Sorry, guys, but I don't have RoC's email adress...
Thank you, RoC, for the magazine. Best story of the kind I've ever seen.
Especially since I have studied computing science I really liked lots of the
gags there. Also an interesting reference to "2001 A Space Odyssey"...
Knut Hunstad
Author
Topic: 199410
(172 messages)
Knut Hunstad
Thanks, RoC!
Message 136 -
1994-10-25 at 18:00:03
August DeBlieck
Disney Comics Digest #470 (I think)
Message 137 -
1994-10-25 at 20:18:08
Date: 25-Oct-1994 02:02pm EST
From: DeBlieck, August
ADEBLIEC
Dept: STUDENT
Tel No:
TO: Remote INTERNET Address ( _IN%DISNEY-COMICS at MINSK.DOCS.UU.SE )
Subject: Re: Disney Comics Digest #470 (I think)
Hello, everybody. I've been lurking here for a couple of weeks now,
waiting to come up with something intelligent to add to the discussion.
Unfortunately, I've been having too much fun reading everybody else's
comments to come up with some of my own. And besides, I'm nowhere near as
knowledgeable as everyone else seems to be on the subject. I'm just a
comic book/cartoon collecting guy who enjoys Carl Barks and everything
descended from him.
But I have a couple of comments from what Don Rosa (Hi, Don!) said in his
part of the digest:
Don, you said something about the silliness of doing comics plot-style,
versus script style. I don't think plot-style (also known as
'Marvel-style' in the US, since that's where it originated from, I think)
comics turn out quite so bad. And, likewise, there are many pointless
script-style comics out there, too. In fact, some point to the early days
of Marvel as their best days - and they were all done plot-style. The
synergy between Jack Kirby and Stan Lee led to some exciting and interesting
stories, that not always ended up quite as either of them had expected them
to. It adds a certain spontenaity to the titles, I think, as well as a
little less verbosity. I'm not saying words are bad, it's just that some
scripters tend to do everything through redundant dialogue.
In fact, one of the generally-agreed upon best super-hero comics in the USA
is Marvel's Incredible Hulk, done in the Marvel style. Of course, using
the same criteria, Sandman is considered far and away the best comic in
the medium, and that's done script-style. But don't so easily dismiss the
plot-style comics.
By the way, I ask this in nearly all the letters I write to Gladstone, but
I figured you might know something I don't about this: is there any chance
Gladstone is going to reprint His Majesty, McDuck on the new paper? It's
one of the first duck comics I bought and it remains a favorite to this
day. I'd love to see it done justice in this new format. In any case,
keep up the great work!
David Gerstein: Greetings, fellow APAtoonster! I suddenly don't feel so
alone.
-Augie De Blieck Jr.
From: DeBlieck, August
ADEBLIEC
Dept: STUDENT
Tel No:
TO: Remote INTERNET Address ( _IN%DISNEY-COMICS at MINSK.DOCS.UU.SE )
Subject: Re: Disney Comics Digest #470 (I think)
Hello, everybody. I've been lurking here for a couple of weeks now,
waiting to come up with something intelligent to add to the discussion.
Unfortunately, I've been having too much fun reading everybody else's
comments to come up with some of my own. And besides, I'm nowhere near as
knowledgeable as everyone else seems to be on the subject. I'm just a
comic book/cartoon collecting guy who enjoys Carl Barks and everything
descended from him.
But I have a couple of comments from what Don Rosa (Hi, Don!) said in his
part of the digest:
Don, you said something about the silliness of doing comics plot-style,
versus script style. I don't think plot-style (also known as
'Marvel-style' in the US, since that's where it originated from, I think)
comics turn out quite so bad. And, likewise, there are many pointless
script-style comics out there, too. In fact, some point to the early days
of Marvel as their best days - and they were all done plot-style. The
synergy between Jack Kirby and Stan Lee led to some exciting and interesting
stories, that not always ended up quite as either of them had expected them
to. It adds a certain spontenaity to the titles, I think, as well as a
little less verbosity. I'm not saying words are bad, it's just that some
scripters tend to do everything through redundant dialogue.
In fact, one of the generally-agreed upon best super-hero comics in the USA
is Marvel's Incredible Hulk, done in the Marvel style. Of course, using
the same criteria, Sandman is considered far and away the best comic in
the medium, and that's done script-style. But don't so easily dismiss the
plot-style comics.
By the way, I ask this in nearly all the letters I write to Gladstone, but
I figured you might know something I don't about this: is there any chance
Gladstone is going to reprint His Majesty, McDuck on the new paper? It's
one of the first duck comics I bought and it remains a favorite to this
day. I'd love to see it done justice in this new format. In any case,
keep up the great work!
David Gerstein: Greetings, fellow APAtoonster! I suddenly don't feel so
alone.
-Augie De Blieck Jr.
John M Baker
Br'er Rabbit
Message 138 -
1994-10-25 at 20:26:31
I take it that Br'er Rabbit is unknown to many of the
non-American readers on this list, except from the Disney stories. A
little background may be helpful.
Unlike many of the other Disney adaptations, Br'er Rabbit is not
(in the United States) known primarily or even to any large extent as a
Disney character. Instead, Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, Br'er Bear, et al.
are known primarily through stories written by Joel Chandler Harris in
the early 1880s. Uncle Remus, the narrator of these stories, is an old
black man living in the American South, and he tells the stories to a
small white boy. Naturally, everything that Uncle Remus says is in heavy
dialect, which today is an impediment to the stories' popularity. "Br'er
Rabbit and the Tar Baby," however, continues to be popular, often
surviving through retellings.
Harris did not invent the animal characters. He must, however,
have written most of the stories from scratch, for there are too many to
be all his recollections from childhood. The animals themselves are not
black or white - they're animals, remember? But since they speak through
Uncle Remus, they speak of necessity in a black dialect. When Disney used
these characters in the motion picture, "Song of the South," they expanded
the relationship between Uncle Remus and the little boy to become the
central story, with some animated sequences featuring the animals.
