Keskustelujen arkisto

Petri:
>> "Paperiade", written by Guido Martina and drawn by Luciano Bottaro, first
appeared in "Topolino" #202-204 (1959).
> Great you reminded me about this story. I've ment to ask a question about
it. At page 53 when Daisy comes to visit the island, she seems to be redrawn
by Perego. That is at least in the Finnish version. I've made a scan of the
page at: http://www.hut.fi/~pkannine/iines.jpg (207 kb)
Is it same in every country?

Very likely so: the art is exactly the same as in the original edition of
the story.
Before looking at the scan, I thought this to be one more instance of Perego
drawing a panel or two in order to "connect" the different parts of the
story for a "Classici di Walt Disney" reprint (the story was originally
published in "Topolino" as a 3-parter, with title and splash page for every
part).
However, page 53 was in the middle of the second part, therefore that's not
the case.
Furthermore, at a closer look, you'll see that Daisy seems to be drawn by
Taliaferro, rather than Perego.
My theory is that Bottaro (or, more likely, one of his assistants) copied
Daisy from a Taliaferro model sheet, maybe because he was in a hurry to meet
his deadline for delivering the story. This "heavy" usage of model sheets is
very well documented at Marco Barlotti's page:
http://marcobar.cce.unifi.it/Fumetti/Cloni.
(BTW, you can indeed find some Perego art in "Paperiade": the Goofy at page
32 is unmistekeably Perego's. I cannot check on the original "Topolino"
#202, but I could bet that the original pages 29-30-31 of the story have
been heavily edited and remounted to form pages 29-30-31-32 of the
"Classici" reprint.)

Kriton:
> Well, the story relies on Scrooge tricking Donald into believing that the
Beagles had kidnapped Daisy rather than having stolen his checker-board. In
Greek, the word "ntama" (pronounced "dama") can mean either the game of
checkers, the queen of hearts, or a dance partner. This is *very* weak
word-play, but it was probably the best the translator could do. I wonder
what was in the original script, and whether the word-play is much better in
Italian.

The original script is identical. Maybe the word-play works better, as the
Italian word "dama" can indicate also the checker-board, and a generic
"lady" (not only a dance partner).

Ciao,
Armando

[ This message was much delayed because of technical problems and my
vacation. Sorry! /Per ]

Here is the translation of Don's interview in last month's issue of Komix.
[As usual, comments in square brackets are my own.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Cowboy in the Pacific

Don Rosa recounts to the readers of Komix the chronicle of the creation
of what may possibly be the most explosive "Lost Chapter" of the Life
and Times of Scrooge McDuck.

*The Cowboy Captain of the Cutty Sark* is episode 3b of the _Life and
Times of Scrooge McDuck_ and its place is between episodes 3 and 4,
as it takes place during the time when young Scrooge was working as
a cowboy at the hers of the (existing) Murdo McKenzie. I add a new
episode with Scrooge's "old" adventures to this series once every one
or two years. For this particular episode I decided to show Scrooge in a
particularly interesting moment in time and in a particularly interesting
place and, then, to find a way to bring him to that point. This time I
wanted to send him to Java in 1883!

IN QUEST FOR INSPIRATION

Without having any idea about the plot of the story, I began doing
some research and, as always, the idea for the plot was there. The most
popular sport in Java, in 1883, as well as in the present, is the annual
bull race on the island of Madura. And Scrooge had been working in the
world's largest ox ranch of the time! That's the reason for which he
found himself in Java in 1883! Some times it is terribly easy... this,
however, does not happen often! And since Scrooge had to take a boat to
Java, why not have him travel on the Cutty Sark, the most famous clipper
in the world, which is, to this day, a great tourist attraction in
England?! However... where was the Cutty Sark in the summer of 1883? It
might have been impossible for it to be in Java at that time. Thus,
I conducted an extensive search in the deck logs of the Cutty Sark!

