (at least) before
I'm completely gone.
-Rich
Andreas Gammel
Returned mail: User unknown
Message 33 -
1993-05-11 at 16:32:29
I have 2 questions:
I've been gathering the weekly Dutch "Donald Duck" magazine for a little while now (1960-1975:95% complete, 1975-1993:30% complete), and I was wondering if there are any other people, apart from Harry, around interested in this hobby. Please respond.
Is there a digest of Disney stories (date, artist, writer, story code, title, issues) somewhere around. Could anyone mail it to me ?
Andreas "You wanna fight ?" Gammel
I've been gathering the weekly Dutch "Donald Duck" magazine for a little while now (1960-1975:95% complete, 1975-1993:30% complete), and I was wondering if there are any other people, apart from Harry, around interested in this hobby. Please respond.
Is there a digest of Disney stories (date, artist, writer, story code, title, issues) somewhere around. Could anyone mail it to me ?
Andreas "You wanna fight ?" Gammel
Fredrik Ekman
Continuity
Message 34 -
1993-05-11 at 17:01:32
Don Rosa:
>Someone asked if I'd ever use Launchpad, even as a gag background
>character. Sure, I'd do that, since I like the guy. BUT I don't
>think I'd better since readers would see that use as my acknowleding
>the cexistance of the DuckTales characters in my Duck universe.
>So I'd better leave them alone.
There's actually an interesting case of continuity between the Duck
Tales and the "normal" Duck universe in the latest Swedish Kalle
Anka & C:o (19-20/93). There's a Van Horn comic (D92205) that loosely
translates to "The Magic Box". In the comic, which features Donald,
his nephews and Magica, there's a flea (Swedish name; Baron Vicke
Virum) that made its original appearance in Van Horn comic "The
whistling ghost" (or something) coded AR148 and printed in Swedish
MP 9/90. This flea has a leading role in both comics, despite the
former being a DD and the latter a DT. And, indeed, why not?
I also think I've read a Disney Comics DT episode where there are a
lot of references to old Barks stories, so this kind of continuity
can obviously work both ways. Of course, just because it exists, it
doesn't have to be good...
And if Mr. Rosa doesn't want to mess upp his normal universe with
DT characters, then what about making a Launchpad McQuack solo
adventure? To my knowledge, this has only been done in one-pagers
before. Then, theoretically, there needen't be any question at all
as to which universe he belongs to at the time.
> Now... is anyone seeing this message???
Yup! :)
/Fredrik Ekman
------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| "By definition, one can only | Steve Gerber, |
| go so far in a world between." | Howard the Duck |
| | |
------------------------------------------------------
>Someone asked if I'd ever use Launchpad, even as a gag background
>character. Sure, I'd do that, since I like the guy. BUT I don't
>think I'd better since readers would see that use as my acknowleding
>the cexistance of the DuckTales characters in my Duck universe.
>So I'd better leave them alone.
There's actually an interesting case of continuity between the Duck
Tales and the "normal" Duck universe in the latest Swedish Kalle
Anka & C:o (19-20/93). There's a Van Horn comic (D92205) that loosely
translates to "The Magic Box". In the comic, which features Donald,
his nephews and Magica, there's a flea (Swedish name; Baron Vicke
Virum) that made its original appearance in Van Horn comic "The
whistling ghost" (or something) coded AR148 and printed in Swedish
MP 9/90. This flea has a leading role in both comics, despite the
former being a DD and the latter a DT. And, indeed, why not?
I also think I've read a Disney Comics DT episode where there are a
lot of references to old Barks stories, so this kind of continuity
can obviously work both ways. Of course, just because it exists, it
doesn't have to be good...
And if Mr. Rosa doesn't want to mess upp his normal universe with
DT characters, then what about making a Launchpad McQuack solo
adventure? To my knowledge, this has only been done in one-pagers
before. Then, theoretically, there needen't be any question at all
as to which universe he belongs to at the time.
> Now... is anyone seeing this message???
Yup! :)
/Fredrik Ekman
------------------------------------------------------
| | |
| "By definition, one can only | Steve Gerber, |
| go so far in a world between." | Howard the Duck |
| | |
------------------------------------------------------
Don Rosa
Digest #16
Message 35 -
1993-05-11 at 17:26:01
COMMENTS ON DIGEST # whateveritwas:
I browsed David Gerstein's info on Disney and Gladstone and spotted just a few errors.
Gladstone's comics are not bimonthly to "test the waters". They will remain bimonthly. Hamilton feels that the comics will sell twice
as good if they are on the stands twice as long, and since Disney buyers are not the must-have-every-Thursday-by-3-PM fanatics that
the typical American comic book zombies are, he's probably right.
There's nothing that will enhance Mickey's selling power. His unpopularity has been proven resoundingly for decades. Everyone has their
personal idea of how to make Mickey sellable, but decades of readers not wanting MM indicate it's a waste of time. The only reason that
Gladstone will publish ANY Mickey stories whatsoever is because the license with Disney demands same. They happily got out of having
to publish a solo MM title since even Disney was forced to realize that there was no hope in doing that, so they couldn't very well
demand that Gladstone do so.
Also, missing from the list of all Disney Disneys was the DONALD & $CROOGE #1-3 which was sold only in packs at certain Walmarts.
Its contents were the same as the comic album of the same name, minus one short gagstory. And I, as always, dislke the term Gerstein
uses: GM as meaning "Graphic Novel". It was a COMIC ALBUM as are all such oversized comics. The term "graphic novel" is a contradiction
in terms created by people who somehow feel embarrassed to be reading comic books unless they have a fancier name. Feh.
Other comments:
Per, I did not FORGET that the air molecules would have been frozen in my "On Stolen Time" story; I chose to IGNORE the fact in order
to tell the tale. I later decided that saying something else other than time-freezing was going on would have solved that problem (
and not been so silly an idea).
And I imagine those Dan Jippes/Carl Barks JW remakes will be used by Gladstone. Why not? Every Disney comic book story ever done
anywhere on the planet is available to them for their use at the same price... free.
I browsed David Gerstein's info on Disney and Gladstone and spotted just a few errors.
Gladstone's comics are not bimonthly to "test the waters". They will remain bimonthly. Hamilton feels that the comics will sell twice
as good if they are on the stands twice as long, and since Disney buyers are not the must-have-every-Thursday-by-3-PM fanatics that
the typical American comic book zombies are, he's probably right.
There's nothing that will enhance Mickey's selling power. His unpopularity has been proven resoundingly for decades. Everyone has their
personal idea of how to make Mickey sellable, but decades of readers not wanting MM indicate it's a waste of time. The only reason that
Gladstone will publish ANY Mickey stories whatsoever is because the license with Disney demands same. They happily got out of having
to publish a solo MM title since even Disney was forced to realize that there was no hope in doing that, so they couldn't very well
demand that Gladstone do so.
Also, missing from the list of all Disney Disneys was the DONALD & $CROOGE #1-3 which was sold only in packs at certain Walmarts.
Its contents were the same as the comic album of the same name, minus one short gagstory. And I, as always, dislke the term Gerstein
uses: GM as meaning "Graphic Novel". It was a COMIC ALBUM as are all such oversized comics. The term "graphic novel" is a contradiction
in terms created by people who somehow feel embarrassed to be reading comic books unless they have a fancier name. Feh.
Other comments:
Per, I did not FORGET that the air molecules would have been frozen in my "On Stolen Time" story; I chose to IGNORE the fact in order
to tell the tale. I later decided that saying something else other than time-freezing was going on would have solved that problem (
and not been so silly an idea).
And I imagine those Dan Jippes/Carl Barks JW remakes will be used by Gladstone. Why not? Every Disney comic book story ever done
anywhere on the planet is available to them for their use at the same price... free.
Don Rosa
Returned mail: User unknown
Message 36 -
1993-05-11 at 17:27:55
Try again.
--- Forwarded Message ---
Date: 07-May-93 08:18 EDT
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem >INTERNET:MAILER-DAEMON at compuserve.com
Subj: Returned mail: User unknown
Sender: MAILER-DAEMON at compuserve.com
Received: by ihc.compuserve.com (5.65/5.930129sam)
id AA20683; Fri, 7 May 93 08:17:52 -0400
Date: Fri, 7 May 93 08:17:52 -0400
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON at compuserve.com>
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
Message-Id: <9305071217.AA20683 at ihc.compuserve.com>
To: 72260.2635 at compuserve.com
----- Transcript of session follows -----
>>> RCPT To:<disney-comics at minsk.docs.uu.se>
<<< 550 /home/bern/d83/starback/lists/disney-comics: line 0: clawton.tfs.com (Chris Lawton)... User unknown
550 disney-comics at minsk.docs.uu.se... User unknown
----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by ihc.compuserve.com (5.65/5.930129sam)
id AA20678; Fri, 7 May 93 08:17:53 -0400
Date: 07 May 93 08:11:31 EDT
From: Don Rosa <72260.2635 at CompuServe.COM>
To: <disney-comics at Minsk.DoCS.UU.SE>
Subject: Re: Digest #13
Message-Id: <930507121130_72260.2635_EHK23-2 at CompuServe.COM>
COMMENTS ON #13:
Per: Don't forget about ME! I need copies of the Swedish comics with my stories in 'em, TOO! Nobody sends me those things! I sometimes
get copies from a couple of very nice young Swedish fans, but they can hardly afford to be mailing me stuff overseas like that when
Egmont or some older Duck fan could afford to much better!
Replies to various queries:
The only thing that is changing now that Gladstone takes back over from Disney is that they will carry on a policy that Disney started
toward their end, that which allowed me to do some covers for them: Gladstone is allowed to return my art! I am the first (and only)
hoomin bean who has ever had artwork returned from the Disney Corporation which is a sure sign that they are slowly coming into the 20th
century, and may get here about the time the rest of us go into the 21st.
My story which won "best comic of the year" in Norway was "Return to Xanadu". Beat out other nominees like "Gotham by Gaslight" and
such.
In reply to what Americans might think of Disney comics as compared with Asterix or Tintin or Nemo: Americans would at least have
HEARD of the Disney characters. Recently there have been Asterix and Tintin shows on cable TV, and that new Nemo animated feature...
so at least a FEW Americans now have heard of those characters. But prior to the last 2 or 3 years, no American outside of a small
percentage of hardcore comic collectors would have ever even heard of Asterix or Tintin. Nor would any American have a fraction of the
knowledge of old American newspaper strips that the average European does. Does that surprise and of you Euro folks? It shouldn't.
This is truly a nation of wealthy morons.
And what other changes did I make in Barks old Family Tree? The only other one I can think of is that I eleiminated the business of
Gladstone's parents dying from overeating at a free picnic, so he was never adopted by $crooge's sister Matilda. I saw no purpose
behind such a "plot twist" which would have been very hard to get included in a comic book. Unfortunately, this left Matilda an "old
maid"; I wanted to have her married to Ludwig Von Drake; I like Ludwig and that would be the ONLY way he could actually be a relative
of Donald. But I was vetoed by everyone from Bob Foster to Carl Barks on that one... so poor Matilda is still an old maid. (Actually,
she'd be DEAD by now, anyhow. $crooge is the last McDuck alive.)
