Keskustelujen arkisto

Our friend sirredknee pointed me to this interesting little detail:
http://www.barksbase.de/images/bradburyhandbook.jpg
This is a panel from "Family Tree", written by Carl Fallberg and drawn by Jack Bradbury. The story was first published in Donald Duck #30, July 1953.
At that time Carl Barks hadn't even finished "The Secret of Atlantis", the story in which he introduced a certain "Junior Woodchucks' Book of Knowledge" which later evolved into the famous Guide Book.

That's funny I always thought That Secret of Atlantis was the first story to introduce The Junior Woodchucks Guidebook.

I wouldn't be surprised that he was inspired by this story.
- Barks re-used some Gottfredson art in The Riddle of the Red Hat,
- Some people said the idea of DA's nieces were originally Taliaferro's and that Barks re-used it (but I admit I have no proof of that).
Although Barks may have borrowed from time to time, he did it with his own genius, and I see nothing really wrong with that.

Quote from user: Roger NorthWait a minute are you saying that Al Taliaferro would created Daisy's Nieces but didn't get around to it?
Taliaferro created a Daisy's niece name Dottie, who was Daisy's cousin's daughter...

http://coa.inducks.org/character.php?c=Dottie&view=4&c1=date

Quote from user: SimTaliaferro created a Daisy's niece name Dottie, who was Daisy's cousin's daughter...

http://coa.inducks.org/character.php?c=Dottie&view=4&c1=date
Where was it stated that Dottie is the daughter of Daisy's cousin?

Quote from user: timoroHmm. This was published just at the time Barks was writing and drawing his Atlantis story. He sent the Atlantis story to Western in July 30th 1953. Could it be that Barks got his idea for JW guidebook from this story as he was creating his own story? Or just coincidence?
Actually this story "Family Tree" appeared two or three months earlier, due the general practice of comic book companies. They put later date on the cover. Meaning that cover date of July actually was published two months earlier from printed cover date: in this case May.

Timo
It IS possible that Barks got this idea from the Falberg/Bradbury story. Although Carl told me that he rarely saw the work of other artists, and didn't buy or receive comic books not having his work in them, he WOULD have gotten Donald Duck #30, because Western had used one of his cover drawings for that issue's cover. He MAY have been curious about the lead story, and read it, and learned about The Junior Woodchuck's Handbook/Guidebook (and it may have "inspired" him to develop that idea. However, I rather think that both he and Falberg were well aware that the organisation in their parody, The Boy Scouts of America, has an often-used handbook, and came to the conclusion to incorporate it into their stories, independently. It would be natural for any writer to use that in his or her stories.

I had the Danish version as a kid and it was a survival-oriented book, with lots of knowledge written down on subjects not only for scouts. (No advise on putting cotton on dragons eyes, when stealing the Golden Fleece, though!)

Here is a photo of the original Boy Scouts of America Official Handbook:

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4900/scouthb.jpg
By rob_k at 2010-05-30

I would guess that there was an earlier version in Britain.