Hi, All!
At http://www.projesom.com.br/afaria/b_fethry/
you will find the last part of "Donald Duck's Marriage"
(B 870024, 13 pages)
Enjoy!
Tchau,
-- Arthur.
Author
Topic: 200010
(203 messages)
Arthur Faria Jr.
New Brazilian stories on the Web!
Message 1 -
2000-10-02 at 06:54:40
Kriton Kyrimis
KOMIX #148
Message 2 -
2000-10-02 at 08:35:05
Here's what's in the October issue of Komix:
* A cover based on the Black Knight story, by an unknown artist. I have put a
scan in http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis/pics/komix148.jpg
* A 1+ page editorial, replacing this month's letters page, titled "Carl Barks
doesn't live here any more", subtitled "The great Duck Man has entered the
Pantheon of immortals forever".
* A two-page article titled "Out of the pages of fiction, Rosa's Black Night
is" "A charismatic burglar".
* A 1+ page article titled "The universe of outlaws", subtitled "From Barks
Beagle Boys to Rosa's Arpin Lusene..."
* Don Rosa's "The Black Night"
* A two-page article titled "The dinosaurs of the new millennium", subtitled
"From Winsor McCay to the digital magic of 2000".
* A one-page article titled "Created by the pioneer Winsor McCay, Gertie was"
"The first dinosaur of the big screen".
* Carl Barks' "Knight in Shining Armor".
* A two-page article titled "Gulliver in the land of Mickey Mouse", subtitled
"A fictional character in the land of animation".
* "Gulliver's Travel", drawn by Paul Murry.
* A 2+ page article titled "Disney and Eisenstein", subtitled "Sergei
Eisenstein tells of his meeting with Walt Disney".
* "The History of Soccer", written by Bob Foster and drawn by the Jaime Diaz
studio.
--
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"In this world we have an honourable tradition of tactical withdrawal."
-----
* A cover based on the Black Knight story, by an unknown artist. I have put a
scan in http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis/pics/komix148.jpg
* A 1+ page editorial, replacing this month's letters page, titled "Carl Barks
doesn't live here any more", subtitled "The great Duck Man has entered the
Pantheon of immortals forever".
* A two-page article titled "Out of the pages of fiction, Rosa's Black Night
is" "A charismatic burglar".
* A 1+ page article titled "The universe of outlaws", subtitled "From Barks
Beagle Boys to Rosa's Arpin Lusene..."
* Don Rosa's "The Black Night"
* A two-page article titled "The dinosaurs of the new millennium", subtitled
"From Winsor McCay to the digital magic of 2000".
* A one-page article titled "Created by the pioneer Winsor McCay, Gertie was"
"The first dinosaur of the big screen".
* Carl Barks' "Knight in Shining Armor".
* A two-page article titled "Gulliver in the land of Mickey Mouse", subtitled
"A fictional character in the land of animation".
* "Gulliver's Travel", drawn by Paul Murry.
* A 2+ page article titled "Disney and Eisenstein", subtitled "Sergei
Eisenstein tells of his meeting with Walt Disney".
* "The History of Soccer", written by Bob Foster and drawn by the Jaime Diaz
studio.
--
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"In this world we have an honourable tradition of tactical withdrawal."
-----
Kriton Kyrimis
Carl Barks doesn't live here any more
Message 3 -
2000-10-02 at 08:36:17
[I'm posting a translation of the article about Carl Barks' death from
this month's issue of Komix. There's some pretty strong stuff in here,
so I hope that you forgive me for not not going through the text to
correct any spelling errors I may have made while translating on the fly.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The great Duck Man has entered the Pantheon of immortals forever
CARL BARKS DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANY MORE
Carl Barks is no longer with us. He passed away in his home in Grants'
Pass, Oregon in August 25. The news of this loss filled the entire
world with sorrow and was announced from all the media throught the
planet... And this was to be expected, as we all were his children.
In March next year, the great Carl Barks would have completed a century of
life, and we had already been preparing to celebrate in a fitting manner.
Fate, however, wanted things to be different, and uncle Carl, a little before
completing his hundredth year, flew above th clouds for a voyage on the wings
of his beloved ducks... For all of us who got to love comics through his
stories, uncle Carl was one of our own people. Even when we made this
magazine, a magazine inspired from his work, we had a picture of him in our
minds, thumbing through it and smiling in satisfaction. We still think of him
in such a manner... Smiling in the company of his ducks, satisfied for the
unique work that he left us.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BARKS
Unknown to the wide public until the seventies, the "good artist"--as readers
of the fifties and sicties, who didn't know his name, called him--was born on
March 27, 1901, began working in Walt Disney's Studios in 1935 and soon rose
to become a basic member of the team that created the most enjoyable of Donald
Duck cartoons. In 1943 he dedicated himself exclusively to comics and, until
1966, the year he retired from action in the field of the ninth art, he wrote
and drew more than six thousand pages full of humor, adventure, and mainly an
original comic poetry that marked the history of American comics indelibly.
POETRY IN BARKS' WORK
Barks gave a complex, almost human personality to Donald Duck and set up an
entire world around him. His imagination gave birth to numerous new characters
that came to bring life to thw world of the most famous duck in the world: his
eternal fiancee, Daisy, lucky cousin Gladstone, inventor Gyro Gearloose, teh
Beagle Boys, and, most important, Scrooge McDuck, Donald's extremely rich
uncle, who soon became the central figure of Barks' world.
This world of Barks is a comic and poetic reflection of the real world in
which the "good artist" was living. Injecting the humorous "realism" of
cartoons with references to history, classic literature, world mythology, and
the epic of the great explorations, Carl Barks slowly set up a world of his
own, where the boundaries between and increasingly more pedantic reality and
imagination were becoming less and less distinguishable. The "good artist"
did not just give human characters to his heroes; he taught his readers to see
the world through more "duckish" eyes, to search for a nostalgic and merry
magic, even in the most pedantic aspects of everyday life.
