The UNCLE SCROOGE title from IDW completes its first year's worth of issues with a real BLAST! Blast-Off into space, that is!
But, before we begin... I love the cover, but can anyone who's been around these comics for a while look at it and not think of this one?
Still, we have Donald, a somewhat rare cover appearance by Gyro Gearloose, and other key elements of the lead story, so I have to give it to the new cover by Giorgio Cavazzano, over the "Carl Barks Cover" (quotes for emphasis) fabricated by Gladstone's Bruce Hamilton.
And, speaking of the issue's lead story, we have "Ten Little Millionaires", originally published in TOPOLINO 2984 (2013), written by fan favorites Pat and Carol McGreal, with art by the great (...You know him... You love him... You've seen his name in our previous paragraph...) Giorgio Cavazzano!
Scrooge undertakes an enterprise that, as a child of the sixties, I thought might have been readily available to me in my middle age - but, alas has not been thus far... a SPACE SHUTTLE to a LUNAR RESORT!
While I will never get to take that long-imagined commercial space flight, apparently such jaunts are far from common even in this comic book universe, as only millionaires can afford it! TEN of them, to be exact, in keeping with our story's title - and (most likely) the murder mystery the title was based upon!
To digress, one set of well-heeled passengers are somewhat reminiscent of "The Blurfs", from the DuckTales episode, "Bubbeo and Juliet"!
 |
| What "NOSE" could he be referring to? |
Of course, Cavazzano has displayed excellence with flying craft before, as seen in IDW's DONALD DUCK # 3!
En route, Donald has his job to do!
And, Cavazzano certainly "does HIS job", getting them there with an equally impressive landing sequence!
Speaking of "impressive", check THIS out!
Makes you wanna "Oooh and Aaah", just reading the comic! ...And, hey, there's Scrooge's POSE from the cover!
But soon, there's "trouble in Luna-dise", as our ten millionaires fall victim to a string of mysterious thefts! I guess it had to be THEFTS, 'cause we can't do murders in a Disney comic.
And, Scrooge makes like his favorite detective in order to crack the case. I'll spoil nothing except to say that this is a nice little mystery story, that you will all enjoy!
And who IS Scrooge's favorite detective? Nope! Not this guy!
Nor this guy with the same name!
Nor these two, who have both laid claim to the mantle of "The World's Greatest Detective"!
Nor even this guy from a completely different universe!
Before departing "Ten Little Millionaires", I must point out that all of our favorite "McGreal-isms" are here - as they are in so many of their other stories! ...And, wouldn't you miss them, if they weren't!
"Pickle Me and Call Me Dill!"
"Great Tesla's Coil!"
And the ever-popular "Cushlamacree!"
Most of this panel is cut off, so as not to spoil the mystery!
And least the McGreals never used THIS expression - thankfully!
Ultimately, Scrooge decides upon a different direction!
Could it possibly lead to a CROSSOVER I've been dreaming of all my life?
I CAN dream, can't I?
It's not like they haven't shared a PUBLISHER before!
But, while we begin our long wait (...at least MY long wait) for Scrooge and Donald to meet Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane, we move on to our issue's backup story...
"Gem Scam Jam", originally from ALMANACCO TOPOLINO # 92 (1964), is written and drawn by the great Romano Scarpa, with translation and dialogue by Yours Truly. Yes, the credits have it slightly wrong... I have "Translation and Dialogue" on this one.
...that Romano Scarpa was writing and drawing a story I would would be working with in 2016!
Back to our story, Scrooge makes a bet with Jubal Pomp who, over this first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE, we've seen in both ISSUE # 1...
...And ISSUE # 3.
And now, in ISSUE 12, the bet is on! Hope you've enjoyed this year, Jubal!
Even if Jubal hasn't, for the rest of you who have enjoyed this first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE, there are two little treats to be found in Pomp's mumblings and musings!
It's "been done" in UNCLE SCROOGE # 7, to be precise!
Has Pomp been reading UNCLE SCROOGE # 11?
Pomp and Donald join forces...
...And, with some cheesy disguises, challenge Scrooge to yet another Contest of Wealth!
What, indeed?
I think you've just answered your own question, Scrooge... Because they're TRADITION!
Well, I'll not reveal how either the contest or the Big Bet turns out, but I will say what a great first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE we've had!
Just remember, I do not speak for IDW, or anyone in its employ. I speak strictly for myself as both a long-time fan and as a dialogue creator – and those opinions are strictly my own.
While I'm at it, I'd like to thank Jonathan Gray, Thad Komorowski, Gary Leach, David Gerstein, Sarah Gaydos, and the original writers and artists of every story that has appeared, for a truly wonderful first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE!
And, as an EXTRA BONUS FEATURE, here are all 12 of the "Regular Covers" for this wonderful first year! ...Enjoy!
UPDATE: As discussed in our Comments Section, in this issue we have Scrooge reading a mystery novel titled "Larceny on the Orient Express".
However, there's at least one prior instance of Scrooge reading an "Orient Express" mystery novel. It's called "Onslaught on the Orient Express"! More detail on this to be found in the Comments Section.
Go there and read it, lest you become "dis-oriented", and are unable to tell "Dis Orient Express", from "Dat Orient Express"!
65 comments:
It's hard to believe it's been a whole year already. What a great year it's been, too! I'm glad to have new Disney stories to read each month, too. As much as I like the collections of Don Rosa, Floyd Gottfredson, Al Taliaferro and Carl Barks' works, there is something nice about having new material in Comic book format each month as well. Maybe it'll bring new readers in with the lower price point than the collector's editions will. It's hard to pick a favorite story out of the first 12 issues, but The Duckburg 100, Mummy Fearest, Another Christmas on Bear Mountain, and Scrooge's Ark Lark immediately come to mind.