John M. Baker <jbaker at world.std.com>
Hutchins, Wheeler & Dittmar, 101 Federal St., Boston, MA 02110
Phone 617/951-6623 Fax 617/951-1295
On Tue, 25 Oct 1994, Jørgen Andreas Bangor wrote:
> David and Wilmer:
> Thanx for explainig what kind of character Br'er Rabbit is
> (in the U.S.). I did "suspect" he was a hillbilly, but I
> didn't know he was black. That must really be a problem for
> Disney... or isn't he black anymore if they change his
> dialect?
>
> Zomo - that's interesting. I didn't know he was a character
> from black folklore. In Norway his name is simply Langore
> (Long Ear), and he's nothing but a little animal living in
> the forest (like Chip & Dale and Bongo), but Br'er Fox and
> Br'er Bear is called Mikkel Rev and Bamse Brakar. These
> are characters from Norwegian folk tales. The fox is always
> making a fool of the bear.
non-American readers on this list, except from the Disney stories. A
little background may be helpful.
Unlike many of the other Disney adaptations, Br'er Rabbit is not
(in the United States) known primarily or even to any large extent as a
Disney character. Instead, Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, Br'er Bear, et al.
are known primarily through stories written by Joel Chandler Harris in
the early 1880s. Uncle Remus, the narrator of these stories, is an old
black man living in the American South, and he tells the stories to a
small white boy. Naturally, everything that Uncle Remus says is in heavy
dialect, which today is an impediment to the stories' popularity. "Br'er
Rabbit and the Tar Baby," however, continues to be popular, often
surviving through retellings.
Harris did not invent the animal characters. He must, however,
have written most of the stories from scratch, for there are too many to
be all his recollections from childhood. The animals themselves are not
black or white - they're animals, remember? But since they speak through
Uncle Remus, they speak of necessity in a black dialect. When Disney used
these characters in the motion picture, "Song of the South," they expanded
the relationship between Uncle Remus and the little boy to become the
central story, with some animated sequences featuring the animals.
John M. Baker <jbaker at world.std.com>
Hutchins, Wheeler & Dittmar, 101 Federal St., Boston, MA 02110
Phone 617/951-6623 Fax 617/951-1295
On Tue, 25 Oct 1994, Jørgen Andreas Bangor wrote:
> David and Wilmer:
> Thanx for explainig what kind of character Br'er Rabbit is
> (in the U.S.). I did "suspect" he was a hillbilly, but I
> didn't know he was black. That must really be a problem for
> Disney... or isn't he black anymore if they change his
> dialect?
>
> Zomo - that's interesting. I didn't know he was a character
> from black folklore. In Norway his name is simply Langore
> (Long Ear), and he's nothing but a little animal living in
> the forest (like Chip & Dale and Bongo), but Br'er Fox and
> Br'er Bear is called Mikkel Rev and Bamse Brakar. These
> are characters from Norwegian folk tales. The fox is always
> making a fool of the bear.
James Williams
Scripting
Message 139 -
1994-10-25 at 22:19:35
Jorgen,
>You don't have to explain to the penciler how Scrooge looks like, of
>course, but do you explain everything else? Do you make a scetch of
>the panel, for instance?
No, I don't make sketchs. This use to be a very common requirement
for "funny animal" writers. Mark Evanier has said that this was
a standard requirement when he worked for Gold Key. [Aside: Does
anyone know what Mickey Mouse stories he wrote?] Archie Comics still
requires this. I'm pretty sure that Don Rosa uses this format.
What I do is describe the panel in words. Here is an example. This is
the first panel from a 10 page Uncle Scrooge story entitled "Loose
Change".
=====
PANEL 1.
This half-page panel shows SCROOGE McDUCK, sitting behind his desk in
the Moneybin, talking to DONALD DUCK, HUEY, DEWEY, and LOUIE. The
Number One Dime is in its glass case behind SCROOGE; coins and ledger
books cover his desk. The vault door, closed and locked, takes up most
of one wall. At least one window is visible.
1. HUEY: ARE YOU *SURE* YOU WON'T--
2. DEWEY: --COME TO THE *RODEO* WITH US--
3. LOUIE: --UNCA SCROOGE?
4. SCROOGE: WHY WOULD I *PAY* TO WATCH SOMEONE RIDE A
HORSE?
=====
James Williams
>You don't have to explain to the penciler how Scrooge looks like, of
>course, but do you explain everything else? Do you make a scetch of
>the panel, for instance?
No, I don't make sketchs. This use to be a very common requirement
for "funny animal" writers. Mark Evanier has said that this was
a standard requirement when he worked for Gold Key. [Aside: Does
anyone know what Mickey Mouse stories he wrote?] Archie Comics still
requires this. I'm pretty sure that Don Rosa uses this format.
What I do is describe the panel in words. Here is an example. This is
the first panel from a 10 page Uncle Scrooge story entitled "Loose
Change".
=====
PANEL 1.
This half-page panel shows SCROOGE McDUCK, sitting behind his desk in
the Moneybin, talking to DONALD DUCK, HUEY, DEWEY, and LOUIE. The
Number One Dime is in its glass case behind SCROOGE; coins and ledger
books cover his desk. The vault door, closed and locked, takes up most
of one wall. At least one window is visible.
1. HUEY: ARE YOU *SURE* YOU WON'T--
2. DEWEY: --COME TO THE *RODEO* WITH US--
3. LOUIE: --UNCA SCROOGE?
4. SCROOGE: WHY WOULD I *PAY* TO WATCH SOMEONE RIDE A
HORSE?
=====
James Williams
Jørgen Andreas Bangor
Various again
Message 140 -
1994-10-26 at 00:04:30
Don:
Aftenposten about Barks.