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
For the heroic crew of _Komix_, Carl Barks was not just one of the great
artists of the golden age of American comics. He was a distant uncle... That
aged uncle with the smile of a child and the sparkling gaze who made us laugh
and daydream, when he would take us on his knees and tell us jokes and stories
about distant lands and lost treasures.
Uncle Carl doesn't live here any more. He is somewhere in heaven. We imagine
him strongly built like a Beagle Boy, elegant like Gladstone, with a smile
bursting through his face as he is making up new jokes and new stories about
ducks, distant lands, and burried treasures... And, maybe, he is even coming
at night to tell them in our dreams... We imagine him fit and well-dressed,
with that old-fashioned nobility, that gentleness of the artists of old times,
sculpting clouds: perhaps that cloud over there that looks like Donald has
been sculpted by him. Good-bye, uncle Carl. Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"In this world we have an honourable tradition of tactical withdrawal."
-----
this month's issue of Komix. There's some pretty strong stuff in here,
so I hope that you forgive me for not not going through the text to
correct any spelling errors I may have made while translating on the fly.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The great Duck Man has entered the Pantheon of immortals forever
CARL BARKS DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANY MORE
Carl Barks is no longer with us. He passed away in his home in Grants'
Pass, Oregon in August 25. The news of this loss filled the entire
world with sorrow and was announced from all the media throught the
planet... And this was to be expected, as we all were his children.
In March next year, the great Carl Barks would have completed a century of
life, and we had already been preparing to celebrate in a fitting manner.
Fate, however, wanted things to be different, and uncle Carl, a little before
completing his hundredth year, flew above th clouds for a voyage on the wings
of his beloved ducks... For all of us who got to love comics through his
stories, uncle Carl was one of our own people. Even when we made this
magazine, a magazine inspired from his work, we had a picture of him in our
minds, thumbing through it and smiling in satisfaction. We still think of him
in such a manner... Smiling in the company of his ducks, satisfied for the
unique work that he left us.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BARKS
Unknown to the wide public until the seventies, the "good artist"--as readers
of the fifties and sicties, who didn't know his name, called him--was born on
March 27, 1901, began working in Walt Disney's Studios in 1935 and soon rose
to become a basic member of the team that created the most enjoyable of Donald
Duck cartoons. In 1943 he dedicated himself exclusively to comics and, until
1966, the year he retired from action in the field of the ninth art, he wrote
and drew more than six thousand pages full of humor, adventure, and mainly an
original comic poetry that marked the history of American comics indelibly.
POETRY IN BARKS' WORK
Barks gave a complex, almost human personality to Donald Duck and set up an
entire world around him. His imagination gave birth to numerous new characters
that came to bring life to thw world of the most famous duck in the world: his
eternal fiancee, Daisy, lucky cousin Gladstone, inventor Gyro Gearloose, teh
Beagle Boys, and, most important, Scrooge McDuck, Donald's extremely rich
uncle, who soon became the central figure of Barks' world.
This world of Barks is a comic and poetic reflection of the real world in
which the "good artist" was living. Injecting the humorous "realism" of
cartoons with references to history, classic literature, world mythology, and
the epic of the great explorations, Carl Barks slowly set up a world of his
own, where the boundaries between and increasingly more pedantic reality and
imagination were becoming less and less distinguishable. The "good artist"
did not just give human characters to his heroes; he taught his readers to see
the world through more "duckish" eyes, to search for a nostalgic and merry
magic, even in the most pedantic aspects of everyday life.
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
For the heroic crew of _Komix_, Carl Barks was not just one of the great
artists of the golden age of American comics. He was a distant uncle... That
aged uncle with the smile of a child and the sparkling gaze who made us laugh
and daydream, when he would take us on his knees and tell us jokes and stories
about distant lands and lost treasures.
Uncle Carl doesn't live here any more. He is somewhere in heaven. We imagine
him strongly built like a Beagle Boy, elegant like Gladstone, with a smile
bursting through his face as he is making up new jokes and new stories about
ducks, distant lands, and burried treasures... And, maybe, he is even coming
at night to tell them in our dreams... We imagine him fit and well-dressed,
with that old-fashioned nobility, that gentleness of the artists of old times,
sculpting clouds: perhaps that cloud over there that looks like Donald has
been sculpted by him. Good-bye, uncle Carl. Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"In this world we have an honourable tradition of tactical withdrawal."
-----
Kriton Kyrimis
Articles from Komix #147
Message 4 -
2000-10-02 at 08:37:15
I am posting the translation of two articles from last month's issue of
Komix, which I believe are of interest to the list. [As usual, comments
in square brackets are my own.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Jules Verne to Don Rosa, the myth remains fascinating
JOURNEY TO THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH
Don Rosa sends Scrooge McDuck and his nephews on an original journey,
in the footsteps of Jules Verne's characters. Can classic literature
be a source of inspiration for modern comics?
Scrooge McDuck is perhaps the Duck who has traveled more than anyone else in
the world. The Croesus from Duckburg has traveled from the depths of the
oceans to the peaks of the Andes and from the poles to the heart of Africa, to
make his fortune or to inspect his countless businesses. In the _Universal
Solvent_, Don Rosa sends this character, who has plowed our planet's
surface, on an exciting journey to a place that he hasn't visited since Carl
Barks' adventure *Land Beneath the Ground* (_Komix_ #22), in the center of the
Earth's sphere.
FROM MYTH TO FICTION
Traveling to the bowels of the earth is one of the most fascinating myths of
all time. From the heroes of ancient Greek mythology and the Talmud to Dante's
_Inferno_, the gods, demigods, heroes, and common mortals who have traveled
to the dark innards of the Earth, are countless. However, up until the 18th
century, the motif of this journey had a mainly symbolic importance: bards,
poets or mere story-tellers, who recounted these fantastic voyages, cared
little about how the earth's interior might really look like, as they limited
themselves to placing there more or less mythical, nightmarish forms of the
nether world.
