Keskustelujen arkisto

PER:
Yes, by all means, thanks and congratulations of the first five years of
this Mailing List! In celebration of the occasion, I will now do something
I haven't done in a while: send a long, rambling, boring message to the
Digest.

DANIEL "@maisie": (I'll assume you've given us your full name and I simply
missed it, so I'll comment on your message...)(but what IS your full name?)
> Actually Barks used this gag two more times: In the cartoon "Bellboy
> Donald" where Donald scretches and flattens in the elevator, which he
> later recycled this gag in the hotel ten-pager (WDC 206). Although it's
> of course not sure if Barks made up the gag in "Bellboy Donald", it is
> clear that he didn't object to using such a sight gag.

This is a signifacantly different gag than the one used in the
Forbidium/Impervium Money Bin story! It's one thing to show a character or
object "stretch or squash" at the instant of impact or force. That's what
those elevator gags show (and what my scene 'way back in "The Son of the
Sun" showed). This sort of thing is always done when a charcter is running
("zow!") or falling ("thud!"), or during all the many other dynamic forces
they are put through during the action. It's another thing entirely to show
a "human" (albeit Duck) body flattened permanently into what looks like a
thin plywood cutout, complete with square edges, AFTER the instant of
force, and get up and walk around and talk. This represents a comic reality
that is not found in a Disney comic. Other comics maybe, but not Disney
Duck comics. It's Roger Rabbit stuff, not Donald Duck. And while I
certainly agree with Dr.Archontis that comics are escapist literature and
require a suspension of disbelief, there are
all different types of that literature and levels of disbelief suspension.
"Star Trek" is escapist fiction, and requires a great level of sus.ofdis.
but I would raise my eyebrows if Capt.
Kirk was mashed into a paper doll during a take off and got up and started
barking orders as a flat sheet. Okay... an Indiana Jones movie is on a
different level and is a comedy at times, but still Indiana can't be mashed
flat and keep going. It's a gag but it doesn't fit that particular level of
escapist fiction. Not all gags fit into all stories, so more criteria than
just whether a gag is funny or not must always be applied. I won't try to
debate exactly what level is permissable in a Disney comic... I'm making it
clear what I think, and others can think differently... but it is definite
that not ALL
gags can work and not ALL disbelief-suspensions are permissable in ALL
works of escpaist fiction. Each one has its own level of reality... and I'm
sure that paper-thin living Ducks goes against my idea of Duckburg. Maybe
we're getting into "comedy theory 101" here, but I still maintain that the
idea of a character being impossibly flattened wafer-thin as in that Bin
story is unlike anything I've ever seen in a Barks story... and I don't
like it.

And I never hesitate to say what I don't like and what I think is wrong in
comics or in anything else I enjoy enough to care about. I
can feel the pressure of no longer being free to offer such opinions due to
who I am "percieved" to be , but I try to resist that limitation (as it's
not a position I ever sought to find myself in). In fact, when I get so
nitpicky about theoretical detailing, that's a sure
indication that I adore the general subject or comic or movie I'm referring
to! In
particular, movies that I think are worthless I naturally give no thought
to whatsoever. The general body of movies (usually of the 30s-60s) that I
think are quite adequate, I accept as they are and enjoy them. But the
movies I
love the MOST are the ones I dissect the most. As much as I love a John
Ford or an Orson Welles or a Hitchcock movie, while I'm watching them I'll
always be thinking "hm... I would have done that differently" or "that
scene just wasn't quite right". I always know when I've just seen a movie
that I
*really* like because I'll instantly begin thinking of how I would have
filmed it differently. I'm not presuming that it would be an improvement...
it's just that *I* would do it differently. This certainly applies to my
Duck stories -- I do these comics because I grew up loving Barks' work...
but I never make an attempt to do my stories exactly as I think Barks would
do them. I can't. I'm not him. I'm me. There's lots more inside my head
than just Barks.

