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JESS WINFIELD wrote:

<<My name is Jess Winfield, I'm a playwright, a director, founding member
of a theater troupe called The Reduced Shakespeare Company, and am
presently an animation writer for Walt Disney Animated Television.
I've used my love of the old comix (which I keep in my office for
reference) extensively in writing for Disney. For the past year, I've
been working on the animated series of 101 Dalmatians, and most
recently, Hercules. When Hercules, the series, begins airing in fall of
1998, some of you will recognize an homage to The Prize of Pizarro
(US#26) in an episode entitled "Hercules and the Big Kiss."
I'm going to be working to bring some of the elements and characters
from the comic world into Disney TV and home video, including any
would-be Mickey Mouse series. (I'm limited by Disney's secrecy policy,
but someone already mentioned an in-the-works Mickey Mouse series. I
neither confirm nor deny that such a thing exists, but if it did, I'd
probably be working on it!)>>

Welcome aboard, Jess! I've heard of your company. Isn't that the group that
once interpreted TITUS ANDRONICUS as a cooking show of the Julia Child
variety? Or do I have your group confused with someone else?

Regarding your plans to bring elements of the comics into Disney TV and
home video writing, what else can I say but: go to it!

DON ROSA joined the discussion of "universes" to say:
<<...I just feel compelled to say that this is all fun and a matter of
individual interpretation. But I hope you know that there are some of us...
at least ONE of us... who considers Barks' Universe quite distinct from any
other, even from any other Duck stories, even from other Duck stories he
drew but did not write. ...And also considers all other Disney comic
character universes quite distinct from every other, such that no character
from one animated feature could ever exist in the universe of another
feature... that the very notion is silly and pointlessly complicated. I
just wanted to make sure there are folks like that. They PREFER each
Universe separate. Now.... carry on...>>

I can sympathize with Don's desire to keep the various Disney "universes"
separate. I've had great difficulty in trying to "explain" where QUACK
PACK fits into the matrix of Barks stories, non-Barks stories, and DUCK
TALES. I've finally taken the sensible alternative of regarding all QUACK
PACK stories as "speculative fiction." As in: WHAT IF the Ducks (1) lived
in a world of humans and (2) were reconstituted for the 90's? I took the
liberty of offering the QUACK PACK Daisy free transportation to the other
Duck "universes" if she ever decided to emigrate, but that was about the
limit of my generosity.

I think that one man in particular can be cited/blamed for the rash of wacky
team-ups in Disney comics: Vic Lockman. Lockman seemed to specialize in
such stories (if I'm not mistaken, it was he who wrote those stories that
Barks drew for GRANDMA DUCK'S FARM FRIENDS in which characters like the
Big Bad Wolf and Dumbo appeared). So if you really are bothered by them,
you can attribute their existence to the "unique visions of one man"
and move on from there.

GARY LEACH said, regarding a possible MICKEY MOUSE TV series:
<<All I know is what I've already said, that a Mickey TV series is in the
works. Just passing that along put my well-trained spies deep within the
Disney Skunk Works at serious risk to life, limb and legal liability.>>

Don't you mean "Skunk OIL Works?" Oh well, same difference... :-)

RICH BELLACERA queried:
<<Has it *ever* been established where Mickey lives? In his seminal
article on Gottfredson, Bill Blackbeard claimed he was said to live in
"Homeville" (but I've never seen that name in a story), and I've seen other
stories where he was said to live in Duckburg!...>>

As you may be aware, the new American-produced stories in the MICKEY
MOUSE ADVENTURES title established "Mouseton" as Mickey's home base.
Though that title no longer exists, I've continued to call Mickey's home
base "Mouseton" ever since. I know that several contemporary Disney
writers have done the same.

"Homeville" sounds a lot like "Corncob Corners," the town where Goofy,
Pete, Donald, HD&L, AND Scrooge were portrayed as living in an early-50s
story drawn by Paul Murry!