During the age of Enlightenment, the rules of the game change. In 1741, The
Danish writer Ludvig Holberg [my encyclopedia says he was Norwegian]
published in Latin a strange novel titled _Nikolai Klimi iter Subterraneum_
(_Nils Klim's Voyage Beneath the Ground), which was soon translated into most
European languages. It was perhaps the first time in the history of literature
that a writer would send a hero to the bowels of the Earth to describe, not
some mythical Tartarus, but the interior of our planet. It is obvious, of
course, that the writer wasn't a scientist, nor did he care particularly about
his story's verisimilitude. While exploring a mountain in Norway, the novel's
hero, Nils Klim, falls into a chasm and ends up in the Earth's interior, where
he discovers an entire solar system, which appears to obey the laws of gravity
which Isaac Newton had recently formulated(*). After many fantastic
adventures, satirizing real problems of the author's time, the hero falls once
more into a chasm, leading him this time back to the surface of the Earth.
FROM JULES VERNE...
The Danish author's idea was a big success, and a whole bunch of writers
hurried to send their unfortunate heroes into the dark innards of the Earth.
It is obvious that each time the description is different, according to the
scientific views that the author wants to support: for some the Earth is
hiding other worlds inside it, for others the planet's core is red hot,
for others it isn't.
In 1864, what is perhaps the most well-known narrative of the kind, _Journey
to the Center of the Earth_, by Jules Verne, is published. The plot is more or
less well known. Professor Otto Lidenbrock discovers a mysterious note, where
the 16th century alchemist, Arne Saknussem, revealed the entrance to a cave
leading to the center of the Earth. The professor's expedition will of course
be unable to reach the center of our planet, but will have enough time to
discover an entire world in the Earth's interior, before a volcanic eruption
forces the heroes to reemerge to the surface from the crater of the Stromboli
volcano in Italy.
The novel's interest lies, in part, in the way in which the writer combines a
quite verisimilar, from a scientific point of view, description of the Earth's
interior, with the structure of an adventure story. Apart from some
unavoidable hand-waving and imprecisions, Jules Verne presents in a
consistent and organized manner the scientific data on which he relies and, at
the same time, he manages to give his narrative an interest as a pure work of
fiction.
...TO DON ROSA
In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa executes in a masterly way the good old
classic recipe of Jules Verne and gives a new dimension to the comic adventure
of scientific inspiration. However, Rosa's story little resembles this classic
novel. Jules Verne's heroes were looking for the confirmation or refutation of
some theories, and were discovering, astonished, a whole bunch of mysteries in
the Earth's interior. When, more than a century later, Don Rosa sends the
Ducks on a similar journey, there is no longer anything mysterious about the
Earth's bowels. On the way to the center of the Earth, his heroes don't
discover anything that they couldn't have learned by reading the Junior
Woodchuck Manual or any school encyclopedia.
The scientific data regarding the Earth's structure are, if not verified and
most precise, organically incorporated into the structure of the narrative.
The adventures and gags are inspired from the scientific data that Don had at
his disposal. It could even be that the speed and briefness characterizing
comics narrative is more suited to this kind of scientific-narrative
experimentations than Jules Verne's fictional writing. On the other hand,
unlike older stories of "scientific inspiration", such as _Cash Flow_ or _A
Matter of Some Gravity_, this time Don Rosa gives emphasis to the presentation
of his heroes' character. Bring uncle Scrooge once more face to face with his
own avarice and his adventurer's temperament, at the same time he gives, to
the great satisfaction of Donald's fanatic friends, the opportunity to his
bumbling nephew to prove that he can be a man... um, duck of action, when the
circumstances require it.
If Carl Barks' Scrooge lived in a world where there was still room for
daydreaming and the search for lost treasures, Don Rosa's Scrooge lives in a
world that appears to have lost its magic. There are few corners in the Earth
that are still virgin and unexplored, as for our planet's interior, we can
visit it whenever we want by taking the Eurostar... or the Athens Metro, while
for more information we can open any updated encyclopedia or connect to the
web page of some research center in the Internet. However, To make a fairy
tale, to express such a genuine anxiety about our planet's future and recount
such a human adventure, in a duckish manner--and vice versa--one must have the
sensitivity and talent of a Don Rosa.
(*) Daniel Compere: Un voyage imaginaire de Jules Verne au Centre de la Terre,
Archives des Lettres Modernes No.174, Paris, 1977.
[Side panel]
A SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE
Unlike some widely spread misconceptions, Jules Verne was not an amateur
scientist, but a professional writer. Just as Don Rosa, the French writer was
looking for inspiration not only in scientific papers, but in the writings of
other writers as well. _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ is full of
references to other books, such as the half-finished _Isaac Lakedem_ [sp?] by
Alexander Dumas or _M.S. Found in a Bottle_ by E.A. Poe.
In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa plays with these two sources of
inspiration. Along with a most precise and clear presentation of the modern
theories on the internal structure of our planet, he finds the opportunity to
also get inspiration from his great masters. The way in which the Ducks return
to the surface of the Earth appears to us to be an improved and more realistic
version of the return of Jules Verne's heroes, a small portrait of whom he
does not fail to draw. The indispensable reference to Carl Barks could not
be missing from the story, either. On the way back, the Ducks meet again the
quaint inhabitants of Terry Fermy from the Duck Man's adventure *Land Beneath
the Ground*, which we read in _Komix_ #22
[Captions]
[p.1, left] Portrait of the great French writer, Jules Verne (1828-1905)
[p.1, right] In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa executes in a masterly Jules
Verne's good old recipe.
[p.2, left] In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa does not fail to make a
reference to the mysterious inhabitants of the subsoil from Carl Barks'
classic adventure, *Land Beneath the Ground* (_Komix_ #22). Above, Barks
original panel, below, from Rosa's story.