--- Forwarded Message ---
Date: 07-May-93 08:18 EDT
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem >INTERNET:MAILER-DAEMON at compuserve.com
Subj: Returned mail: User unknown
Sender: MAILER-DAEMON at compuserve.com
Received: by ihc.compuserve.com (5.65/5.930129sam)
id AA20683; Fri, 7 May 93 08:17:52 -0400
Date: Fri, 7 May 93 08:17:52 -0400
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON at compuserve.com>
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
Message-Id: <9305071217.AA20683 at ihc.compuserve.com>
To: 72260.2635 at compuserve.com
----- Transcript of session follows -----
>>> RCPT To:<disney-comics at minsk.docs.uu.se>
<<< 550 /home/bern/d83/starback/lists/disney-comics: line 0: clawton.tfs.com (Chris Lawton)... User unknown
550 disney-comics at minsk.docs.uu.se... User unknown
----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by ihc.compuserve.com (5.65/5.930129sam)
id AA20678; Fri, 7 May 93 08:17:53 -0400
Date: 07 May 93 08:11:31 EDT
From: Don Rosa <72260.2635 at CompuServe.COM>
To: <disney-comics at Minsk.DoCS.UU.SE>
Subject: Re: Digest #13
Message-Id: <930507121130_72260.2635_EHK23-2 at CompuServe.COM>
COMMENTS ON #13:
Per: Don't forget about ME! I need copies of the Swedish comics with my stories in 'em, TOO! Nobody sends me those things! I sometimes
get copies from a couple of very nice young Swedish fans, but they can hardly afford to be mailing me stuff overseas like that when
Egmont or some older Duck fan could afford to much better!
Replies to various queries:
The only thing that is changing now that Gladstone takes back over from Disney is that they will carry on a policy that Disney started
toward their end, that which allowed me to do some covers for them: Gladstone is allowed to return my art! I am the first (and only)
hoomin bean who has ever had artwork returned from the Disney Corporation which is a sure sign that they are slowly coming into the 20th
century, and may get here about the time the rest of us go into the 21st.
My story which won "best comic of the year" in Norway was "Return to Xanadu". Beat out other nominees like "Gotham by Gaslight" and
such.
In reply to what Americans might think of Disney comics as compared with Asterix or Tintin or Nemo: Americans would at least have
HEARD of the Disney characters. Recently there have been Asterix and Tintin shows on cable TV, and that new Nemo animated feature...
so at least a FEW Americans now have heard of those characters. But prior to the last 2 or 3 years, no American outside of a small
percentage of hardcore comic collectors would have ever even heard of Asterix or Tintin. Nor would any American have a fraction of the
knowledge of old American newspaper strips that the average European does. Does that surprise and of you Euro folks? It shouldn't.
This is truly a nation of wealthy morons.
And what other changes did I make in Barks old Family Tree? The only other one I can think of is that I eleiminated the business of
Gladstone's parents dying from overeating at a free picnic, so he was never adopted by $crooge's sister Matilda. I saw no purpose
behind such a "plot twist" which would have been very hard to get included in a comic book. Unfortunately, this left Matilda an "old
maid"; I wanted to have her married to Ludwig Von Drake; I like Ludwig and that would be the ONLY way he could actually be a relative
of Donald. But I was vetoed by everyone from Bob Foster to Carl Barks on that one... so poor Matilda is still an old maid. (Actually,
she'd be DEAD by now, anyhow. $crooge is the last McDuck alive.)
David A Gerstein
Don Rosa on Mickey
Message 37 -
1993-05-11 at 23:34:43
Dear network users,
I wrote to Don Rosa recently, and part of my letter responded
to the comments he made about my posted info on Disney Comics. (That
is: last week, someone else beat ME to the punch by sending you my
views on the new Gladstones and 'complete' checklist of all Disney
Comics issues.)
I realized that my comments might be useful to everyone here,
so I'll just excerpt them from the letter I wrote to Don:
*******
I immensely prefer the term "Comic Album" to "Graphic Novel": as you
put it, 'feh'. Calling the DONALD AND SCROOGE album the latter term was a
mistake; I ONLY referred to the others that way as that's the name
they were advertised as.
Thanks for mentioning the three D&S one-shots containing the
material that was in that album. The existence of those is a new one
on me. You know, maybe Wal-Mart also distributed the obscure Roger
Rabbit 3-D comic that Disney published...
My comments on the (monthly? bimonthly?) schedule of the
Gladstone books and how that could change were simply what I thought
was my own intuition. Of course, there was someone (you!) around to
correct me: as Barks put it, "there are other things besides echoes
that come back... bill collectors, cats and sins!" (I don't have the
story accessible now [WDC 105], so that quote may be slightly off)
As for Mickey's selling power, YES he's less sellable than the
ducks when it comes to comics. When KK Publications first started
WDC&S in 1940, Donald was on top of Mickey in cartoon popularity, so
they put Donald on the cover (even though -- as it would be for the
first few years -- there was far more Mickey than Donald in the book).
Only the first MM one-shot had Gottfredson, and after that BAD
new stories were used; hence, except for the very first issue, not
one single doggoned comic with Mickey on the COVER
(using his image, successful then as now, as MERCHANDISE selling
power) ever gave readers the Gottfredson that was always the Mouse's
best shot at immortality. Thus, Mickey as the headliner of a comic
was never linked during the golden age of Disney comics to
Gottfredson. Thus, even when MM's popularity as a cartoon character
soared in the 1950s due to the television 'Club', those newfound
Mickey fans found nothing that would hold their attention in the
comics.
(My opinion of stories by Dick Moores, Paul Murry and Bill
Wright in the foregoing is not good. Some were decent, but
none of them made Mickey anything more than a bland adventure hero,
most used very formulaic Hardy-Boys-like mysteries, never tried to do
anything with the depth of Barks, etc.)
So now we have a state in which Mickey's image as a comic book
character was shaped, until 1986, and again from 1990-91, by the most
visible Mickey material being second-rate. Is it any wonder that so
many collectors shy away? MM in Gladstone's run often printed letters
from Duck fans who'd avoided Gladstone's Gottfredson book for a long
time simply due to the bad taste PREVIOUS Mickey titles had left in
their mouths, but then bought it and liked it.
Despite the bad state that Mickey is in, Gottfredson STILL
makes him sell better. Len Wein had a policy against the use of his
work, it being old-fashioned in use of the pie-eyed Mickey! Hence
only three 6-pagers appearing before he left. After he did and
Gottfredson was used more frequently, sales showed that his work
increased WDC&S sales. His material sold far better than Dick
Moores', which had the regular slot before. Gottfredson DID sell
better than other MM artists, and still does. He just can't overcome
the kiddie image that Mickey was blighted with from 1943-1985 and from
1990-91. The suspicions of Duck readers who, naturally, found Murry's
WDC&S and MM work inferior to Barks' issue-sharing stories, did the
rest, and still do.
*******
I'll add to the foregoing: Perhaps the worst thing about
Murry's, Moores', Jippes' and (to some extent) Wright's is how
completely uninteresting Mickey is.
Also, the potency of Mickey as a merchandising image derives
from the simplicity of the "classic" (best-selling) Mickey, that of
the 1930s (or the 1940s one, as long as he only has short pants,
gloves and shoes on). Later artists, particularly Murry and Moores,
obliterated that by dressing Mickey to the nines in a smothering
layout topped by a boring porkpie hat.
(If Mickey has to have a hat, I like the straw boater he was
wearing in 1940-41 strip continuities. It fits the natty personality
that Mickey had in his days of comic success... the 1930s.)
And again: I am ready to admit that after 1943 the
Gottfredson stories are essentially Bill Walsh stories and thus
maintain far less of the classic feeling. Although I prefer
Walsh-written stories to the later new-to-comic-book material, I still
regard "prime" Gottfredson (1930-1942) as the "classic period" for
Mickey, just like Barks' "classic" period was about 1948-1960
(interestingly, both being 12-year periods).
Gottfredson has also been hurt by Disney's longtime refusal to
acknowledge his fan following. Unlike with Barks, his work did not
remain before the public eye: after the 1946 continuities, his work
was not reprinted in U. S. comic books AT ALL (let alone in a
prominent position!), and during the breeding days of comic fandom
(the 1960s) Barks became widely known, while Disney refused to reveal
Gottfredson's identity or reprint his strips until ten years later,
once a 'pantheon' had been established that most comic fans considered
essential.
Whitman added another nail to the coffin by only reprinting 2
Gottfredson stories once the artist's identity came out ("The Bat
Bandit" and "The Bar-None Ranch"). Big deal.
It's a monument to his talent that, essentially, after only
seven years of semi-regular comic-book exposure, his work DOES outsell
Murry, Bradbury, and others.
If only it sold as well as Ducks...
Get a Fellow Barks Fan Interested in Gottfredson Today!!!
Your friend,
David Gerstein
"Of course you're cookin, ya big rummy! What did ya THINK
they were doin' to ya?"
-- Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson, "In Search of
Jungle Treasure"
------- End of Forwarded Message
I wrote to Don Rosa recently, and part of my letter responded
to the comments he made about my posted info on Disney Comics. (That
is: last week, someone else beat ME to the punch by sending you my
views on the new Gladstones and 'complete' checklist of all Disney
Comics issues.)
I realized that my comments might be useful to everyone here,
so I'll just excerpt them from the letter I wrote to Don:
*******
I immensely prefer the term "Comic Album" to "Graphic Novel": as you
put it, 'feh'. Calling the DONALD AND SCROOGE album the latter term was a
mistake; I ONLY referred to the others that way as that's the name
they were advertised as.
Thanks for mentioning the three D&S one-shots containing the
material that was in that album. The existence of those is a new one
on me. You know, maybe Wal-Mart also distributed the obscure Roger
Rabbit 3-D comic that Disney published...
My comments on the (monthly? bimonthly?) schedule of the
Gladstone books and how that could change were simply what I thought
was my own intuition. Of course, there was someone (you!) around to
correct me: as Barks put it, "there are other things besides echoes
that come back... bill collectors, cats and sins!" (I don't have the
story accessible now [WDC 105], so that quote may be slightly off)
As for Mickey's selling power, YES he's less sellable than the
ducks when it comes to comics. When KK Publications first started
WDC&S in 1940, Donald was on top of Mickey in cartoon popularity, so
they put Donald on the cover (even though -- as it would be for the
first few years -- there was far more Mickey than Donald in the book).
Only the first MM one-shot had Gottfredson, and after that BAD
new stories were used; hence, except for the very first issue, not
one single doggoned comic with Mickey on the COVER
(using his image, successful then as now, as MERCHANDISE selling
power) ever gave readers the Gottfredson that was always the Mouse's
best shot at immortality. Thus, Mickey as the headliner of a comic
was never linked during the golden age of Disney comics to
Gottfredson. Thus, even when MM's popularity as a cartoon character
soared in the 1950s due to the television 'Club', those newfound
Mickey fans found nothing that would hold their attention in the
comics.
(My opinion of stories by Dick Moores, Paul Murry and Bill
Wright in the foregoing is not good. Some were decent, but
none of them made Mickey anything more than a bland adventure hero,
most used very formulaic Hardy-Boys-like mysteries, never tried to do
anything with the depth of Barks, etc.)