Well, I didn't _quote_ Aftenposten. It was just me trying
to translate what I remembered from the article.
The article did _not_ compliment his new story. They meant
that his good stories are behind him.
The actual word they used to describe the new story was
"pale". I guess it doesn't have exactly the same meaning in
English...
David and Wilmer:
Thanx for explainig what kind of character Br'er Rabbit is
(in the U.S.). I did "suspect" he was a hillbilly, but I
didn't know he was black. That must really be a problem for
Disney... or isn't he black anymore if they change his
dialect?
Zomo - that's interesting. I didn't know he was a character
from black folklore. In Norway his name is simply Langore
(Long Ear), and he's nothing but a little animal living in
the forest (like Chip & Dale and Bongo), but Br'er Fox and
Br'er Bear is called Mikkel Rev and Bamse Brakar. These
are characters from Norwegian folk tales. The fox is always
making a fool of the bear.
Dialects.
At the moment I can't remember having ever seen any Disney
characters having a dialect in Norway (except Thursday...).
In the story about the square eggs (Plain Awful?) the
"square" people are speaking Nynorsk instead of Bokmal
(the two written forms of Norwegian), to make them sound
different.
I think this is because DD&Co has a very high reputation
when it comes to the language (the ruputation is high in
other matters too). Parents can safely give the magazine
to their children, because they won't learn a bad language
from it. Hjemmet (the Norwegian Disney comics publisher)
won't risc this reputation, of course.
BTW: When "Plain Awful" was published for the first time in
Norway (in the 50's), one of the big "fights" about the
written languages took place at the same time. The minority
wanted Nynorsk to be more important, and some people on the
other side didn't want Nynorsk to be a language at all.
Then came these small, funny, square people speaking Nynorsk.
That made _big_ headlines. "Donald Duck choosing side in the
fight of the language."
Hjemmet just wanted the square people to sound different ;-)
When it was reprinted in the 70's they did not speak
"different". They didn't dare let them speak Nynorsk. They
also changed the last panel, but that's another story.
Then, when it was reprinted again, before Don's "Return to
Plain Awful", they used the original version. No angry head-
lines this time. But a lot of praising of both Barks' and Don's
stories.
Ducks in academia.
When Barks visited this university earlier this year the big
event started with three lectures (couldn't find a better word
at the moment, could be the right one for all I know...).
One of them was by Geir Hasnes (hidden meanings in Barks'
stories (that was _really_ good, Geir! :-) ).
Then Finn Erik Vinje held one about the language of DD&Co. He
had let some of his students make some statistics on frequencies
on certain word etc.
Then another professor (whose name I must admit that I have
forgotten) at UiO held one with the title "Why we recommend our
students to read Donald". :-)
And again, thanks to James for explaining how to make a Disney
story. I guess Don doesn't have to use too many words to explain
a panel to the artist :-)
Jorgen A. Bangor (jorgenb at ifi.uio.no)
Aftenposten about Barks.
Well, I didn't _quote_ Aftenposten. It was just me trying
to translate what I remembered from the article.
The article did _not_ compliment his new story. They meant
that his good stories are behind him.
The actual word they used to describe the new story was
"pale". I guess it doesn't have exactly the same meaning in
English...
David and Wilmer:
Thanx for explainig what kind of character Br'er Rabbit is
(in the U.S.). I did "suspect" he was a hillbilly, but I
didn't know he was black. That must really be a problem for
Disney... or isn't he black anymore if they change his
dialect?
Zomo - that's interesting. I didn't know he was a character
from black folklore. In Norway his name is simply Langore
(Long Ear), and he's nothing but a little animal living in
the forest (like Chip & Dale and Bongo), but Br'er Fox and
Br'er Bear is called Mikkel Rev and Bamse Brakar. These
are characters from Norwegian folk tales. The fox is always
making a fool of the bear.
Dialects.
At the moment I can't remember having ever seen any Disney
characters having a dialect in Norway (except Thursday...).
In the story about the square eggs (Plain Awful?) the
"square" people are speaking Nynorsk instead of Bokmal
(the two written forms of Norwegian), to make them sound
different.
I think this is because DD&Co has a very high reputation
when it comes to the language (the ruputation is high in
other matters too). Parents can safely give the magazine
to their children, because they won't learn a bad language
from it. Hjemmet (the Norwegian Disney comics publisher)
won't risc this reputation, of course.
BTW: When "Plain Awful" was published for the first time in
Norway (in the 50's), one of the big "fights" about the
written languages took place at the same time. The minority
wanted Nynorsk to be more important, and some people on the
other side didn't want Nynorsk to be a language at all.
Then came these small, funny, square people speaking Nynorsk.
That made _big_ headlines. "Donald Duck choosing side in the
fight of the language."
Hjemmet just wanted the square people to sound different ;-)
When it was reprinted in the 70's they did not speak
"different". They didn't dare let them speak Nynorsk. They
also changed the last panel, but that's another story.
Then, when it was reprinted again, before Don's "Return to
Plain Awful", they used the original version. No angry head-
lines this time. But a lot of praising of both Barks' and Don's
stories.
Ducks in academia.
When Barks visited this university earlier this year the big
event started with three lectures (couldn't find a better word
at the moment, could be the right one for all I know...).
One of them was by Geir Hasnes (hidden meanings in Barks'
stories (that was _really_ good, Geir! :-) ).
Then Finn Erik Vinje held one about the language of DD&Co. He
had let some of his students make some statistics on frequencies
on certain word etc.
Then another professor (whose name I must admit that I have
forgotten) at UiO held one with the title "Why we recommend our
students to read Donald". :-)
And again, thanks to James for explaining how to make a Disney
story. I guess Don doesn't have to use too many words to explain
a panel to the artist :-)
Jorgen A. Bangor (jorgenb at ifi.uio.no)
Jørgen Andreas Bangor
Donald Duck & Co #43
Message 141 -
1994-10-26 at 00:52:02
I just have to comment the last issue of Donald Duck & Co
(it was published today). It's really good.