Ten Little Millionaires is a fun story with a breezy pace through much of it. There are a lot of fun gags, especially with Donald's duties as a flight attendant. It's nice to see Scrooge has a hobby beyond high finance, treasure hunting and money swimming. It makes sense that Scrooge would be a mystery buff, as he's solved many on his own. It adds to the leisurely pace of this story to see him relaxing a bit and not just in panic mode all the time. He just needs a cup of nutmeg tea while he's reading, and he'd be all set.
Gem Scam Jam brings us back to a more typical Scrooge story, with the contest between Jubal Pomp and Uncle Scrooge, with Donald helping Pomp put one over on his Uncle. This one would have worked without Pomp, but having him there helped the story to click a bit more, as getting into Scrooge's gem vault would have been harder if it were a Donald vs. Scrooge contest. (Scrooge certainly runs into a lot of Maharajahs, doesn't he?). The story ends on a bit of a Silver Age Superman style twist (that I won't spoil for people who haven't read it yet), but it made for a good gag ending. Here's looking forward to many more years with Uncle Scrooge, Disney Comics and IDW! (As a side note, your readers might like to know that soon the first six issues will be available as a hardcover collection!)
Deb:
It doesn’t seem as if nearly enough time has passed to have gotten a full year’s worth of issues of UNCLE SCROOGE. I guess time REALLY DOES FLY when you’re having fun! I’m also glad that we have a line that is almost exclusively “New to the USA”, and not dominated by reprints of stories I already have.
Consider me particularly complemented by your “favorites list”! Thank you!
I think “Gem Scam Jam” works better with Jubal Pomp as the antagonist, and Donald just acting as logistical support. Donald’s tried enough times to “put one over” on Scrooge, to know how fruitless it is. He even says so in the story. Besides, Pomp was Scarpa’s own creation, so you’d almost expect to see him used here.
The thing I’ve come to like about Pomp (and I didn’t much care for him pre-IDW) is that he’s not a “villain” or “thief”, and he’s not even a “rival”. He’s a “wannabe”, and that’s a sort of unique position to occupy in Scrooge’s world. And the fact that, as drawn, he’s somewhat reminiscent of W.C. Fields (…at least I write him that way, with exclamations such as “Mother of Pearl!” and “Gadzooks!”), makes him still more fun!
I really like your analogy to “Silver Age Superman”! Yeah, that’s what it is, all right! And some of those stories were only eight pages, too! Though, “Prison Gray-Luthor” never ran off into the sunset throwing things at an unwitting lackey! …And, since it WAS 1964, didn’t that Gold Key style “The End” logo look nice – and appropriate!
I hope there’s a second such hardcover edition, that completes this great first year, with UNCLE SCROOGE # 7-12!
Deb:
I enjoyed this issue of Scrooge for the EXACT same reasons you did!
As for my favorite IDW year 1 U$ story I'd have to go with "Duckburg 100".
Wow! Two votes for "Duckburg 100"! Thank you, Clapton!
The ranks of the Retro-Rangers, continue to grow!
It's *very* hard to pick a favorite story from the first IDW year of U$...but Captain Retro-Duck has definitely entered my headcanon as a Duckburg TV show of which Donald is an obsessive fan. Barks had Donald watching Westerns and game shows and boxing matches, if I recall correctly, none of which I can relate to as much as Captain Retro-Duck.
Now, favorite covers? That's easier. Both Jonathan Grays: #s 2 and 6, followed by Silvani's B cover for #3, with the Junior Woodchucks. I wouldn't have believed anyone could outdo Cavazzano and Rota covers, but these guys did, in my book.
I also have to note my great pleasure in the appearances of Belle Duck, Melvin X. Nickelby, and Bolivar in the backup stories.
I did enjoy this month's issue. I like space adventures, and the involvement of Gyro was a plus. Loved the sisters' shirts, presumably inherited from their Uncle Waldo! And "Hercule Parrot" works well as a pun when it is pronounced with a French accent. As for "Gem Scam Jam"--you are winning me over to Jubal Pomp with your dialoguing, Joe. He may enter my headcanon, as long as I can mentally keep him strictly separate from Brigitta. It helps to have him appear in stories like this one where she is not mentioned.
Oh, and...wouldn't the giant octopus from "Ghost in the Grotto" fit right in on "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"?
I'm imagining Jose Carioca with a Belgian accent and moustache..I wonder if Pat & Carol have plans to introduce Hercule Parrot proper..or have they already?
The great part of seeing these stories "on delay" as we do, 'Rehab (...if there IS a "great part" about that), is they may very well have done something else with Hercule Parrot! Just like, for a very long time, I didn't know there was a second Melvin X. Nickelby story! And, once I knew there was, I was determined to get it for myself!
...And, to you and Elaine, this isn't exactly the first time Scrooge was seen reading a mystery story about a train. I'll put an additional illustration up at the end of the post!
Elaine:
Thank you for those very kind words on Captain Retro-Duck! From a pure writing standpoint, I am particularly pleased with how well that element worked WITHIN the confines of the existing art! Donald’s character, especially as over-enthusiastically drawn by Scarpa in “Duckburg 100”, goes a very long way toward “selling it” – and giving it a life of its own! Not to mention how much I enjoyed Deb’s realization of the Good Retro-Captain, as seen HERE!
Exempting anything I’ve worked on from consideration, as I should just to be cricket, my favorite issue is unquestionably Issue # 8, and Thad Komorowski’s sixties Barks-like “The Peril of Pandora’s Box” in particular, but also with great contributions from Jonathan Gray, Daan Jippes, and even some heretofore unseen snippets by Carl Barks himself! HERE’S my post that tells you why!
And the best cover by far, is Jonathan’s cover for UNCLE SCROOGE # 6 which, with all the little gags all over the place, showcases Jon’s talents as a writer, as well as an artist!
Jubal Pomp has definitely grown on me over this first year of IDW! I’ve enjoyed all three stories I’ve worked on with him, but I’d say it was “Duckburg 100” that truly tipped the scales in his favor. And, yes, I think he works better independent of Brigitta. It’s nice to have a character that Scrooge can exchange… um, “pleasantries” with, who is neither poor relation nor villain! I’ve mentioned this before but, when coaching me on how to write him, David so perfectly put it this way: “Jubal is to Scrooge, what Newman is to Jerry Seinfeld”! Throw in some W.C. Fields, and you’ve got a fun character!