As for what you think was censorable in that "Shrinking Tightwad" story...
I never considered that hair is oily because it's unwashed... that's your
own perception. All hair is
oily, especially in microscopic view. And I also did not see Donald covered
with snot after the BB sneezed -- maybe your head operates differently from
mine, but when I sneeze I do so out of my mouth. So, well, it wasn't snot,
maybe it was spit? 6 a' one half a dozen of t'other? You got me there... I
concede your point! I think I can blame that mostly on my penchant for
last-minute detailing while inking. I would certainly condone the idea a
dash
of white-out being used to remove the *very few* indications that you see
of "moisture" on those Ducks in the BB's pocket (NOT counting the gooey
prune) or the visual oil on the hair (but NOT necessarilly the comment
about it). Disney could have suggested this miniscule and simple touch-up
rather than lopping out 3-4 pages, no? As for the BB with Mickey Mouse
symbols on his underpants, the exact same retouching could have fixed that,
though I'm not still not sure what might have been objectionable about that
gag (unless somebody at Disney was unsure how a boss might later interpret
it
if he let it pass).
As for villains being hit by spitoons, that's *supposed* to look
disgusting. Thanks. But those are things I leave to the eye-for-detail of
the reader, for him to decide on his own. I don't put a tag on the brass
container saying "SPITOON" (even if a modern kid would know what that was)
and I don't have the villain shout
"Ugh! Ick! This brass receptacle was full of phlegm and tobacco spittle!
Yuk! What a comeuppance for me!" I leave that to the reader who spots that
detail. This is my layering of detail. I'm
not saying you should *like* it, just that you reacted to it as I intended.

And the closing gag you didn't get in the Impervium/whatever Money Bin
story was just $crooge losing his temper and being sarcastic. Nothing deep.
You were looking for too much?

DR.ARCHONTIS: (who, as he said, often exchanges long letters with me where
we cordially dissect my stories, discussions which I greatly enjoy and
value.)
Again somebody (you) seems to be accusing me of disliking ALL Barks' space
stories, or even ALL of "Island in the Sky", simply because I (definitely)
do not like that story's opening sequence. "The 24 Carat Moon" is one of my
very MOST favorite Barks stories, and one where space travel is handled
exactly the way I like to see it in a Duck comic.
Actually, I was about to respond to Gary last week when he again objected
to MY again objecting to the opening of that story where Duckburg is
suddenly depicted as a city from the 23rd century, but then I decided there
wasn't
any real point in me doing so. I know why he accepts it and I can't -- I
read that story after about 20 years of reading Barks stories where nothing
like that had ever existed before... and it looked totally wrong to me from
the start. But that was one of the first Duck stories Gary saw so he
accepted it as a
Duckburg reality. Gary then says my view of Duckburg is much too limited
and strict. I would say to him that I have a new idea for a story that
requires Duckburg to be located at the North Pole for that one issue. What?
It's a weird idea? Why such a limited view of Duckburg? Because we KNOW
Duckburg is not located at the North Pole. However, if a story appeared
with such a plot, and it was the first Duck story some kid saw, forever
after he would see no reason why Duckburg couldn't suddenly be in an
African jungle or in a Asian desert if that fit a need or a gag in a
plotline. But we know
you can't pick up Duckburg and move it someplace it never was for one story
simply because it fits the plot's needs. To me, picking Duckburg up and
plopping it into the far
future for one story is a lot more impossible than simply relocating it
northward. But... I'll concede that's simply *my* strict interpretation of
how Duckburg should be treated, and as Dr.Archontis says, he doesn't have
to agree with my interpretation to still enjoy my stories, and I say that's
fair enough and it's all I ask (if I ask anything).

Also, Doc, you don't seem to grasp what I keep saying (especially in quotes
in your Greek KOMIX) as to Donald being the "average suburbanite". Yes, he
has astounding adventures in every issue! But what makes it fun to see
Donald in such adventures is that he is STILL an "average guy". He is not
Indiana Duck. He's not even $crooge McDuck. He's just an average Joe, whom
we can ALL identify with, tossed into these fantastic adventures, like the
hero of a Hitchcock film. Each story does not begin with the conscious
knowledge that Donald has done all of these incredible things in past
stories.
If the world saw Donald as something other than an average, everyday guy,
he would not be the world's most popular comic character, and in fact
probably would have disappeared with Horace Horsecollar.