It starts with a ten-pager by van Horn. It's about Donald
and the nephews taking part in a contest. The goal is to
find a meteor rock in the desert. Donald has a book, by some
professor, to tell him how to find them (something familiar
about that...) (D93490).
Next is a Dutch two-pager with U$ and the Beagle Boys (H89139).
Then a six-pager with Mad Madam Mim. Well, this isn't too good.
Mim is thrown out of her house, and she makes a lot of magic to
make the person who made the descision to change his mind.
Is it that difficult to make up something new? (D92294).
Then a Barks story. "Farragut the Falcon". No need to comment
this, I guess :) (W/WDC47).
BTW: what does the 'W' before the slash mean?
Then, at last, is the real highlight, in my opinion. A Mickey
Mouse continuation story. That's not so great in itselves, but
this one is really good (at least so far)!
It's about Mickey assisting Professor Dustibones (yes, it's him),
in the search for fossiles. It must be inspired by Jurassic Park.
The dinos look very much like the velociraptors from the movie.
The art looks very much like the art in the "Bermudashorts
Triangle". (D93323).
Dustibones (about a colleage he doesn't like): "It's said that
he has brought bulding materials and strange machines. That
sounds mysterious!"
Says _he_!
Ah, yes, the hole thing ends with a one page gag with Donald.
(KF 8-11-46). Nice. The story-code is written on the side of
the table with Donalds telephone. It's written diagonally to
make it fit.
There are four ads, all for Disney products. Three for
magazines published by Hjemmet (Mikke Krim (Mickey Mystery),
Ole Brumm (Winnie the Pooh) and Mikke Mus).
Next week is a new "collector series" starting in DD&Co. It's
the book of the Junior Woodchucks...
And, apropos the discussion of sport in Disney comics, a story
about Donald being the coach of a soccer team is coming next
week. It seems to be about finding sponsors for the team. He
will try to get U$ as sponsor...
Jorgen A. Bangor (jorgenb at ifi.uio.no)
(it was published today). It's really good.
It starts with a ten-pager by van Horn. It's about Donald
and the nephews taking part in a contest. The goal is to
find a meteor rock in the desert. Donald has a book, by some
professor, to tell him how to find them (something familiar
about that...) (D93490).
Next is a Dutch two-pager with U$ and the Beagle Boys (H89139).
Then a six-pager with Mad Madam Mim. Well, this isn't too good.
Mim is thrown out of her house, and she makes a lot of magic to
make the person who made the descision to change his mind.
Is it that difficult to make up something new? (D92294).
Then a Barks story. "Farragut the Falcon". No need to comment
this, I guess :) (W/WDC47).
BTW: what does the 'W' before the slash mean?
Then, at last, is the real highlight, in my opinion. A Mickey
Mouse continuation story. That's not so great in itselves, but
this one is really good (at least so far)!
It's about Mickey assisting Professor Dustibones (yes, it's him),
in the search for fossiles. It must be inspired by Jurassic Park.
The dinos look very much like the velociraptors from the movie.
The art looks very much like the art in the "Bermudashorts
Triangle". (D93323).
Dustibones (about a colleage he doesn't like): "It's said that
he has brought bulding materials and strange machines. That
sounds mysterious!"
Says _he_!
Ah, yes, the hole thing ends with a one page gag with Donald.
(KF 8-11-46). Nice. The story-code is written on the side of
the table with Donalds telephone. It's written diagonally to
make it fit.
There are four ads, all for Disney products. Three for
magazines published by Hjemmet (Mikke Krim (Mickey Mystery),
Ole Brumm (Winnie the Pooh) and Mikke Mus).
Next week is a new "collector series" starting in DD&Co. It's
the book of the Junior Woodchucks...
And, apropos the discussion of sport in Disney comics, a story
about Donald being the coach of a soccer team is coming next
week. It seems to be about finding sponsors for the team. He
will try to get U$ as sponsor...
Jorgen A. Bangor (jorgenb at ifi.uio.no)
Don Rosa
Disney-comics digest #473.
Message 142 -
1994-10-26 at 07:12:18
JORGEN:
You told "Realistforeningen" that I was coming and they said
they'd DO something about it. Since I haven't the slightest idea who
that is, you have me a bit worried. That's not some group of
fundamentalist Islamic terrorists or something, is it? Now I'm not sure
if I should leave home.
This is rather a trivial point, but just so you don't
misunderstand something you might be seeking to understand clearly:
Brer' Rabbit is neither supposed to be black or a "hillbilly". He's
supposed to be a rural deep-southerner. "Hillbillies" live quite a bit
further north (supposedly here in Kentucky, actually). A hillbilly is
someone who lives so far back in inaccessible hills (such as in the
Applalacian Mountains) that his contact with "civilisation" is minimal.
Brer Rabbit is just supposed to resemble some poor person in Louisiana
or Mississippi... not someone who lives far from the city necessarilly,
just poor and uneducated. Whether or not he's supposed to be BLACK... I
don't think so. His story is being told by a black man so it's told from
his viewpoint... but I think the critters in those stories are just
supposed to be critters. I mean, now, the crows in DUMBO... now, THEY
were clearly intended to be as BLACK as the Ace o' Spades!
HARRY:
You seemed to be saying that Gladstone had made Hortense's bill
actually BIGGER instead of smaller... so I got out the different
editions and compared. I'm glad I did this, and I owe Gladstone a big
apology (for a comment they never saw anyway). Gladstone indeed DID make
Hortense's bill smaller, just as I asked them to -- they just didn't
make it small enough. But they did a GREAT job compared with the way
they redrew $crooge's beak in that panel in part 3! I couldn't tell it'd
been touched. But I drew Hortense's bill SO BIG in the original version
that even when they shrank it, it was still too big. But... were you
actually saying that Gladstone made the bill bigger? You must have
gotten quite mixed up as to which version was which.
