Keskustelujen arkisto

A look at some of the more celebrated comic creators and the ages at which
they first drew their best-known efforts:

Hal Foster - Prince Valiant - 45
Jesse Marsh - Tarzan comic books - 40
Paul Murry - first comic book Mickey Mouse - 39
Walt Kelly - Pogo (first national syndication) - 36
Crockett Johnson - Barnaby - 36
Winsor McCay - Little Nemo - 34 or 36 (date of birth is uncertain)
Frank King - Gasoline Alley - 35
V. T. Hamlin - Alley Oop - 33

So much for the theory that you have to be under 30 to do successful comics.
(And it should be noted that some of the best work done by artists who
started in their teens and early 20s came when they reached their 40's (Stan
Lee (39) & Jack Kirby (44) when they created Fantastic Four, for instance.)

Finally saw a notice of Brune Hogarth's death in the Chicago Tribune for
Friday, Feb. 2. Jerry Siegel's obit was given big play in every paper I get
on Monday. The Siegel and Hogarth obits in the Tribune were almost the same
size--three columns by about three inches.

best -- Merlin Haas (nice to see Don Markstein on the list!)

DONALD M.:

Hi! Yes, the quote I threw in there was a favorite of mine from The Mikado.
You seemed to be saying your Pinfeather story isn't finished -- hope it
becomes so, and will look forward to seeing it.

DON R.:

You've already mentioned some of your influences here, like the films
"Treasure of Sierra Madre" and "Citizen Kane". I think you also mentioned you
were a fan of Monty Python, and we know you must like the Marx Brothers. I
was wondering what other humor influences you might have. Are you a fan of
Tom Lehrer by any chance?

Sorry, I know this is off-topic. Can't think of anything interesting to say
about Disney characters at the moment...!

Todd

CALLING SWEDEN:
What is the new bi-monthly title "WD's AEventyrs-serier"?
No, I'm not looking for a translation, but are the stories from Italy,
US, or Egmont? Is this where Dave Rawson's long stories will go?
It looks like a pocket format book, and it's got Mickey(!) on the cover.
Of course I can't use my Kalle Anka Goldcard to purchase that, instead
of silly, commercial stuff... even the LEGO beach buggy sucks.

DAVID, excusing something:
> Ah, well, if/when Gladstone publishes some Scarpa albums as
> they'll be doing with Van Horn stories next year, I'll have them make
> the changes as necessary.

Oh dear, when you're used to reading Topolino stories in pocket size (as
they were intended to) they seem 'overblown' in normal magazine format.
As albums/graphic novels they'll be way out of proportion, maybe even larger
than they were actually drawn. Do artists like to see their work like this?
Don could get away with it, but some art doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.

Note how easily for instance the Colossus story could have been
re-lay-outed to 4 tier format with little loss of detail, which
would have saved some 35 pages of precious paper, and even allowed
it to fit into a Giant, instead of half a years worth of U$ Adventures.

If people don't like Scarpa, they might decide to skip the next couple of
issues, and maybe - just maybe - remember to start again in July.
I'm afraid Gladstone's publishing policy amounts to "serial suicide".

> Egmont weekly 6/1996 will include my Donald 12-pager "Donald Duck's
> Double-Dealt Deal."

I read the story and wasn't impressed, I'm sorry to say. Partly because
the dialogue had removed any traces of the 'Gerstein touch' except
for a few good insults. Also either you or Vicar misinterpreted the
Moe character; I couldn't imagine him pulling a trick like pretending
to be asleep to watch Donald's schemes backfire, or so actively
showing him the error of his ways. Moe would just shake his head at
the folly of them cityfolks, and let things go their merry way.
Or, more likely, have chased Donald away with his shotgun right away.

Why did Vicar bother drawing the dog, Cerberus, anyway; it doesn't
have any bearing on the story whatsoever? Sorry to be so destructive
in my critique, but that story looked like so many other from the Egmont
spam factory. I didn't even recognize it as yours until your mentioning
of it here, and I had been looking forward to it, because of your previous
postings about it. Sorry again, but maybe the following paragraph
explains what happened.

HENRI about British translations:
>> vocabulary and phrases were simplified to an alarming degree.
> Do they have any reason for this kind of sabotage?

Remember most readers in Europe *are* children, whereas the
American readership is 2, 3 or even 5 times older, and usually even
historically and culturally aware as opposed to the MTV generation.
When you ask children what stories they like to read, a typical
answer is 'short stories'! Simply because it's too exhausting to
read, and you 'read' comics for the fun of it, no to improve your
school grades.
Note how large speech bubbles sometimes come out with just a short
sentence, where the original script had a more colorful expression.
Maybe English itself is transforming into a monosyllable, four-letter
language, Inglish, which is spoken worldwide and taught at the movies.
Witness "I'll be back", "Make my day" and "Don't go away".

DON:
> Who do we have on here from Denmark? Is anyone familiar with a
> high-class magazine there called "KRITIK", which is a journal of criticism
> for various forms of art and writing and so forth?

I am & I'm not really, though I believe your description is accurate.
Now, why would I like to read one of those, and which one would that be?

Phew, this should be my last posting replying to more than a couple of
subjects, as I'm finally in direct down-link.
The bad news are I'll be posting more frequently:)

For starters I'll try to beat Harry to it with this one:
DAVID:
> How long is story D91396, which includes Fethry?

It's a 5 pager, published in Anders And #1/1996. But please don't use it.
Try D90266 instead, an early 2 pager by Flemming Andersen.

