Keskustelujen arkisto

A friend sent me a link to a site run by the family of Dick Huemer who was
a Disney animator in the old days. In the late 40's he was laid off and
started writing a western comedy-adventure strip with Paul Murry as the
artist. Was everyone aware of this except me? It seems to have actually
appeared in a few papers in the year I was born, but apparently soon
disappeared when Huemer was rehired by the studio.
This strip looks amazing to me. The site claims it looks like "Lil' Abner",
and it might, but to my eyes it looks more like a precursor to the work of
Goscinny & Uderzo ("Ompa-Pa", "Asterix", etc.) and so many other European
comics that bloomed in the late 50's - early 60's. This sort of
"human-based" comedy-adventure comic ceased to exist in America after the
early days of "Abner", "Alley Oop" and the like, and became the exclusive
"property" of European cartoonists from the 50's onward to this day. I wish
I had grown up with those sorts of comics rather than "funny animal" comics
which American comics soon decided all humor stories had to involve. I've
always liked Murry's Mouse (since it was the one I grew up on), but these
strips are much better! And the humor does not avoid death jokes and racial
matters like a Disney comic is forced to do. (I mean, Disney would never
allow dick humor, eh?) This is probably what Murry really wanted to be
doing (newspaper strips where the $ was) just as Barks always wished he
could have been doing.
I wonder what a world would be like where I grew up reading Carl Barks and
Paul Murry comics where the plots and art involved "real" people (like
"Asterix") rather than cartoon animals belonging to a corporate giant. I
wish it had been that way. Understand, I mean we would have gotten the same
great Barks stories, we would have learned to love a different cast of
characters exactly as we love Barks' version of Donald and $crooge and so
forth, but it would all have been work done for themselves with no
limitations forced by a licensing corporation. But then... their creations
might not have caught on without the added boost of public interest given
to their work by the "Disney" name, and I might never have heard of them.
Hm.
Anyway, take a look at the site:
http://www.huemer.com/cowboys2.htm
...and sorry if everyone was already fully aware of this work.
(It took me a minute to catch on to the name of the town of "Mesa Trubil",
so Europeans might have even more difficulty. I was pronouncing it as I
think it's written... "may-sa troo-bil"... but apparently the author thinks
it should be pronounced "mess a' trouble". Get it?)

I am afraid that Don Rosa expresses us all,Disney creators and their
readers,when he complains about the limitations in the Disney
stories.Although there are death references in some of Barks best stories he
wasn't allowed to handle the matter the best way he could.
These stories include:
1)Pirate Gold.Though the story is all about the treasure of blood-thirsty
pirates who killed each other not wanting to share it only a few bones here
and there indicate what happened on this island.
2)The Mummy's Ring.We have to do with two ancient mummy's and a monarch who
doesn't hesitate to richualy kill Pete and Huey.Excelent scenario for a
thriller and still the reader is not given time to think this "details".
3)The Old Castle's Secret.The five main characters are in their old
ancestral castle and could join their ancestors at any moment .Still the
editors hesitated about references to real death.Ouch!(This is still my
favorite storyt by Barks.After reading it as an seven-year old I was
thinking about how its creator and the rest of Disney must have declined
after the creation of this story.)
4)In Ancient Persia.Every other character of this storie except the four
modern Ducks turns to dust for ever.I would prefere a more suitable finale
that the four running around in the desert.
5)Treasure of Marco Polo.In this story the Ducks are in the middle of a
civil war which has destroyed a country.Most of Barks ideas were cencored in
what is his most bitter story.What a loss.Barks was truly inspired in this
story.
6)King Scrooge the First.King Khan Khan(2050 BC-1967 AD),tired of his life
suicides.The hole subject of the story is his wish for death.Barks last
great story and still the editors toned down the comments that would close
this story.
If Barks didn't have to worry about censorship those stories would probably
be better.He was a capable enough writer to blend ideas from horror films he
enjoyed in some of this.
If the editors allowed the creators to experiment more with the
characters we would probably have better stories.Most of the DCML users must
have found stories that could be a little more mature.And I don't think that
by sterilizing any reader of any age could gain anything.
(And a comment to Don:How many Asterix comics have you found?You seem to
like their style more than anybody I have ever heard commenting on them or
writing about them.)