Anyway, I won't see your answer to that. This is my last contact
with you all for the next two weeks. Hope to see a few of you in
Scandanavia -- identify yourself to me if you get a chance! Bye.
You told "Realistforeningen" that I was coming and they said
they'd DO something about it. Since I haven't the slightest idea who
that is, you have me a bit worried. That's not some group of
fundamentalist Islamic terrorists or something, is it? Now I'm not sure
if I should leave home.
This is rather a trivial point, but just so you don't
misunderstand something you might be seeking to understand clearly:
Brer' Rabbit is neither supposed to be black or a "hillbilly". He's
supposed to be a rural deep-southerner. "Hillbillies" live quite a bit
further north (supposedly here in Kentucky, actually). A hillbilly is
someone who lives so far back in inaccessible hills (such as in the
Applalacian Mountains) that his contact with "civilisation" is minimal.
Brer Rabbit is just supposed to resemble some poor person in Louisiana
or Mississippi... not someone who lives far from the city necessarilly,
just poor and uneducated. Whether or not he's supposed to be BLACK... I
don't think so. His story is being told by a black man so it's told from
his viewpoint... but I think the critters in those stories are just
supposed to be critters. I mean, now, the crows in DUMBO... now, THEY
were clearly intended to be as BLACK as the Ace o' Spades!
HARRY:
You seemed to be saying that Gladstone had made Hortense's bill
actually BIGGER instead of smaller... so I got out the different
editions and compared. I'm glad I did this, and I owe Gladstone a big
apology (for a comment they never saw anyway). Gladstone indeed DID make
Hortense's bill smaller, just as I asked them to -- they just didn't
make it small enough. But they did a GREAT job compared with the way
they redrew $crooge's beak in that panel in part 3! I couldn't tell it'd
been touched. But I drew Hortense's bill SO BIG in the original version
that even when they shrank it, it was still too big. But... were you
actually saying that Gladstone made the bill bigger? You must have
gotten quite mixed up as to which version was which.
Anyway, I won't see your answer to that. This is my last contact
with you all for the next two weeks. Hope to see a few of you in
Scandanavia -- identify yourself to me if you get a chance! Bye.
Jørgen Andreas Bangor
Don Rosa and Realistforeningen
Message 143 -
1994-10-26 at 12:04:34
I guess this is to late for Don to see it, but...
Realistforeningen is a student organization at UiO.
It was Realistforeningen that arranged the last
meeting with you (Don) here in Oslo, and it was
also them who arranged the meeting with Barks.
They are completely harmless :-)
I'm a member myself, BTW.
Jorgen A. Bangor (jorgenb at ifi.uio.no)
Realistforeningen is a student organization at UiO.
It was Realistforeningen that arranged the last
meeting with you (Don) here in Oslo, and it was
also them who arranged the meeting with Barks.
They are completely harmless :-)
I'm a member myself, BTW.
Jorgen A. Bangor (jorgenb at ifi.uio.no)
DAVID.A.GERSTEIN
Disney-comics digest #473.
Message 144 -
1994-10-26 at 13:52:46
Dear Folks,
Several things to talk about today. First, Br'er Rabbit: The
stories really go a LONG way back before Joel Chandler Harris. I got
my own wellspring of information in perhaps the most unusual
sourcebook you'd ever imagine it to be in: the book _Bugs Bunny:
Fifty Years And Only One Gray Hare_ (1990). This history book on WB
cartoons views Br'er Rabbit as Bugs' principal ancestor (there are a
lot of similarities!), and so spends several pages talking about that
character's history. It's that book that tells about the stories'
origins in Africa, although I can't believe that's the only one that
has that stuff in it.
Br'er Rabbit is, as far as I know, still quite popular in the
States -- at least to those who *read*. Not long ago there was a
series of books called "Jump," "Jump Again," and "Jump On Over",
which contained Br'er Rabbit tales shorn of dialect; these were
bestselling children's books, with excellent production values.
There are three Disney Br'er Rabbit books in print, none of them
using dialect. There are at least two of the original Harris books
still in print (with dialect). And although Disney has banned the
film "Song of the South" from U. S. re-release (that's the film with
the BR sequences in it), they do show the BR shorts by themselves,
sometimes, on the Disney Channel's two cartoon shows.
Last year there was a great musical "Br'er Rabbit" at my
college, directed by our regular drama coach (who is black, by the
way, and noted the stories' origins in black folklore; also
confirmed my own questions about the name Zomo). The story was
narrated by a character named Sis Owl, who was written with slight
dialect.
Next, AUGIE DeBLIECK -- Huzzah! Glad to hear you're around
here making your mark at last. It's about time! Feel free to drop
into my mailbox and chat sometime (my E-Mail address is at the end of
this letter).
JORGEN: The Madam Mim story doesn't sound half bad. I guess I
haven't read enough of these to find this particular plot a rehash of
something that has gone before... There's always the old Barks story
where Scrooge tries to get Donald to give up his house (WDC 159), but
Scrooge is no magician, so how similar can the stories be?
Sounds like that Mickey story with Dustibones is another one of
the "new" Mickey stories. Particularly if the artist is the same guy
who did the Remuda Triangle story -- that's Ferioli. I'm guessing
that the writer could be Byron Erickson himself, here.
JAMES WILLIAMS: I was laughing just at the first panel of your
US rodeo story! Are you doing all these original stories for
Gladstone? That's the impression I got from a past letter. And who
is drawing them? I wouldn't mind reading one of your entire
scripts...