So now we have a state in which Mickey's image as a comic book
character was shaped, until 1986, and again from 1990-91, by the most
visible Mickey material being second-rate. Is it any wonder that so
many collectors shy away? MM in Gladstone's run often printed letters
from Duck fans who'd avoided Gladstone's Gottfredson book for a long
time simply due to the bad taste PREVIOUS Mickey titles had left in
their mouths, but then bought it and liked it.
Despite the bad state that Mickey is in, Gottfredson STILL
makes him sell better. Len Wein had a policy against the use of his
work, it being old-fashioned in use of the pie-eyed Mickey! Hence
only three 6-pagers appearing before he left. After he did and
Gottfredson was used more frequently, sales showed that his work
increased WDC&S sales. His material sold far better than Dick
Moores', which had the regular slot before. Gottfredson DID sell
better than other MM artists, and still does. He just can't overcome
the kiddie image that Mickey was blighted with from 1943-1985 and from
1990-91. The suspicions of Duck readers who, naturally, found Murry's
WDC&S and MM work inferior to Barks' issue-sharing stories, did the
rest, and still do.
*******
I'll add to the foregoing: Perhaps the worst thing about
Murry's, Moores', Jippes' and (to some extent) Wright's is how
completely uninteresting Mickey is.
Also, the potency of Mickey as a merchandising image derives
from the simplicity of the "classic" (best-selling) Mickey, that of
the 1930s (or the 1940s one, as long as he only has short pants,
gloves and shoes on). Later artists, particularly Murry and Moores,
obliterated that by dressing Mickey to the nines in a smothering
layout topped by a boring porkpie hat.
(If Mickey has to have a hat, I like the straw boater he was
wearing in 1940-41 strip continuities. It fits the natty personality
that Mickey had in his days of comic success... the 1930s.)
And again: I am ready to admit that after 1943 the
Gottfredson stories are essentially Bill Walsh stories and thus
maintain far less of the classic feeling. Although I prefer
Walsh-written stories to the later new-to-comic-book material, I still
regard "prime" Gottfredson (1930-1942) as the "classic period" for
Mickey, just like Barks' "classic" period was about 1948-1960
(interestingly, both being 12-year periods).
Gottfredson has also been hurt by Disney's longtime refusal to
acknowledge his fan following. Unlike with Barks, his work did not
remain before the public eye: after the 1946 continuities, his work
was not reprinted in U. S. comic books AT ALL (let alone in a
prominent position!), and during the breeding days of comic fandom
(the 1960s) Barks became widely known, while Disney refused to reveal
Gottfredson's identity or reprint his strips until ten years later,
once a 'pantheon' had been established that most comic fans considered
essential.
Whitman added another nail to the coffin by only reprinting 2
Gottfredson stories once the artist's identity came out ("The Bat
Bandit" and "The Bar-None Ranch"). Big deal.
It's a monument to his talent that, essentially, after only
seven years of semi-regular comic-book exposure, his work DOES outsell
Murry, Bradbury, and others.
If only it sold as well as Ducks...
Get a Fellow Barks Fan Interested in Gottfredson Today!!!
Your friend,
David Gerstein
"Of course you're cookin, ya big rummy! What did ya THINK
they were doin' to ya?"
-- Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson, "In Search of
Jungle Treasure"
------- End of Forwarded Message
Per Starback
Gottfredson list from David Gerstein
Message 38 -
1993-05-11 at 23:38:30
Here is something that new list member David Gerstein sent me about
the same time he joined the list. (BTW: Do you all think large lists
like this should be posted to the list, or would it be more
appropriate to just put them on the ftp archive and mention that they
are there for those who want them?)
/Per
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
_Complete List of Gottfredson Daily Strip Stories Not Reprinted or
Scheduled by Gladstone or Disney as of Disney Comics' Disbanding._
List Compiled by David Gerstein
I have included issue numbers for those that have been reprinted
either by Dell or outside of the regular line (i. e. Uncensored
Mouse).
There are a few weird breaks at ends of lines here, but my e-mail
system may have confused this former Macwrite file somewhat.
[I took the liberty of editing away a few weird breaks. /Per]
______________________________
"Lost on a Desert Island" (1/13-3/28/30) By Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks and
Win Smith. (Reprinted in Uncensored Mouse #1-2, 1988)
"Mickey Mouse in Death Valley" (4/1-9/20/30) Never reprinted (except
for first 3 weeks which were in Uncensored Mouse #2) By Disney, Smith
and Gottfredson (whose art begins on May 5, 1930).
"Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers" (9/22-12/29/30) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson, Hardie Gramatky and Earl Duvall. Introduces Mickey's
tough pal Butch (first major character created by Gottfredson), who
also appears in "Boxing Champion," "High Society," and "Circus
Roustabout" (although only briefly). His personality is reminiscent
of Taliaferro's Donald Duck.
"Mickey's Flute" (12/30/30-1/3/31) Never reprinted. By Gottfredson
and Duvall.
"The Picnic" (1/5-1/10/31) Never reprinted. Gottfredson/Duvall
"Traffic Troubles" (1/12-1/17/31) Never reprinted.
Gottfredson/Duvall
"Mickey Mouse Vs. Kat Nipp" (1/19-2/25/31) Never reprinted.
Gottfredson/Duvall; 33 daily strips total. The art is almost
reminiscent of William Van Horn's work; Van Horn would be an ideal
candidate to draw a cover illustration for it.
"Mickey Mouse, Boxing Champion" (2/26-4/29/31) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson, Duvall and Taliaferro. A superb early comedy with
tongue-in-cheek artwork.
"High Society" (4/30-5/29/31) Never reprinted. By Gottfredson and
Taliaferro.
"Mickey Mouse and the Gypsies" (7/19-11/7/31) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson and Taliaferro.
"Clarabelle's Boarding House" (12/1/31-1/9/32) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson and Taliaferro.
"The Great Orphanage Robbery" (1/11-5/14/32) Reprinted (in English) in
Italian book, Mickey Mouse 1932. But never in America. By Gottfredson
and Taliaferro.
"Mickey Mouse Sails for Treasure Island" (5/16-11/11/32) Reprinted (in
English) in Italian book, Mickey Mouse 1932. But never in America. By
Gottfredson, Taliaferro and Ted Thwaites.
"Mickey Mouse and his Horse Tanglefoot" (6/12-10/7/33) Never
reprinted. By Gottfredson, Osborne and Thwaites.
"The Sacred Jewel" (10/15-12/29/34) Prepared by Gladstone, but knocked
off the schedule at the last minute. By Gottfredson, Osborne and
Thwaites.
"Mickey Joins the Foreign Legion" (3/21-8/8/36) Prepared by Gladstone,
but knocked off the schedule at the last minute. By Gottfredson,
Osborne and Thwaites.
"In Search of Jungle Treasure" (4/5-8/7/37) Reprinted, WDC&S 4-5, 36
pages (one whole strip and portions of three others deleted to save
space). By Gottfredson, Osborne and Thwaites.
"Mighty Whale Hunter" (2/7-7/1/38) Reprinted in Mickey Mouse Magazine
from Vol. 4 No. 3 to Vol. 4 #12 (20 pages, two per issue). By
Gottfredson, Osborne and Thwaites.
"The Plumber's Helper" (7/2-12/10/38) Never reprinted. By Gottfredson,
Thwaites and Osborne.
"Mickey Mouse meets Robinson Crusoe" (12/12/38-4/13/39) Reprinted in
Mickey Mouse Magazine Vol. 5 No. 2 through Vol. 5 No. 12, then WDC&S
1. (Total: 29 pgs; two per issue, except WDC&S 1, with five pgs.) By
Gottfredson, Thwaites and Osborne.
"An Education for Thursday" (1/15-4/20/40) Reprinted in WDC&S 22-24
(60 pages 3 panels deep) and in MM Four Color 268 (as "Mickey's
Surprise Visitor") in 1950 (48 pages with panels in weird layout,
mostly eight to a page. Some enlarged to splash panels.) By
Gottfredson, Merrill de Maris, Thwaites and Bill Wright.
"Love Trouble" (4/14-7/5/41) Reprinted in WDC&S 36-39 (48 pgs w/ extra
title panels) and MM Birthday Party 1 (1954 Dell Giant). 46 pgs. total
in Birthday Party. By Gottfredson, De Maris and Wright.
"Mickey Mouse, Super Salesman" (7/7-10/4/41) Reprinted in WDC&S 91 and
92 probably with extensive condensation. 19 pgs. By Gottfredson, De
Maris and Wright.
"The Mystery of Hidden River" (10/6/41-1/17/42) Never reprinted
(although REDRAWN version in WDC&S 112-117... be careful, this isn't
the real thing!)
"The Gleam" (1/19-5/2/42) Reprinted in WDC&S 81-85 as "The Jewel
Robbery".
"Goofy and Agnes" (5/4-8/15/42) Reprinted in WDC&S 86-90, By
Gottfredson, Bob Karp, Dick Shaw and Bill Wright.
"The Black Crow Mystery" (8/17-11/21/42) By Gottfredson, Shaw and
Wright. Reprinted in WDC&S 56-60.
"Goofy's Car" (11/23-11/28/42) By Gottfredson, Shaw and Wright.
Reprinted in WDC&S 66.
"Working to Win" (12/14-12/23/42) By Gottfredson, Shaw and Wright.
Reprinted in WDC&S 62 with no title (3 pgs.)
"Mickey Mouse's Wild Holiday" (5/31-6/26/43) By Gottfredson, Shaw and
Dick Moores. (1st Dick Moores Mickey Mouse) Never reprinted.
"The Nazi Submarine" (6/28-7/17/43) By Walsh, Gottfredson and Moores.
(1st Bill Walsh Mickey Mouse) Never reprinted. NOTE: What do you fans
think of putting the anti-Nazi stories in a special Disney
commemorative comic to commemorate WWII? (Also several of those
below)
"Mickey Mouse on a Secret Mission" (7/19-10/23/44) Reprinted in WDC&S
45-48, 32 pgs. total. By Gottfredson and Moores.
NOTE: A WWII story with Nazis shown.
"Pluto the Spy Catcher" (2/7-2/19/44) Reprinted as "Pluto Catches a
Nazi Spy" in WDC&S 62. 4 pgs. By Walsh, Gottfredson and Moores.
NOTE: A WWII story with Nazis shown.
"The War Orphans" (3/13-4/15/44) Reprinted in WDC&S 49-50, 12 pgs. By
Walsh, Gottfredson and Moores.
NOTE: A WWII story with Nazis shown.
"Billy the Mouse" (1945) Reprinted in WDC&S 63-66, 28 pgs. By Walsh
and Gottfredson.
"Mickey's Great Grandfather" (2/25/46-3/2/46) By Gottfredson, Manuel
Gonzales and Bill Wright.
SHORT STORIES.
These "continuities" lasted two to three weeks in length and while
good, weren't very complex (kind of an equivalent to Barks'
ten-pagers). A few were reprinted by WDC&S and those are noted with
issue numbers. The rest haven't been reprinted (except portions of a
few more disjointed stories as half-page gags in WDC&S issues.) From
here on all stories (short and long) are by Walsh and Gottfredson,
with Bill Wright through "Mickey the Icky" (1947).