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Olivier mentioned I was making a list of references of death in Disney
comics.I actualy pointed out six stories that I believe are among Barks
best,they use references of death and some occasional influence from films
but the creator was forced to tone down his original ideas due to
censorship.
In the first story Olivier mentioned,Dangerous Disguise,Barks got away
with a character suiciding,another thrown from a bridge and six others are
killed while shouting on each other.I don't think this story was censored.I
would like to see more of this in Barks stories if it could fit in the
plot.I do not enjoy random death in a story but the spy game is not a
laughing matter in Bark's stories.
The second story,House of Haunts,has no actual death in it.I did enjoy
Scrooge's belief he was a ghost/a spirit and that he died fighting the
Beagles,taking Donald with him.Seems that Scrooge believes that if he is
going to die he might as well go down fighting.Nice point about the way
Scrooge thinks.The ideas that were censored for this story had nothing to do
with death.Instead of the Prison-school that was in the story's printed
version Barks was going to explain that the Beagle Boys are influenced by
more experienced criminals while in prison.Nice critisizing of the system by
Mr.Barks.He probably had much more in his mind than funny jokes.Too bad he
couldn't express himself freely.

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S?ren wrote (about I TL 906-C, the first Paperinika story):
> > Scrooge starts insulting her (and women in general): "We must discuss
> > *serious* things! Between *men*! Women chatter too much! They've got
> > a chicken's brain! They're inferior beings!"
> > [Don't be surprised... the story came out in 1973, during the worst
> > period for Italian scripts. And Guido Martina - who had never been an
> > example of Politically Correct ;-) - had been declining for a long
> > time already...]
> You know, Armando, I don't agree with you on this. You shouldn't take
> Scrooge's words too literally and they are definetely not based on
> Martina's own opinions on these matters IMO. They are just words that
> fit into the story.

Of course I don't think Martina's opinions about women were those expressed
by Scrooge (even though, from what I've read about him, I think he had a
very peculiar character, and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that
he had a rather paternalistic / chauvinistic approach towards the fair
sex... ;-))
Anyway, generally speaking, I don't like the way Martina handled the Scrooge
character from the beginning. Scrooge is usually *hateful* in Martina's
stories: a violent, pitiful miser always ready to swindle anyone to earn one
more dime. During the 50es and (partially) the 60es, Martina's creativity
(and the Italian Master's art) managed to make his scripts really enjoyable
all the same; in the 70es, the well started to run dry, and the average
quality plummeted down.

> In fact that particular story is/was very political
> correct (or at least very topical) in the early 70s, since we during
> the story face many sexist situations which are elegantly put into
> rediculousness by the author, and the story itself ends up with
> Paperinika being just as intelligent and "heroish" as Paperinik
> himself--they *do* cooperate in the end, remember?!

Actually, Paperinika *triumphs* over Donald/Paperinik in the end!
The Paperinika character was an attempt by Martina (or, more likely, by the
Topolino editing staff) at introducing a heroine who could increase the
female readership of Topolino. As Paperinik was very popular at the time,
Martina simply decided to create his female clone, and put her in a
conflictual relationship with the masked duck...

> This is a great script I think. A bit outdated and exaggerated perhaps,
> but I hope you'll agree, that it is somewhat unique (which is enough
> for me to appreciate it anyway :-)

I agree on the "outdated" and "exaggerated" ;-). As for the "unique"... I
don't find the idea very original (it's not far from the plethora of silly
Super Goof stories in which some character eats a goober by mistake, and
becomes Super Scrooge, or Super Beagle, or Super Whatever - but, of course,
those stories didn't have Cavazzano's art to save them ;-)).
But, maybe, it's just that *I* was a 9-year-old Paperinik fan when I first
read the story, and I got very irritated when I saw my hero being
ridiculized by a *girl*... ;-))

Ciao,
Armando

As (I suspect) everywhere else, the film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
has been released on Video and DVD in Holland. And, as usual, McDonald's has
an accompanying merchandising action. It was there that I read that the
dwarfs now have "real" Dutch names.

