Keskustelujen arkisto

Hi
I have been wondering why it's only men who has been writing the
prefaces to all 14 Danish Barks "Guldboeger"! Not that they, as Mr.
Dios and Mr. Kronborg, are not writing nice prefaces, sure they are, but
aren't there any qualified ladies around!
Also it seems that collecting Barks comics is a man's hobby, there are
very few women around. Why?
Best regards
Birte Scheel (mrs.!)
Denmark

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

KATIE SULLIVAN --
Well, I didn't say there were NO crossovers
between Wolf/Br'er characters and Duck/Mouse ones. There
are few if any Disney characters of that time that
haven't crossed over with one another -- Grandma Duck has
even met Dumbo (in a story drawn by Barks, no less). But
given the frequency with which crossovers happened in
general back then, there are RELATIVELY few of that type.
(An early one, by the way, was in the cartoon "Mickey's
Polo Team", in which Big Bad appears as a polo player.)
By the way, the whole number of the WDC&S in
question is #293. It's not hard to calculate -- 24
complete volumes of 12 issues each, plus five issues in
vol. 25. You'll probably find that number hand-lettered
at the bottom of the art on the first page. I'd dig out
my copy and find the exact position of it, but I'm far
too lazy, er, I mean busy.
I agree on Grandma being a pretty good character,
by the way. She was the star of one of the first Duck
stories I did at Egmont. There's not much that can be
done with her in the way of spectacular adventures, but
plenty of scope for excellent stay-at-home stories.

LYNNE IN ILLINOIS --
You're thinking of Daisy's nieces, not Minnie's.
(That's in case you failed to translate the mildly
sarcastic reply you drew earlier, and nobody else happens
to mention what is obviously just a switched synapse on
your part.)

DON ROSA --
>> "I actually wish I did not develop this almost
>> fanatical work-ethic because I lost my ability to relax
>> years ago."
I don't hold to any set schedule (except possibly
sitting down in front of the computer within five minutes
of waking up practically every day), but I still know
what you mean about work-ethic and ability to relax. I
may not actually be writing at every moment of the day,
but there are few moments when I'm not doing something
goal-oriented (the goal, direct or in-, usually being to
bring money into the household) rather than relaxing.
Like most freelancers, I'm chronically desperate for the
means to keep a roof over my family's head, so if I stop
working toward that end for very long, I start to fret. I
watch very little TV, and can't even remember the last
time I went to a movie. And most of my reading is done in
snatches, while the computer is busy.
So -- you knock off at 5 p.m., eh? I've tried to
do things like that, but never managed to make it stick.

Quack, Don=

Eta Beta wrote:

> You mean that a word like that *does* actually exist in
> some language ? ;-)

No. I am quite sure that Balaboo doesn't mean anything
in any (well-) known language. The word was BTW translated
into "Kukkeluk" in Danish - a soft childish version of "Buh!"

> Er... I surely am confused... the Man from Altacraz calls
> a *Duckburg* newspaper... from *Mouseton* ?
> Now, I went through the whole story twice, and couldn't
> find trace of any other phone calls except the one I
> described yesterday... and there's no newspapers involved
> at all in the plot

On page 19 Geronimo (or Moritz Mollton in Danish) sits outside
Mickey's window and next he calls Andeby Avis (a Duckburg
or Mouseton newspaper). I could imagine that the part might
have been taken out in later reprints - for the reason for this
phone call (along with dusins of other things going on in this
story) is a little beyond my grasp.

Soeren

Kriton:
>Is that the story that involves a weird musical instrument, which
looks like
>a small trumpet with only one key, on top of an inner tube?

Hey, it's not a weird instrument, it's an imbutofono!! ;-)

SOEREN
>Why does "The Man" suddenly phone Mickey in the middle
>of the night to make that "joke", which is not really a joke,
or...???
AND
>"The Man" doesn't call Mickey, but a Duckburg newpaper

There are 2 calls, the first one, unanswered, is from O'Hara to Mickey
(when Geronimo stands up, cleans his dishes and goes in the garage).

