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In WDD 119-02 (Voyage to Azatlan), a new member of Duck Family is introduced: Uncle Zak McWak.

I never read the story, so I need some information:

- Why is this character mentioned?
- Is he seen by real or only in picture?
- Is he still alive or dead?
- What is his relation to Duck Family?
- Can anybody provide a good scan of him?

Hope you will reply soon,

Thanks,
Simone

On 2012-03-12, Nuno J. Silva wrote:

> On 2012-03-11, Simone Cavazzuti wrote:
>
>> In WDD 119-02 (Voyage to Azatlan), a new member of Duck Family is
>> introduced: Uncle Zak McWak.
>
> I don't remember the plot, but I think I remember the first page (scan
> at http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=W+DD++119-02&search=) -- also, I
> wonder whether what I have is the Portuguese or the Brazilian edition of
> said story.

It's the first story in the portuguese (as in Portugal) Disney Especial
no. 173 (Viagens (travel)), and it was published under the title "Viagem
a Azatlan" (just like the brazilian scan from outducks, the title looks
exactly the same, they just removed the "pirates" theme icon).

His name also remains "Isac Quaquac", as in the brazilian edition.

[...]
>> I never read the story, so I need some information:
>>
>> - Why is this character mentioned?

He is only mentioned in the first three pages, and is used to start the
plot: it starts with HDL arriving home and saying that he's "the
greatest uncle in the world", and then Donald realizes they're not
talking about him, but Isac (Zak), of whom there's a photo hanging from
the wall.

HDL explain who's Zak (he was inspired to invent bug spray for apple
bugs when he was under an apple tree and a bugged apple fell from the
tree -- so both the portuguese and english names are (I presume) a play
on Isaac [Newton]).

Donald then gets mad and tries sitting under a tree at the park, but
gets only a pine cone, what hurts him a bit. He then decides to get
inspiration from the library instead, where he finds Moby and ends up
going with him on a treasure hunt.

Zak is not mentioned anymore -- the closest the plot gets to Zak is
when, in the very last scene, HDL praise Donald in the same way they
praised Zak in the beginning (but this time around a table, while they
enjoy the "treasure" in a way Donald had suggested).

>> - Is he seen by real or only in picture?

He appears twice (three times): the portrait, which appears twice, on
the first page, and again when one of the nephews mentions the falling
apple story (a picture is shown to illustrate that story).

>> - Is he still alive or dead?

The nephews mention that "He [Zak] *is* famous..." "... and rich", so it
seems he's supposed to be alive at the time this story happens!

>> - What is his relation to Duck Family?

When Donald is mad, he leaves the house and before he gets to the park,
he's seen saying "Imagine that... praise an uncle they seldom see!", so
although Zak seems to have been made just to start this plot, and that
he's not a close relative, he's not a distant one, either (I mean, he's
the kind of relative you see once in a while, not the relative that's so
distant you barely know about him, except maybe that he got famous).

>> - Can anybody provide a good scan of him?

The first appearance, as a portrait:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15200957/isac1.jpg

And the last, when the apple falls:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15200957/isac2.jpg

If you want to have a look at the two first pages:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15200957/pages1-2.jpg

Sorry for the blur (yeah, it's what happens when you're in a rush!), if
you need the second one unblurred, I'll be happy to scan again!

(I'm going to keep the images there for some days/weeks, but if you need
to rely on the web addresses for something, please upload the scans
somewhere else, as the files may be gone in the future.)

--
Nuno J. Silva (aka njsg)
gopher://sdf-eu.org/1/users/njsg

Thank you very much Nuno for the information and Marco for the (really good) scans!

I've got one last question about him:

Do you think he is Don's generation or in an elder one?

Thanks again,
Simone Cavazzuti

On 2012-03-13, Simone Cavazzuti wrote:

> I've got one last question about him:
>
> Do you think he is Don's generation or in an elder one?

As we've said, he's only mentioned in the first three pages, I don't
think your question can be answered.

Reading how, in pages 2 and 3, Donald refers to him as *uncle* Zak
(instead of just "Zak"), you could think that's because Zak is not from
the same generation as Donald, but other than saying he's not Don's
brother, I don't think this adds that much detail, as "uncle" may be
used here as part of the usual way to address a random uncle, rather
than as an attempt to make the relationship with Don explicit.

In a nutshell, he could as well be Scrooge's sibling, but I prefer to
stick with "random uncle" :-)

--
Nuno J. Silva (aka njsg)
gopher://sdf-eu.org/1/users/njsg

This past week here in California the PBS TV stations have presented multiple showings of "The Phantom of the Opera" for fundraising purposes. The composer was Andrew Lloyd Webber. The phantom usually wears a half mask, but in one act of this production he had a black cape over his head and body, thus looking much like Mickey Mouse's adversary, the Phantom Blot.
I like to re-read an old comic book story before going to sleep to relax my mind. A few nights ago I read Scarpa's "The McDuck Foundation" in Gladstone's US #241, February 1990. Having just seen Andrew Lloyd Webber and "the Phantom of the Opera" on TV, I was much amused to see Scrooge say "Any sap can.....finance Andrew Lloyd Webfoot's latest musical" on page 6, panel 5. When I bought and first read this comic, I had no idea what this dialogue was referring to.
This story by Scarpa was first printed in 1958 in Italian, when Andrew Lloyd Webber was only 10 years old. So this dialogue could not have been in the original. This and other little gems throughout this translated reprint must have been added by Geoff Blum; the credits say "Dialogue Americanized by Geoff Blum."