As far back as I can remember, their "Dutch" names have been Doc, Happy,
Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, and Dopey. Exactly like in English.

But now they have become Doc, Giegel, Grumpy, Dommel, Niezel, Bloosje, and
Stoetel.

Quite strange names. Giegel? ("Giechel" = laugh, but that's with ch.)
Niezel? ("Niezen" = sneeze, but why the "el"? There's a street in Amsterdam
called Niezel...) Stoetel? (Is that supposed to be short for "Stoethaspel"?)

I guess I'll never get used to these new names.

Anyway, they still kept the English names for two of them. "Grumpy" is one
of my nicknames (quite appropriate if you meet me before 10:00 in the
morning), so that can stay the same.

--Harry.

Armando said recently that Scrooge was hateful in those old stories when
he used to swindle every other character.Realy hasn't anybody else enjoyed
it when Donald was signing contracts in which the small printed letters
actualy contained Scrooge's real terms?Scrooge was quite an inteligent guy
even if he had low morality.Have you ever heard about angelic businessmen?I
think not.To me it appeared that Scrooge knew all the tricks and how to use
them for his own good.It was one of the things that got me interested in the
character in the first place.I wouldn't call him hateful.(Though I'd call
hateful every Mickey Mouse story which presented him as a goody-two-shoes
with no interest in money or personal gain).
As for Armando's opinion for Paperinika,he probably was a nine-yeasr old
than didn't like to see his heroe humiliation by a girl.Personaly I liked
this version of Daisy.Instead of a fashioned-crazed,overly-sweet Duck I'd
like to see more of her as a character that is going to fight in order to
prove her point.And humiliating a more experienced vigilante prooves her
worth.I'd call it the begining of a complicated relationship.And Paperinik's
humilation is a result of his ego more than his being incapable.(I use the
second Paperinika story for references).
And Armando then proceeded to compare Paperinik and Paperinika to Super
Goof.I don't think you can compair them.Both vigilantes wore the costume to
have their revenge on those who humiliated them,to impose their own version
of "justice",to proove their worth and their points and occasionaly take
care of their financial interests.That is why I liked the original Paperinik
stories and the two Paperinika I have more than the modern "superheroic"
Paperinik stories.Super Goof with all the power he possesed wasn't a
well-developed character.He was determined not to brake any law and capture
any one who did.No decency,he was wearing his underpants ,and aparently no
reason for his actions.And silly would describe this version of Goofy well.
One of the many reasons I like the Ducks more than the rest of Disney
characters is that they are shady,complicated characters with constantly
developing talents and flaws.I wouldn't like to see a Scrooge with no
greed,a Donald/Paperinik who is invincible and a Daisy/Paperinika who takes
insults well.Would Armando or anybody else want that?

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Nils:
>The well-intended "upcoming events" section of the
>DCML pages is still sleeping. I understand Don Rosa
>has been invited to Finland later on this month, in
>connection of the launching of another hardcover
>Aku Ankka book. When? Where? What programme?

From Aku Ankka's homepage:

HELSINKI
30.11.
15.00-17.30 SOKOS keskusta
18.00- Good Fellows, Fredrikinkatu 38

HELSINKI
1.12.
10.00-12.00 Citymarket, Iso Omena
13.00-16.00 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa Aleksi
17.00- Kukunor, Tennispalatsi

HELSINKI
2.12.
12.00-14.30 Akateeminen Kirjakauppa
15.00-17.00 Anttila, City

TURKU
3.12.
11.30-13.00 Cosmic Comic Cafe
14.00-15.30 Turun Kansallinen Kirjakauppa
16.00-18.00 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa

TAMPERE
4.12.
13.00-15.00 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa
15.30-17.30 Kirja-K?rkk?inen, Koskikeskus

OULU
5.12.
13.00-16.00 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa

--
Ari Seppi (mani at iki.fi)
http://www.iki.fi/mani/
Eritt?in fanaattinen Harry Potter -kirjojen ja Disney-sarjakuvien palvoja

http://www.friserverplads.dk/dc/dc/d2001-024/index_dk.html
http://www.geocities.com/lene445/rosabeagle.html
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