Here it is then! In the summer of 1883, the Cutty Sark was carrying a
load of wool to Australia. This means that it could easily have made a
detour to go by Batavia! No, the logs do not mention that it docked at
Batavia... However, I challenge you to prove that it did not pass that
way! I'm trying to say that it would have been much easier for me if I
had decided not to use the Cutty Sark, a ship with a sail area totaling
thousands of square meters and with ten kilometers of rigging... I had
to draw all these in each panel! Ouch!

CAPTAINS AND SULTANS

Some readers have noticed that Captain Moor of the Cutty Sark has been
inspired by Gregory Peck, _Moby Dick's_ Captain Ahab, in the movie version
of the classic novel by Herman Melville, directed by John Huston. I admit
that I had Gregory Peck's face in my mind, because the photographs and
references to the character of captain Moor brought this particular movie
to my mind. Perhaps John Huston, and his script write, Ray Bradbury, who
later became the dean of science fiction, had also based their version
of Captain Ahab on the stoic character of Captain Moor. Who knows? I
also discovered that one of the captains of the Cutty Sark had a passion
with photography and cameras... Could it have been his predecessor and
mentor, who transferred this passion to him? Apart from this, as you can
easily guess, the names and faces of the two sultans of Java are based
on authentic data that exist only in traveling stories of the time,
which I found looking through the archives of a local university.

RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION

Why all this searching, when most readers assume that all these are
fictional stories, anyway? Simply because I'm enjoying it. And what I
enjoy even more is that one day this story might be read by someone who
is well versed in the history of Java and realizes that all these details
are extremely accurate. All this work was done for the enjoyment of
that one reader! And mine, that is!

[signed] Don Rosa

DON ROSA TALKS TO KOMIX

OLD STORIES, NEW ADVENTURES

*How did all this _Life and Times_ story begin*?

Jack Chalkers [*please* correct my spelling], a science fiction writer,
had once written his own version of the life of Scrooge, based on the
information that he found in the first seventy issue of _uncle Scrooge_,
which he titled _An Unofficial Biography of Scrooge McDuck_. I had
read that text and I found it a wonderful story, a loving homage to the
heroes of the great master, Barks. Anyway, I wasn't planning on doing
something similar until the middle of 1991. Then my editors at _Egmont_
suggested that I would write a story cycle about the life of Scrooge
McDuck. The rest is known. I wrote down all references to Scrooge's past
which exist in Carl Barks' stories, put them in chronological order,
which I then divided into twelve parts. I must mention that, initially,
I wanted to have my story begin in 400 A.D., during the time of the siege
of Adrian's wall, and to show that a McDuich (this is the ancient Celtic
writing of the McDuck name) drove the Romans away and founded Scotland.

*This would mean that Scrooge would have been a distant descendant of
a distant descendant of a distant relative of Asterix!*

I intended to continue this quest for the McDucks through the centuries,
and to show a McDuck and his Stinginess being present in all the great
moments of the history of Scotland. However, my editor, Byron Erickson,
said that this series was not a story about the McDucks, but about a
particular McDuck and that I had to limit myself to the life of that
particular person. Perhaps, one day, these notes may be presented in
a reprint of the _Life and Times_... Byron permitted me, however,
to refer to some of Scrooge's ancestors who had already been mentioned
in stories such as _The Old Castle's Secret_ (_Komix_ #37), so that I
was able to include all the information about scrooge's life and family
which was in Carl Barks' stories.

*One of the "Lost Chapters" was written before you began writing Scrooge's
biography...*

Only one of the lost chapters, _Of Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies_, was
written before the _Life and Times_. It was a story presented exclusively
as a flash back and was about a very particular adventure from Scrooge's
youth. At the time when I wrote this story, I had no fixed plans regarding
the creation of a series, but the idea had already been in my head. I was
thinking that a lot of time would be required for such a story. However,
certain circumstances drove me to convince _Egmont_ to ask me or someone
else to write such a story before this task was undertaken by someone else
[who?] who would make a mess of things.