Oh, and I think I was partially addressing you and that "Duck flattening"
bizniz and levels of belief-suspension in my comments to
Daniel-whose-last-name-we-need.

KRITON:

> If you want me to take my collection down from the shelves, check each
> individual issue to see if it has a story or cover by Don

At least this wouldn't be necessary, since Archontis sent me a Greek
Don Rosa index, which is available on the Web through:
http://www.pi.net/~fluks4/dcd.htm

The data is not in the current version of the Database (on Per's website),
but it will be in the next.

--Harry.

Hi!
I'm back from vacation. Without any Disney-news, I fear. I was very happy
to get my sunny days even more (de)lightful as a long Rosa-story appeared
in Kalle Anka & C:o ("A little something special", I believe?), the first
long by Don to appear in years! It's probably already been discussed to
dust, so I only want to add this: I asked you, Don, once if you wouldn't
make a story where Magica, Flintheart and the Beagle Boys Inc. cooperated
to ruin $crooge. You told me very brusque that you'd *never* do sucha thing,
as it's too much "Marvel-styled". All villains cooperating against $crooge??
Rediculous! As it turned out, this still must've been the very next story
you did, since the story-code is well enough some three months after the
approximate date I asked you about it (!). Now, what made you change your
mind? The story is very much like the plot I had, so I'm really curious! :-)

Furthermore DON:

> I still am curious as to who among you has a full (or near full) set of U$
> except for that elusive #179.

So what's so special about this #179?? It must be rare since you're assuming
there's more people around who has all but that one than those who *does*
have it...

TODD:

Are you still interested in those pens you requested? I told you I can get
you those...

CU again soon!

---
/Jakob

JAKOB:
PLEEZ let's try to use "SPOILER" warnings when you discuss new stories. "A
Little Something Special" won't be printed in a non-Egmont issue for many
months, until the proper time when it should be appearing (around Xmas, not
in July!). But you've given away a small surprise with your questions. It
wasn't anything major, but I'd like to dream that some reader somewhere
would like to read my stories as I intended the story to be read, not to
have them know various plot twists beforehand.

So... *SPOILER WARNING* for "A Little Something Special", the $crooge 50th
Anniversary story:

You are correct, sir! I did tell you, in all sincerity, that I would not do
a story, certainly not an everyday story, that teamed up $crooge villains.
But then they asked me to do the "official" $crooge 50th story for the
comics. My interpretation of this sort of story is that it MUST have a
special quality about it! It MUST have something that has not been done
before... an origin, a sequel, a return of an old character... *something*
unusual. In fact, my worrying about this idea is what pushed me into using
the phrase that was spinning around in my mind as the story's actual
title... I needed "a little something special", so that's exactly what I
called the story. (By the way, the title actually refers to what happens on
the last page and a half, eh?)
My very first suggestion to Byron was that I might try what many readers
have been asking me for -- the return of $crooge's mysteriously absent
sisters. Byron did not object to this as a valid story idea *someday*, but
he suggested that to use this plotline would create a story where the
SISTERS were the stars, the focal points, and not $crooge. And it was
$crooge the story is supposed to celebrate. And Byron was quite right! But
I recall whining to him that this left just about no unique idea other than
the old chestnut about all the villains teaming up on the hero. And Byron
told me I should try that, but that I should avoid the Marvel-style Annual
treatment, where each villain comes at the hero and is dusted off in even
simpler fashion than normal. He said that I should have a reason why they
all team up... what's in it for each of them?... Why did they get the idea?
So THIS is how and why I tried the idea that I told you I'd never do.
So, I wasn't fibbing to you. But having said that to you, I guess what I
did was the LAST thing you expected, eh? Haha! (Now, let's hope that all
the Americans and Italians and French and Greeks and Dutch and South
Americans and all other non-Egmont-countrymen on this ML forget your
question so they can read the story without suspecting that one, small
"surprise" (such as it was, which wasn't much).