You write: “ Oh, and...wouldn't the giant octopus from ‘Ghost in the Grotto’ fit right in on ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea’?” Indeed it would and, perhaps even more so, the giant jellyfish from Barks’ “The Status Seeker”, especially if you’ve seen the VOYAGE episode “Graveyard of Fear”. More about which, including some illustrations, you can see in THIS POST!
Finally, there’s at least one prior instance of Scrooge reading an “Orient Express” mystery novel. It’s called “Onslaught on the Orient Express”, and is from “The Hard-Shelled Sage of Duckburg”, one of my Gemstone-Era scripting efforts from 2008’s UNCLE SCROOGE # 375. Perhaps both “Orient Express” novels were part of an overall series – one, thankfully, not written by Super Goof’s adversary Dr. Dunk. I’ll add some illustrations at the end of this post.
Long distance trains have always been a wonderful setting for mystery, suspense, and intrigue, in things as disparate as Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lady Vanishes”, to Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing’s “Horror Express” (both of which reside in my DVD collection) , so why not a series of “Orient Express” books sequentially titled “Murder on…”, “Onslaught on…”, and now “Larceny on…”?
I wonder how other Duck artists would have drawn Captain Retro-Duck, seeing that there is no official look for the character, as he isn't officially a character. That would have been quite an art gallery, seeing other Retro-Artists' visualizations of our Retro-Hero.
I can actually visualize versions ranging from '60s Strobl, to Scarpa, to Cavazzano, to Jippes in his more recent "ratcheted-up late period Barks style".
Oh, and to briefly backtrack to “The Lady Vanishes”, I should have also offered THIS LINK in addition to the one for IMDB. It’s “looong” reading, though… so, pack a lunch! Hopefully one that will not “vanish” on a train!
Haven't commented here in a while due to being busy with work and other real life stuff, i haven't even read Scrooge #12 yet. IDW's first year (with hopefully many more to come) of Uncle Scrooge was enjoyable indeed. My favorite story so far is probably Duckburg 100, with Scrooge's Ark Lark and Peril Of Pandora's Box close behind. My favorite cover so far is Jonathan Gray's blueprint cover.
Well, Scrooge McDuck and Donald would not be any weirder than some of the things that the Seaview men DID encounter.
I could imagine Scrooge going to the NIMR and asking Admiral Nelson for help recovering the Old Number One Dime in "Lost Beneath the Sea."
And I guess every self-respecting detective or secret agent needs to have an adventure aboard a train (preferably the Orient Express) sooner or later. Poirot, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone in Terror By Night), Steed & Mrs. Peel (an Avengers episode, "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Station"), Gene Barry in Istanbul Express, and probably a lot of others that I've overlooked.
And I would love to see a real Captain Retro-Duck spin-off series, if not in his own self-titled comic book, then at least as an occasional back-up strip in DD or WDC&S. Preferably, drawn by Deb. :)
Mark:
“Work and other real life stuff” has also prevented me from posting more frequently, and certainly to the extent that I’d like to. I also have a number of new or current comics, including a few from IDW (you'd expect THOSE to be a priority), that that have also gone unread. When this happens, and it’s happening more and more lately, I just say enjoy to the fullest the time you have with this stuff, and do the best you can with the rest!
I will always enjoy seeing your comments here, when you are able. …And, thank you for that favorites list!
TC:
Now that you mention it, how far off from a “talking, upright walking Lobster Man, or Deadly Amphibian” is a “talking, upright walking duck”? “Lost Beneath the Sea” would have been a great place to cross Ducks and Seaviewers, wouldn’t it? An alien encounter under the sea would be a natural!
And shame on me, for not adding (at the very least) “Terror by Night” to that mystery train list! That’s part of my DVD collection, too, and was very likely my first exposure to the “mystery train” subgenre.
And, WOW! A Captain Retro-Duck comic book series? Consider Deb and I complemented!
Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not holding my breath on that one, as IDW already has two "crime-crushing" costumed heroes, Super Goof and the Duck Avenger. Maybe they could face off against each other like Batman v Superman. Also, IDW's Disney Comics looks to be mostly about presenting the best of the vast library of worldwide Disney Comics, of which there seems to be an inehaustable amount. While you won't see Captain Retro-Duck or Donald, you can check out my own creations, Fluffy and Mervin, at www.fluffyandmervin.com (which seems like a logical place to put it). (End of shameless plug...)
Nobody writes mysteries set on trains like Agatha Christie! :) In addition to "Orient Express", there's "The Mystery of The Blue Train" and arguably the best Ms. Marple novel, "4:50 From Paddington". I'm surprised none of the publishers did an "Agatha Christie's On The Rails" omnibus.
And don't forget Carl Fallberg & Paul Murry's "Ridin'The Rails", featuring Mickey Mouse and Grandma Duck. :)
And there's also "Strangers On A Train", which should be watched in a double-feature with "Throw Momma From The Train"..
When it comes to covers, I was keen on getting any issues featuring covers by Derek Charm and Dave Alvarez. Charms' covers remind me of the UPA-style stuff Disney did in the 50s, like "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom", or that short spoof of 50s sci-fi for "Disneyland" that featured Donald inexplicably added among a crowd of goofily-drawn aliens. The variant cover to #8 is a guilty pleasure, because I like the Beagle Boy-in-box..I'm expecting a Magica-In-a-box (possibly by William Van Horn) and a Rockerduck-in-the-box (possibly by Derek Charm or Dave Alvarez) :) I also love the ironically-historic pirate cover to #10 with Pluto.
As for favorite stories featured in Uncle Scrooge so far, I'm just going to list the issues: #1,#3,#7,#6,#8,10, #11,#12.
