Keskustelujen arkisto

Hello again!

>> [Donald's name]
>> was invented by Grandma after $crooge saying the baby reminded him of his
>> old friend from Alaska: Ronald (anyone heard of him before?).

>In Holland, the old friend is a "Cowboy from California". The story was
>originally published when Ronald Reagan was USA president.

Together, those two explanations seem to be connected. But I must say I
didn't quite get that point by reading the norwegian version!

About HDL: Guess I should have checked the archives first...

>> The rest of the story consists mainly of stand-up-comedian-like frames where
>> he tells about his many travels, employments etc. I didn't find many
>> references to classic storys here!
>
>The story is FULL of references to DD cartoons (WWII and others), Barks
>stories and some stories my Rota himself. I haven't read the story for a
>while, but I remember scenes with DD and a frog, DD bull fighting and DD
>in the mountains (referring to the forest fire story in Vacation Parade #1).

OK, I'll try to be more precise. You are right in correcting me, there are
several scenes obiously related to some DD-movies, especially from the
WWII-period. I even got a feeling I've seen two of the frames more or less
the same way in some movie. What I meant was that there were very many
scenes where I didn't see any resemblence to stories I can remember. True
enough, Donald has had several of the jobs you see in this story. But I
can't remember any of the scenes in the way they are told here. Anyone
remember Donald ever sunk a Titanic-like ship at the dock while working at
the shipyard? Donald meeting Dolly for the first time while he is running
after HDL?

About DD and the frog: when you mention it, I _do_ remember some cartoon
where he thinks a frog under his shirt is his heart. And I'm sure I have
seen HDL save DD after almost drowning, too. Actally most of the scenes seem
to me quite "likely", but not enough to recognize any (or more than a few)
actual stories. I'd be interested in seeing if anyone could dig up some
references to the stories they recognize here. Where did you see DD
bullfighting like that, BTW?

>> All in all this sums up to beeing a pitiful attempt to invent a "true" story
>> about DD, totally disregarding most of what has been common knowledge for a
>> long time.

>Here I don't agree. There is no "common knowledge" disregarded, at least not
>European knowledge. I only heard on this mailing list that Grandma is _not_
>Scrooge's sister, and I'm sure everyone else in Holland (including the
>Dutch editor) thinks she _is_.

I remember when I was little some grown-up told me he thought the same.
Since then I have been quite curious about this and I _do_ think I would
have noticed if any such reference had been made in something I've read
since then (probably about mid-70's). I can't remember seeing anything
against it either, though. So I don't think that this is a common feeling in
Norway. But I'll check this up in a norwegian comics newslist.

>Rota just didn't do his research as thoroughly as Rosa does.
>And you must admit: the story is beautifully drawn.

Yes and no. The parts where the frames are parts of a story are OK, but I
don't like the long series of one-frame gags. I miss the details that make
you see something new each time you read the story.

My point is that even if I might not quite be able to explain why, this
story didn't give me that feeling of a good story when I first read it and
not when I read it again after 10 years either. Here I must say that much
might get lost in translation. Norwegian comic translators don't exactly
have a high star in my books!

And my main objection still remains: why do civilized ducks suddenly build a
nest in the wood and leave an egg there totally unattended? I think it's
that start of the story that made me sceptic and negative to the whole story
from the very beginning.

>--Harry.
>
>Harry PTT Research ()_() Dutch Disney comics freak
>Fluks Leidschendam (_) H.W.Fluks at research.ptt.nl
>
> "Yeah... I've _heard_ of coral barques!"

Just curious: what's coral barques?

Knut Hunstad, Norwegian DD enthusiast
khun at veg.sintef.no

Per wrote:
> I've just gotten a bunch of files from Harry which I have now put up
> on ftp (pub/comics/disney at ftp.lysator.liu.se).
>
> It's the first version of the Disney comics Database.

I'll take this opportunity to thank David for his extensive review!

Also, Ole and David sent me updates for the "gladstone-disney.index", which
I didn't put there, but here in the DcD. We now have a lot of entries of
Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, and the second run of Gladstone is almost
complete! (We are only missing _one_ WDC entry...). Thank you both.