"The New Girlfriend" 3/11-3/23/46
"Mickey's Mini-Plane" 3/25-4/13/46
"The Mystery Next Door" 4/15-5/4/46 WDC&S 93 (9 pgs.)
"The Sunken Treasure" 5/20-6/1/46 WDC&S 94 (6 pgs.)
"Trailer Trouble" 6/3-6/15/46
"The Candidate" 7/1-7/13/46
"The Little Genius" 7/15-7/27/46
"Goofy's Boat Race" 7/29-8/10/46
"Eviction" 8/26-9/7/46 WDC&S 77 (6 pgs.)
"Goofy's Rocket" 9/9-9/21/46
"Mickey's Menagerie" 9/23-10/5/46
"The Cure for Hiccups" 10/7-10/19/46
"The Search for Geeko" 11/4-11/16/46
"Arctic Adventure" 12/2-12/14/46
"Morty's Escapade" 12/16-12/28/46 WDC&S 128 (5 pgs.)
"The Fiendish Cat" 12/30/46-1/11/47
"Truant Officer Mickey" 1/13-1/25/47
"Goofy's Inheritance" 1/27-2/8/47
"Mickey the Icky" 2/10-2/22/47
"Pluto's Amnesia" 2/24-3/8/47
"Peg-Leg Pete Reforms" 3/10-3/22/47
"Home Movies" 3/24-4/5/47
"Shutterbug Mickey" 4/7-4/19/47
"The Boxer" 4/21-5/3/47
"Mickey's Strange Flower" 5/5-5/17/47
"The Midget Racer" 5/19-5/31/47
"Mickey's Pet Shop" 6/2-6/14/47
"Mickey's Helicopter" 6/16-6/28/47
"Pluto's Trial" 6/30-7/12/47
"The Spook Specialist" 7/14-7/26/47
"Mickey Writes the Songs" 7/28-8/9/47
"Horace's Nerves" 8/11-8/23/47
"The Skyscraper Adventure" 8/25-9/6/47
"The Foundling" 9/8-9/20/47
EEGA BEEVA STORIES.
Here are all the Eega Beeva stories that have not been reprinted. He
was in three years of stories.
"Mickey Makes a Killing" 12/29/47-2/7/48
"Pflip the Thnuckle-Booh" 2/9-2/28/48
"The Kumquat Question" 4/6-4/28/48
"Mickey Mouse and the Atombrella" 4/30-10/9/48
NOTE: I noticed that this story was once scheduled for Mickey and
Donald, then bumped. Was this because of the atomic references?
Barks' "Donald Duck's Atom Bomb" and the original "Sky Island" were
once in cold storage for the same reason but have been allowed to see
reprint recently. Might this story be in the same boat?
"An Education for Eega Beeva" 10/11-10/25/48
"Pflip's Strange Power" 12/27/48-3/5/49
"Be-Junior and the Aints" 3/7-8/6/49"Itching Gulch" 8/8-10/22/49
"The Syndicate of Crime" 10/24/49-1/28/50
"The Lost Treasure of Moook" 1/30/50-7/8/50
STORIES WITHOUT EEGA BEEVA. (By Walsh and Gottfredson only)
"Mousepotamia" 7/10-9/30/50
"Lost Beneath the Sea" 10/2-12/30/50
"Tzig-Tzag Fever" (1/1-3/24/51)
"Dry Gulch Goofy" (3/26-6/23/51)
"The Ghost of Black Brian" (6/25-10/20/51)
"Uncle Wombat's Tick Tock Time Machine" (10/22/51-1/19/52)
"The Midas Ring" (1/21-4/19/52)
"The Isle of Moola-La" (4/21-10/2/52)
"Hoosat from Another Planet" (10/3/52-2/28/53)
"Mickey's Dangerous Double" (3/2-6/20/53)
"The Magic Shoe" (6/22-10/28/53)
"Mickey Takes Umbrage" (10/29/53-1/30/54)
"A Fatal Occupation" (2/1-5/15/54)
"The Kid Gang" (5/17-9/18/54)
"Uncle Gudger" (9/20-12/31/54)
"Dr. X" (1/1-5/20/55)
"Pluto in Love Trouble" (5/21-6/25/55)
"Li'l Davy" (6/27-10/4/55)
the same time he joined the list. (BTW: Do you all think large lists
like this should be posted to the list, or would it be more
appropriate to just put them on the ftp archive and mention that they
are there for those who want them?)
/Per
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
_Complete List of Gottfredson Daily Strip Stories Not Reprinted or
Scheduled by Gladstone or Disney as of Disney Comics' Disbanding._
List Compiled by David Gerstein
I have included issue numbers for those that have been reprinted
either by Dell or outside of the regular line (i. e. Uncensored
Mouse).
There are a few weird breaks at ends of lines here, but my e-mail
system may have confused this former Macwrite file somewhat.
[I took the liberty of editing away a few weird breaks. /Per]
______________________________
"Lost on a Desert Island" (1/13-3/28/30) By Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks and
Win Smith. (Reprinted in Uncensored Mouse #1-2, 1988)
"Mickey Mouse in Death Valley" (4/1-9/20/30) Never reprinted (except
for first 3 weeks which were in Uncensored Mouse #2) By Disney, Smith
and Gottfredson (whose art begins on May 5, 1930).
"Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers" (9/22-12/29/30) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson, Hardie Gramatky and Earl Duvall. Introduces Mickey's
tough pal Butch (first major character created by Gottfredson), who
also appears in "Boxing Champion," "High Society," and "Circus
Roustabout" (although only briefly). His personality is reminiscent
of Taliaferro's Donald Duck.
"Mickey's Flute" (12/30/30-1/3/31) Never reprinted. By Gottfredson
and Duvall.
"The Picnic" (1/5-1/10/31) Never reprinted. Gottfredson/Duvall
"Traffic Troubles" (1/12-1/17/31) Never reprinted.
Gottfredson/Duvall
"Mickey Mouse Vs. Kat Nipp" (1/19-2/25/31) Never reprinted.
Gottfredson/Duvall; 33 daily strips total. The art is almost
reminiscent of William Van Horn's work; Van Horn would be an ideal
candidate to draw a cover illustration for it.
"Mickey Mouse, Boxing Champion" (2/26-4/29/31) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson, Duvall and Taliaferro. A superb early comedy with
tongue-in-cheek artwork.
"High Society" (4/30-5/29/31) Never reprinted. By Gottfredson and
Taliaferro.
"Mickey Mouse and the Gypsies" (7/19-11/7/31) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson and Taliaferro.
"Clarabelle's Boarding House" (12/1/31-1/9/32) Never reprinted. By
Gottfredson and Taliaferro.
"The Great Orphanage Robbery" (1/11-5/14/32) Reprinted (in English) in
Italian book, Mickey Mouse 1932. But never in America. By Gottfredson
and Taliaferro.
"Mickey Mouse Sails for Treasure Island" (5/16-11/11/32) Reprinted (in
English) in Italian book, Mickey Mouse 1932. But never in America. By
Gottfredson, Taliaferro and Ted Thwaites.
"Mickey Mouse and his Horse Tanglefoot" (6/12-10/7/33) Never
reprinted. By Gottfredson, Osborne and Thwaites.
"The Sacred Jewel" (10/15-12/29/34) Prepared by Gladstone, but knocked
off the schedule at the last minute. By Gottfredson, Osborne and
Thwaites.
"Mickey Joins the Foreign Legion" (3/21-8/8/36) Prepared by Gladstone,
but knocked off the schedule at the last minute. By Gottfredson,
Osborne and Thwaites.
"In Search of Jungle Treasure" (4/5-8/7/37) Reprinted, WDC&S 4-5, 36
pages (one whole strip and portions of three others deleted to save
space). By Gottfredson, Osborne and Thwaites.
"Mighty Whale Hunter" (2/7-7/1/38) Reprinted in Mickey Mouse Magazine
from Vol. 4 No. 3 to Vol. 4 #12 (20 pages, two per issue). By
Gottfredson, Osborne and Thwaites.
"The Plumber's Helper" (7/2-12/10/38) Never reprinted. By Gottfredson,
Thwaites and Osborne.
"Mickey Mouse meets Robinson Crusoe" (12/12/38-4/13/39) Reprinted in
Mickey Mouse Magazine Vol. 5 No. 2 through Vol. 5 No. 12, then WDC&S
1. (Total: 29 pgs; two per issue, except WDC&S 1, with five pgs.) By
Gottfredson, Thwaites and Osborne.
"An Education for Thursday" (1/15-4/20/40) Reprinted in WDC&S 22-24
(60 pages 3 panels deep) and in MM Four Color 268 (as "Mickey's
Surprise Visitor") in 1950 (48 pages with panels in weird layout,
mostly eight to a page. Some enlarged to splash panels.) By
Gottfredson, Merrill de Maris, Thwaites and Bill Wright.
"Love Trouble" (4/14-7/5/41) Reprinted in WDC&S 36-39 (48 pgs w/ extra
title panels) and MM Birthday Party 1 (1954 Dell Giant). 46 pgs. total
in Birthday Party. By Gottfredson, De Maris and Wright.
"Mickey Mouse, Super Salesman" (7/7-10/4/41) Reprinted in WDC&S 91 and
92 probably with extensive condensation. 19 pgs. By Gottfredson, De
Maris and Wright.
"The Mystery of Hidden River" (10/6/41-1/17/42) Never reprinted
(although REDRAWN version in WDC&S 112-117... be careful, this isn't
the real thing!)
"The Gleam" (1/19-5/2/42) Reprinted in WDC&S 81-85 as "The Jewel
Robbery".
"Goofy and Agnes" (5/4-8/15/42) Reprinted in WDC&S 86-90, By
Gottfredson, Bob Karp, Dick Shaw and Bill Wright.
"The Black Crow Mystery" (8/17-11/21/42) By Gottfredson, Shaw and
Wright. Reprinted in WDC&S 56-60.
"Goofy's Car" (11/23-11/28/42) By Gottfredson, Shaw and Wright.
Reprinted in WDC&S 66.
"Working to Win" (12/14-12/23/42) By Gottfredson, Shaw and Wright.
Reprinted in WDC&S 62 with no title (3 pgs.)
"Mickey Mouse's Wild Holiday" (5/31-6/26/43) By Gottfredson, Shaw and
Dick Moores. (1st Dick Moores Mickey Mouse) Never reprinted.
"The Nazi Submarine" (6/28-7/17/43) By Walsh, Gottfredson and Moores.
(1st Bill Walsh Mickey Mouse) Never reprinted. NOTE: What do you fans
think of putting the anti-Nazi stories in a special Disney
commemorative comic to commemorate WWII? (Also several of those
below)
"Mickey Mouse on a Secret Mission" (7/19-10/23/44) Reprinted in WDC&S
45-48, 32 pgs. total. By Gottfredson and Moores.
NOTE: A WWII story with Nazis shown.
"Pluto the Spy Catcher" (2/7-2/19/44) Reprinted as "Pluto Catches a
Nazi Spy" in WDC&S 62. 4 pgs. By Walsh, Gottfredson and Moores.