Deb:
If it’s something I like, as Fluffy and Mervin certainly is, it’s never a “shameless plug”!
Everyone, GO THERE and have fun! Tell Deb I sent you!
‘Rehab:
And, of course, Carl Barks himself did a “mystery train” sequence as part of his epic “Dangerous Disguise”! Even Huckleberry Hound did “Cluck and Dagger” in animation. And, while surveying animation, who can forget Tweety and Sylvester’s baggage car train trip in “All Abi-r-r-d”! I can still hear that train whistle and puffing now – and you could hear those very same sound effects in THIS FILM!
I’m seeing a lot of love for “Duckburg 100”, “Mummy Fearest”, and “Scrooge’s Ark Lark” among the readers’ first year choices, so I thank you ‘Rehab, and everyone for that, on behalf of Scarpa, Carpi, and the other original creators as well as myself!
Train mysteries? Come on, people: don't forget "Scandal on the Epoch Express"!
One of my favorite Dutch stories ever—and one that I was especially thrilled John Clark chose me to translate in my early days as a writer. I love the idea of an unidentified disguise artist running amuck on a moving train in the dead of night; and while it might seem like an obvious detective challenge for Mickey, it was even more fun with Donald stumbling through the mystery—trying desperately to curry favor with a glamorous movie actress every step of the way.
Yeah, hard to believe I omitted that one too! Funny thing is, 1998 is just beginning to become “A Long Time Ago”. And, correspondingly (alas), the comics of that time are (at least for me) nowhere near as sharply remembered as those of 1964 – which benefited by the repetition of constant re-readings.
…And, there was no one to Blog with about those comics! :-)
@ramapith
Do you remember when I asked you about the supposed mention of Della Duck that accrding to Picsou Wikia is present in you story D 96382 ("Thanks for the Buggy Ride")? I have asked them about this subject, and user Paul112 told me that on page 2 Donald says "J'étais déjà un as du volant, bien avant que vous soyez une lueur dans les yeux de votre mère !", which means "I was already an ace driver, well before you were a gleam in the eyes of your mother!". So, I see it's not a real mention of Della as a character, just a poetic way of saying "well before you were born". By the way, David, did you write this line in the original version, or did the French translator add it? And if it's the latter, what does the original says?
Hey Anon,
In my original, Donald—witnessing the nephews trying to drive an antique car—says "You’re greenhorns at driving, but I was an ace at the wheel when you boys were eggs!"
Thank you for the clarification. I must admit that I prefer the French dialogue (it creeps me out to think of anthropomorphic ducks, whom I see as humang being, coming out of egges), but it's not relevant. I will send this info about the original dialogue to Picsou Wiki.
Anon:
There was a special birthday or anniversary story, that sure looks as if it were drawn by Marco Rota. I have it in a 1984 German edition that shows Donald literally hatching from an egg that fell from a tree!
That baby ducking was found by Scrooge and Grandma (…at least it looks like Grandma), and is raised by Grandma! There is a great drawing of New York’s Flatiron Building in the story that has always fascinated me.
I hope IDW considers running that someday. I’m available for translating and dialoguing…
@Joe
I know of that story, it's "Buon compleanno, Paperino!" (written and drawn by Marco Rota), a story that celebrates Donald's 50th anniversary. I read it in the same issue that introduced Don Rosa to the Italian audience, with a (badly translated, and edited to 3 strips per page) version of of "The Duck Who Never Was" (later seen in ZIO PAPERONE in a better translation and with 4 strips per page).
I like the art of "Buon compleanno, Paperino!", but I don't like the plot, which I find messy and confusing; indeed, one of the reasons I dislike it is this really weird scene of Donald hatching from an egg that fell from a tree. Still less weird than the ongoing Paperino Paperotto series about young Donald, where it is occasionally said that he hatched from an egg bought at the market by Grandma Duck. Creepy.
Anon:
So Don Rosa was introduced to the Italian audience with “The Duck Who Never Was”? And not “Son of the Sun”, “Cash Flow”, or his other early work? Fascinating!
"Buon compleanno, Paperino!" (written and drawn by Marco Rota) would be the story all right! Actually, I have no trouble with the abstract concept of Donald, or Scrooge, or HD&L, or Gladstone, or Fethry, etc. – or Daffy Duck, the Road Runner, Tweety, Woody Woodpecker, and Yakky Doodle, for that matter – being hatched from eggs simply because the fact is that birds *are* hatched from eggs. At least, as long as I don’t think very deeply about it. It would be far more controversial to think of them being birthed as we mammals are!
But I DO draw the line at Donald’s egg being BOUGHT at the market by Grandma! Eeesh!
…And I still wanna do the Rota story! Are you listening, IDW?
@Joe
"So Don Rosa was introduced to the Italian audience with “The Duck Who Never Was”?": yes, but I made a mistake in my last message, as I wrote that the "I read it [Marco Rota's story] in the same issue that introduced Don Rosa to the Italian audience". This is not true, as I first read both stories in this book from March 1996
https://coa.inducks.org/issue.php?c=it/TD++++3
while "The Duck Who Never Was" was previously published in this book from June 1994:
https://coa.inducks.org/issue.php?c=it/PM++168
The latter is the real introduction of Don Rosa to the Italian audience. The two books also published other stories, and Rota's stories is in both books. Anyway, the latter book anticipated the 12 original chapters of Lo$ that wewre published monthly from ZIO PAPERONE #70 (July 1995) to ZIO PAPERONE #81 (June 1996). Then, all other Rosa stories were published, though not in chronological order.