*But why do you write stories about the past? Is it just a game with
Barksian references?*

In part, it was one of those games that kids who love comics enjoy
(fanboy project). That is, to take all the vague and isolated references
of Barks to Scrooge's past, connect them and try to talk about them
within the framework of a single series of stories. For me, it was a
game... or rather a large jigsaw puzzle.

*It would seem that readers also liked this game a lot!*

I never expected that so many readers would become excited, given that
the references were rather dark, and the plot and action in the stories
was strictly imposed by the facts which I had to cover and mention in
each chapter. However, it seems that it was the most popular series of
Duck stories which was published ever since Carl Barks retired. And
these stories had a a special appeal to people who had never read
Duck stories... I'm referring mainly to America. Many readers, through
messages, either written or electronic, tell me that the stories in the
*Life and Times* are their favorite.

*But could they have also been an attempt to write a new kind of stories
starring Scrooge?*

Yes! This subject has a lot of fun, because in this stories with young
Scrooge, I had to present a slightly different personality, and to
place them in a different time, place, and historical context. The hero,
however, must always be Scrooge. This is the beauty of the game. If I had
wanted to write a story about Donald as a cowboy, I would have had to
have him play some part in an imitation ranch. If I had wanted to show
Donald meeting great figures in recent history, commanding a schooner
carrying tea in the Indian ocean and looking for gold during the gold
rush in the Yukon, I would have had to have him dream or play in some
amateur theater group in Duckburg, or to find some other far-fetched
explanation which would have removed all dramatic elements from the
entire story. With Scrooge, however, things are different. I could write
stories about the real Scrooge in the real world, not in some dream
or in the theater. I can place him in all these situations, because,
according to Barks and his work, he had actually been there!

*How different is the young Scrooge of the Cutty Sark from the classic
Scrooge*?

He's quite different, and this is true for all the stories of the *Life
and Times* cycle. Indeed, I had a very definite plan about these twelve
particular chapters. Scrooge as a kid full of idealism and enthusiasm,
who sets out to travel around the globe. Gradually, however, he changes,
as he meets greed and villainy, as he loses what he has earned to
fate and the "bad guys". He is subjected, however, to the loss of his
family and to other misfortunes, which make him realize that he has
gone beyond certain limits. After this, he retains his honesty and
integrity... Despite all this, he is a very embittered hero. Finally,
his meeting with Donald and his nephews in the twelfth chapter wakes
up in him the spirit of adventure. His character changes and, finally,
he becomes the Scrooge whom we see in the stories that take place in his
present. He is always suspicious, but not bilious, he has an appetite
for adventure, he can feel excitement and wonder again. However, all
these are camouflaged, because of his desire for more money, which may or
may not be just posing. He is no longer certain that his life is what it
should have been, or what it should become one day. I don't think he is
aware of internal conflicts. They exist, however, deep in his mind, and
it is exactly for this reason that he wants, or even needs, the company
of Donald and his nephews. Is this psychoanalytical blabbering enough?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kriton (e-mail: kyrimis at cti.gr)
(WWW: http://dias.cti.gr/~kyrimis)
-----
"The golden rule is that those with the gold make the rules."
-----

I asked about Paperiade (TL 202):
>>it. At page 53 when Daisy comes to visit the island, she seems to be
>> >>redrawn by Perego. That is at least in the Finnish version. I've [...]
>>Is it same in every country?

and Armando replied:
>Very likely so: the art is exactly the same as in the original >edition of
>the story.
[...]
>Furthermore, at a closer look, you'll see that Daisy seems to be >drawn by
>Taliaferro, rather than Perego.
>My theory is that Bottaro (or, more likely, one of his assistants) >copied
>Daisy from a Taliaferro model sheet, maybe because he was in a >hurry to
>meet his deadline for delivering the story.