KRITON KYRIMIS asked about Disney comics relating to the Olympic Games.
One such story that I have never seen discussed anywhere was the story
in several 1988 issues of TOPOLINO revolving around the Summer Olympic
Games in Seoul. I don't have any of these issues any more, and would
appreciate a TOPOLINO scholar in the audience refreshing my memory.

I checked the "B.C.E." reference, and saw the abbreviation defined as
"Before the Common Era." But I know that I have also seen it defined
as "Before the Christian Era," Jesus' birth in "2 B.C." or no. Ah,
the vagaries of scholars... They kind of remind me of devoted Duck
fans who are about whether one should accept Gus and Jaq in a Grandma
Duck story. :-)

-- Christopher E. Barat
(Email removed)
http://members.aol.com/cebarat/home.htm
"IF I MELTED THIS DOWN, I COULD MAKE A NEW STATUE OF LIBERTY OUT OF
SOLID GOLD (hic!)! ONE FOR EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!"
-- Scrooge McDuck, "DuckTales" episode "Too Much of a Gold Thing"

--------------------------------
End of Disney comics Digest V97 Issue #199
******************************************

FREDRIK SANDSTROM:
>In the Swedish translation I have the two last panels go something like this:
>
>Donald sees "another rainbow" and wonders if there's a new share of
>gold. HDL tells him to check it out, because they themselves have
>already got their treasure, and they don't care who becomes U$'s heir.

That's definitely different from the way it was presented in the US. This
discussion drove me nuts 'cause I knew I had recently read the story, so
I began going through my DD & U$ collection. Of course the original
tale is in WDC&S #155 (1953), but fortunately I also found it in U$ #281
(1993 - which happens to be Gladstone's premiere restart of U$). In this
version (both in U$ & WDC&S) the last two panels have Donald looking
to the sky and saying, "There's another rainbow in the sky, kids! I wonder
if it's possible there'd be a SECOND pot of gold there?" To which the
Nephews reply, "YOU go look! We don't NEED to -- Not since Unca
Scrooge named us SOLE HEIRS to his nine fantasicatillion four billion-
jillion, centrifugalillion dollars and sixteen cents." (EMPHASIS not mine).

While hunting, however, I came across at least two other stories involving
Donald, the Nephews and $crooge with a rainbow (U$ #38/reprint #280
"Seeing is Believing" and DD #105 "The Great Rainbow Race").

Curious: Does Donald's reference to "Another Rainbow" have anything to
do with the naming of AR (Another Rainbow)? I figure since Gladstone
Gander was the inspiration for Gladstone there might be a link to AR as
well.

DAVID GERSTEIN:
> [Regarding Figaro]
> [Regarding Gus and Jaq and others]
> On the other hand, the Wolf and Br'er Rabbit universes being one
>has been done since time immemorial -- even before Disney, Joel Chandler
>Harris himself pointed out that the "Br'er Wolf" in his 1880s stories
>chased the three pigs. Of all the "universe mixing" I've ever seen, this
>particular crossover has always been the one that struck me as perfectly
>natural.

Well, as far as Figaro is concerned I'm relieved to know that he's
considered a ligitimate pet of Minnie's (and I don't even mind if he's
considered a different cat from the one that appears in PINOCCHIO. In
my opinion, the later Figaro always seemed much more "cat-like" that
the cute-and-cuddley one in PINOCCHIO anyhow. I still like both
versions however. I hope to continue seeing Figaro in tales which involve
Minnie and Pluto in the Future. Of course there is that one strange story
in VACATION PARADE #2 which identifies Figaro as Daisy's cat (I
prefer to think of her as just cat-sitting for Minnie instead).

As for "Gus & Jaq", I'm inclined to agree with Don Rosa, that they can
go back to the Cinderella Universe, since, to me, they always seemed
out of place. But if interesting and believable stories can be written to
justify their continued existence in Duckburg, then so-be-it. I guess
the one thing that should stop, would be the sub-titling where they
are referred to as "The Cinderella Mice."