[p.2, right] Verne's classic novel became a motion picture: _Voyage to the
Center of the Earth_, with Pat Boone and James Mason. [To be avoided at all
costs, as it takes too many liberties with the story.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don Rosa talks to Komix about the Universal Solvent
A SCIENTIFIC FAIRY TALE
KOMIX: First of all, how did you get the idea of sending the Ducks to the
bowels of the Earth?
ROSA: Do you find that my story is too similar to a disaster or science
fiction movie for what is a Duck adventure? I agree with you. Anyway, one of
the main themes of the comics that I used to draw when I was little,
exclusively for my own consumption, were caves. It may be natural for one to
be interested in caves, when only a few miles from one's home is the greatest
cave complex in the world, Kentucky's Mammoth Cave!
KOMIX: What about the Universal Solvent?
ROSA: The _Universal Solvent_ was inspired from a story that I wrote from a
story that I wrote for a fanzine, in 1977, which in turn was inspired from one
of those stories that I used to make for myself, in 1959. I wrote that first
story when I saw the movie _Voyage to the Center of the Earth_. In that movie
there was a volcano, whose crater was a kind of tunnel leading to the center
of the Earth. I was literally grabbed by the idea. I have written an entire
series of stories with my own heroes, based on that idea, during the early
sixties, which no one has ever read apart from me.
KOMIX: Was Jules Verne's classic novel one of the sources of inspiration?
ROSA: Jules Verne's and Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels are enjoyable,
but they are not particularly convincing. Especially today, when we know
with certainty that there is unbearable heat in the Earth's interior. [*]
I wanted to deal with the subject of traveling to the Earth's core in a more
scientific manner. Of course, there are certain exaggerations in my story
regarding certain natural properties, though I tried to deal with the problems
rather than ignore them.
KOMIX: The _Universal Solvent_ is not the only science fiction story that
you've written. How do you go about writing stories such as *Cash Flow*
(_Komix_ #33), *On Stolen Time* (_Komix_ #76), or *A Matter of Some Gravity*
(_Komix_ #141)? Do your studies come in handy?
ROSA: In part. I try, as always, to check the scientific data by looking up
books and calling local universities to ask the experts. For the _Universal
Solvent_, e.g., I called the Louisville University and asked the experts what
would happen if someone reached the center of the Earth. I was assured that
the deeper one moves towards the Earth's interior, the "lighter" he gets, as
his weight decreases, since there is no gravity down there. The force of
gravity is due to the Earth's mass, and in the center of the Earth there are
equal amounts of Earth mass in all directions. Therefore, bodies have no
weight, as equal forces are exerted on them in all directions at the same
time, which cancel each other out. Anyway, for me, the most interesting aspect
of the _Universal Solvent_ is the fact that, as I mentioned earlier, this is
the third time I'm using this basic script. I would also like to add that the
1977 story had a second part. A "villain" manages to get hold of the
_Universal Solvent_ and then lays a coat of solvent on a suit of armor and
becomes invincible. That second part is the inspiration for another Duck
adventure, in which a brilliant robber steals the Solvent and wearing his
armor...
KOMIX: Say no more. The story to which you are referring (*The Black Knight*),
will be published in the October issue of _Komix_!
ROSA. OK. Anyway, it seems that I've been returning to this story every
eighteen years. Therefore, I assume that if I remake a third "installment",
you will have to wait until 2013 before you can publish it!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"In this world we have an honourable tradition of tactical withdrawal."
-----
Komix, which I believe are of interest to the list. [As usual, comments
in square brackets are my own.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Jules Verne to Don Rosa, the myth remains fascinating
JOURNEY TO THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH
Don Rosa sends Scrooge McDuck and his nephews on an original journey,
in the footsteps of Jules Verne's characters. Can classic literature
be a source of inspiration for modern comics?
Scrooge McDuck is perhaps the Duck who has traveled more than anyone else in
the world. The Croesus from Duckburg has traveled from the depths of the
oceans to the peaks of the Andes and from the poles to the heart of Africa, to
make his fortune or to inspect his countless businesses. In the _Universal
Solvent_, Don Rosa sends this character, who has plowed our planet's
surface, on an exciting journey to a place that he hasn't visited since Carl
Barks' adventure *Land Beneath the Ground* (_Komix_ #22), in the center of the
Earth's sphere.
FROM MYTH TO FICTION
Traveling to the bowels of the earth is one of the most fascinating myths of
all time. From the heroes of ancient Greek mythology and the Talmud to Dante's
_Inferno_, the gods, demigods, heroes, and common mortals who have traveled
to the dark innards of the Earth, are countless. However, up until the 18th
century, the motif of this journey had a mainly symbolic importance: bards,
poets or mere story-tellers, who recounted these fantastic voyages, cared
little about how the earth's interior might really look like, as they limited
themselves to placing there more or less mythical, nightmarish forms of the
nether world.
During the age of Enlightenment, the rules of the game change. In 1741, The
Danish writer Ludvig Holberg [my encyclopedia says he was Norwegian]
published in Latin a strange novel titled _Nikolai Klimi iter Subterraneum_
(_Nils Klim's Voyage Beneath the Ground), which was soon translated into most
European languages. It was perhaps the first time in the history of literature
that a writer would send a hero to the bowels of the Earth to describe, not
some mythical Tartarus, but the interior of our planet. It is obvious, of
course, that the writer wasn't a scientist, nor did he care particularly about
his story's verisimilitude. While exploring a mountain in Norway, the novel's
hero, Nils Klim, falls into a chasm and ends up in the Earth's interior, where
he discovers an entire solar system, which appears to obey the laws of gravity
which Isaac Newton had recently formulated(*). After many fantastic
adventures, satirizing real problems of the author's time, the hero falls once
more into a chasm, leading him this time back to the surface of the Earth.