Eta Beta
>Uhmm... I don't recognize this situation... the only phone
>call in the story is that of O'Hara, to which Mickey doesn't
>answer...

>Now, I went through the whole story twice, and couldn't
>find trace of any other phone calls except the one I
>described yesterday... and there's no newspapers involved
>at all in the plot... could you please tell me in what
>page all this is supposed to happen ? I shouldn't wonder,
>since I have a pocket book reprint, if it happened in the
>customary missing panels...

*spoilers*
a I don't have the original Topolino issue, but I have both the
reprints on "I Classici" entitled "Io Topolino" (#34 from the first
run and #57 from the second one), and at page 26 a black shadow slips
out from Mickey's garage, uses the "imbutofono" (don't ask me to
translate that...;-), listens to O'Hara's thoughts and at page 27,
third panel, at 1:00 a.m. (there is a city clock) calls the newspaper
referring them (at page 28 O'Hara runs in MM's house with the
newspaper in his hands).

Maybe it's a bit complicated story, but it's really one of the best
ones I ever read!!!!!!!

AGAIN on Scarpa, and Luca's scoop, I think about that like Eta, since
Mickey's appearance is very similar to the one in Kaloha's story
(published in Topolino #303 on 17 sept. 1961).

>I guess a supplement of investigation is needed.

That's for sure, there is at least ONE story we haven't see yet (the
one with Mickey and Goofy as policeman).

Ciao,

- Paolo
http://www.confor.it:2222/disney

Donald D. (you lucky man! I *adore* your name!!! ;-)

> But you can't do as much with a maximum of 10 pages (even
> less, in recent decades), no matter how good the
> characters.

If I'm not wrong Barks made the 10 pages stories a standard for
*great* stories! ;-)

- Paolo

LUCA says:
>Subject:
>> Anders Christian writes:
>> she was called "Musse" in Danish
>
>And in Italy she was called Melody (original name maybe Molly,
>according to Dave and others, but I'm not sure), and was created in
>the 60es by Dick Kinney, with art by Jim Fletcher for the Overseas
>Market.

I'm curious as to where the name "Molly" comes from? I admit I am
lacking a few issues of Mickey Mouse & others from the 60s and 70s
where she may have appeared, but in all my research I have never
never found a reference to a Niece named "Molly" except in Per
Starbeck's Character page. I assume this name is valid, but even
Per's page doesn't list a story source. :-( Does anyone know?
I can easily believe these Jim Fletcher stories created for the
Disney Studio may have presented the same Italian character of
"Melody" as "Molly" in the US, but I cannot find any evidence.
She may have found her way into some obscure American comic,
much the same as Hard Head Moe did as we discovered a few
months back in "Mountain Magic."

In fact, the only stories I can find that have been published in
American comics are Paul Murry stories which present Minnie
with twin nieces, named both "Pammy & Tammy" and "Millicent
& Melody." Based on this, and the American produced (but never
printed in America?) Jim Fletcher stories featuring Melody,
I can only think that in America Minnie has twin nieces (no
consistant name) and in Europe/Brazil Minnie has a single niece
who appeared more frequently and was consistently named
Melody (in Italy, Musse in Danish and Melodia in Brazil).

Anyone have any better knowledge of this strange case?

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

OK, it appears there's sufficient ambiguity in the different
usages of these characters, and the different languages in which
these stories appeared, that we are free to decide for ourselves
how many nieces Minnie has, and what their names are. Since
Donald has four nephews (Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Phooey Duck),
I suggest that Minnie has four nieces: Millie, Molly, Melody, and
Melanie Mouse. I would like to see a story in which they meet
all 36 Beagle Boys, Daisy's six nieces (Marge, April, May,
June, Julie, and Augusta), and of course all 101 Dalmations.
Can you say: "Splash panel"?. I knew you could.

Wilmer Rivers
whose father had 3 aunts named Flora, Dora, and Cora - for real!