NOTE: A WWII story with Nazis shown.
"The War Orphans" (3/13-4/15/44) Reprinted in WDC&S 49-50, 12 pgs. By
Walsh, Gottfredson and Moores.
NOTE: A WWII story with Nazis shown.
"Billy the Mouse" (1945) Reprinted in WDC&S 63-66, 28 pgs. By Walsh
and Gottfredson.
"Mickey's Great Grandfather" (2/25/46-3/2/46) By Gottfredson, Manuel
Gonzales and Bill Wright.
SHORT STORIES.
These "continuities" lasted two to three weeks in length and while
good, weren't very complex (kind of an equivalent to Barks'
ten-pagers). A few were reprinted by WDC&S and those are noted with
issue numbers. The rest haven't been reprinted (except portions of a
few more disjointed stories as half-page gags in WDC&S issues.) From
here on all stories (short and long) are by Walsh and Gottfredson,
with Bill Wright through "Mickey the Icky" (1947).
"The New Girlfriend" 3/11-3/23/46
"Mickey's Mini-Plane" 3/25-4/13/46
"The Mystery Next Door" 4/15-5/4/46 WDC&S 93 (9 pgs.)
"The Sunken Treasure" 5/20-6/1/46 WDC&S 94 (6 pgs.)
"Trailer Trouble" 6/3-6/15/46
"The Candidate" 7/1-7/13/46
"The Little Genius" 7/15-7/27/46
"Goofy's Boat Race" 7/29-8/10/46
"Eviction" 8/26-9/7/46 WDC&S 77 (6 pgs.)
"Goofy's Rocket" 9/9-9/21/46
"Mickey's Menagerie" 9/23-10/5/46
"The Cure for Hiccups" 10/7-10/19/46
"The Search for Geeko" 11/4-11/16/46
"Arctic Adventure" 12/2-12/14/46
"Morty's Escapade" 12/16-12/28/46 WDC&S 128 (5 pgs.)
"The Fiendish Cat" 12/30/46-1/11/47
"Truant Officer Mickey" 1/13-1/25/47
"Goofy's Inheritance" 1/27-2/8/47
"Mickey the Icky" 2/10-2/22/47
"Pluto's Amnesia" 2/24-3/8/47
"Peg-Leg Pete Reforms" 3/10-3/22/47
"Home Movies" 3/24-4/5/47
"Shutterbug Mickey" 4/7-4/19/47
"The Boxer" 4/21-5/3/47
"Mickey's Strange Flower" 5/5-5/17/47
"The Midget Racer" 5/19-5/31/47
"Mickey's Pet Shop" 6/2-6/14/47
"Mickey's Helicopter" 6/16-6/28/47
"Pluto's Trial" 6/30-7/12/47
"The Spook Specialist" 7/14-7/26/47
"Mickey Writes the Songs" 7/28-8/9/47
"Horace's Nerves" 8/11-8/23/47
"The Skyscraper Adventure" 8/25-9/6/47
"The Foundling" 9/8-9/20/47
EEGA BEEVA STORIES.
Here are all the Eega Beeva stories that have not been reprinted. He
was in three years of stories.
"Mickey Makes a Killing" 12/29/47-2/7/48
"Pflip the Thnuckle-Booh" 2/9-2/28/48
"The Kumquat Question" 4/6-4/28/48
"Mickey Mouse and the Atombrella" 4/30-10/9/48
NOTE: I noticed that this story was once scheduled for Mickey and
Donald, then bumped. Was this because of the atomic references?
Barks' "Donald Duck's Atom Bomb" and the original "Sky Island" were
once in cold storage for the same reason but have been allowed to see
reprint recently. Might this story be in the same boat?
"An Education for Eega Beeva" 10/11-10/25/48
"Pflip's Strange Power" 12/27/48-3/5/49
"Be-Junior and the Aints" 3/7-8/6/49"Itching Gulch" 8/8-10/22/49
"The Syndicate of Crime" 10/24/49-1/28/50
"The Lost Treasure of Moook" 1/30/50-7/8/50
STORIES WITHOUT EEGA BEEVA. (By Walsh and Gottfredson only)
"Mousepotamia" 7/10-9/30/50
"Lost Beneath the Sea" 10/2-12/30/50
"Tzig-Tzag Fever" (1/1-3/24/51)
"Dry Gulch Goofy" (3/26-6/23/51)
"The Ghost of Black Brian" (6/25-10/20/51)
"Uncle Wombat's Tick Tock Time Machine" (10/22/51-1/19/52)
"The Midas Ring" (1/21-4/19/52)
"The Isle of Moola-La" (4/21-10/2/52)
"Hoosat from Another Planet" (10/3/52-2/28/53)
"Mickey's Dangerous Double" (3/2-6/20/53)
"The Magic Shoe" (6/22-10/28/53)
"Mickey Takes Umbrage" (10/29/53-1/30/54)
"A Fatal Occupation" (2/1-5/15/54)
"The Kid Gang" (5/17-9/18/54)
"Uncle Gudger" (9/20-12/31/54)
"Dr. X" (1/1-5/20/55)
"Pluto in Love Trouble" (5/21-6/25/55)
"Li'l Davy" (6/27-10/4/55)
David A Gerstein
Rosa Norwegian story
Message 39 -
1993-05-11 at 23:57:31
Dear Folks,
The Don Rosa checklist that you have on ftp.lysator.liu.se
mentions that Mr. Rosa has done a "long story about books for Norway,
which also exists in an American version with 1 panel different, to be
published 1994." What is this? Has the American version already been
printed, or is it just an alternate version Mr. Rosa has prepared to
be printed here once the Norwegian version has appeared there?
In other words, can anyone (particularly you yourself, Mr.
Rosa, if you're reading this) help me and others with the
identification of this mysterious story?
Thanks a lot!
David.A.Gerstein at Williams.edu
"One side, Gloom! Little Rollo has a PLAN!"
-- Floyd Gottfredson, "Mickey Mouse: Bellhop
Detective" (a story that, I'll admit, is not one of Gottfredson's best
-- it has a few logic errors -- but nonetheless contains some good
moments)
The Don Rosa checklist that you have on ftp.lysator.liu.se
mentions that Mr. Rosa has done a "long story about books for Norway,
which also exists in an American version with 1 panel different, to be
published 1994." What is this? Has the American version already been
printed, or is it just an alternate version Mr. Rosa has prepared to
be printed here once the Norwegian version has appeared there?
In other words, can anyone (particularly you yourself, Mr.
Rosa, if you're reading this) help me and others with the
identification of this mysterious story?
Thanks a lot!
David.A.Gerstein at Williams.edu
"One side, Gloom! Little Rollo has a PLAN!"
-- Floyd Gottfredson, "Mickey Mouse: Bellhop
Detective" (a story that, I'll admit, is not one of Gottfredson's best
-- it has a few logic errors -- but nonetheless contains some good
moments)
Chris Lawton
Why is Mickey ... ?
Message 40 -
1993-05-12 at 00:20:40
Hi everybody!
This is my first post to the comic mailing list so I'll take a moment to
introduce myself.
My name is Chris Lawton. I have lived in Pleasanton, CA (about 40 mile east of
San Francisco or about 10 miles west of Lawrence Livermore Labratories) for the
past 17 years. I'm now 25.
I work as a software engineer at TRW Financial Systems in Oakland, CA.
I've alway been a huge fan of everything that is Disney - especially Mickey
and Roger Rabbit stuff.
I recently discovered comics when Disney started publishing new titles a few
years ago. (Mickey Mouse Adventures and others) I stoped when Disney
cancelled most of the titles I was buying. :( I just heard about
Gladstone starting again with Disney stuff so I've got the bug again. :)
Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
popular than all the others?
I think that it's 'cause they are a "gang" of similar characters. Whereas
with Mickey, for example, is alone. (Well not really alone, but no "gang")
Or is just the action of the Ducks? (i.e. Donald is really hyperactive in all
his shorts where Mickey isn't so much)
Or I am I completely missing the point?
Chris
This is my first post to the comic mailing list so I'll take a moment to
introduce myself.
My name is Chris Lawton. I have lived in Pleasanton, CA (about 40 mile east of
San Francisco or about 10 miles west of Lawrence Livermore Labratories) for the
past 17 years. I'm now 25.
I work as a software engineer at TRW Financial Systems in Oakland, CA.
I've alway been a huge fan of everything that is Disney - especially Mickey
and Roger Rabbit stuff.
I recently discovered comics when Disney started publishing new titles a few
years ago. (Mickey Mouse Adventures and others) I stoped when Disney
cancelled most of the titles I was buying. :( I just heard about
Gladstone starting again with Disney stuff so I've got the bug again. :)
Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
popular than all the others?
I think that it's 'cause they are a "gang" of similar characters. Whereas
with Mickey, for example, is alone. (Well not really alone, but no "gang")
Or is just the action of the Ducks? (i.e. Donald is really hyperactive in all
his shorts where Mickey isn't so much)
Or I am I completely missing the point?
Chris
Per Starback
Various replies
Message 41 -
1993-05-12 at 00:45:16
Harry:
> Whatever happened to Volker Reiche? He once did some (6) stories for the
> Dutch in the early 80s, and I have seen some of is "Hamburger Donaldist"
> work. Is he still doing Disney comics? If not, why did he stop?
I don't know, and I'd too be interested in the answer. He has done
some non-Disney comics with his own characters as well though, maybe
that's what he's up to nowadays?
Andreas:
> Is there a digest of Disney stories (date, artist, writer, story
> code, title, issues) somewhere around. Could anyone mail it to me ?
Standard answer: look at the ftp archive: ftp.lysator.liu.se,
directory pub/comics/disney. Don't miss Harry's Dutch index in the
dutch/ subdirectory.
Anyone who doesn't know if they can use ftp to fetch files and how to
do it and can't find a local guru to tell them all about it, feel free
to ask me.
Don:
> Per, I did not FORGET that the air molecules would have been frozen in
> my "On Stolen Time" story; I chose to IGNORE the fact in order to tell
> the tale.
It wasn't me who thought there was anything strange about that. I
didn't the shrink ray thing in Van Horn's story was strange either, as
I don't know much about how those things work anyway. How would I
know if the carpet fibers ought to have become enlarged as well?
> Per: Don't forget about ME! I need copies of the Swedish comics with
> my stories in 'em, TOO! Nobody sends me those things! I sometimes
> get copies from a couple of very nice young Swedish fans, but they
> can hardly afford to be mailing me stuff overseas like that when
> Egmont or some older Duck fan could afford to much better!
When you before just asked about *Dutch* comics I guessed that
(Swedish translator) Stefan sent you his extras, but I guess not.
I'll try to find those extra copies of those books to send you. What
do you already have? (Wouldn't surprise me if those youngsters have
more money than I do, though. :-)
Chris Lawton:
> This is my first post to the comic mailing list so I'll take a moment to
> introduce myself.
Good move! Maybe that is something we all ought to do?
> Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
> popular than all the others?
If we're talking comics the answer to that question is Carl Barks.
You wrote that you've always been a Disney fan, but that you recently
discovered comics, so then it's not strange if you didn't realize it,
but really it's as simple as that.