You mentioned “Son of the Sun” and “Cash Flow”: the former was published in ZIO PAPERONE #92 (May 1997) and hasn't been published ever since; the latter was published in ZIO PAPERONE #89 (February 1997) and hasn't been published ever since except for "Raccolta Zio Paperone #13" which reprints issues 74, 88, 89 of ZIO PAPERONE. It's sad (and no fascinating at all) that so many classic Rosa stories has never been reprinted after their first edition on ZIO PAPERONE. Panini Comics is reprinting a few stories now, but it's not enough. Thats' why I hope many people will sign this petition (I didn't make it, but I approve it) for an Italian Don Rosa Library:
https://www.change.org/p/panini-comics-pubblichi-l-opera-ominia-di-don-rosa-in-italiano
As of hatched vs birthed, I guess this will be one of the cases where we will agree to disagree: the image of Donald Duck hatching from an egg is just too creepy to me, as I think of Donald as a human being charicaturally drawn as a duck. If I were a writer of duck comics, I would never write a line like "when you boys were eggs!"; I would write "before you boys were born" or similar expressions. On the other hand, I view Daffy Duck that you mentioned as hatched from an egg: I think of Daffy as a real duck and it would be creepy to me to think of a mammal birth for him.
Why do I see Donald as a human and Daffy as a duck? Well, my idea is basically the same as Don Rosa, so instead of trying to explain it with my own words I prefer to link to this interesting interview, which explains Don's view:
http://lucaboschi.nova100.ilsole24ore.com/2007/07/21/scoooooop-inter/
"It would be far more controversial to think of them being birthed as we mammals are!": this makes for an interesting discussion. For example, what do you think of the scene with Grandma Duck (at the time only Ma Duck) in "The Sign of the Triple Distelfink"?
"But I DO draw the line at Donald’s egg being BOUGHT at the market by Grandma! Eeesh!": I though you would say that. I wonder what you would have said, hadn't I forgot to tell you that the idea is that it was an OMELET EGG that Grandma bought at the market...
"…And I still wanna do the Rota story! Are you listening, IDW?": this sounded like you were talking to yourself until I remembered you told me you only do translations and do not perform editorial functions. Well, I don't know if it will ever be an American edition, but GeoX from Duck Comics Revue did an unofficial English translation.
Anyway, the Rota story has a few continuity references (including Barks) and even the first of three Italian mentions of HDL's mother, Della.
Happy Easter everyone!
Anon:
Honestly, I would never write a line like “When you boys were eggs…” even if it WERE in the original! …And, if that were to happen (and even if you, and most folks, would agree with that), there would probably still be a “dedicated someone” out there who would be critical of my diverging from the original – ‘cause that’s the Internet! Or, with infinite voices, come infinite opinions. :-)
Rosa makes a good case, that you can all link to HERE. More or less, I see it that way too. But, way off in the thankfully-unexplored distance, I still see both Donald and Daffy having the same sort of birth origins, in the same way I see them both having Beaks, Feathers, and Webbed Feet. They just lead extremely different types of lives AFTER those birth origins!
“ ‘But I DO draw the line at Donald’s egg being BOUGHT at the market by Grandma! Eeesh!’: I though you would say that. I wonder what you would have said, hadn't I forgot to tell you that the idea is that it was an OMELET EGG that Grandma bought at the market...”
I’d say that having it be “an OMELET EGG” would be FAR WORSE! Double Eeesh! Triple Eeesh, even! …Unless that somehow meant that the egg was created or purchased in Barks’ “town of OMLET”! I’ll assume that was translated into something similar in Italian.
Below are Anon’s other links for your reading pleasure:
1996 Italian comic
1994 Italian comic
Italian Don Rosa Library Petition
And, Happy Easter back to you – and to all!
@Joe
"…And, if that were to happen (and even if you, and most folks, would agree with that), there would probably still be a “dedicated someone” out there who would be critical of my diverging from the original – ‘cause that’s the Internet! Or, with infinite voices, come infinite opinions. :-)": I feel a little dumb for not figuring out exactly what do you mean. I know you are not referring to me, but who is this "dedicated someone" whom I am supposed to recognize by this description?
"Rosa makes a good case, that you can all link to HERE.": I forgot to link to the second part of the interview:
http://lucaboschi.nova100.ilsole24ore.com/2007/07/21/willi-brignone/
"I still see both Donald and Daffy having the same sort of birth origins": well, to each his own; me, I just can't imagine Donald and Daffy having the same kind of birth origins. But with fictional character that are that famous, it's just natural that each fan has his personal view.
As for Barks' Omelet story: in the Italian edition, the city name has been literally translated as "Frittata", as otherwise the plot that explains how the city got the name wouldn't have made sense. However, the Italian stories with the "omelet egg" thing are obviously not referring to Barks' Omelet story.
What are these stories? Unfortunately, or fortunately, at the moment I can only remember one, and that is I TL 1823-C from 1990 (not part of the Paperino Paperotto series, which didn't even exist back then). In the story a guy introduces himself as Donald's long lost twin brother, though in the end it's revealed that the whole story was just a dream.
Here's an image:
http://www.papersera.net/public_html2/yabbfiles/Attachments/I_TL_1823-C.jpg
The dialogue in the first panel translates to: "Grandma Duck at the market bought not only you, as an omelet egg, but also me! Two twin eggs, if we can say that!"
Allow me to quote you: Eesh! Double Eeesh! Triple Eeesh!
And thank you for reposting the link to the petition for an Italian Don Rosa Library. I know people outside Italy are not affected by any possible outcome of that, but it would be cool if someone here would sign after seeing the link, just to help your fellow Italian duck fans to finally have a DRL.
Anon:
Rest assured that I am not referring to you, nor am I referring to our friend Achille Talon. In fact, I’m not even referring to a single person or incident. However, there are persons, and you can find them if you look, who take such a “keen interest” in this sort of thing that they object to even making a joke or reference that the American audience would (and has) appreciated – but, in no way *adds* a plot element that wasn’t in the original, and certainly does not *change* anything about the original plot, that they find the time to write about it.
