Keskustelujen arkisto

Hi,

As I have given this info to some of you by private mail and as those
of you who were informed thought the whole list might be interested,
here it goes:

In the latest issue of the Disneyana enthusiasts UK club Magical
Moments and Memories, one of my old interviews with Don has been
published. You won't learn anything in it as it was mainly aimed at
persons who didn't know at all Don's work.

The reason it might interest you, however, is that a special cover has
been drawn for it by Don, featuring $crooge and his two sisters with a
huge birthday cake in front of him. The caption on the cake reads "50
Years Old! 1867-1917"

To try and order this magazine, you might want to contact the editor
through her web site:

http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/mmmuk/

Best.

Didier

MARK EVANIER......
...here on this Mailing List?!?!? What a deal!!!! Hoo-hah!

WILMER:
Funny -- just about an hour ago I read "Vigilante of Pizen Bluff" for the
first time myself! I mean, for the first time since I wrote/drew it over a
year anna half ago. I do these stories and send them away to Europe, then
don't think much about them until I see them appear in a Gladstone issue...
that is, unless I've carelessly included anything in them about sneezing or
fleas or prunes-in-pockets or Indians. Oh, there WAS an Indian in this one,
wasn't there. Well, like I said about inscrutable corporate censors. But
it's great fun for me to see these stories in Gladstones after having done
them in such a rush so long ago. I'll have forgotten major aspects of it,
and recall very little of the dialogue, and I'll sometimes find myself
shamelessly chuckling at one of my own gaglines.
And I sure enjoyed seeing that Klein lettering in there! But yeah, there
were a few goofs, like "Montano" and one balloon where I think two words
are repeated. (Know that, aside from using Barks' "Calisota", I would
*never* use any fictitious state name, or even country name unless the
story demanded it, such as a need for the tiny mid-east country in the
"Avatar" story.) Anyhow, Todd's coupla' errors were surely due to the short
time I imagine he had to letter that story. He wasn't asked to do the job
until, I believe, he asked me when the new "Lo$" episode I'd mentioned was
to appear, and when I told him I thought it might be on the Gladstone
schedule he called them up to again volunteer his services as the Duckfan
he is. Eternal thanks to him again.
Speaking of good lettering, John Clark hisownseff lettered the "Avatar"
story! Todd is the best, but John is also excellent as well as being my
original letterer! And how many people can say their story was lettered by
the editor-in-chief of the comic publisher!?
Actually, I had asked Todd to letter the antiguey posters in that story for
me when I first drew it, and he did so just for fun. Those posters were all
immediately whited-out when the art arrived in Copenhagen, but, haha, I had
saved copies so I could provide Gladstone with the original posters. Todd
also did the lettering on the cover of NEPHEW SCROOGE PICTURE STORIES at
that time. And while I've mentioned that, no, there is no publisher shown
on that cover.
I *still* don't like "Blazing Saddles", but I always have recalled the Mel
Brooks line in there about giving a "laurel and harty handshake". It WAS on
my mind when I thought up that (fairly lame) name for that country of
Ollieanstan. This reminds me of the latest Mel Brooks movie I saw on
satellite recently ("Dracula - Dead and Loving It") that was not so hot,
but which had one gag with the same two actors that I think was the whole
reason for the making of the film: Brooks is Dr.Van Helsing and Harvey
Corman is Dr. Harper, and there is this exchange lead-off by Brooks, which
I'll try to paraphrase...
"You must read up on the history of vampires!"
"Yes, we have numerous books on the subject."
"Only a few are valid. Do you have 'The Vampires of Budapest'?"
"No..."
"How about 'Fangs of the Undead'?"
"No..."
"Do you have 'Nosferatu'?
"YES, we have 'Nosferatu'! We have 'Nosferatu' today! ...It came in the
post!"
If I liked that classic bit of corn, one might wonder why I disliked
"Blazing Saddles". I think I just thought it was crude Borscht-Belt humor,
and, prude that I am and always will be, I especially disliked the humor
derived from references to drugs and farting. WHO KNEW that even Walt
Disney would eventually specialize in the latter!
And, no, I now recall there being some kinduva story in an old SILLY
SYMPHONIES issue about a midget elephant, but I recall nothing about any
elephants flinging around tigers. But that's a rather easy idea to come up
with. I mean, I believe that mad elephants actually do such things if they
get a chance.

ALL:

This is my weekly reminder to all List members regarding the survey on Don
Rosa stories. Please send your picks to

(Email removed)

by JULY 31, 1997!

The deadline is approaching fast! Come on, Rosa fans out there! I've heard
from only 9 of you so far!