There are still some errors and incomplete data in the DcD. So any comment
is very welcome. Also if you don't like the format or want some data
(not) included: let me know.

A few seconds after I mailed the files to Per I noticed I forgot to include
Ole's new creator abbreviations, and I forgot to include DHi = Don Hinrichsen.
That'll be corrected in version 2..
(Note that a lot of creators now have 3 characters in stead of 2. I thought it
would be better to reserve 2 characters only for artists that appear very
often or are very well known [like CB, DR].)

> That is, it's
> not the "raw" input files, and not the programs that do stuff with
> them, but the lists what those programs make out of it.

I could send the raw data and programs too, but I thought I'd wait until
the first comments are processed.

> I called the new subdirectory for this stuff "index", as this is where
> all index stuff will be in the future. I guess most of the index
> files in the top Disney comics directory will go away in the future,
> but I haven't deleted anything yet.

The DcD also covers the data from subdirectory "crone", except for the
Swedish reprint data. I plan to make a Swedish database to include this
information, then the crone files would become superfluous.

> What's all this copyright business at the beginning of some of the
> output files? Surely all these programs and data are to be free?!

All files with extension ".dbl" start with a line like
"output created by DIZNIxxx version 1.0 (c) HWF 1994".

The (c) was meant for the _programs_ (diznirep, diznicom and diznicre).
This does not mean the programs are not free to use or extend, but I would
like to keep my name in them (I spent a lot of time making them).

But you are right that the (c) stuff shouldn't be in the output files.
I'll correct that.

--Harry.

So I visited the Finnish comic-con.

Like Don posted before, Bob Foster didn't attend.
But Byron 'Editor-In-Chief' Erickson was there. Byron demoed some new
Mickey series written by himself ( drawn, if I heard right, Ben Verhagen
(sp?) ) called 'Island' or something. Mickey wears the classic shorts
with two 'buttons'. They are really trying to bring the 'old' Mickey
back! He also told about the upcoming 'journey to the centre of the
earth' story by Don Rosa.

Byron first answered questions made by Finnish Aku Ankka editor
Paula Antila and artist Jukka Murtosaari (has done some covers
for Disney). He also was willing to answer to public's questions,
but only me and one high-school boy were brave enough.

I didn't exactly know what to ask Byron, so I decided
to ask things conserning mainly Finnish editors. Byron
usually commented (or throwed in a joke) something.
I asked why they don't give any credits to artists in Egmont books,
but they really didn't give acceptable answer. After they started to get
information about the creators they planned to publish it, but
Disney told them no. For a while they didn't get the info about
creators at all, and now they get it again, but...

I also asked about upcoming Barks-Van Horn series, but they didn't
know exactly when it is published.

They didn't print Lo$ 1 and 2 in Finland because it was too expensive.
Aku Ankka gets a compilation of Egmont material which they use, but
Lo$ 1&2 wasn't part of the normal compilation, so they didn't print
it. BTW, Lo$ 12 should be out next week in Finland.

I talked also a while with Byron and Paula privately. Paula asked
Byron if Don is a slow artist because of his details. Byron answered
something like: 'No, he just spends too much time on the internet
or talks with someone by phone =) .' And Paula commented 'Yeah, everytime
I speak with this Norwegian editor he mentions that he just talked with
Don.'

Paula also told me that Bark's management sent 1,5 page long letter
to Germany's editors about Barks' and Rosa's trips to Europe. They wanted
to make sure Mr. Rosa isn't even near Germany when Barks is there.

I carefully tiptoed or mentioned to Paula that maybe they could send
Finnish Aku Ankkas to Don.

Paula also would like to have more information about this mailing
list. I think I'm going to write to her and include some material
from 'our' ftp site.
-------> So, is it ok to include, for example, Harry's compilation
of Don Rosa's comments. Should I censore it or mark things like
Don's phone number with 'Not Public Information' ????? Answer me!!

/Mikko

PS. I haven't seen WDC #592 yet, but I think it includes
Van Horn story 'D 92172'. I don't remember the title.