When I say this, I’m not referring to the earliest issues where original publication information was not attached to the stories and (right or wrong) we may have taken some liberties to present them as “more contemporary”, rather than as the “period pieces” we now script them as. I *did* do that in the earlier days at IDW, and I did that at Boom!, feeling it was the right thing to do. But, when a *line* that provides humor – and (very important) is CONSISTANT with the existing art – and changes NOTHING about the plot as conceived by the original writer and/ or artist is taken to task by such a critic simply BECAUSE they personally object to it (…or attention is called to other changes in story and art mandated by owner of the properties, and NOT originating with us translators), that’s when I say “With infinite voices, come infinite opinions”, and leave those persons to their opinions. I’m just acknowledging that they exist.
And, before any particular such critic begins thinking I’m referring to them, rather than making a blanket statement (to which their writings may very well be applicable), I declare this topic over, done, and ended, as it’s brushing-up against my rules against negativity.
HERE is Anon’s link to the second part of the Rosa interview.
“But with fictional character that are that famous, it's just natural that each fan has his personal view.”
Our friend Elaine calls this “headcanon”. I think it’s a great term for the personal acceptances, rejections, and beliefs we all hold about our favorite characters, TV series, etc. Mine would exclude “Duck Avenger”, unless and until a body of work far more enjoyable than that unpleasant origin story that IDW recently ran emerges for the American audience to read. Ah, but that, too, falls under “With infinite voices, come infinite opinions”, doesn’t it? …And, my “headcanon” certainly excludes “Ultraheroes” – especially as done by Boom! some years ago!
And HERE is Anon’s link to “Donald's long lost twin brother”.
@Joe
It's good to read you are not referring to me, but even though I saw a few websites which criticized some IDW translations, I don't think I ever saw one where it was done with animosity. For example: Hex from "Disney Comics Randomness" (the blog which allowed me to discover "Joe Torcivia's The Issue At Hand Blog", btw) sometimes criticizes IDW's dialoguing choices, including some from Uncle Scrooge #12 (416), but his criticism is not very different from some things I wrote here; the fact that his "keen interest" for art changes and added jokes caused him to find the time to also talk about them in his reviews IMHO make these articles more interesting for readers, because this gives everyone more subjects to discuss regardless of what one thinks about this. The lack of animosity is testified by the friendly dialogue between Hex and David in the comment section of the last article.
But I'd better stop here or it would seem I'm ignoring your "I declare this topic over, done, and ended", and I certanly wouldn't want to appear disrispectful, especially since this is your blog.
I know about "headcanon" and I have my own. For example: like you, I don't particularly care for the Duck Avenger. Certanly almost every duck fan has his/her own headcanon.
By the way, Joe, excluding the stories that are translated by you, do you read the other IDW translated stories in advance (before the publication), or do you read them for the first time after buying the IDW issues in which they are printed?
Anon:
…Tut, tut! That old topic is closed, remember? No more comments are being accepted, we are sorry for the inconvenience, we know you have a choice of many Blogs to serve you and we are very happy you chose ours for your Blog-reading pleasure, thank you and come again, recommend us to your friends, and all that kinda stuff! :-)
I’d say it’s very likely to presume that you’ve read many more Duck Avenger stories than I have. And, if you feel the same way, that means something, as I’m basing my view on only a very small sampling.
I’ve often had the opportunity to read other IDW translated stories in advance of publication (and could probably read anything I wish), but decline to do so. Why? So, I can have something great to read when the actual issues go on sale.
If this tells you nothing else, it tells you just how highly I regard the work of David, Thad, Jonathan, and Gary – as I want to experience it on “New Comics Day” just as a fan would!
There was one recent exception to this, as I requested to read a story translated and dialogued by Thad in an upcoming issue of MICKEY MOUSE which introduced a new character to the USA, because I was doing another story with that same character… and I wanted to be consistent with what had gone before. That, by the way, shows just how much we care about this stuff!
@Joe
"Tut, tut! That old topic is closed, remember?": alright, I get it. I apologize for returning on that closed topic, but this morning I felt I had one last thing to say, other than adding a bit of trivia in explaining how I found this blog. Topic close for me too, I promise. :-)
"I’ve often had the opportunity to read other IDW translated stories in advance of publication": I don't find it surprising, since you are one of the official translators.
"but decline to do so. Why? So, I can have something great to read when the actual issues go on sale": I think I'd do the same thing.
Now I have a question for you or anybody who knows the answer: I read that an issue of "Comics Buyer's Guide" mentioned "Guardians of the Lost Library" as "possibly the greatest comic book story of all time". Is it true? And, if it is, which issue of "Comics Buyer's Guide" says that?
Anon:
About “Comics Buyer’s Guide”, I cannot say. I’d certainly have to see the article in its proper context. Has anyone else reading this seen it?
But, I’d not consider "Guardians of the Lost Library" as "possibly the greatest comic book story of all time" when there is another contender for the title that, in my own not-so-humble opinion, clearly dwarfs everything else. Though "Guardians of the Lost Library" is very notable for both its ambition and the running joke that I love about something (anything) flipping over and bursting into flames!
What is that story? I’ll not tell… at least not here, that is. Because you’ve just given me a great idea for my next post. …And, one that I can easily do in my “Almost Horrifically Busy” current state. (That “Horrifically Busy” stuff has never fully subsided since the onset of January!).
I’ll just provide my own examples of "The Greatest Comic Book Story of All Time" "Funny Animal/Human", "Superhero", and possibly an additional “Other” category, and ask the rest of you to do the same. So, hold on to your choices, until I put up my next post! This sounds like fun!
RE: ducks from eggs
not only do the disney cartoon shorts repeatedly show Donald coming from an Egg, Barks' notes for the family tree mention characters being "hatched" instead of "born", so I'd say the fact they come from eggs is well established :V
KKM:
As much as we may wish we didn’t know how our Ducks come into this world, I’d say we’ve gotta go with the “Egg Option”.
Unlike that Marco Rota comic that is permanently seared into my brain, I can’t think of any specific Donald Duck cartoons that depict him hatching from an egg because I don’t know all of them inside and out.
But, this one particular Daffy Duck cartoon certainly comes to mind, on the subject of eggs. Note that it was animated by John Carey, who drew many a comic story for Dell and Gold Key.