As for BB Wolf, the 3 Pigs & the Chandler Harris critters, I agree that
they seem to naturally belong in the same universe with eachother. Like
DONALD MARKSTEIN, I too like Li'l Bad Wolf and really enjoy
the whole dynamics of those tales. I guess the one real way things
might be affected with the cessation of crossovers would be the whole
notion of the Three Little Pigs and Li'l Bad as JUNIOR WOODCHUCKS
and therefore interacting with HD&L. I like them as Jr. Woodchucks
though, and I like the Wolfs and the Pigs as members of the Duck
& Mouse Universe.

> [Regarding Mim and Magica as roommates]
> They _still_ live together in the Brazilian stories.

In these Brazillian tales, does Magica's niece live with them, or is she just
an ocassional visitor? I would think that the idea of two spinsters
raising a little girl together would prevent those tales from being printed
in the USA (what would the neighbors say?) ;-) I think many of the Mim
tales that have been printed in the USA are quite fun, and I've never been
bothered by her presence in Duckburg either, but I would think her
disappearance wouldn't have any ramifications.

CHRISTOPHER BARAT:
>I can sympathize with Don's desire to keep the various Disney "universes"
>separate. I've had great difficulty in trying to "explain" where QUACK
>PACK fits into the matrix of Barks stories, non-Barks stories, and DUCK
>TALES. I've finally taken the sensible alternative of regarding all QUACK
>PACK stories as "speculative fiction." As in: WHAT IF the Ducks (1) lived
>in a world of humans and (2) were reconstituted for the 90's? I took the
>liberty of offering the QUACK PACK Daisy free transportation to the other
>Duck "universes" if she ever decided to emigrate, but that was about the
>limit of my generosity.

The few episodes I was fortunate enough to catch of QUACK PACK were
great... EXCEPT for the revamping of Duckburg to include "HUMANS."
That bugs me. I know the producers were trying to write to a modern
audience, but in doing so they've betrayed the loyalists who gladly accept
"dogfaces" where "human" is implied. I think Daisy's new persona is
awesome and would love to see her that way in the comics, which brings
up another thought: Who has the rights to "Quack Pack" for comics? If
it's Acclaim, they're not using them and seem to have no plans for the
future. I guess they're stuck in the "Nexus of Disney Universes" (that
nebulous zone where Disney comicbook and Cartoon characters simply
cease to exist, until or unless someone pulls them out of that great abyss).
In my area, The Disney Afternoon is gone, as are all the shows that
belonged to it (replaced by *ugh!* The Brady Bunch and *gasp!*
Sailor Moon, and a couple of lame live action teen-high school shows....
as Dr. Smith would say, "Oh the pain, the pain"). I don't recall even
seeing a "Quack Pack" comic in DISNEY ADVENTURES.

ACCLAIM COMICS:
While I'm on the subject of Acclaim's Disney comics, I noticed that the
History of Disney Comics section on Per Starback's web page was recently
updated for ACCLAIM. I don't know who is responsible for it's
maintenance, but I was wondering if the maintainer would like a little
info for it since the link to ACCLAIM doesn't provide any comics info
(they seem more interested in their gaming line).

ACCLAIM features two monthly digest format books each containing
several tales about characters from the feature films and some of the
televison animated shows.

1) DISNEY'S ENCHANTING STORIES regularly features:
HERCULES
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
POCAHONTAS
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS
101 DALMATIANS
and in November will add THE LITTLE MERMAID

2) DISNEY'S ACTION CLUB regularly features:
HERCULES
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
THE LION KING
ALADDIN
TOY STORY
THE MIGHTY DUCKS

The emphasis of the two books is different as the titles indicate, so the
stories in ACTION CLUB are more adventuresome & physical whereas
the ones appearing in ENCHANTING STORIES seem to be of a
more emotional and interpersonal nature.