Tryg:
=======
>I don't know how "Lasse" is pronounced, but it looks very similar to
>"Lassie," the dog from the book "Lassie, Come Home!" Since "Spot" is a
>common English name for a dog, I just put the two together... :)
I also thought it was a dogs name, from "Slaughterhouse 5".
>Thanks for filling me in on this mystery--I have certainly LeaRNed
>mORe thaN I bargained for. Now I have to figure out how to draw myself
>in ASCII...
Try g.

Harry:
========
ME> Quiz
ME> ----
ME> 2) Has Donald Duck #1/1948 - the first Norwegian Donald book - been
ME> reprinted more than one time?
>
>The Dutch once published an article with the covers of all kinds of foreign
>Disney magazines. The Scandinavian ones were all first issues or 'facsimiles'
>of first issues. On the Norwegian first issue, a text was written:
>
> "Congratulations on your world record. Carl Barks"
>
>Which world record was he referring to?
And which facsimile of a first issue had Barks' name on it?

>Well, in the near future we will have something that looks remotely similar:
>a program that can be called like "DIZNIREP W RT" and then will list all
>stories written and/or drawn by RT for editor Western, with all the USA
>reprints listed.
A command line based program with 8 letters in it's name,
I like your program better and better:)
>I almost could have produced your list, except for two "minor" things:
>
>1. The program DIZNIREP has a few bugs (it's too slow and lists too much)
>2. I don't have all the data in the database. Crone and Gladstone data
> is included, but I still don't have that @#$% Becattini index 8-(
When I get it from Fabio, I can copy it for you, if you haven't got
anything to type in the summer holidays.

>Matena's Vikings
>[...]
>Story 3: album 1979!, reprinted 1988. The reprint album was only in German,
> Danish and Finnish (not even in Dutch). This is "The Son of the Sun"
>Story 4: first published in a comic magazine in 1989. Album reprint (German
> only) in 1991. "The Iron Lady"
So "The Iron Lady" is drawn 10 years later again? Is it BTW political?
And those titles are coincidental unless Don has read more than just
Asterix and Tintin as I suspect.

David:
========
> Okay, it's official. Riley Thompson is my least favorite Duck
>artist. Out of EVERYONE. That Italian guy included, who drew the
>pocket book intermezzos!! (Fabio, I've lost his name again...)
Guiseppe Perego. (Hi Fabio, we've discussed a price in dollars, but
of course you'll want Lire, right? And I'll consider you Santa Claus:)
And thanks to all the contributors on this Micky-Mouse-PC-or-BC
discussion, I'll just add that "MM and his Talking Dog" (11/18-11/30,
1946) looks like it's going to be the first longer FG story - more than
a page - in Danish DD in a very long time.

Don:
======
> Yes, I received the Whitmans you sent, last Thursday I think it
>was. It takes me a few days to find myself heading into town (from out
>here in the country) to the post office, but when I do I will send you a
>set of CAPTAIN KENTUCKYs by airmail. I assume I should sign them? Or do
>you want them "clean".
I'm gonna read'em, not eat'em! Please sign and color them, and feel free
to fill in all the details you like:)

Sigurdur:
===========
>My friend came up with an interesting point. According to Rosa's Duck
>family tree, Gladstone is not in linear descent from Scrooge and therefore
>should not be eligable for inheritance. Puts a new twist on all these
>"Which is going to inherit my fortune" stories from Disney.
Can you name any lineary descedents from Scrooge?
But actually you have a point; Donald and his sister Della are the
only children of Scrooge's only sister to have children (Hortensia?)
Della then had HD&L, which accounts for 4 of the possible heirs.
Why she is not among them is unknown, and why Gladstone, son of a sister
to Scrooge's sisters husband is, while Feathry, son of a brother to
Hortensia's husband, is not, is yet-to-be-revealed.