OWEN HEITMANN wrote:

> my copy (Gladstone's Ducktales No. 12) of
>the Barks duck story where the planet of Valhalla slips closer to the
>Earth in its orbit has the title in the splash panel of MYTHTIC Mystery
>(ie, a combination of Mythic and Mystic), whereas everywhere else it is
>referred to simply as MYTHIC Mystery.

Ah! Finally someone notices! I was beginning to think I was the only one. As
you note, this one (another of those word-play titles) always seems to get
misquoted. There are, of course, notable exceptions such as Kim Weston's
bibliography in "Carl Barks and the Art of the Comic Book" by Michael
Barrier, as well as the index in the Danish "Carl Barks & C:o" #1 from 1974,
which is where I first read about the story. But I've seen the misspelt
title appear again and again in numerous situations, including several other
indexes and even "official" listings from Gladstone/Another Rainbow and Egmont.

I wonder how this happened. I can imagine someone missing the pun by reading
the title somewhat carelessly. This could happen easily enough. But so many
people?! Or are they just copying each other's lists? What about all you
guys on the mailing list? Many of you know all the Barks stories, at least
by title. How many of you had this title wrong? Or, should we ask, how many
had it right?

BIRTE SCHEEL:

>I have been wondering why it's only men who has been writing the
>prefaces to all 14 Danish Barks "Guldboeger"!

Ehm... I'm afraid I got more bad news for you. The preface to this years
upcoming "Golden Book" will be written by yet another man. (The good news is
that he is very well qualified for the job.) Just about the only consolation
I can give you is that the fine editor at Egmont Copenhagen, who contracted
me for the ones I wrote in recent years, is a lady.

I don't know what else I can do for you, short of make like an oyster and
change sex...

(For the record, I wrote the prefaces for ## 12 and 13 of these excellent
Barks collections, which are produced yearly by Egmont in at least Denmark,
Sweden, and Norway. Back in the 80's I also wrote prefaces for the Swedish
## 2 through 5, but I never knew if these texts were used outside of Sweden.
Any Danes or Norwegians who can tell me what you've got in those early
books? The first book, celebrating Donald's 50th birthday in 1984, had no
preface. But the Swedish edition did carry a short editorial text, most of
which was also written by me.)

DON MARKSTEIN wrote:

> I may not actually be writing at every moment of the day,
> but there are few moments when I'm not doing something
> goal-oriented (the goal, direct or in-, usually being to
> bring money into the household) rather than relaxing.

I realize that I'm better off than many other freelancers. The Egmont Weekly
is always coming out, and I'm always translating it. This means that most of
my monthly expenses are always covered, plus I usually have some time left
to take care of the rest. Also, I don't have a family, which makes it easier
to "goof-off", and I only need to support myself. As long as this situation
lasts, I'm very conscientious about my time to relax. No matter how much
work that needs to be done, I try to take a short time off every day just to
lie down and do absolutely nothing, even if not actually napping. It's like
the opposite of the idea of writing at least one word a day... I try *not*
to write at least once a day! (Do I need to add that Gladstone Gander and
Gus Goose are two of my favorite Disney characters?)

After that, I might be working all night, just like now. It's 4:30 in the
morning, and I have to catch a train at 8:45. But that's all right.
Tomorrow, I'll not work for a while again! Actually, there are many days
when I don't "work" at all, concentrating instead on other, non-writing,
non-Disney-related occupations (some paid, some not) to avoid a premature
case of "Duck burnout". Maybe it would be a good idea if I tried to write
one word on all of those days, to make the balance even better! Anyway, I
feel that this outlook helps me not to think of my job as "work", but as
"fun". The day that changes, I don't think I can do a good job anymore.

ELSEWHERE:

I noticed there's still some confusion about "Duckburg" and "Mouseton"
(Paperopoli/Topolinia, right?). American, Italian and perhaps other readers
should bear in mind that in Scandinavia, and probably many other
Disney-reading countries, there is no distinction between the two. Everybody
lives in Duckburg, even if ducks and mice rarely meet. I even believe that
this is the "official" Egmont policy.

AND FINALLY:

Where I come from, nobody likes Melody Mouse very much.

Stefan Dios
Malmo, Sweden