HARRY: I'm amazed that you found a good-looking US 289... but
one thing's certain, DD 288 (which has just come out) is lacking any
kind of problems whatsoever. The cover stock is different,
indicating that this was published by the OTHER color press that
Gladstone uses (they use two of them, I've been told); that being
the one which was responsible, as far as I can tell, for most of
their comics in the first six months of their "new" period. The
black ink is JET black, the colors are all bright and clear and not a
SINGLE page is the LEAST bit off-register. This is a magnificent
issue. I hope that Gladstone sticks with this printer as often as
possible.
The strips in DD 288 sure highlight Bolivar and Basil Burro a
lot. Never realized how often that burro appeared in the strip,
although he kept showing up until the 1950s at least. And damn, the
Bolivar strips are probably the best of all AT material, in my
opinion. I will use Bolivar a lot in my coming Duck stories...
We should get Mark Evanier on this list, by the way -- someone
was just asking about him. His E-Mail address is
<MARKEVANIER at delphi.com> Why don't we put him on the list right now?
He can always cancel it if he doesn't like it...
And did someone mention DON AULT coming on? I've been trying to
find some way to get through to him for years. You see, I have a
copy of OS 348 ("The Crocodile Collector") with his name handwritten
in childish writing on the cover, and have always wanted to get it
back to him. I guess his Mom must have sold his comics when he grew
up. Poor fellow. I also have a WDC&S 126 with Mike Barrier's
childish signature on it.
And I've ALWAYS wanted to get some kind of transcripts of his
course lectures. I myself gave an animation history course over
winter quarter last year (titled "The Mickey Mouse Course of
Animation History"). Emphasis on Disney/WB cartoons, with many rare
or banned cartoons shown. I'd sure like to "trade" cartoons with Mr.
Ault -- I bet we each have some the other lacks.
Last: The only Duck story I've ever done for anyone besides
Egmont is being sent in -- with the corrections Disney and Gladstone
wanted me to make, made -- for the final time today. "Return to
Morgan's Island," to be illustrated (as of this writing) by my artist
friend Craig Deeley, is a rip-roaring 26-page pirate adventure
reuniting the Ducks with Old Yellow Beak as well as a whole tag
team of classic villains. (It's a sequel to Four Color #9, if any of
you don't know: "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold.") It's all
researched and historically accurate, too. When it's drawn and
published (late '95, I guess) you're going to love it, folks! And
remember -- you heard it on disney-comics at minsk.DoCS.UU.SE!!!
Best to all of you,
David Gerstein
"By the Gorgon's cracked cackle! It's too *impossible* to be real!"
<9475609 at arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
Several things to talk about today. First, Br'er Rabbit: The
stories really go a LONG way back before Joel Chandler Harris. I got
my own wellspring of information in perhaps the most unusual
sourcebook you'd ever imagine it to be in: the book _Bugs Bunny:
Fifty Years And Only One Gray Hare_ (1990). This history book on WB
cartoons views Br'er Rabbit as Bugs' principal ancestor (there are a
lot of similarities!), and so spends several pages talking about that
character's history. It's that book that tells about the stories'
origins in Africa, although I can't believe that's the only one that
has that stuff in it.
Br'er Rabbit is, as far as I know, still quite popular in the
States -- at least to those who *read*. Not long ago there was a
series of books called "Jump," "Jump Again," and "Jump On Over",
which contained Br'er Rabbit tales shorn of dialect; these were
bestselling children's books, with excellent production values.
There are three Disney Br'er Rabbit books in print, none of them
using dialect. There are at least two of the original Harris books
still in print (with dialect). And although Disney has banned the
film "Song of the South" from U. S. re-release (that's the film with
the BR sequences in it), they do show the BR shorts by themselves,
sometimes, on the Disney Channel's two cartoon shows.
Last year there was a great musical "Br'er Rabbit" at my
college, directed by our regular drama coach (who is black, by the
way, and noted the stories' origins in black folklore; also
confirmed my own questions about the name Zomo). The story was
narrated by a character named Sis Owl, who was written with slight
dialect.
Next, AUGIE DeBLIECK -- Huzzah! Glad to hear you're around
here making your mark at last. It's about time! Feel free to drop
into my mailbox and chat sometime (my E-Mail address is at the end of
this letter).
JORGEN: The Madam Mim story doesn't sound half bad. I guess I
haven't read enough of these to find this particular plot a rehash of
something that has gone before... There's always the old Barks story
where Scrooge tries to get Donald to give up his house (WDC 159), but
Scrooge is no magician, so how similar can the stories be?
Sounds like that Mickey story with Dustibones is another one of
the "new" Mickey stories. Particularly if the artist is the same guy
who did the Remuda Triangle story -- that's Ferioli. I'm guessing
that the writer could be Byron Erickson himself, here.
JAMES WILLIAMS: I was laughing just at the first panel of your
US rodeo story! Are you doing all these original stories for
Gladstone? That's the impression I got from a past letter. And who
is drawing them? I wouldn't mind reading one of your entire
scripts...
HARRY: I'm amazed that you found a good-looking US 289... but
one thing's certain, DD 288 (which has just come out) is lacking any
kind of problems whatsoever. The cover stock is different,
indicating that this was published by the OTHER color press that
Gladstone uses (they use two of them, I've been told); that being
the one which was responsible, as far as I can tell, for most of
their comics in the first six months of their "new" period. The
black ink is JET black, the colors are all bright and clear and not a
SINGLE page is the LEAST bit off-register. This is a magnificent
issue. I hope that Gladstone sticks with this printer as often as
possible.
The strips in DD 288 sure highlight Bolivar and Basil Burro a
lot. Never realized how often that burro appeared in the strip,
although he kept showing up until the 1950s at least. And damn, the
Bolivar strips are probably the best of all AT material, in my
opinion. I will use Bolivar a lot in my coming Duck stories...
We should get Mark Evanier on this list, by the way -- someone
was just asking about him. His E-Mail address is
<MARKEVANIER at delphi.com> Why don't we put him on the list right now?
He can always cancel it if he doesn't like it...
