Keskustelujen arkisto

I'm sorry to be back on that track, but it leaves my no respite. Why has no American publisher dared to issue some of Bottaro's best and most revered works? Last time I checked, i. e. one minute ago, the sorry result was (Duck stories alone):
- Paperin furioso, I TL 544-AP = not published in the States
- Paperino il Paladino, I TL 247-AP = not published in the States
- Paperino e il tesoro di Papero Magno, I TL 873-AP = not published in the States
- Paperino e l'isola del tesoro, I TL 216-AP = not published in the States
- Paperiade, I TL 202-AP = not published in the States
- El Kid Pampeador, I TL 219-AP = not published in the States
- Zio Paperone naufrago volontario, I TL 426-AP = not published in the States
- Paperino e il duello alla pistola, I TL 279-A = not published in the States
- Paperin Bab , I TL 273-A = not published in the States
- Paperino e il calumet della pace, I TL 290-AP = not published in the States
It drives me quite mad to think that a lot of crap has been published, is being published and is set to be published in the States (as, for that matter, anywhere else), but none of these gems! Will it change one day? My hopes and prayers might not be sufficient, I'm afraid.

Quote from user: MorequackQuote from user: Dia-DiaIt drives me quite mad to think that a lot of crap has been published, is being published and is set to be published in the States ...
Unlike in Europe, only a tiny percentage of the American readership has grown up with the Scrooge and his nephews. And that readership is practically non-existent with the youth of today. If Uncle Scrooge had a small presence in American culture during the golden 50s and early 60s, that generation of readers turned collectors is riding off into the sunset with no one to replace them. Gladstone and Gemstone gave it a good shot (no small thanks to Don Rosa) but could not endure this reality. Therefore, the situation is not likely to ever be remedied, in my opinion. The digital age with its beloved panoply of electronic gadgetry will put the last nails in that coffin.
I agree with this assessment for the most part. But, I would say, having grown up in Canada and USA and a little bit in The Netherlands in the 1950s, that Disney Comics (and Uncle Scrooge) didn't just have a "small presence" in American culture. In the early 1950s, when Walt Disney's Comics and Stories were at their high of 3 million circulation (sales), they were read by a fair percentage of children between 5 and 13 years old. There were only about 130 million people in USA and 18 million people in Canada at that time, so, the amount of children from age 5-13 in those 2 countries at that time must have been less than 20 million. That would make the 3 million comics one out of about every 6 or 7. But, families at that time had generally close to 3 children. So, maybe 40-45% of children of ages 5 to 13 had access to, and probably read Walt Disney's Comics.

I have only anecdotal evidence of my own experience, and what people have told me. But, MOST of the kids I knew in Canada and USA and The Netherlands in the 1950s, read Disney Comics. We didn't have television in our homes in Canada or The Netherlands in the late 1940s and first half of the 1950s. And, even in USA, a lot of the homes didn't have it, and there was little to watch. We played outside most of the time (sports and active games), and when it rained, or at night, we read comic books, played board games,cards or listened to radio. But comic books were a very big part of our entertainment. I grew up in a "family compound" of 3 consecutive houses and a 4th a bit down that same street. We had 14 grandchildren (first cousins) growing up like brothers and sisters. We all shared our comic books. That way, we could afford to buy all the main lines of comics (Disney, WB, MGM, Lantz, Animal, Walt Scott, Detective, DC, EC, Classics Illustrated, various military, various cowboy & Indian, various 4 Color, we also saved newspaper strips). When I moved to Chicago, I lived with other cousins. So, a lot more readers were reading Disney Comics than sales show. I would guess that about 2/3 of the boys I knew in Canada and USA read Disney Comics (all the others read only Superheros, Detective and Western and, maybe horror comics.) There were NO kids that didn't read comics. ALL did!