Which should guide you in answering the last QUESTIONs in the Norwegian
weekly DD's Jubilee Competition (I'll just recap the first):

1) Has both Carl Barks and Don Rosa done a Donald Duck story, where
part of the action takes place in Norway?
2) Has Donald Duck #1/1948 - the first Norwegian Donald book - been
reprinted more than one time?
3) Has Donald's dog, Bolivar, had the same name ever since he appeared
in the March 1949 issue of Donald?
4) Is Grandma Duck a grandchild to Cornelius Coot?
5) Is the Phantom Blot 60 years old this year.
6) Does Donald have more than one cousin?
7) Has more than 2000 Donald books been published in Norway_

The number of YES and NOs in the 7 answers should be sent before June
9.th to: DONALD DUCK & Co
Postboks 1548 Vika
0117 Oslo
Norway
(marked "jubileumskonkurranse")
You can win a genuine Barks lithography ("Blizzard Tonight")
My "official guess" is 5 yes, and 2 no, though it's tricky.

Also in Norwegian DD #22:
Lo$ part XII, "The Hermit on the Manor"
The coloring and printing is superb, even ROSEBUD shows.
Does this story take place on Christmas Day, 1947? The Danish editors
have been carefully editing out references to specific years, and I've
got this theory about Don's perpetual 1955 universe, that the stories
happen in causal realtime BEFORE that date (and before the infinite
multiverse implosion).
A Donald pin in durable plastic and gold. Last issue had the poster
from "The Wise Little Hen" and next issue will have the story itself
in a supplementary issue, and "The Duck Who Never Was" and the start
of a "Darkest Africa" serial and a DD scrap book with stickers and...

On page 30 of Danish AA&Co. #21/94:

"Comic creator Carl Barks comes to Denmark!

The most famous creator of Donald Duck comics is without question the
American Carl Barks. So what's more natural than to let Donald meet
Carl Barks on his birthday?!
That's why Carl Barks comes to Denmark on June the 9.th to celebrate
Donald - and it is no less than a sensation! Carl Barks has never
actually been outside the borders of America before. But now he has
agreed to go on a longer European "birthday tour", where he arrives
in Denmark on the very day!
Did we forget to mention that Carl Barks is 93 years old...

Lots of Carl Barks stories in Anders And & Co.

Of course we'll celebrate Donald Duck's birthday - and Carl Barks'
visit in Denmark - with some of Carl Barks' very best stories.
Almost every story from his hand is today a classic, so you've got
something to look forward to!
Here is a summary of the Carl Barks stories, which will appear in
coming issues:

* The Exciting Duel of the Hang Gliders ("Hang Gliders be Hanged!")

* In Dark Africa ("Darkest Africa") - a 3 part serial. Has never been
published before!

* Who Goes into the Trap? ("The Mighty Trapper")

* Brilliant - But in Vain! ("Canon Ball")

* The Condemnation Expert ("Master Wrecker")

Do you want to know more about Carl Barks? Then look forward to Anders
And & Co. nr. 23 - the big birthday issue - where we'll tell more about
this fantastic comic creator!"

... competition on opposing page:

"Who is Carl Barks? A) a famous movie star or B) a famous comic creator.

<oLe 'RoC' Reichstein Nielsen, c/o Lasse 'Spot' R.N. (lrn at daimi.aau.dk)>

(Knut: you sent this to me, not to the list. Since you obviously meant to
send it to the list, I'll forward it.)

----- Begin message from Knut.Hunstad at veg.sintef.no 27-May-94

Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 15:37:58 +0200
From: Knut.Hunstad at veg.sintef.no (Knut Hunstad)
Subject: Re: DD's life in an eggshell

For those who don't want to read anything more about my likings/dislikings
of Rota I'll start with the relationship Grandma Duck-$. Having had the
question up in a norwegian news list I have gotten several answers from
other faithful norwegian DD-readers through several decades. None of them
can remember anything other than the: "My life in an eggshell" suggesting
that GD is $'s sister.

>It looks a lot like DD in "Dangerous Disguise" (with secret-agent Tripe-X)
>from Four Color Comic 308. The previous panel shows madame Triple-X.

I don't know if the Four Color Comic series has been printed in Norway, but
I'll try to check it out.