DWIGHT:
> [...] I always did like Launchpad. I'd vote to keep him in
> the "real" Duckiverse.

Ditto, but especially because of John Lustig's handling of the character.
Must be an Aquarius thing, believe it or not. ;)

"Gee! - But I'd like to fly, and become a great aviator like col. Lindbergh!"
-- Ole 'RoC' Reichstein Nielsen ((Email removed))

On Feb 2, 6:20am, Ville Saari wrote:
> Subject: Re: Bin locations
> Don actually explained the bin location problem in "The Pied
> Piper of Duckburg" (an incomplete Barks story completed by Don).
> The both bins exist in the same story and $crooge uses the term
> "overflow bin", when he speaks about the one in the downtown.
>
Gosh, I guess I forgot about that story. Good explanation,
although it doesn't _quite_ explain "Only a Poor Old Man,"
in which the Killmotor Hill bin isn't seen but the story
depends on the Beagles having all of Scrooge's money. Well,
I don't want to make too big a deal about fitting every
last bit of detail into one coherent continuity, since
Barks was worried mainly about telling funny stories, not
designing a consistent universe. So I'll leave it at that.

--Dwight Decker

Ville:

>Don actually explained the bin location problem in "The Pied
>Piper of Duckburg" (an incomplete Barks story completed by Don).

In what Gladstone issue is this re-printed? It sounds familiar, and might
actually be where I got the impression of two bins in the first place.

-- Wes

DAVID:
Yes, I just bought copies of WDC&S #602 as well as U$ #297. You
haven't got the U$ yet?
Yeah, the computer lettering don't look so good in the Croesus
story, do it? The problem compounds itself since they don't want to go to
the trouble of reducing the size of the word balloons like Todd would always
do, so they print the computer lettering extra large to fill in more of the
balloons. But THEN, since the words are longer than they should be, they
actually had to EXPAND some of the narrower balloons wider; they end up not
making all the balloons smaller like Todd would, they actually make some
balloons BIGGER. (Notice how the balloon starts to cover up a nephew's face
when he's climbing up the temple. That caught my eye right away since I knew
I'd never have done that.)
But they didn't have any choice but to reduce the size of the
balloons where Donald is singing the "Lydia" song since they've eliminated
90% of the lyrics. (sigh) I was silly to think that all I had to do was skip
the really racey parts. Now I realize that the whole idea of a tattooed lady
was too much for the censors. Stupid me! (And I can't believe all the
trouble I took tracking down the exact lyrics!!!)
And you're right -- there were also lots of mistakes made by
Mr.Computer, like missing signs and sound effects, and at one point Donald
is thinking " " instead of "?". Notice that in another panel $crooge is
mesmerized by the dream that he might find a big BAG under the rock mound
he's excavating. (The bag is supposed to have a "$" on it!)
So, it's not the computer-lettering that's really at fault... it's
the word-balloon size problem. (And the typos and omissions?)
But I don't help matters -- there was some pretty ugly art in
there. I was SURE they'd done something to that camel's head on page 7,
panel 3 -- it's way too big and the rein is hanging in mid air. But I
checked my xeroxes and I'm the dope responsible for that! And you were RIGHT
in what you've been telling me -- all these Duck eyeballs look TOO BIG to me
now that I see the story printed 2 years after I drew it. I gotta watch
that! They look bad with such big eyebulbs! But, generally speaking,
this new WDC&S look is very handsome. I still wish WDC&S were still a
regular comic and THIS were the way the WD GIANT looked... but I support
anything Gladstone can do to stay afloat in these "times".
U$ #297 with "Of Ducks and Dimes and Destinies" looked lots better,
once I get past the splash-panel where I see they changed the title to "Of
Ducks, Dimes and Destinies" losing my Lewis Carroll flavor. I guess they
figured too few readers would catch the reference? And then I see the
photostats that Egmont sent them were cropped so that the "D.U.C.K." is
missing from the goldfish bowl stand. (Egmont does this so that the logo can
be added ABOVE the first panel rather than IN it... so I now need to design
splash panels so they can have the bottoms lopped off.) But... who would
notice any of that stuff but me?
The only changes that seem to have been ordered is that all
reference to "ginger beer" have become "ginger ale".
I hope no one accuses me of having the "making of" text last TWO
pages. I usually write enough so that they can edit it down to what length
they need, but I think they were a page short to fill the issue, and they
padded it out. I believe there's even a few lines added to my text... such
as me telling readers to look at the "Barksian goldfish bowl stand". Of
course, I DO carry on at times. That's why it's good everyone but David can
skip over THESE lines if they want to!
Finally... (still to David)... I'm confused. What did I say in
reference to Gilbert and Sullivan?

RoC:
Now that you've popped up, I'll let you know that I received the
CARL BARKS & CO. you sent... and I "repaid" you by doing what you requested.
Watch for "The Treasure of the Ten Avatars" when it appears.

Dear Disney-Philes

Just came across Gottfredson and Bill Walsh's "House of Mystery." It's
a great story and one I thoroughly enjoyed the gothic feel to the tale.
Somehow it's surprising that a Disney tale could have such a gothic feel
to it: the immortality of Drusilla, the hypnotic gas, the story weather,
and the firey ending. Yep. It has that kind of gothic feel. And what it
makes it even somewhat stranger is the weird kind of attraction between
Mickey and Drusilla. Ok. Maybe it's more of a concern, but still that
emotion makes the story a bit more unique.

Are there any other Walsh--Gottfredson stories you would recommend?

I've been a "Duck" man so long, I'm afraid I neglected the other Disney
comic stories that might be good.

Well guys?

James