And did someone mention DON AULT coming on? I've been trying to
find some way to get through to him for years. You see, I have a
copy of OS 348 ("The Crocodile Collector") with his name handwritten
in childish writing on the cover, and have always wanted to get it
back to him. I guess his Mom must have sold his comics when he grew
up. Poor fellow. I also have a WDC&S 126 with Mike Barrier's
childish signature on it.
And I've ALWAYS wanted to get some kind of transcripts of his
course lectures. I myself gave an animation history course over
winter quarter last year (titled "The Mickey Mouse Course of
Animation History"). Emphasis on Disney/WB cartoons, with many rare
or banned cartoons shown. I'd sure like to "trade" cartoons with Mr.
Ault -- I bet we each have some the other lacks.
Last: The only Duck story I've ever done for anyone besides
Egmont is being sent in -- with the corrections Disney and Gladstone
wanted me to make, made -- for the final time today. "Return to
Morgan's Island," to be illustrated (as of this writing) by my artist
friend Craig Deeley, is a rip-roaring 26-page pirate adventure
reuniting the Ducks with Old Yellow Beak as well as a whole tag
team of classic villains. (It's a sequel to Four Color #9, if any of
you don't know: "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold.") It's all
researched and historically accurate, too. When it's drawn and
published (late '95, I guess) you're going to love it, folks! And
remember -- you heard it on disney-comics at minsk.DoCS.UU.SE!!!
Best to all of you,
David Gerstein
"By the Gorgon's cracked cackle! It's too *impossible* to be real!"
<9475609 at arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
Per Starback
Administrator leaving for Gothenburg
Message 145 -
1994-10-26 at 19:13:19
I'm leaving for Gothenburg now. I haven't asked anyone else here to
take care of the list until I'm back (Sunday), so I hope there won't
be any technical problems and I hope noone will have any urgent
(un)subscription requests...
-- "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden. email: starback at minsk.docs.uu.se
"Life is but a gamble! Let flipism chart your ramble!"
take care of the list until I'm back (Sunday), so I hope there won't
be any technical problems and I hope noone will have any urgent
(un)subscription requests...
-- "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden. email: starback at minsk.docs.uu.se
"Life is but a gamble! Let flipism chart your ramble!"
Ben Leavell
No subject
Message 146 -
1994-10-26 at 22:39:42
I like to join
I-ning Yang
Please take me off the list
Message 147 -
1994-10-26 at 22:54:50
as title
thank you
thank you
Dwight Decker
Dwight Does Denmark
Message 148 -
1994-10-26 at 23:43:13
I just thought I'd mention that I'll be in Europe from November 19
to November 28. I plan to start in Copenhagen, drop by the Egmont
offices and pester the editors there, get over to Malmo, Sweden
for a day, spend a day in Hamburg, and finish up at a science-
fiction convention in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Through all this,
I plan to do a lot of shopping (late November in northern Europe
is a lousy time of the year for sightseeing, so what else is
there?). As a translator of several languages into English, I
have to keep my languages up, so I want to buy lots of books,
comics, CDs, and videos in Danish, Swedish, German, and Dutch.
(Yes, I have a PAL-compatible VCR.) I'm also beginning to
collect Disney films dubbed into various foreign languages. This
is probably rank heresy to European Disney fans, who seem to
think their own local dubbed versions stink and the only true
version is the original English version -- but hey, I'm trying to
learn some languages here, and a spoonful of sugar helps the
medicine go down and all that.
So I have a few questions for the folks on the disney-comics
list about what's available in your respective countries, so I
can be sure to buy it when I'm there next month. Remember, I'm a
crazy American coming to your country to spend money, and I'll
go away when I run out. This could mean the difference between
1994 being a prosperous year or a recession year in your country!
DENMARK: Is the animated film based on the VALHALLA series of
comic albums currently available on video? (Okay, so it's not
Disney -- but the albums are gorgeous!) Is VALHALLA #10 out yet?
Is Disney's LITTLE MERMAID still available on video in Denmark?
(I mean, what better language to get that story in...?)
SWEDEN: Is THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE available on video?
GERMANY: Sind KRIEG DER STERNE und ZURUCK NACH DIE ZUKUNFT noch
erhaeltlich auf Video? ARIELLE?
NETHERLANDS: Has ALADDIN been released on video here yet?
Any information on these questions will be greatly appreciated!
I also plan to buy lots of comic albums, but my choice will probably
depend mainly on what's on the racks the day I walk into the shops.
In other business...Gladstone's Donald Duck Album #10 just came out
and I picked up a copy last night. The Square Eggs story and "Voodoo
Hoodoo" are the featured attractions this time. It's the retouched
version of "Voodoo Hoodoo," by the way. I also bought the new issue
of _Donald and Mickey_, got it home, and discovered a hole punched
through most of the pages, like somebody had tried to stab it with
a steak knife. That's a risk of having a reserve box at the comics
shop: you end up taking what the clerk decides to give you, without
a chance to pick through four or five copies on the rack for the
one in the best condition. And SNOW WHITE just hit commercial video;
I picked up a laserdisc copy last night. The print's been restored
and the film probably hasn't looked this good in 50 years. The
striking thing about it is how _young_ Snow White is. She's a girl,
maybe 14, not a mature woman. Kind of young to be getting married,
but then they did marry young in the Middle Ages. (As the saying
goes, by the time an actress is proficient enough to play Juliet
in Romeo and Juliet, she's too old for the part...)
--Dwight Decker
to November 28. I plan to start in Copenhagen, drop by the Egmont
offices and pester the editors there, get over to Malmo, Sweden
for a day, spend a day in Hamburg, and finish up at a science-
fiction convention in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Through all this,
I plan to do a lot of shopping (late November in northern Europe
is a lousy time of the year for sightseeing, so what else is
there?). As a translator of several languages into English, I
have to keep my languages up, so I want to buy lots of books,
comics, CDs, and videos in Danish, Swedish, German, and Dutch.