>> The parts where the frames are parts of a story are OK, but I
>> don't like the long series of one-frame gags. I miss the details that make
>> you see something new each time you read the story.
>
>Ah, you want details? Then you must be a fan of Rosa, not Rota.. 8-)

The first part was right: I like Rosa's style very much. But I was trying to
say that as long as there was a continuos story I can agree that Rota has a
style of his own that has its value. Only that style didn't work out in
one-frame shots, somehow (not easy trying to discuss such things in a
foreign language pr. email, but I hope the meaning gets through anyway).

Actually I am one of few norwegian DD-lovers I know that likes the DD Pocket
series we have in Norway. Very many italian stories in them. The quality is
_very_ varying, but I find enough good stories to justify buying them.
Actually I have the whole collection (about 156 at the moment). I don't have
a clue about under what name they may be presented in other countries.

About "coral barques". I had the feeling somehow the answer would be
something like that...

>Harry PTT Research ()_() Dutch Disney comics freak
>Fluks Leidschendam (_) H.W.Fluks at research.ptt.nl
>
> "Yeah... I've _heard_ of coral barques!"

Knut Hunstad
khun at veg.sintef.no

"I'm an expert. I have seen about this on TV!"

----- End forwarded message

According to the Comics Buyer's Guide article on Barks's European tour
it would begin today (Monday) with Barks going to Reykjavik, but later
I've heard that it won't begin until tomorrow. Is there anything
about Barks's tour in Icelandic media, Sigurdur? Here in Sweden fans
will be allowed to see Barks for 45 minutes or something like that
Sunday June 19. Information is soon being sent out to members of
NAFS(k) and Serieframjandet about how to attend. I've heard some more
about what will happen in Denmark and Norway too, but I'm not sure I
got it all right.

The exhibition on Barks in Norway I mentioned will be June 7--12 and
Barks will open it. Before that there will some a panel discussion on
Barks June 6.

At Nationalmuseum (?) in Copenhagen there will be a Barks exhibition
June 1--20. What will be there? Original pages? Oils? "Just"
lithographs? I don't know, but I'd like a chance to see some of
Barks's oils, so if they've managed to get some of those there, I'll
consider going there. Barks will be there June 10 to sign?? (A new
litho??) The official celebration of Donald's birthday will not be
until the next Saturday (June 11).
-- "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden. email: starback at minsk.docs.uu.se
"Life is but a gamble! Let flipism chart your ramble!"

Don!

After having read Lo$12 I just have to unlurk myself!
Congratulations on your well done project! Of course
not everyone will agree with your overall vision of
Scrooge's life, especially regarding his retirement
and return to business and adventure. Personally I
think it really does solve a lot of problems related to
Barks introduction and later elaborations on Scrooge,
when he decided to use him in more than one story,
gradually building up the mythology of his past.

Barks' use of Scrooge in "Christmas on Bear
Mountain" was after all not due to a lot of
consideration of his past or present. That only came
later and made CoBM somewhat of a problem (is
analomy the right word?) chronicling Scrooge's past,
concidering his present in the fifties and sixties.
However, I think you managed to solve much of the
problem!

I also liked your presentation of Citizen Duck! That
may be lost on the kids (or perhaps American kids
will understand), but is another example of how you
give additional value and reading joy to us more
grey haired readers.

Even if I think Lo$10 is the very best of the series,
the final chapter had it's great moments! I liked very
much the beginning, the part where they enter the bin
for the first time, and the ending looking backward
and forward at the same time.

I think I'll have to read it once or twice more to get
the proper perspective, but I think one difficulty is
that the reader (if this is not the first Scrooge story
one read) knows too much in advance. The content in
Scrooges money bin is no surprise. That is a plot
problem when you make it one of the climaxes of the
story. The Beagle Boys was not very cleverly
disguised (they never are). It was also no surprise
that Scrooge would beat them, which he even did
a bit too easily.

Another thing which disturbs me somewhat is that
Scrooge is a bit too different from the way Barks
drew him in CoBM. I guess that is a problem when
you try to be consistent to your own (and Barks'
later) way of drawing Scrooge, but it didn't quite
seem right (I do not know if I have any clever
solutions to that problem!).

However, do not misunderstand! The final part of Lo$
was well done and overall very satisfying!

Bjorn Are