FROM JULES VERNE...
The Danish author's idea was a big success, and a whole bunch of writers
hurried to send their unfortunate heroes into the dark innards of the Earth.
It is obvious that each time the description is different, according to the
scientific views that the author wants to support: for some the Earth is
hiding other worlds inside it, for others the planet's core is red hot,
for others it isn't.
In 1864, what is perhaps the most well-known narrative of the kind, _Journey
to the Center of the Earth_, by Jules Verne, is published. The plot is more or
less well known. Professor Otto Lidenbrock discovers a mysterious note, where
the 16th century alchemist, Arne Saknussem, revealed the entrance to a cave
leading to the center of the Earth. The professor's expedition will of course
be unable to reach the center of our planet, but will have enough time to
discover an entire world in the Earth's interior, before a volcanic eruption
forces the heroes to reemerge to the surface from the crater of the Stromboli
volcano in Italy.
The novel's interest lies, in part, in the way in which the writer combines a
quite verisimilar, from a scientific point of view, description of the Earth's
interior, with the structure of an adventure story. Apart from some
unavoidable hand-waving and imprecisions, Jules Verne presents in a
consistent and organized manner the scientific data on which he relies and, at
the same time, he manages to give his narrative an interest as a pure work of
fiction.
...TO DON ROSA
In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa executes in a masterly way the good old
classic recipe of Jules Verne and gives a new dimension to the comic adventure
of scientific inspiration. However, Rosa's story little resembles this classic
novel. Jules Verne's heroes were looking for the confirmation or refutation of
some theories, and were discovering, astonished, a whole bunch of mysteries in
the Earth's interior. When, more than a century later, Don Rosa sends the
Ducks on a similar journey, there is no longer anything mysterious about the
Earth's bowels. On the way to the center of the Earth, his heroes don't
discover anything that they couldn't have learned by reading the Junior
Woodchuck Manual or any school encyclopedia.
The scientific data regarding the Earth's structure are, if not verified and
most precise, organically incorporated into the structure of the narrative.
The adventures and gags are inspired from the scientific data that Don had at
his disposal. It could even be that the speed and briefness characterizing
comics narrative is more suited to this kind of scientific-narrative
experimentations than Jules Verne's fictional writing. On the other hand,
unlike older stories of "scientific inspiration", such as _Cash Flow_ or _A
Matter of Some Gravity_, this time Don Rosa gives emphasis to the presentation
of his heroes' character. Bring uncle Scrooge once more face to face with his
own avarice and his adventurer's temperament, at the same time he gives, to
the great satisfaction of Donald's fanatic friends, the opportunity to his
bumbling nephew to prove that he can be a man... um, duck of action, when the
circumstances require it.
If Carl Barks' Scrooge lived in a world where there was still room for
daydreaming and the search for lost treasures, Don Rosa's Scrooge lives in a
world that appears to have lost its magic. There are few corners in the Earth
that are still virgin and unexplored, as for our planet's interior, we can
visit it whenever we want by taking the Eurostar... or the Athens Metro, while
for more information we can open any updated encyclopedia or connect to the
web page of some research center in the Internet. However, To make a fairy
tale, to express such a genuine anxiety about our planet's future and recount
such a human adventure, in a duckish manner--and vice versa--one must have the
sensitivity and talent of a Don Rosa.
(*) Daniel Compere: Un voyage imaginaire de Jules Verne au Centre de la Terre,
Archives des Lettres Modernes No.174, Paris, 1977.
[Side panel]
A SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE
Unlike some widely spread misconceptions, Jules Verne was not an amateur
scientist, but a professional writer. Just as Don Rosa, the French writer was
looking for inspiration not only in scientific papers, but in the writings of
other writers as well. _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ is full of
references to other books, such as the half-finished _Isaac Lakedem_ [sp?] by
Alexander Dumas or _M.S. Found in a Bottle_ by E.A. Poe.
In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa plays with these two sources of
inspiration. Along with a most precise and clear presentation of the modern
theories on the internal structure of our planet, he finds the opportunity to
also get inspiration from his great masters. The way in which the Ducks return
to the surface of the Earth appears to us to be an improved and more realistic
version of the return of Jules Verne's heroes, a small portrait of whom he
does not fail to draw. The indispensable reference to Carl Barks could not
be missing from the story, either. On the way back, the Ducks meet again the
quaint inhabitants of Terry Fermy from the Duck Man's adventure *Land Beneath
the Ground*, which we read in _Komix_ #22
[Captions]
[p.1, left] Portrait of the great French writer, Jules Verne (1828-1905)
[p.1, right] In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa executes in a masterly Jules
Verne's good old recipe.
[p.2, left] In the _Universal Solvent_, Don Rosa does not fail to make a
reference to the mysterious inhabitants of the subsoil from Carl Barks'
classic adventure, *Land Beneath the Ground* (_Komix_ #22). Above, Barks
original panel, below, from Rosa's story.
[p.2, right] Verne's classic novel became a motion picture: _Voyage to the
Center of the Earth_, with Pat Boone and James Mason. [To be avoided at all
costs, as it takes too many liberties with the story.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don Rosa talks to Komix about the Universal Solvent
A SCIENTIFIC FAIRY TALE
KOMIX: First of all, how did you get the idea of sending the Ducks to the
bowels of the Earth?
ROSA: Do you find that my story is too similar to a disaster or science
fiction movie for what is a Duck adventure? I agree with you. Anyway, one of
the main themes of the comics that I used to draw when I was little,
exclusively for my own consumption, were caves. It may be natural for one to
be interested in caves, when only a few miles from one's home is the greatest
cave complex in the world, Kentucky's Mammoth Cave!
KOMIX: What about the Universal Solvent?