(Yes, I have a PAL-compatible VCR.) I'm also beginning to
collect Disney films dubbed into various foreign languages. This
is probably rank heresy to European Disney fans, who seem to
think their own local dubbed versions stink and the only true
version is the original English version -- but hey, I'm trying to
learn some languages here, and a spoonful of sugar helps the
medicine go down and all that.
So I have a few questions for the folks on the disney-comics
list about what's available in your respective countries, so I
can be sure to buy it when I'm there next month. Remember, I'm a
crazy American coming to your country to spend money, and I'll
go away when I run out. This could mean the difference between
1994 being a prosperous year or a recession year in your country!
DENMARK: Is the animated film based on the VALHALLA series of
comic albums currently available on video? (Okay, so it's not
Disney -- but the albums are gorgeous!) Is VALHALLA #10 out yet?
Is Disney's LITTLE MERMAID still available on video in Denmark?
(I mean, what better language to get that story in...?)
SWEDEN: Is THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE available on video?
GERMANY: Sind KRIEG DER STERNE und ZURUCK NACH DIE ZUKUNFT noch
erhaeltlich auf Video? ARIELLE?
NETHERLANDS: Has ALADDIN been released on video here yet?
Any information on these questions will be greatly appreciated!
I also plan to buy lots of comic albums, but my choice will probably
depend mainly on what's on the racks the day I walk into the shops.
In other business...Gladstone's Donald Duck Album #10 just came out
and I picked up a copy last night. The Square Eggs story and "Voodoo
Hoodoo" are the featured attractions this time. It's the retouched
version of "Voodoo Hoodoo," by the way. I also bought the new issue
of _Donald and Mickey_, got it home, and discovered a hole punched
through most of the pages, like somebody had tried to stab it with
a steak knife. That's a risk of having a reserve box at the comics
shop: you end up taking what the clerk decides to give you, without
a chance to pick through four or five copies on the rack for the
one in the best condition. And SNOW WHITE just hit commercial video;
I picked up a laserdisc copy last night. The print's been restored
and the film probably hasn't looked this good in 50 years. The
striking thing about it is how _young_ Snow White is. She's a girl,
maybe 14, not a mature woman. Kind of young to be getting married,
but then they did marry young in the Middle Ages. (As the saying
goes, by the time an actress is proficient enough to play Juliet
in Romeo and Juliet, she's too old for the part...)
--Dwight Decker
Tryg Helseth
Donald as a sport fan.
Message 149 -
1994-10-27 at 01:09:40
Sigudur:
Thanks for the clarificaton on what your were referring to regarding sports
in DD stories. I think you are right, however, that sports have rarely been
the central theme in duck stories in the US. (Though the may play some
minor role in the plot.)
I think there was a $crooge football story called "September Scrimage," and
I vaguely remember there was a Gyro story about an invented team sport.
As I recall, they wore plummer plungers on there head an used them to
catch rubber cubes with holes in them. Maybe someone here has more
detail on this.
Tryg
Tryg Helseth <trygve at maroon.tc.umn.edu> Minneapolis, MN, USA
or <tryg.helseth at tstation.mn.org>
"I wish they all could be Calisota Ducks!" -the Beach Drakes
Thanks for the clarificaton on what your were referring to regarding sports
in DD stories. I think you are right, however, that sports have rarely been
the central theme in duck stories in the US. (Though the may play some
minor role in the plot.)
I think there was a $crooge football story called "September Scrimage," and
I vaguely remember there was a Gyro story about an invented team sport.
As I recall, they wore plummer plungers on there head an used them to
catch rubber cubes with holes in them. Maybe someone here has more
detail on this.
Tryg
Tryg Helseth <trygve at maroon.tc.umn.edu> Minneapolis, MN, USA
or <tryg.helseth at tstation.mn.org>
"I wish they all could be Calisota Ducks!" -the Beach Drakes
Anders Engwall
Donald as a sport fan.
Message 150 -
1994-10-27 at 11:20:51
There is also a Barks story where Gyro is 'persuaded' by two rivalling
baseball teams to invent equipment that will help them win. For one team
it's a ball that can't be hit, and for the other a bat that can't miss (or
the other way around -- a ball that can't be missed and a bat that can't
hit). Strange things happen when the two meet! I think this was 'The
Madball Pitcher' from OS 1095.
If we leave the team sports, there are stories that involve golf, bowling,
surfing and probably others.
Favourite? I think mine is the golf story by Barks where Donald and Gladstone
play against each other and Gladstone suffers mysteriously from a streak of
*very* bad luck -- which in the end turns out not to be so bad after all...
(WDC 131).
Anders Engwall Email: Anders.Engwall at eua.ericsson.se
ELLEMTEL Utvecklings AB Voice: +46 8 727 3893
[lvsj|, Sweden Fax: +46 8 727 42 20
endremin saxassa flumen flobollala / feilobasch falljada follidi / flumbasch
baseball teams to invent equipment that will help them win. For one team
it's a ball that can't be hit, and for the other a bat that can't miss (or
the other way around -- a ball that can't be missed and a bat that can't
hit). Strange things happen when the two meet! I think this was 'The
Madball Pitcher' from OS 1095.
If we leave the team sports, there are stories that involve golf, bowling,
surfing and probably others.
Favourite? I think mine is the golf story by Barks where Donald and Gladstone
play against each other and Gladstone suffers mysteriously from a streak of
*very* bad luck -- which in the end turns out not to be so bad after all...
(WDC 131).
Anders Engwall Email: Anders.Engwall at eua.ericsson.se
ELLEMTEL Utvecklings AB Voice: +46 8 727 3893
[lvsj|, Sweden Fax: +46 8 727 42 20
endremin saxassa flumen flobollala / feilobasch falljada follidi / flumbasch