In The Netherlands, it was pretty much the same. I stayed with uncles and aunts and grandparents there. Of my 8 cousins in the Dean Haag area, ALL read Disney comics. They lived in 2 areas, so each of the two groupings of cousins had subscriptions to Donald Duck (first Monthly-soon after, Weekly), and also bought all the special releases. Of all the kids I knew there in the 1950s and 1960, ALL read Disney Comics (with the exception of a couple of "weird kids"). I had cousins in Antwerpen, Belgium, as well. But, they didn't read Disney comics. Although there WAS a Flemish (like the French) printing of "Mickey Mouse" there, it never really caught on much. But, that might be, in part, because The French style of comics was so strong in Belgium that Disney never caught on.

In USA in the later '60s and beyond, kids read them a LOT less. By the 1970s and beyond, the bullies might say it was only the "weird kids" (nerds) that read Disney comics. The quality of the comic books and stories in the '60s declined considerably. But, that may also be because it was clear that there was too much competition for entertainment for kids. The comic book phenomenon was only a one-time event, coming out of the great depression, through WWII(in North America) and just following that war in North America and Europe. There was little else to do, especially as many people had almost no extra money to spend on their children, or give them, right after the war. Comic books were extremely cheap in those days.

Comic books meant so much to us growing up in those times. Even the kids who didn't collect them, just read them once and went on to the next, revered and memorised the stories. That was half the children that I knew in Canada and USA, and 3/4 to 4/5 of the kids I knew in The Netherlands. It will never be the same again. In the '60s and early '70s it was still like that in Europe. But already had degraded in North America. Now, there are only a few thousand readers in North America, and readership in all the Western European countries is declining. The flat, static page can't compete with moving cartoons on The Internet.

I think Boom! Studios is trying to capture new youth readership. But they aren't doing any better than Gladstone or Gemstone did. I think this may be the last generation for printed, paper books, at least in North America.

Quote from user: GeoXWhy don't you tell us what makes Bottaro so great?
This doesn't sound like a well-meaning question so my answer won't be very elaborate: the style and the stories. Pity you don't know them.

Bottaro by the way could do and has done other stuff than Disney: http://www.lucianobottaro.it/.

I assure you, the question was entirely in good faith. You're not being a very effective ambassador for your favorite artist if you refuse to say anything in-depth about him and instead resort, for reasons that escape me, to a tone of pitying condescension.

Quote from user: GeoXI assure you, the question was entirely in good faith. You're not being a very effective ambassador for your favorite artist if you refuse to say anything in-depth about him and instead resort, for reasons that escape me, to a tone of pitying condescension.
I do apologize sincerely then but I can assure you that I've thought no less honestly that you weren't being cordial.

Now, what makes Bottaro great?

1) his stories. He didn't write so many, but when he did, they were on an epic scale, full of unexpected twists, and humour. The three stories united in this volume http://coa.inducks.org/issue.php?c=it/TSD+++5 are treasure troves of wit and energy both in art and story-telling. But I could be telling you just bullshit right now, how would you know? Of course I don't, but if it is not read, it can't be appreciated, that is the shame.

2) his art. Again, it must be read to be appreciated. But look at how Donald holds his garden hose: http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL++247-AP . The look of astonishment of the big guy next to Scrooge: http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL++279-A . Unfortunately, the full-page panels found in http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL++216-AP as well as 99,999999% of what Bottaro drew cannot be found on the Internet! Again, if you could just read the stories...

3) the comparison with others. Now, that's a bit easier on the net, thanks to some fan pages. Take this page: http://www.donaldisme.dk/ancestors.htm . In the section "Arabian and South European ancestors", examples 2 and 4 are by Bottaro. Example 1 is by Murry and example 3 by De Lara. Below, there is a musketeer drawing by Bottaro (Donald against the Beagle Boys) followed by a musketeer drawing by Strobl, for comparison again. In the section "Uncles and cousins galore", the hilarious court scene is by Bottaro again. Compare to the drawing by Vicar a bit above. Conclusive?

I just edited my message above because the links I provided didn't work. I had forgotten to leave spaces. Now the links do work. Sorry, and cheers.

Quote from user: Dia-DiaGeox,

I opened a new thread with scans here: http://dcf.outducks.org/viewtopic.php?id=742
Thanks, Dia-Dia! I really enjoyed these scans. See my reply there.