Here in Scandinavia it's almost universal that all kids read Disney
comics, so we are all grown up on it. I find it hard to imagine how I
would have reacted to Barks's comics if I had seen them now for the
first time.
(~26 hours left to enter my quote quiz.)
-- "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden. email: starback at student.docs.uu.se
"Life is but a gamble! Let flipism chart your ramble!"
> Whatever happened to Volker Reiche? He once did some (6) stories for the
> Dutch in the early 80s, and I have seen some of is "Hamburger Donaldist"
> work. Is he still doing Disney comics? If not, why did he stop?
I don't know, and I'd too be interested in the answer. He has done
some non-Disney comics with his own characters as well though, maybe
that's what he's up to nowadays?
Andreas:
> Is there a digest of Disney stories (date, artist, writer, story
> code, title, issues) somewhere around. Could anyone mail it to me ?
Standard answer: look at the ftp archive: ftp.lysator.liu.se,
directory pub/comics/disney. Don't miss Harry's Dutch index in the
dutch/ subdirectory.
Anyone who doesn't know if they can use ftp to fetch files and how to
do it and can't find a local guru to tell them all about it, feel free
to ask me.
Don:
> Per, I did not FORGET that the air molecules would have been frozen in
> my "On Stolen Time" story; I chose to IGNORE the fact in order to tell
> the tale.
It wasn't me who thought there was anything strange about that. I
didn't the shrink ray thing in Van Horn's story was strange either, as
I don't know much about how those things work anyway. How would I
know if the carpet fibers ought to have become enlarged as well?
> Per: Don't forget about ME! I need copies of the Swedish comics with
> my stories in 'em, TOO! Nobody sends me those things! I sometimes
> get copies from a couple of very nice young Swedish fans, but they
> can hardly afford to be mailing me stuff overseas like that when
> Egmont or some older Duck fan could afford to much better!
When you before just asked about *Dutch* comics I guessed that
(Swedish translator) Stefan sent you his extras, but I guess not.
I'll try to find those extra copies of those books to send you. What
do you already have? (Wouldn't surprise me if those youngsters have
more money than I do, though. :-)
Chris Lawton:
> This is my first post to the comic mailing list so I'll take a moment to
> introduce myself.
Good move! Maybe that is something we all ought to do?
> Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
> popular than all the others?
If we're talking comics the answer to that question is Carl Barks.
You wrote that you've always been a Disney fan, but that you recently
discovered comics, so then it's not strange if you didn't realize it,
but really it's as simple as that.
Here in Scandinavia it's almost universal that all kids read Disney
comics, so we are all grown up on it. I find it hard to imagine how I
would have reacted to Barks's comics if I had seen them now for the
first time.
(~26 hours left to enter my quote quiz.)
-- "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden. email: starback at student.docs.uu.se
"Life is but a gamble! Let flipism chart your ramble!"
Wilmer Rivers
Of mice and ducks
Message 42 -
1993-05-12 at 01:23:01
Chris Lawton writes:
> Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
> popular than all the others?
>
> I think that it's 'cause they are a "gang" of similar characters. Whereas
> with Mickey, for example, is alone. (Well not really alone, but no "gang")
>
> Or is just the action of the Ducks? (i.e. Donald is really hyperactive in all
> his shorts where Mickey isn't so much)
>
I think part of the difference between Mickey and Donald (and the other
ducks) is in their visual appeal. David Gerstein makes the important
point that
> Also, the potency of Mickey as a merchandising image derives
> from the simplicity of the "classic" (best-selling) Mickey, that of
> the 1930s (or the 1940s one, as long as he only has short pants,
> gloves and shoes on). Later artists, particularly Murry and Moores,
> obliterated that by dressing Mickey to the nines in a smothering
> layout topped by a boring porkpie hat.
>
When you cover the mouse in "human" clothing from head to foot, there
isn't very much left to distinguish him from anybody else in comics.
None of the duck artists ever made that mistake. Since Mickey's ears
render his face rather rigid in comparison with the rubbery mugs most
other comics characters posess, it is especially important to use
Mickey's body language fully, and his average-man-in-the-street clothing
makes this difficult to do. Beyond the visual aspects, however, the
principal problem I have with really getting interested in Mickey is
that no one in his stories has any major character flaws that lead
them into comic situations. Well, O.K., Goofy is stupid, and Chief
O'Hara is amazingly incompetent, but it's still not the same as with
the inhabitants of Duckburg, where everyone has some trait that can
be counted on to lead to interesting plot developments. The ducks are
always getting into trouble because Donald is hot-tempered, Scrooge
is stingy, Gladstone shuns working for a living, Gus Goose shuns working
at all, Granny lives 50 years in the past, Gyro never sees any down-to-
earth practical approach to anything, the nephews are always up to
something, etc. Mickey doesn't have any real personal problems like
these, so whatever happens to him is just random (usually boring)
circumstance. He needs to have his stories evolve from his own person-
ality, and this won't happen so long as his writers are restrained to
keep him totally likeable. A mouse should be mischievous, scurrying
around from one self-created predicament to another - any number of
very funny situations could be built around a busy-body Mickey who has
little time or patience for the laws and social rules imposed on human
society. However, Disney's corporate emblem is constrained to represent
all that is highest, noblest, and least interesting in life, so we will
probably never see Mickey realize his potential as a comics character.
Meanwhile, Donald can commit all manners of atrocity short of serial
axe murders and the readers will love him precisely on account of his
failure to fit in with the sedate world of perfect people.
Wilmer Rivers
rivers at seismo.css.gov
> Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
> popular than all the others?
>
> I think that it's 'cause they are a "gang" of similar characters. Whereas
> with Mickey, for example, is alone. (Well not really alone, but no "gang")
>
> Or is just the action of the Ducks? (i.e. Donald is really hyperactive in all
> his shorts where Mickey isn't so much)
>
I think part of the difference between Mickey and Donald (and the other
ducks) is in their visual appeal. David Gerstein makes the important
point that
> Also, the potency of Mickey as a merchandising image derives
> from the simplicity of the "classic" (best-selling) Mickey, that of
> the 1930s (or the 1940s one, as long as he only has short pants,
> gloves and shoes on). Later artists, particularly Murry and Moores,
> obliterated that by dressing Mickey to the nines in a smothering
> layout topped by a boring porkpie hat.
>
When you cover the mouse in "human" clothing from head to foot, there
isn't very much left to distinguish him from anybody else in comics.
None of the duck artists ever made that mistake. Since Mickey's ears
render his face rather rigid in comparison with the rubbery mugs most
other comics characters posess, it is especially important to use
Mickey's body language fully, and his average-man-in-the-street clothing
makes this difficult to do. Beyond the visual aspects, however, the
principal problem I have with really getting interested in Mickey is
that no one in his stories has any major character flaws that lead
them into comic situations. Well, O.K., Goofy is stupid, and Chief
O'Hara is amazingly incompetent, but it's still not the same as with
the inhabitants of Duckburg, where everyone has some trait that can
be counted on to lead to interesting plot developments. The ducks are
always getting into trouble because Donald is hot-tempered, Scrooge
is stingy, Gladstone shuns working for a living, Gus Goose shuns working
at all, Granny lives 50 years in the past, Gyro never sees any down-to-
earth practical approach to anything, the nephews are always up to
something, etc. Mickey doesn't have any real personal problems like
these, so whatever happens to him is just random (usually boring)
circumstance. He needs to have his stories evolve from his own person-
ality, and this won't happen so long as his writers are restrained to
keep him totally likeable. A mouse should be mischievous, scurrying
around from one self-created predicament to another - any number of
very funny situations could be built around a busy-body Mickey who has
little time or patience for the laws and social rules imposed on human
society. However, Disney's corporate emblem is constrained to represent
all that is highest, noblest, and least interesting in life, so we will
probably never see Mickey realize his potential as a comics character.
Meanwhile, Donald can commit all manners of atrocity short of serial
axe murders and the readers will love him precisely on account of his
failure to fit in with the sedate world of perfect people.
Wilmer Rivers
rivers at seismo.css.gov
Chris Lawton
Of mice and ducks
Message 43 -
1993-05-12 at 01:44:13
>Chris Lawton writes:
>> Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
>> popular than all the others?
>>
>> I think that it's 'cause they are a "gang" of similar characters. Whereas
>> with Mickey, for example, is alone. (Well not really alone, but no "gang")
>>
>> Or is just the action of the Ducks? (i.e. Donald is really hyperactive in all
>> his shorts where Mickey isn't so much)
>>
>I think part of the difference between Mickey and Donald (and the other
>ducks) is in their visual appeal. David Gerstein makes the important
>point that
>> Also, the potency of Mickey as a merchandising image derives
>> from the simplicity of the "classic" (best-selling) Mickey, that of
>> the 1930s (or the 1940s one, as long as he only has short pants,
>> gloves and shoes on). Later artists, particularly Murry and Moores,
>> obliterated that by dressing Mickey to the nines in a smothering
>> layout topped by a boring porkpie hat.
>>
>When you cover the mouse in "human" clothing from head to foot, there
>isn't very much left to distinguish him from anybody else in comics.
>None of the duck artists ever made that mistake. Since Mickey's ears
>render his face rather rigid in comparison with the rubbery mugs most
>other comics characters posess, it is especially important to use
>Mickey's body language fully, and his average-man-in-the-street clothing
>makes this difficult to do. Beyond the visual aspects, however, the
>principal problem I have with really getting interested in Mickey is
>that no one in his stories has any major character flaws that lead
>them into comic situations. Well, O.K., Goofy is stupid, and Chief
>O'Hara is amazingly incompetent, but it's still not the same as with
>the inhabitants of Duckburg, where everyone has some trait that can
>be counted on to lead to interesting plot developments. The ducks are
>always getting into trouble because Donald is hot-tempered, Scrooge
>is stingy, Gladstone shuns working for a living, Gus Goose shuns working
>at all, Granny lives 50 years in the past, Gyro never sees any down-to-
>earth practical approach to anything, the nephews are always up to
>something, etc. Mickey doesn't have any real personal problems like
>these, so whatever happens to him is just random (usually boring)
>circumstance. He needs to have his stories evolve from his own person-
>ality, and this won't happen so long as his writers are restrained to
>keep him totally likeable. A mouse should be mischievous, scurrying
>around from one self-created predicament to another - any number of
>very funny situations could be built around a busy-body Mickey who has
>little time or patience for the laws and social rules imposed on human
>society. However, Disney's corporate emblem is constrained to represent
>all that is highest, noblest, and least interesting in life, so we will
>probably never see Mickey realize his potential as a comics character.
>Meanwhile, Donald can commit all manners of atrocity short of serial
>axe murders and the readers will love him precisely on account of his
>failure to fit in with the sedate world of perfect people.
>Wilmer Rivers
>rivers at seismo.css.gov
You're mentioning "all that is highest, noblest, and least interesting in life"
is well understood. But wasn't that how Superman was supposed act, too?
Superman has had PHENOMINAL succsess and longevity. (Even now he's "back from
the grave") Of course, he has neat powers to make life interesting. (SuperMic?