INTERNATIONAL SURVEY ON DON ROSA

NAME:
NATIONALITY:
SEX:
AGE:

1) Pick 3 covers which you consider Rosa's BEST: (*NOTE*: NOT in order of
preference. Simply what you'd consider Don's 3 BEST covers).

2) Pick 3 OPENING SPLASH PANELS which you consider Rosa's BEST:

3) Pick 3 INTERIOR SPLASH PANELS which you consider Rosa's BEST:

4) Pick 3 stories (of any length) which you consider Rosa's WORST:

5) Pick 3 SHORT stories (2-14 pages long) which you consider Rosa's BEST:

6) Pick 3 LONG stories (15 pages or more) which you consider Rosa's BEST:

7) Pick the 3 BEST/CLEVEREST hidden D.U.C.K.s. (in covers OR Splash panels).

8) COMMENTS:

I hope you have fun filling out the above questionnaire,

Archontis

On Tue, 29 Jul 97 05:02:04 +0000, "Don Rosa" <(Email removed)> wrote:

|"Do you have 'Nosferatu'?
|"YES, we have 'Nosferatu'! We have 'Nosferatu' today! ...It came in the
|post!"
|If I liked that classic bit of corn, one might wonder why I disliked

Umph! I'm afraid I don't understand this. And I can't even plead a language
problem. Where's the joke?
------------
Rik in Carlisle, MA
(Email removed)

Now that Alexander wrote about the "Shrinking story", a thought came
to mind:

Gladstone had to take parts 2 and 3 together, because so many panels
were cut out on Disney's demand. Why didn't they use the half-page
art from the 1-part version? (The art that would replace the splash panel
of part 3 if the story were printed in one part.) Using that, Gladstone
would have had a half page of extra art, and so they could have left 4
more panels in the story, that were cut out now to make a whole
number of pages.

Hm?

--Harry.
P.S. Alexander: I hope you don't mind I answer your message in
private mail... 8-)

RICH B.:

> JOE the PARROT: Another character I was hoping for clarification on is a
> little green parrot named "Joe."

This could be "A guy named Joe from Singapore" from WDC 65, in a story
by Barks. Was this parrot used in other stories?
I know Barks used that parrot often in his oil paintings, usually carrying
a little suitcase with the name "JOE" on it.

--Harry.

This weeks Norwegian Donald Duck has a new story by Marco Rota:

D 96264 Stjernepilot i fritt fall. (14 pages)

DD dreams about flying and is used as a pilot by some
people robbing towns by pouring out sneezing-powder
(so they can rob houses while their owners are sneezing).
He lands the plane on a mountain-top and the sneezing-gang
is arrested.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vidar Svendsen http://home.sol.no/vsvends

One good thing about getting old is that people believe you when you say
"I don't remember"

Mark Evanier:

It was a pleasant surprise to see you jump in! Have enjoyed your efforts
over the years (particularly on an underappreciated Blackhawk revival of
several years back), and your current articles in CBG are among that
publication's highlights. And I'll be eternally grateful for what you and
Sergio have accomplished with Groo!

Hope you'll find reason to stick around.

Don:

You said to Rich:
>Obviously you didn't understand why I disliked those stories so much that I
>regard them as "imaginary".

It always breaks my heart when you say this, and I'm someone who does
understand...at least a little. However...

>What I dislike are stories showing inter-stellar space travel as something
>very common >in Duckburg, the very idea of which seems so wrong that I'm
>amazed that even
>the most lenient Duckfan could accept it.

Barks was casting about for ideas, any ideas, for stories back then (late
50s through the mid 60s), and it is entirely unsurprising that he glommed
onto that period's fascination with space for inspiration. Practically
everyone writing comics at the time did. To me, a nascent fan, it was
purely fun stuff to read, and I must have been at the age when I could just
accept it as part of what Duckburg was all about. Sure, I don't see
"regular" Duckburg as being an advanced, Space Age city, but then I don't
see it as ever having had any statues of Cornelius Coot looming against the
skyline, either. But I sure as heck enjoyed those stories, and as far as
I'm concerned they "happened" just as much as any story set in Duckburg
that I've enjoyed reading has "happened." Perhaps this comes of my seeing
the Ducks and their activities as defining Duckburg, something I've always
perceived as a decidedly malleable environment, rather than the other way
around.

Frankly, I don't see how you can function in a Duckburg as strictured as
you've made it. Clearly, though, you do, and more power to you. It has led
to a lot of entertaining reads and some truly superlative achievements. But
I think I'll go ahead and keep amazing you with my "most lenient" view of
Duckburg, since it's the one I know best, and it has room enough for your
stories, "Island in the Sky," and all those awesome statues.

Gary

****************************
"Ee!" - Tiffany Case (as two flaming shish kebabs unpleasantly
approach...)
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