So, it IS Taliaferro. When I looked at the page, I thought "Oh my, that
Daisy isn't right. It must be redrawn by Perego, who else could it be. Hmmm,
it seems that Perego had a good day, the art looks a lot like Taliaferro's.
But what would Taliaferro be doing in an Italian story? No, Perego it is."
But it still sounds funny that he drew only one character on few panels like
that and in the middle of the story. It wouldn't save much time. Perhaps he
couldn't draw Daisy well at that time.

>This "heavy" usage of model sheets is very well documented at Marco
> >Barlotti's page:
>http://marcobar.cce.unifi.it/Fumetti/Cloni/

Too bad it's in Italian. But the pictures told me enough. No wonder I have
always liked Bottaro's style.
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Armando, quoting Petri K.:

>>At page 53 when Daisy comes to visit the island, she seems to be
>>redrawn by Perego. That is at least in the Finnish version. I've made a
>>scan of the page at:
http://www.hut.fi/~pkannine/iines.jpg (207 kb)

>>Is it same in every country?
>Very likely so: the art is exactly the same as in the original edition
>of the story. Before looking at the scan, I thought this to be one more
>instance of Perego drawing a panel or
two in order to "connect" the >different parts of the story for a
"Classici di Walt Disney" reprint

>(the story was originally published in "Topolino" as a 3-parter, with
>title and splash page for every part).
>However, page 53 was in the middle of the second part, therefore that's
>not the case. Furthermore, at a closer look, you'll see that Daisy seems
>to be drawn by Taliaferro, rather than Perego.

Yes, I'm confident that this is a Taliaferro Daisy Duck.

>My theory is that Bottaro (or, more likely, one of his assistants)
>copied Daisy from a Taliaferro model sheet
>http://marcobar.cce.unifi.it/Fumetti/Cloni

A model sheet, or directly from a strip.

Speaking of re-used panels, I recently saw that Bottaro also used once
again the same Barks drawing in I TL
375-A (Zio Paperone e la costosa eredit?), from the Barks ten-pager in WDC
214 (Paperino floricultore). Maybe
Marco Barlotti can add this in his list of re-used Bottaro drawings.

To Archontis and other fans of Italian stories:
"La costos? eredit?" is one of the best short story by Bottaro. If you
haven't read it, that's a story one could
not miss. In the same appeal and by the same author, is "Paperino e il
duello alla pistola" (I TL 279-A).

**** SPOILER ****

In the above story, a gang of crooks conduct a hold-up in a bank, and give
the money to the same bank,
opening an account.

I recently read that something similar happened in Australia a few months
ago. A person opened an account in
a bank after robbing them.

And I always though that Bottaro's story was great but impossible!

Apparently we do try to find a reason for everything in comics while we
don't in the reality, and accept things
as they are...

***** END SPOILER ****

Francois

(http://www2.ec-lille.fr/willot/coa/c1/creator.php/0/LBo - new layout

Many Barks panels are also shown in the page, see e.g.:

http://www2.ec-lille.fr/willot/coa/c1/story.php/0/W+WDC++33-01

Images taken from Olivier's "Mice and Ducks" at

http://ob7.free.fr/mouse_ducks/

)

Links to rare/original/unpublished Barks items. I don't have any
connection with the sellers or the sites. If you've seen other
rare/original/unpublished items, I hope you'll post them to the list
as well. Information is taken from the sellers' descriptions, unless
otherwise noted. ["DvE"]

Items at Ebay (http://www.ebay.com):

- - - - - - -

COLOR COVER ART PatBlock CARL BARKS LastStory
Item # 1159988370
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1159988370