:) :) ) I think that those traits can make for intersting situations if
the character in question is started in the right place. Put Mickey on the
wrong side of the tracks and watch what happens to him and how he deals with
the situation. Again another example: Star Trek's Federation. Lots of good
guys with the best of intentions encountering lots of bad guys.
Chris Mickey's #1 Fan! :) :)
>> Anyway, my question is: what is about the Ducks that make them so much more
>> popular than all the others?
>>
>> I think that it's 'cause they are a "gang" of similar characters. Whereas
>> with Mickey, for example, is alone. (Well not really alone, but no "gang")
>>
>> Or is just the action of the Ducks? (i.e. Donald is really hyperactive in all
>> his shorts where Mickey isn't so much)
>>
>I think part of the difference between Mickey and Donald (and the other
>ducks) is in their visual appeal. David Gerstein makes the important
>point that
>> Also, the potency of Mickey as a merchandising image derives
>> from the simplicity of the "classic" (best-selling) Mickey, that of
>> the 1930s (or the 1940s one, as long as he only has short pants,
>> gloves and shoes on). Later artists, particularly Murry and Moores,
>> obliterated that by dressing Mickey to the nines in a smothering
>> layout topped by a boring porkpie hat.
>>
>When you cover the mouse in "human" clothing from head to foot, there
>isn't very much left to distinguish him from anybody else in comics.
>None of the duck artists ever made that mistake. Since Mickey's ears
>render his face rather rigid in comparison with the rubbery mugs most
>other comics characters posess, it is especially important to use
>Mickey's body language fully, and his average-man-in-the-street clothing
>makes this difficult to do. Beyond the visual aspects, however, the
>principal problem I have with really getting interested in Mickey is
>that no one in his stories has any major character flaws that lead
>them into comic situations. Well, O.K., Goofy is stupid, and Chief
>O'Hara is amazingly incompetent, but it's still not the same as with
>the inhabitants of Duckburg, where everyone has some trait that can
>be counted on to lead to interesting plot developments. The ducks are
>always getting into trouble because Donald is hot-tempered, Scrooge
>is stingy, Gladstone shuns working for a living, Gus Goose shuns working
>at all, Granny lives 50 years in the past, Gyro never sees any down-to-
>earth practical approach to anything, the nephews are always up to
>something, etc. Mickey doesn't have any real personal problems like
>these, so whatever happens to him is just random (usually boring)
>circumstance. He needs to have his stories evolve from his own person-
>ality, and this won't happen so long as his writers are restrained to
>keep him totally likeable. A mouse should be mischievous, scurrying
>around from one self-created predicament to another - any number of
>very funny situations could be built around a busy-body Mickey who has
>little time or patience for the laws and social rules imposed on human
>society. However, Disney's corporate emblem is constrained to represent
>all that is highest, noblest, and least interesting in life, so we will
>probably never see Mickey realize his potential as a comics character.
>Meanwhile, Donald can commit all manners of atrocity short of serial
>axe murders and the readers will love him precisely on account of his
>failure to fit in with the sedate world of perfect people.
>Wilmer Rivers
>rivers at seismo.css.gov
You're mentioning "all that is highest, noblest, and least interesting in life"
is well understood. But wasn't that how Superman was supposed act, too?
Superman has had PHENOMINAL succsess and longevity. (Even now he's "back from
the grave") Of course, he has neat powers to make life interesting. (SuperMic?
:) :) ) I think that those traits can make for intersting situations if
the character in question is started in the right place. Put Mickey on the
wrong side of the tracks and watch what happens to him and how he deals with
the situation. Again another example: Star Trek's Federation. Lots of good
guys with the best of intentions encountering lots of bad guys.
Chris Mickey's #1 Fan! :) :)
David A Gerstein
Of mice and ducks
Message 44 -
1993-05-12 at 03:16:50
Dear Folks,
I've been reading your responses to my discussion of Mickey.
What's important for me to stress is that in the BEST Gottfredson
Mickey stories, the characters DO have more complex personalities.
Let's start with Goofy, roundly criticized as "stupid." In
"Mickey Mouse, Mighty Whale Hunter" (reprinted in Abbeville's GOOFY
book, apparently complete and with about all of the original dialog,
although relettered), Mickey is in one of Gottfredson's favorite
situations. Having immobilized Peg-Leg Pete's harpoon, escaped Pete
for the time being, and preparing to leave Pete's whaling ship (where
he was taken after being kidnapped) for his own _Lady Daffodil_,
Mickey suddenly realizes that there's no lifeboat to return in... he's
stuck! (There's one of MICKEY's flaws right there; in his
enthusiasm, he didn't check to see if his entire plan was feasible!)
Suddenly, who should show up but GOOFY, who may not exactly know the
best way of going about things but who had the guts to steal a
lifeboat from the _Daffodil_ himself, escape in it, and find his way
to the _Orca_ where Mickey was held captive. So who says Goofy's dumb
NOW? Well, a moment later he realizes that he didn't keep track of
HOW he found the Orca, and now he can't find his way BACK. There's
Goofy at his best: he is always undercut by his mistakes, but when
the situation requires it, he can figure out what to do. No matter
that, as some animation historian put it, "he thinks longer and harder
than most." He also has a deep sense of decency. Look at the last
panel of "MM's Thanksgiving Dinner," a Gottfredson short story
reprinted a year ago in WDC&S 567. Mickey, trying to kill a
Thankgiving turkey, has been overcome by emotion, and when he knuckles
under and has something else for dinner (giving the turkey some) Goofy
gives him a perfect wry, indescribable _look_ that has some depth to
it. It's hard for me to exactly describe what makes the picture
different from a more typical one, but it's there.
But now, of course, MICKEY. Mickey has real emotions and
failings... plenty of them. You just have to know where to look. The
story "Mickey Mouse Sails for Treasure Island" (1932) has never been
reprinted due to its cannibal caricatures (aside from one English
reprint in Italy... see my list that I posted recently), but contains
perhaps the most tearful moment of all Gottfredson's strips. Wrecked
on an island after leaving Sylvester Shyster's ship via emergency
raft, Mickey discovers the wreck of Minnie's ship, the _Potluck_, and
assumes she has been killed. He spends an entire STRIP trying to get
over it and control his sadness, and right in the middle of his lament
he's grabbed from behind and captured! Who says Mickey's perfect?
Like Donald, his emotions have rendered him blind to his dangerous
situation.
The 'deepest' Mickey story of all HAS been reprinted here,
"Monarch of Medioka." It was Gladstone's most expensive album at
$13.95, and I know few fans who got it. That is an awful loss, as it
is unquestionably Gottfredson's finest story, in my opinion more so
than "Sky Island" and "The Phantom Blot" (which seem to be the two
other general contenders). I recommend that everyone, even Duck fans
who haven't gotten Gottfredson comics in the past, try to find a copy
of it, as it is undoubtedly one of the best comic strips ever done.
(Redrawn version does exist [1950] but the original art is so
unbelievably striking that it just doesn't get better than this.)
It also contains very deep interpretations of Mickey and Minnie.
Mickey, the essential double in appearance of King Michael XIV of
Medioka, is taken there to function as a substitute while the king, a
spendthrift, is given a paid vacation. The king refused to balance
the budget which was long overdue, and the country, still halfway
feudal in these modern days, is falling apart. So Mickey goes to work
on it, but faces a peasant rebellion in which the serfs are being
manipulated by demagogue Duke Varlott (who wants the throne himself).
Varlott strides right into Mickey's throne room to tell him his plan:
it's either the frying pan or the fire, because if he exposes Varlott,
Varlott will expose _him_. And if he doesn't take action, Varlott
will kill the real King Michael, who he's holding captive.
Sitting sadly and quietly in the throne room, Mickey tries to
find flaws in Varlott's plan and cannot. Where's our perfect thinker?
He ISN'T one. Minnie, meanwhile, hears secondhand a news article
about Michael's vacation (cut short, of course) in the US. In a very
typical move for Minnie, she decides to round up Mickey and bring him
home to face the music, since she assumes Mickey's spending the money
the two of them won for finding a treasure in the previous continuity.
Having met Michael just before the latter's kidnapping, she realizes
Mickey is in Medioka, and goes with fire in her eye to the palace,
where Mickey sits, a bird in a gilded cage. When Minnie enters,
Mickey jubilantly falls into her arms. It is an emotional moment if
you're involved with the story... and in this one, it's easy to be,
even if you aren't usually a Mickey fan. Together, Minnie and Mickey
paste together a difficult plan and manage to pull it off, but not
before many nervous moments. Both Mickey and Minnie show bravery, but
the strength of the story is that neither is in complete control;
unlike the later dreary post-1945 stories, Mickey is far from dull and
Minnie is not a compound of sit-com female stereotypes. (She DOES nag
Mickey and try to 'improve' him at the beginning and end of the story
-- but that, like Scrooge trying to teach Donald the value of being
'smarter than the smarties,' is a running theme in the MM stories.)
"Monarch of Medioka," in its original form, is a wonderful experience
for any Disney fan, and is proof that Mickey is not perfect and can be
a fantastic character when shaped right.
That is where Murry, and everyone else after Gottfredson, went
wrong. Mickey is NOT perfect. He IS more competent than Donald. If
Donald fans ONLY want characters with personalities just like
Donald's, though, life would be dull. Unfortunately, with the
post-Gottfredson Mickey (EXCEPT for Romano Scarpa's, but those have
hardly seen print over here) life IS dull. I'm not disagreeing with
that for an instant. But the REAL Mickey is a fine character.
I am now working for Egmont (was Gutenberghus) in Denmark, on
original stories. For the time being, since beginners are meant to do
short stories in general, I'll be doing Duck material (starting with
an Uncle Scrooge which I sold two months ago), but when I do Mickeys,
they will be bona-fide Mickeys with a character who Barks fans can
appreciate. I am going to try to come to a compromise between
Gottfredson and Barks for my story style when that happens, as well.
I want to get Mickey into more emotionally interesting situations, and
I'll do my best to.
I'm also going to try to specify that my stories, when I do
them, be drawn by artists who normally do the Ducks, and that Mickey
be drawn in the 1940s style. According to Bob Foster, the Danes may
be doing just that type of story in the not-too-distant future as a
regular format.
If Barks fans tried to get more of a handle on Gottfredson,
they would really like him. I'd say that fewer Gottfredson stories
deal with very deep angles than Barks' do, but _they're out there._
I'll give a few titles (some not available in English, but who
knows what will happen?): "Mr Slicker and the Egg Robbers", in which
a despondent Mickey tries to commit suicide but subconsciously is set
against it... this in 1930, no less!; "Blaggard Castle", in which
Mickey is a very impulsive character and in which Horace Horsecollar
is seen with more depth than usual; "The Captive Castaways," "MM in
the Foreign Legion" (Abbeville's may be slightly censored, but is
pretty complete), in which Mickey struggles with his conscience and
determines Pete's fate when the tables are turned several times, "The
Miracle Master," a pessimistic story in the Barks tradition as Mickey
finds that his impulse to enthusiastic helpfulness leads him to
desolation and loose ends in a brilliantly curdled tale"... and the
list goes on.
Well, I have to be off. I have a paper to write, and it's not
about Gottfredson. But I again encourage every Duck fan to try one of
the Gottfredsons I've discussed, and see what you think. They're
strip stories, so they take a while to get going past the gags toward
the beginning in most cases, but they're good... honest, Barks fans,
they're good!