ACCLAIM also publishes ocassional "one shot" books (also in digest
size), as it did for "Hercules" (the movie adaptation), and will do for
a new tale for "101 Dalmatians," and one which will parallel the video
release of the sequel to "Beauty & the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas"
this Christmas Season. This new tale is called "Disney's Beauty and
the Beast Holiday Special" (also digest size). Another book will be
titled "Disney's The Little Mermaid: Underwater Engagements" which
is a flip-book featuring two original tales: one of Ariel and the other of
Prince Eric which take place before the Movie. Acclaim also publishes
an ocassional large-size hardbound edition of certain stories which
feature very nice painted illustrations. Acclaim seems to have the rights
to at least one pre-1985 film, namely "Snow White" (do they have the
rights to others as well?).

[Much of this information is derived from reading the tales themselves
and seeing the previews in the appropriately named catalogue
PREVIEWS. So if anyone has anything else to add or correct from my
information, please do. As you can see... no "Quack Pack"... no
"DuckTales"... no "DarkWing Duck" ... no "Gummi Bears" ... no
"Rescue Rangers" ... no "Gargoyles" ... no "Bonkers" ... no "Goof
Troop" ... no "TaleSpin" ... no "Wuzzles" ... no "Winnie the Pooh"
... and no "Roger Rabbit" or "Marsupilami." Personally I'm glad
there's no "Snookums & Meat" or "Pith Possum" or "Tex Tinstar,"
and as for "Timon & Pumbaa" they are ocassionally featured in
"The Lion King" tales. One thing I've noticed is that the tales, especially
the ones based on movie characters, tend to be both "sequels" and
"prequels]

-Rich (xephyr)
http://www.jps.net/xephyr/rich/disney.html

FELLOW QUACKS: :-)

The deadline for sending in responses re: "The Rosa Survey", elapsed
yesterday. There'll be NO further extension. It seems to me that any
interested party so wishing has had plenty of time to respond. I had sent my
initial call in early July, and I had extended the initially set deadline of
July 31 to September 15.

I received a total of 36 responses from all around the globe. It seems that
it's a true international survey.

I hope to post the results of the Survey to the List in a week or so.
Hopefully some interesting discussion will follow.

In closing, I'd like to thank all the people who took the time to fill in
and send their picks.

When I post the results, I'll also announce the lucky guy (or gal) who will
get a copy of the Greek KOMIX with Rosa's "RETURN TO XANADU". I'll ask my
two-year old daughter to draw the lucky lot.

Till then,

keep quacking,

Archontis

TARJEI:

The 4 chapters of "The Ice Sword" are as far as I know the only
ones, but I'm not quite up to date on the Topolino issues.

I know of six chapters of the "Once Upon a Time in America" series.
Except for the second chapter, they have all been published in the
Egmont pocket books in the last three years.
They deal with how there's always been an ancestor of Mickey's
around at important moments of American history - and less surprisingly
one of Goofy's countless relatives too. De Vita's art is beautiful and
the stories are more credible than the usual time travel stories, with
the Mickey character being a contemporary, not today's Mickey. Even if
there isn't any difference in personality.
As the titles below may show, the stories deal with the arrival of the
Mayflower, the Boston Tea Party, Mickey as a mountain man, and as a
journalist interviewing George Washington, the Last Mohigoof and the
invention of the steam river boat. I'd rather have seen these in
Gladstone's publications than A Goofy History...

"C'era una volta... in America"
1. I TL 1996-A "Topolino e il tesoro della Mayflower" Pezzin/MdV 34 p.
2. I TL 1999-A "Topolino e i trafficanti di Boston" Pezzin/MdV 35 p.
3. I TL 2015-1 "Topolino e il grande cielo" Pezzin/MdV 40 p.
4. I TL 2025-1 "Intervista a George Washington" Pezzin/MdV 30 p.
5. I TL 2055-1 "Topolino e il penultimo dei mohicani" Pezzin/Ziche 35 p.
6. I TL 2059-1 "Topolino e la bella del fiume" Pezzin/MdV 32 p.