Fantastic, fully inked and watercolored cover image intended for the Carl
Barks/Pat Block/John Lustig collaborative effort "Somewhere In Nowhere".
Inked by Walt Disney artist Pat Block from original pencils by Disney
legend Carl Barks. In his final years, Mr. Barks was no longer able to ink,
though the was still creating very nice pencil originals. For the cover to
"SIN" Carl created this cute gag with happy sled dogs chasing Donald's cans
of sardines. It is just a delightfully cute idea, and typical of Carl's
creations. Intended for use as a Gladstone/Disney cover, this piece was not
used in the Italian hardback because of format reasons on this ongoing
series. I'm hoping to perhaps see this image used someday in a future
American comic! In any case, this exceptional art measures 20" by 12" on a
much larger Illustration board which was used by Pat Block as an
advertisement to sell copies of the book at Comic Conventions this spring
and summer. Total board size 30" tall...see my scans. Also included in this
lot are copies of Carl's original pencils for this piece, and a copy of the
wonderful, limited, numbered hardback book. 125 pages, signed by artist Pat
Block with a drawing of Donald. This was Carl Bark's LAST Disney project.
The book was not distributed in the USA, and the story was published in
both English and Italian. Story concieved by Carl, scripted by John Lustig
with art by Pat Block. Edited extensively by Carl Barks, the book is a must
have item for any fan of the great Duck man. The inked original is a gem,
and I have set a reasonable reserve on it. Good luck! I guarantee your
happiness on this lot or your money back!

- - - - - - -

RARE Mini-Comics Barks Scrooge Disney Warner
Item # 1162356468
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162356468

Seven RARE Western Publishing Mini-comics
6 1/2 x 3 inch mini-comics, 16 pages, very good shape!
Sold as set
Walt Disney Uncle Scrooge #1 featuring 1957 Carl Barks Artwork!
Walt Disney Donald Duck #1 from 1958
Warner Bros Daffy Duck #1
1960 Warner Bros Tweety and Sylverster #1
DePatie-Freleng The Pink Panther and The Inspector #1
Grimm's Ghost Stories #1
Ripley's Believe It or Not! True Ghost Stories #1

Great old fashioned stories and art!
I'm not sure when these were actually published, as the Scrooge
copyright date is1957/65, Donald Duck is 1958/73, Tweety is 1960/61,
Daffy Duck is 1972/73, Pink Panther is 1974/76, and the other two
are 1974/77 Please address questions to Tim at Angafea at yahoo.com

[The Uncle Scrooge comic contains Barks' US 19 money-snake cover.
No idea if it's redrawn, because the images are rather small. DvE.]

- - - - - - -

- Daniel

Hi! One question suddenly occured in my mind;
The "square eggs"-story (Lost in Andes) became famous in Norway because of
it's translation. Bhutt Rhetler was turned into Tron Dreyerdahl from Voss.
Tron Dreyerdahl is a word-play on Thor Heyerdahl, the most famous Norwegian
explorer ever. He came from Voss, which is an actual place in Norway. The
square people was talking a mix of vossamål (the dialect of Voss) and
nynorsk (one of the two official languages in Norway, only that because of
it's origin it is marked to be a "farmer"-language, the language of the
countryside... the biggest newspapers in Norway actually forbids their
journalists to use nynorsk, and the weekly, Donald Duck & Co, is not printed
on nynorsk, but on the other language, bokmål). And he had learned the
square people to sing "På Vossevangen der vil eg bu" (I guess you can say
that it's the unofficial national anthem of Voss, but it's not even close to
as popular in Norway as "Dixie" is in USA).

The question comes to mind; what did translators in other lands do? I'm just
curious!

-olaf- harryklein at hotmail.com
- http://home.no.net/treaa/ -
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Hi!
The weekly (in Norway) has a series of articles which present the criminals
of Duckburg. This week they presented Magica De Spell. Here it is mentioned
that Magica has a raven which she uses as a spy. It also stands that the
raven originally was her brother, but he was bewitched (if that is the right
word, you all know my translation trouble) by a mistake!

This made me curious! Does any of you know in which story that happened? I
would really love to read it! I'm also interested in who wrote it.

-olaf- harryklein at hotmail.com
- http://home.no.net/treaa/ -
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