@Joe
"About “Comics Buyer’s Guide”, I cannot say": too bad. I tried to do an online research and even looked at the online archives of the magazine, but so far I found nothing. :-(
"I’d certainly have to see the article in its proper context. Has anyone else reading this seen it?": I too would like to see the full article, and that's why I am counting on the expertise of users who often write here. Hopefully, group work will produce something.
"What is that story? I’ll not tell… at least not here, that is. Because you’ve just given me a great idea for my next post. …": waiting for that.
@TheKKM
"not only do the disney cartoon shorts repeatedly show Donald coming from an Egg": I regard the animated Donald as basically a different persona than the comics, but do cartoon shorts REPEATEDLY show Donald coming from an egg? I can think of only one example.
"Barks' notes for the family tree mention characters being "hatched" instead of "born", so I'd say the fact they come from eggs is well established :V": that "hatched" in the family tree is puzzing indeed, but Barks also used "born" in his stories and I prefer to believe in that. Maybe "hatched" was used in a metaphorical meaning to avoid using "birhted"? Whatever the case is, my headcanon is still that Disney ducks have mammal births.
@Joe
"As much as we may wish we didn’t know how our Ducks come into this world, I’d say we’ve gotta go with the “Egg Option”": how about the impied mammal birth in Don Rosa's "The Sign of the Triple Distelfink"?
"But, this one particular Daffy Duck cartoon certainly comes to mind, on the subject of eggs": I'm totally fine with it. As I said, I see Daffy (unlike Donad) as a real duck.
Anon:
Re: Comics Buyers’ Guide… I guess, even today, not everything can be found on line! I’m sure that, if someone reading this knows, they will comment.
And, I’ve gotta find time to reread “The Sign of the Triple Distelfink” to better understand your point about “mammal births”… but, with even some recent IDW comics unread during this (again) “Horrifically Busy Period”, that will not happen for a while.
Anthropomorphic Animals probably deserve some distinction - like creatures made from magic (Captain Marvel,the Genie from "Aladdin", the Smurfs - which, after seeing Gargamel 'create' Smurfette from a cauldron - were probably a discarded experiment from a more-amicable wizard, possibly Homnibus, the wizard/monk Papa Smurf hangs out with), but then they might as well be classified as djinn.
Are there any Disney Comics stories about Donald/Huey, Dewey & Louie/Fethry babysitting an egg? There was a recent "Mickey Mouse" in which Mickeyand Goofy had a "Fantastic Voyage" inside Donald's stomach, escaping by inducing Donald to lay an egg, HATCHING them..so NOW there are two very different cartoons in existence in which Donald AND Daffy - two MALE mallards - have laid eggs.
Or perhaps cartoon animals are "delivered" by storks, especially the drunken stork that often appears in Friz Freling's "Looney Tunes" shorts.
There's also a theory that anthropomorphic animals were descended from goblins, monsters and aliens that mated with wildlife on whims..that's where Muppets come from.
They might as well be Djinn! :)
And I just remembered an episode of "Quack Pack" in which Donald was becoming younger throughout the story, right up until we saw him as an egg before magically reverting back into an adult, so regardless of how much the series was disliked, that episode supports two theories: (1)he was hatched from an egg and (2) he's a creature of magic - a Djinn! :)
‘Rehab:
I think I’ll go with Friz Freleng’s “stork theory” for mammals. He’s certainly gone to that well often enough to make it stick, as did Robert McKimson in “Bushy Hare”!
But, I think I’ve unearthed the FINAL WORD on this subject, by referring back to Carl Barks’ “That’s No Fable” from 1960’s UNCLE SCROOGE # 32. That is Barks’ “Fountain of Youth” story.
There are no less than THREE “egg references” in that story!
Page 14, Panel 8: SCROOGE: “You’re too young, Donald! Before you reached the other bank you’d be turned into an egg!”
Page 15, Panel 2: SCROOGE: “That water will turn you back into an egg!”
Page 17, Panel 3: SCROOGE: “No, Grandma! I knew I’d reach the other side an egg!”
So, I guess THAT is THAT!
Exactly, when I mentioned cartoon Donald coming from an egg, I didn't mean it as an appeal to the cartoon's authority, but to Barks, who seemed to take the basic traits of cartoon Donald to be "canon" to his comics- which we see demonstrated in things like the use of Gus Goose, I'd say.
Now, all this is overthinking the simple fact of "of course they come from eggs, they're cartoon ducks", but if you MUST consider the implications, I choose to - in my headcanon! - believe that societal rule is that the mother, once laying an egg, carries the egg with her for nine months until the duckling hatches, thus establishing the societal parallel with human society.
KKM:
Since we have so many international readers, perhaps everyone can tell us if the “egg” references in Barks’ “That’s No Fable” were translated intact in each of your local languages.
And, if not, how were they handled. I've given the exact page and panel of each reference, so just tell us what was there in your local versions.
How ‘bout it?
Page 14, Panel 8: "You're too YOUNG, Donald! Before you'd manage to reach the other side, you'd be made an EGG!"
Page 15, Panel 2: "This water will make you become an eggshell again!"
Page 17, Panel 3: "No, Granny! I knew I'd reach the other side inside of an EGG!"
From Tio Patinhas 81, 1972. Amusing side exercise, compare the Barks originals with my translations of the Brazilian translation (this story appears to have never been printed in Portugal) :V Other than me being a touch more verbose, it indicates the Brazilian translators only added one flourish- referencing Donald being put into an egg shell, instead of becoming an egg, at one point.
KKM:
Good job by the Brazilian translators! …Anyone else?
@Joe
I remembered those three references (which I consider a single reference split into three sentences, as they are all in close scenes of a single story), but I still think those lines are either a joke, a meta-reference to the "people as animals" concept (like when Don Rosa's ducks point out they are not wearing shoes) or an euphemism to avoid words that would be unplesant in a Disney duck comic (I can't image a line like "That water will turn you back into an embryo!").