Sincerely,
David Gerstein.
"Psychology, my dear, and propaganda... today's modern
weapons!"
-- Minnie Mouse via FG, "MM Super Salesman" (1941)
[I DO NOT recommend Dell's 1948 reprint of this, which
cuts about 2/3 of the strips out of the story. It makes little sense.
Sadly, I haven't seen the original.]
I've been reading your responses to my discussion of Mickey.
What's important for me to stress is that in the BEST Gottfredson
Mickey stories, the characters DO have more complex personalities.
Let's start with Goofy, roundly criticized as "stupid." In
"Mickey Mouse, Mighty Whale Hunter" (reprinted in Abbeville's GOOFY
book, apparently complete and with about all of the original dialog,
although relettered), Mickey is in one of Gottfredson's favorite
situations. Having immobilized Peg-Leg Pete's harpoon, escaped Pete
for the time being, and preparing to leave Pete's whaling ship (where
he was taken after being kidnapped) for his own _Lady Daffodil_,
Mickey suddenly realizes that there's no lifeboat to return in... he's
stuck! (There's one of MICKEY's flaws right there; in his
enthusiasm, he didn't check to see if his entire plan was feasible!)
Suddenly, who should show up but GOOFY, who may not exactly know the
best way of going about things but who had the guts to steal a
lifeboat from the _Daffodil_ himself, escape in it, and find his way
to the _Orca_ where Mickey was held captive. So who says Goofy's dumb
NOW? Well, a moment later he realizes that he didn't keep track of
HOW he found the Orca, and now he can't find his way BACK. There's
Goofy at his best: he is always undercut by his mistakes, but when
the situation requires it, he can figure out what to do. No matter
that, as some animation historian put it, "he thinks longer and harder
than most." He also has a deep sense of decency. Look at the last
panel of "MM's Thanksgiving Dinner," a Gottfredson short story
reprinted a year ago in WDC&S 567. Mickey, trying to kill a
Thankgiving turkey, has been overcome by emotion, and when he knuckles
under and has something else for dinner (giving the turkey some) Goofy
gives him a perfect wry, indescribable _look_ that has some depth to
it. It's hard for me to exactly describe what makes the picture
different from a more typical one, but it's there.
But now, of course, MICKEY. Mickey has real emotions and
failings... plenty of them. You just have to know where to look. The
story "Mickey Mouse Sails for Treasure Island" (1932) has never been
reprinted due to its cannibal caricatures (aside from one English
reprint in Italy... see my list that I posted recently), but contains
perhaps the most tearful moment of all Gottfredson's strips. Wrecked
on an island after leaving Sylvester Shyster's ship via emergency
raft, Mickey discovers the wreck of Minnie's ship, the _Potluck_, and
assumes she has been killed. He spends an entire STRIP trying to get
over it and control his sadness, and right in the middle of his lament
he's grabbed from behind and captured! Who says Mickey's perfect?
Like Donald, his emotions have rendered him blind to his dangerous
situation.
The 'deepest' Mickey story of all HAS been reprinted here,
"Monarch of Medioka." It was Gladstone's most expensive album at
$13.95, and I know few fans who got it. That is an awful loss, as it
is unquestionably Gottfredson's finest story, in my opinion more so
than "Sky Island" and "The Phantom Blot" (which seem to be the two
other general contenders). I recommend that everyone, even Duck fans
who haven't gotten Gottfredson comics in the past, try to find a copy
of it, as it is undoubtedly one of the best comic strips ever done.
(Redrawn version does exist [1950] but the original art is so
unbelievably striking that it just doesn't get better than this.)
It also contains very deep interpretations of Mickey and Minnie.
Mickey, the essential double in appearance of King Michael XIV of
Medioka, is taken there to function as a substitute while the king, a
spendthrift, is given a paid vacation. The king refused to balance
the budget which was long overdue, and the country, still halfway
feudal in these modern days, is falling apart. So Mickey goes to work
on it, but faces a peasant rebellion in which the serfs are being
manipulated by demagogue Duke Varlott (who wants the throne himself).
Varlott strides right into Mickey's throne room to tell him his plan:
it's either the frying pan or the fire, because if he exposes Varlott,
Varlott will expose _him_. And if he doesn't take action, Varlott
will kill the real King Michael, who he's holding captive.
Sitting sadly and quietly in the throne room, Mickey tries to
find flaws in Varlott's plan and cannot. Where's our perfect thinker?
He ISN'T one. Minnie, meanwhile, hears secondhand a news article
about Michael's vacation (cut short, of course) in the US. In a very
typical move for Minnie, she decides to round up Mickey and bring him
home to face the music, since she assumes Mickey's spending the money
the two of them won for finding a treasure in the previous continuity.
Having met Michael just before the latter's kidnapping, she realizes
Mickey is in Medioka, and goes with fire in her eye to the palace,
where Mickey sits, a bird in a gilded cage. When Minnie enters,
Mickey jubilantly falls into her arms. It is an emotional moment if
you're involved with the story... and in this one, it's easy to be,
even if you aren't usually a Mickey fan. Together, Minnie and Mickey
paste together a difficult plan and manage to pull it off, but not
before many nervous moments. Both Mickey and Minnie show bravery, but
the strength of the story is that neither is in complete control;
unlike the later dreary post-1945 stories, Mickey is far from dull and
Minnie is not a compound of sit-com female stereotypes. (She DOES nag
Mickey and try to 'improve' him at the beginning and end of the story
-- but that, like Scrooge trying to teach Donald the value of being
'smarter than the smarties,' is a running theme in the MM stories.)
"Monarch of Medioka," in its original form, is a wonderful experience
for any Disney fan, and is proof that Mickey is not perfect and can be
a fantastic character when shaped right.
That is where Murry, and everyone else after Gottfredson, went
wrong. Mickey is NOT perfect. He IS more competent than Donald. If
Donald fans ONLY want characters with personalities just like
Donald's, though, life would be dull. Unfortunately, with the
post-Gottfredson Mickey (EXCEPT for Romano Scarpa's, but those have
hardly seen print over here) life IS dull. I'm not disagreeing with
that for an instant. But the REAL Mickey is a fine character.
I am now working for Egmont (was Gutenberghus) in Denmark, on
original stories. For the time being, since beginners are meant to do
short stories in general, I'll be doing Duck material (starting with
an Uncle Scrooge which I sold two months ago), but when I do Mickeys,
they will be bona-fide Mickeys with a character who Barks fans can
appreciate. I am going to try to come to a compromise between
Gottfredson and Barks for my story style when that happens, as well.
I want to get Mickey into more emotionally interesting situations, and
I'll do my best to.
I'm also going to try to specify that my stories, when I do
them, be drawn by artists who normally do the Ducks, and that Mickey
be drawn in the 1940s style. According to Bob Foster, the Danes may
be doing just that type of story in the not-too-distant future as a
regular format.
If Barks fans tried to get more of a handle on Gottfredson,
they would really like him. I'd say that fewer Gottfredson stories
deal with very deep angles than Barks' do, but _they're out there._
I'll give a few titles (some not available in English, but who
knows what will happen?): "Mr Slicker and the Egg Robbers", in which
a despondent Mickey tries to commit suicide but subconsciously is set
against it... this in 1930, no less!; "Blaggard Castle", in which
Mickey is a very impulsive character and in which Horace Horsecollar
is seen with more depth than usual; "The Captive Castaways," "MM in
the Foreign Legion" (Abbeville's may be slightly censored, but is
pretty complete), in which Mickey struggles with his conscience and
determines Pete's fate when the tables are turned several times, "The
Miracle Master," a pessimistic story in the Barks tradition as Mickey
finds that his impulse to enthusiastic helpfulness leads him to
desolation and loose ends in a brilliantly curdled tale"... and the
list goes on.
Well, I have to be off. I have a paper to write, and it's not
about Gottfredson. But I again encourage every Duck fan to try one of
the Gottfredsons I've discussed, and see what you think. They're
strip stories, so they take a while to get going past the gags toward
the beginning in most cases, but they're good... honest, Barks fans,
they're good!
Sincerely,
David Gerstein.
"Psychology, my dear, and propaganda... today's modern
weapons!"
-- Minnie Mouse via FG, "MM Super Salesman" (1941)
[I DO NOT recommend Dell's 1948 reprint of this, which
cuts about 2/3 of the strips out of the story. It makes little sense.
Sadly, I haven't seen the original.]
David A Gerstein
P. S.
Message 45 -
1993-05-12 at 03:25:35
As for uninteresting-Mickey vs. uninteresting-Superman:
Superman has VIOLENCE, which sold in the 1940s just as it does now,
only now they're less covert about it. Mickey has some violence, but
not really more than the Ducks and besides, it's comic violence
usually (outside of the Blot). Mickey isn't KNOWN for it.
And as far as I'm concerned, thank goodness he ISN'T.
In the Disney Comics MMA series, they tried to do
superhero-like stories with Mickey, using a VERY dull version of
Mickey without any enthusiasm whatsoever, and since they couldn't
really show anything ROUGH happening, the stories were just long
chases. *Yawn.* Is it any wonder THEY failed?
If Mickey Mouse was really known for violence, he'd sell,
trust me. But what an awful thing to happen to Mickey.
Gottfredson's stories often have long, slapstick battles with
a threatening edge to them (i. e. "Island in the Sky," "In Search of
Jungle Treasure"), but those are by no means all the stories offer.
Of course, Murry's cops-and-robbers kick offers very few
things that are even remotely exciting after, say, his first five
years of stories. (And even in those, Mickey is no real personality.)
Violent or not.
But who wants a punch in the jaw when you can use your head?
Your friend,
David Gerstein
"I've got him so mad he can't THINK! And when ya stop
THINKIN'... you're half licked!"
-- Mickey Mouse via FG, "Island in the Sky"
Superman has VIOLENCE, which sold in the 1940s just as it does now,
only now they're less covert about it. Mickey has some violence, but
not really more than the Ducks and besides, it's comic violence
usually (outside of the Blot). Mickey isn't KNOWN for it.
And as far as I'm concerned, thank goodness he ISN'T.
In the Disney Comics MMA series, they tried to do
superhero-like stories with Mickey, using a VERY dull version of
Mickey without any enthusiasm whatsoever, and since they couldn't
really show anything ROUGH happening, the stories were just long
chases. *Yawn.* Is it any wonder THEY failed?
If Mickey Mouse was really known for violence, he'd sell,
trust me. But what an awful thing to happen to Mickey.
Gottfredson's stories often have long, slapstick battles with
a threatening edge to them (i. e. "Island in the Sky," "In Search of
Jungle Treasure"), but those are by no means all the stories offer.
Of course, Murry's cops-and-robbers kick offers very few
things that are even remotely exciting after, say, his first five
years of stories. (And even in those, Mickey is no real personality.)
Violent or not.
But who wants a punch in the jaw when you can use your head?
Your friend,
David Gerstein
"I've got him so mad he can't THINK! And when ya stop
THINKIN'... you're half licked!"
-- Mickey Mouse via FG, "Island in the Sky"