JAKOB:

Thanks for remembering about the pens. I've looked into it further and found
the manufacturer (Faber-Castell, Germany) went out of business some years
ago, which is why the supply stopped. I have a friend in Denmark looking for
any stray leftovers for me there and in Germany, but if you'd like to look as
well, here is what I want: Faber-Castell technical pen TG-1, point sizes 2.5
and 2. If you find any, let me know, and we'll figure out a way to make an
exchange.

Todd

AUGIE DE BLIECK COMMENTED, regarding Don's "Treasure of the 10 Avatars":
<<I finally just read "The Treaure of the Ten Avatars" yesterday and really
enjoyed it. And though you might not particuliarly appreciate this, trust
me
when I say it's a compliment: It read like a terrific episode of DuckTales.
I
kept flashing back to the opening 5-parter of the series, but it was still
all-original.>>

Oh, you noticed that too, eh, Augie? The climax definitely reminded me of
the fifth and final chapter of "Golden Suns." Of course, such climaxes have
also been seen elsewhere, but a "DuckTales" fan would be hard-pressed NOT to
think of the implosion of the Valley of the Golden Suns when reading a scene
like that...

BTW, I also agree with you on the "economic" angle of this story.

JAKOB SOEDERBAUM asks, re UNCLE $CROOGE #179:
<<So what's so special about this #179?? It must be rare since you're
assuming
there's more people around who has all but that one than those who *does*
have it...>>

U$ #179 was published at a time (around 1980) when the traditional outlets
for comic books (drug stores, newsstands, etc.) were starting to dry up, AND
the direct market was not yet fully formed. So it (and other Whitman comics
from its era) were very poorly distributed. As if that weren't enough,
Whitman was beginning to forego traditional distribution in any case in favor
of selling its comics in plastic bags (three to a bag). So U$ #179 was hit
with a double "foof bomb" of sorts that made efficient distribution very
difficult indeed.

Christopher E. Barat
(Email removed)
http://members.aol.com/cebarat/home.htm
"AT LONG LAST, THE GOLD (hiccup) IS MINE!!" -- El Capitan, "DuckTales"
episode "Too Much of a Gold Thing"

ANDERS and RICH and ALL:

Hi there ! My name's Tim Otterburg.
I'm a passionate Xenodonaldist, too. (I really like that expression !)
I haven't ever written to the mailing list before, but when I found
out about it about a year ago, I was very happy because I didn't know
anybody with that hobby. My friends support my hobby by bringing
me foreign Disney comics from their holidays, but they don't really
understand it. I think they think I'm a little bit nuts (which might be true).
So it's great to see there are other people with the same hobby.
I started collecting foreign Disney comics about twelve years ago and my
collection has since then grown to a number of 39 different languages.
I always wondered why there are still so many languages (even in Europe)
like Irish, Catalan, Welsh, Maltese,... where there are no Disney comics
being published in.
If there are any members of the list who are native speakers of a
'Non-Disney-language', please tell me: Wouldn't you like to read Disney comics
in your language, too ?
And to all German members of the list: I'd like to hear your opinion ?
Since the Asterix Mundart (Asterix in different German dialects) series is
running so well, don't you think it would be about time to do the same with
Donald Duck ? It should be great fun to see him quack in Platt or Bavarian,
shouldn't it ? What do you think ?
And how about Disney comics in different, American, French, Italian, ...
dialects ?
Hope to hear from you all !
Bye, Tim

> my penchant for last-minute detailing while inking. I would
> certainly condone the idea a dash of white-out being used to remove
> the *very few* indications that you see of "moisture" on those Ducks
> in the BB's pocket (NOT counting the gooey prune) or the visual oil
> on the hair (but NOT necessarilly the comment about it). Disney
> could have suggested this miniscule and simple touch-up rather than
> lopping out 3-4 pages, no?

This made me think about an interview to Glen Close I read recently,
about her role in the "101 Dalmatians" Disney movie... I didn't see
that movie but apparently she receives more than her share of
"moisture" and other animal fluids :)

> As for villains being hit by spitoons, that's *supposed* to look
> disgusting.

That's one gag that would go almost unnoticed in MAD Magazine :)

Best regards to all,

# Cristian Lucas
# From Buenos Aires, Argentina