ROSA: The _Universal Solvent_ was inspired from a story that I wrote from a
story that I wrote for a fanzine, in 1977, which in turn was inspired from one
of those stories that I used to make for myself, in 1959. I wrote that first
story when I saw the movie _Voyage to the Center of the Earth_. In that movie
there was a volcano, whose crater was a kind of tunnel leading to the center
of the Earth. I was literally grabbed by the idea. I have written an entire
series of stories with my own heroes, based on that idea, during the early
sixties, which no one has ever read apart from me.
KOMIX: Was Jules Verne's classic novel one of the sources of inspiration?
ROSA: Jules Verne's and Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels are enjoyable,
but they are not particularly convincing. Especially today, when we know
with certainty that there is unbearable heat in the Earth's interior. [*]
I wanted to deal with the subject of traveling to the Earth's core in a more
scientific manner. Of course, there are certain exaggerations in my story
regarding certain natural properties, though I tried to deal with the problems
rather than ignore them.
KOMIX: The _Universal Solvent_ is not the only science fiction story that
you've written. How do you go about writing stories such as *Cash Flow*
(_Komix_ #33), *On Stolen Time* (_Komix_ #76), or *A Matter of Some Gravity*
(_Komix_ #141)? Do your studies come in handy?
ROSA: In part. I try, as always, to check the scientific data by looking up
books and calling local universities to ask the experts. For the _Universal
Solvent_, e.g., I called the Louisville University and asked the experts what
would happen if someone reached the center of the Earth. I was assured that
the deeper one moves towards the Earth's interior, the "lighter" he gets, as
his weight decreases, since there is no gravity down there. The force of
gravity is due to the Earth's mass, and in the center of the Earth there are
equal amounts of Earth mass in all directions. Therefore, bodies have no
weight, as equal forces are exerted on them in all directions at the same
time, which cancel each other out. Anyway, for me, the most interesting aspect
of the _Universal Solvent_ is the fact that, as I mentioned earlier, this is
the third time I'm using this basic script. I would also like to add that the
1977 story had a second part. A "villain" manages to get hold of the
_Universal Solvent_ and then lays a coat of solvent on a suit of armor and
becomes invincible. That second part is the inspiration for another Duck
adventure, in which a brilliant robber steals the Solvent and wearing his
armor...
KOMIX: Say no more. The story to which you are referring (*The Black Knight*),
will be published in the October issue of _Komix_!
ROSA. OK. Anyway, it seems that I've been returning to this story every
eighteen years. Therefore, I assume that if I remake a third "installment",
you will have to wait until 2013 before you can publish it!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"In this world we have an honourable tradition of tactical withdrawal."
-----
Gerstein, David DK - ECN
Unknown Black Knight artist in KOMIX
Message 5 -
2000-10-02 at 12:21:33
Hey Kriton (and everyone),
That great Black Knight cover, the artist of whom you didn't know,
was in fact drawn by Marco Rota for the Italian ZIO PAPERONE.
Nice-looking piece of work it is, too.
David Gerstein
<dge at ecn.egmont.com>
That great Black Knight cover, the artist of whom you didn't know,
was in fact drawn by Marco Rota for the Italian ZIO PAPERONE.
Nice-looking piece of work it is, too.
David Gerstein
<dge at ecn.egmont.com>
Fluks, H.W.
New Inducks release
Message 6 -
2000-10-02 at 17:26:36
Michael Rhode - I mean wrote:
> Can anyone use INDUCKS and give me the reprint info on Mummy
> Ring?
For a next time, search for it on one of the Inducks search pages, at
http://stp.ling.uu.se/~starback/dcml/inducks/
or
http://www2.ec-lille.fr/willot/coa/cgi-bin/search.uk.php
We just uploaded a new version of the Inducks database, including:
- many new publications in various European (and Australian) countries
- new credit information for lots of S-coded and D-coded stories, and Gold
Key comics
- a big new Finnish index
- hundreds of daily and Sunday strips added
- lots of stuff I already forgot about
As always: thanks to everyone involved. They are too many to sum up here!
The webpages that lead you to printable Inducks listings and background
information (http://members.nbci.com/bolderbast/) has not been updated yet.
--Harry.
> Can anyone use INDUCKS and give me the reprint info on Mummy
> Ring?
For a next time, search for it on one of the Inducks search pages, at
http://stp.ling.uu.se/~starback/dcml/inducks/
or
http://www2.ec-lille.fr/willot/coa/cgi-bin/search.uk.php
We just uploaded a new version of the Inducks database, including:
- many new publications in various European (and Australian) countries
- new credit information for lots of S-coded and D-coded stories, and Gold
Key comics
- a big new Finnish index
- hundreds of daily and Sunday strips added
- lots of stuff I already forgot about
As always: thanks to everyone involved. They are too many to sum up here!
The webpages that lead you to printable Inducks listings and background
information (http://members.nbci.com/bolderbast/) has not been updated yet.
--Harry.
Fluks, H.W.
Rosa in Germany
Message 7 -
2000-10-02 at 17:44:36
News from Ehapa:
Don Rosa will be in Germany, in the "Kaufhaus" chain Karstadt:
16.10.2000, 15-17 h Giessen
17.10.2000, 13-15 h Essen
17.10.2000, 16-18 h Bochum
18.10.2000, 13-15 h Berlin Spandau
18.10.2000, 16-18 h Berlin M?llerstra?e
19.10.2000, 12-14 h Wertheim Kurf?rstendamm
19.10.2000, 15-17 h Berlin Steglitz
20.10.2000, 13-15 h Hamburger Stra?e
20.10.2000, 16-18 h Elbeeinkaufszentrum
22.10.2000, 12-14 h Buchmesse Frankfurt, Egmont Ehapa, Halle 4.1., Stand P
101
23.10.2000, 14-16 h Wiesbaden
24.10.2000, 12-14 h Stuttgart
(I know this was posted here before, but this must be the definitive
schedule.)
--Harry.