You may have to look after, say, I 2059-A instead of I TL 2059-1 in the
Swedish ddb index, because we haven't yet adapted to the new code format
in all files.

oLe e-mail <(Email removed)> or <roc.person.dk>
U webpage <http://www.roc.person.dk> (!NOT available yet!)

EVERYONE:
I spoke to poor, overworked Byron yesterday, and he said he'll eventually
get caught up and post a message to this forum... but that he does hope
that we'll allow HIM to make the first announcement of the Egmont policy
change since he fought for it since the first day he went to work for
Egmont 6 years back. So, patience. In the meantime, don't let your
imaginations build it up to being something even more important than it
actually is, lest you'll be disappointed.

RICH:
> Should read: "In fact I would say that the clear line you have drawn in
the
> Duck universe might even be the new benchmark the other Disney
> Universes are NOW adhering to." (...not "are NOT adhering to.")

Oh? I thought it read just fine the way you mistyped it. In fact, it read
better. I see no evidence that anything in my "Lo$" or other stories is
being treated as any sort of new "official" history. And I sorta hope it
isn't because that would take the teeth out of the few (misguided) critics
who accuse me of purposely trying to recreate Duck comics (even though I
*thought* I was simply trying to reshape them more tightly to Barks'
original ideas). But perhaps what they really meant was that I would limit
other writers' abilities to tell whatever sorts of stories they wished,
which I would certainly never seek to do, and as long as other writers
don't use my framework as their limitations, I can safely say that I never
did that, even unintentionally.

STEVEN:
> In the recent Disney Digest, someone came up with gossip about
> Don Rosa. From 20 years ago.
> If someone tells you gossip about Don, please don't share it here.
E-mail
> it to him; or just trash it.

Thanks. I would have ignored that libelous message myself except that it
was reprinted here from the public forum where it was originally posted...
obliging me to answer to it.
I sent a message to the "Gary Davenport" who posted that note asking, more
or less, "what the heck are you talking about?"... and he replied saying
that he actually has no more memory than I do as to what the deal was on
his old Duck lamp, and that if he ever did actually try to contact me about
it, as he claimed, it was no more than a few calls to my parents' home in
1973 when I was hundreds of miles away at college. Rather a different story
than his public version, eh? I don't believe he ever imagined that I was
actually in daily contact with the international Duck/Disney comics fan
network, and didn't think I'd ever see his accusations. But I need to get
his permission to repost his new message here, since his original message
was rather carelessly posted here, to set the matter to rest. Sorry for
this momentary off-topic nonsense, but other people's actions make it
unavoidable...

Don M.:

>Just what IS a Disney comic?

Check the indicia. If there's a Disney copyright there, it's a Disney comic.

I think there is always a tendency to discuss what is currently available
over what has gone before, and especially long before, in a forum as
relatively immediate as this ML. As you say, the Disney name has been
attached to all kinds of features over the decades, in comics no less (and
possibly far more) than in film, but the vast majority of them are not
currently active, and many of them were only one-shot movie adaptations
anyway.

Should such things get brought up on the ML, though? Yes! A broadening of
the field of discussion is always welcome...vital, even!

Gary

****************************
"It's Bindy Gonzer's birthday!" - Churchy La Femme
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Gladstone on the Web: http://www.hamlco.com/bhc/
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CHRIS:

<<Welcome aboard, Jess! I've heard of your company. Isn't that the
group that once interpreted TITUS ANDRONICUS as a cooking show of the
Julia Child variety? Or do I have your group confused with someone
else?>>

Yah, that's me of TITUS ANDRONICUS fame. And thanks for remembering one
of the pieces that I wrote solo for the RSC!