Harry Fluks, Leidschendam, die Niederlande
Don Rosa will be in Germany, in the "Kaufhaus" chain Karstadt:
16.10.2000, 15-17 h Giessen
17.10.2000, 13-15 h Essen
17.10.2000, 16-18 h Bochum
18.10.2000, 13-15 h Berlin Spandau
18.10.2000, 16-18 h Berlin M?llerstra?e
19.10.2000, 12-14 h Wertheim Kurf?rstendamm
19.10.2000, 15-17 h Berlin Steglitz
20.10.2000, 13-15 h Hamburger Stra?e
20.10.2000, 16-18 h Elbeeinkaufszentrum
22.10.2000, 12-14 h Buchmesse Frankfurt, Egmont Ehapa, Halle 4.1., Stand P
101
23.10.2000, 14-16 h Wiesbaden
24.10.2000, 12-14 h Stuttgart
(I know this was posted here before, but this must be the definitive
schedule.)
--Harry.
Harry Fluks, Leidschendam, die Niederlande
Sdebeer
Horace Horsecollar
Message 8 -
2000-10-02 at 22:34:29
Am I the only person who is interested in the Horace Horsecollar & Clarabelle Cow Characters? I seem to be in a minority of one in this!
The DCML & Hoozoo pages have good descriptions but there do not seem to be any web pages which reproduce stories about these characters or which give them a particular focus. The Disney Company sem to have given up on these characters.
I have looked at http://members.forez.com/livia/ which is an excellant site but I would particularly like to see Clarabelle's boarding house which haven't been able to find on the web or reproduced in hard copy. I live in the UK where there seems to be a limited interest in Disney comics anyway. Any ideas?
--------------------
talk21 your FREE portable and private address on the net at http://www.talk21.com
The DCML & Hoozoo pages have good descriptions but there do not seem to be any web pages which reproduce stories about these characters or which give them a particular focus. The Disney Company sem to have given up on these characters.
I have looked at http://members.forez.com/livia/ which is an excellant site but I would particularly like to see Clarabelle's boarding house which haven't been able to find on the web or reproduced in hard copy. I live in the UK where there seems to be a limited interest in Disney comics anyway. Any ideas?
--------------------
talk21 your FREE portable and private address on the net at http://www.talk21.com
Arie Fachrisal
Horace and some queries.
Message 9 -
2000-10-03 at 05:26:02
> From: sdebeer at talk21.com
> Am I the only person who is interested in the Horace Horsecollar &
Clarabelle Cow Characters? I seem to be in a minority of one in this!
I'm not a big fans of those two characters you mentioned but yeah, i do
missed their appearance in the newer Mickey stories. btw since i see that
the "new" Horace don't wear a horsecollar anymore, does it make him caleed
Horace "only" ? ;-)
And some queries i'd like to ask.
The olympic's over and it's great show. But that's not what i want to bug
you all about. It's a certain thing that my sis heard when she watched some
events in the olympic. She said that she heard of a person named John
Stephen Akhwari of tanzania who is a marathon runner. He competed in a
marathon competition and when the race is started, he fell down in the
middle of the event. He got up, and keeps running again. But he fell down
for the second time again, this time injured his leg. The injury was said to
be "very painful" and nearly broke his leg. He got up again for the second
time and keeps runnin'. No, he didn't make it to be the 1st, am i tellin' a
miracle here??? ;-)
No, but with a bad injured leg, he keeps on running. Needless to say, he was
not to be called "running" with a bad injured leg like that. But he kept on
running. And he kept on running after all other contestants reached the
finish line. And when the gold, silver, and bronze medals were given to the
approriate runners, he WAS still running in that event. And finally, one
hour AFTER the medals were given out, he reached the finish line.
Don't know about you guys, but i found this story quite touching and the
commentators were also touched and said that at that time and only that
time, the world can finally see the true spirit of olympic.
Barks' fans will recalled a story by Barks titled "Olympics' tryouts" at
this very moment. I thought that, wow, this guy sure is like Donald Duck in
that story. Wonder he may have read that Barks' story and gave him the idea
to keep on running, finishing the race just to prove to himself that he can
finish the contest. I was quickly shocked again when my sis said that IF she
heard right, the event takes place in 1950s olympic.
I was wandering if maybe Barks got inspired by this event and wrote the
story based on that event. Or maybe this is just a very simple coincidence.
Any answers will be highly appreciated as i want to write an essay on this
one if what i'm guessin' is right, hopefully it's right.
Thanks in advance,
Arie Fachrisal
> Am I the only person who is interested in the Horace Horsecollar &
Clarabelle Cow Characters? I seem to be in a minority of one in this!
I'm not a big fans of those two characters you mentioned but yeah, i do
missed their appearance in the newer Mickey stories. btw since i see that
the "new" Horace don't wear a horsecollar anymore, does it make him caleed
Horace "only" ? ;-)
And some queries i'd like to ask.
The olympic's over and it's great show. But that's not what i want to bug
you all about. It's a certain thing that my sis heard when she watched some
events in the olympic. She said that she heard of a person named John
Stephen Akhwari of tanzania who is a marathon runner. He competed in a
marathon competition and when the race is started, he fell down in the
middle of the event. He got up, and keeps running again. But he fell down
for the second time again, this time injured his leg. The injury was said to
be "very painful" and nearly broke his leg. He got up again for the second
time and keeps runnin'. No, he didn't make it to be the 1st, am i tellin' a
miracle here??? ;-)
No, but with a bad injured leg, he keeps on running. Needless to say, he was
not to be called "running" with a bad injured leg like that. But he kept on
running. And he kept on running after all other contestants reached the
finish line. And when the gold, silver, and bronze medals were given to the
approriate runners, he WAS still running in that event. And finally, one
hour AFTER the medals were given out, he reached the finish line.
Don't know about you guys, but i found this story quite touching and the
commentators were also touched and said that at that time and only that
time, the world can finally see the true spirit of olympic.
Barks' fans will recalled a story by Barks titled "Olympics' tryouts" at
this very moment. I thought that, wow, this guy sure is like Donald Duck in
that story. Wonder he may have read that Barks' story and gave him the idea
to keep on running, finishing the race just to prove to himself that he can
finish the contest. I was quickly shocked again when my sis said that IF she
heard right, the event takes place in 1950s olympic.
I was wandering if maybe Barks got inspired by this event and wrote the
story based on that event. Or maybe this is just a very simple coincidence.
Any answers will be highly appreciated as i want to write an essay on this
one if what i'm guessin' is right, hopefully it's right.
Thanks in advance,
Arie Fachrisal
Fluks, H.W.
Horace Horsecollar
Message 10 -
2000-10-03 at 12:08:04
sdebeer at talk21.com:
> I live in the UK where
> there seems to be a limited interest in Disney comics anyway.
> Any ideas?
Emigrate to the continent. 8-)
--Harry.
> I live in the UK where
> there seems to be a limited interest in Disney comics anyway.
> Any ideas?
Emigrate to the continent. 8-)
--Harry.
Anders Christian Siveb¾k
The Return of the 3 Cabelleroes
Message 11 -
2000-10-03 at 14:45:55
Hi friends
I just got the 1st part of Don's new stories. You have really got
something to look forward too!!!
That's all i have to say, except for one thing I haven't mentioned:
Rest in peace, Carl
Yours
AC
I just got the 1st part of Don's new stories. You have really got
something to look forward too!!!
That's all i have to say, except for one thing I haven't mentioned:
Rest in peace, Carl
Yours
AC
Gerstein, David DK - ECN
Horace Horsecollar
Message 12 -
2000-10-03 at 14:49:37
Hey!
You're not the only person interested in Horace and Clarabelle.
We're using them a lot these days at Egmont - in particular Horace, whose
enormous ego has lately made him quite popular with our readers (if a little
trying for Mickey!). It's indeed very disappointing that the comics are no
longer published in the UK, particularly given their rich history there in
the 1930s-1950s.
"Clarabelle's Boarding House" was, however, reprinted in Britain
before Disney comics there stopped. It was in the Daily Mirror's DISNEY
MIRROR supplement: serialized on the back cover, three strips to an issue
from #76 to #82 (1992) under the new title "Clarabelle's Hotel". Hope you
can find it - some comic shops have back issues of that.
Best wishes,
David
You're not the only person interested in Horace and Clarabelle.
We're using them a lot these days at Egmont - in particular Horace, whose
enormous ego has lately made him quite popular with our readers (if a little
trying for Mickey!). It's indeed very disappointing that the comics are no
longer published in the UK, particularly given their rich history there in
the 1930s-1950s.
"Clarabelle's Boarding House" was, however, reprinted in Britain
before Disney comics there stopped. It was in the Daily Mirror's DISNEY
MIRROR supplement: serialized on the back cover, three strips to an issue
from #76 to #82 (1992) under the new title "Clarabelle's Hotel". Hope you
can find it - some comic shops have back issues of that.
Best wishes,
David
Walter Carzon
Disney comics
Message 13 -
2000-10-03 at 14:59:41
Hello, sorry but my english is very poor.
So, I'm speak spanish.
Mi nombre es Walter Carzon, soy dibujante de comics de Warner Bros y Disney.
Mi pais es Argentina, y llegue por casualidad a este sitio donde vi que
tienen una lista de los dibujantes de Disney donde incluyen mi nombre, por
ese motivo quisiera agradecerles y ofrecerles, si lo desean, que les envie
informacion de mi trabajo e inclusive algunos archivos con ilustraciones.
Para Disney estuve dibujando los comics de The Little Mermaid, Duck Tales,
TaleSpin, Disney Afternoon, y en activity books, dibuje a los personajes de
las peliculas, The Beauty and The Beast, Tarzan, Toy Story 2, entre otros.
Cualquier cosa que necesiten no duden en escribirme, y nuevamente les pido
disculpas que no pude escribirles la carta en ingles.
Un gran abrazo y gracias.
Walter Carzon
Artist
my site: www.duendesdelsur.com
So, I'm speak spanish.
Mi nombre es Walter Carzon, soy dibujante de comics de Warner Bros y Disney.
Mi pais es Argentina, y llegue por casualidad a este sitio donde vi que
tienen una lista de los dibujantes de Disney donde incluyen mi nombre, por
ese motivo quisiera agradecerles y ofrecerles, si lo desean, que les envie
informacion de mi trabajo e inclusive algunos archivos con ilustraciones.
Para Disney estuve dibujando los comics de The Little Mermaid, Duck Tales,
TaleSpin, Disney Afternoon, y en activity books, dibuje a los personajes de
las peliculas, The Beauty and The Beast, Tarzan, Toy Story 2, entre otros.
Cualquier cosa que necesiten no duden en escribirme, y nuevamente les pido
disculpas que no pude escribirles la carta en ingles.
Un gran abrazo y gracias.
Walter Carzon
Artist
my site: www.duendesdelsur.com
Frank Stajano
Horace Horsecollar
Message 14 -
2000-10-03 at 17:07:13
At 2000-10-03 13:49 +0200, Gerstein, David DK - ECN wrote:
>can find it - some comic shops have back issues of that.
Really?!? In the UK? Where??????
Frank (filologo disneyano) http://www.uk.research.att.com/~fms/
>can find it - some comic shops have back issues of that.
Really?!? In the UK? Where??????
Frank (filologo disneyano) http://www.uk.research.att.com/~fms/
Marco Barlotti
New version of the Italian Disney story index on-line
Message 15 -
2000-10-04 at 13:26:11
The on-line index of Disney stories produced by Italy (a. k. a. FSB) has
been updated on
http://marcobar.cce.unifi.it/DisneyIndex
Marco
been updated on
http://marcobar.cce.unifi.it/DisneyIndex
Marco