So, I think what you say is certainly interesting, but it may not be the final word on the subject, as each reader will interpret things dfferently. For example, I will continue to take it as a joke: I just think I have enough "evidence" that the ducks are human beings charicaturally drawn as ducks, and it creeps me out to imagine them as comig out of eggs; I like more the concept of mammal births, with seems more logical to me and is even coherent with the frequent use of the expression "birth", as well as with what we see "The Sign of the Triple Distelfink", which is an important in-universe event (I am referring to the implied mammal birth of Elvira when Daphne was born).
As always, everyone will have their headcanon, and that's not necessarily a bad idea.
But I guess we may drop the subject now, as we all said what we had to say and we risk start repeating ourselves and going in circles.
@TheKKM
"[Barks] seemed to take the basic traits of cartoon Donald to be "canon" to his comics- which we see demonstrated in things like the use of Gus Goose, I'd say": I think that's a bit of a stretch. One of the many things that made Barks' comics famous was the fact that he redefined the personality of Donald (starting by the implied remotion of the duck voice), and I don't see what does the use of Gus prove. First, Gus had already been reused in the Taliaferro comic strips, so the character wasn't any different from other supporting cast of the Donald Duck world who were present in animation and/or comic strips and were then introduced to comic books. Second, Barks only drew 16 stories with Gus, and in 14 cases he didn't write the story (he only wrote the third and ninth). Third, Gus' personality and background in comic books is different from the short and the comic strips.
@Joe
The Italian version of "That's No Fable" kept the egg references. Oh, by the way, did I ever mention that I don't buy that Disney ducks come from egg? I can't recall if I ever did.
Another thing: Joe, a while ago you wrote that most people who buy one of IDW's "core four" of Disney comics also buy the other three, and you asked me if Italians do the same with their Disney comics. I don't remember giving a full answer yet (though I implied the answer was "probably not"), so I'll say now that I just casually read a page where someone counted how many issues of Disney comics came out in the last month (March 2016): the answer is 34. No wonder none buys them all, though I guess not every month the number is that high.
Well, it's been quite a time since I last posted, but sometimes the onslaught of life leads to such. We should now be entering another one of my periods of activity, however, and I don't foresee any interruption soon.
Anyway, as for this issue, it was absolutely excellent. Cavazzano has grown on me significantly over the years, and his work here was unquestionably great. Every time the imaginary "camera", so to speak, pulled out to reveal silhouetted characters or the hotel with the gorgeously drawn backdrop of the earth, it was hard to do anything but "Oooh and Aaah", as you said! One of the most distinct occasions where I've had great appreciation for the great color and printing quality from IDW, as reading a story like this in mediocre quality would be an incredible waste.
The Scarpa story to round out the issue was also a good bit of fun, and seeing Donald join in on a heist scheme against Scrooge rather than the more maliciously-intended Beagle Boys was entertaining. You always know Scrooge will come out on top, but this gave more cause to root for the inevitable loser than normal.
Also, I'm shooting you an email after this, so don't forget to check it if you please.
I too rather think that Donald was hatched from an egg -- my view of the Disney Ducks being that they are to normal ducks what we are to monkey. For the "scene with Grandma Duck (at the time only Ma Duck) in "The Sign of the Triple Distelfink"?", my opinion is simply that this was the day Ma Duck laid Daphne's egg -- which would be treated like a human childbirth because, look at the size of anthropomorphic duck eggs, it must be at least as painful and dangerous to lady ducks as normal childbirth is to human beings.
As for the "omelet egg" thing… the idea would be that an "anthroduck" egg would have somehow been confused with a chicken egg and put in the market by mistake. I don't think that the Ducks would commonly eat sentient-duck eggs. That would be uncomfortable.
On a completely different note, about the Hercule Parrot pun… okay, it's a good pun, but was it in the original version as "Hercule Paperot" ? Because "Hercule Paperot" is a character who actually appeared in person in stories about Phantomallard (you know, the Duck Avenger's predecessor), and he was depicted as a goose. So it'd be queer to have this guy's english name be Parrot when he's a goose.
Had to take a few days off from the Blog, but now we’re back with more great comments, and my responses to them!
Anon:
Barks clearly made the comic book Donald Duck “his own creation” in many revolutionary ways, but he still started with the cartoon Donald – for which he was a story man before his comics career.
I believe there is a point during which the “cartoon Donald” and what would become the comic book Donald” come very close to intersecting.
That would be in the Donald Duck animated shorts directed by Jack King, some of which I wrote about in THIS POST!
Good to know that the Italian version of “That’s No Fable” kept its “egg references”! I suspect most, if not all versions did.
I’ve also gotta believe that, with 34 (!) comics out in a month – as opposed to IDW’s mere FOUR, Italians WOULD have to pick and choose when it comes to their purchases – or, they live in very spacious houses.
Oh, and wait? You “don't buy that Disney ducks come from eggs”?! …I’m shocked, shocked (Claude Rains level "shocked"!), to learn this! :-)
Abe
The “onslaught of life”, as you so perfectly put it, leads to periods of MY OWN inactivity too, as you can see by my note atop the previous comment. We always enjoy it when you stop by ‘round here, however frequent or infrequent.
My appreciation for Cavazzano has grown exponentially since my initial (?) exposure to him during the days of Gladstone Series Two! In addition to this one, stories like “The Siege of Nothing Atoll”, “The Sound-Blot Plot”, and all the Eurasia Toft Mickey stories raise him higher and higher in my estimation!
And, by now, Donald knows it’s fruitless to try to put one over on Scrooge. A lesson Jubal Pomp has yet to learn!
Achille:
You write: “…my view of the Disney Ducks being that they are to normal ducks what we are to monkey”.
I think that’s a fascinating way to look at it, and it not unlike the way I view “The Goofy and Pluto Conundrum”. Yes, a certain evolution has taken place. I like it!
Since Pat and Carol McGreal are (to the best of my knowledge) Americans who write for Egmont, I’d venture to guess that “Hercule Parrot” was their joke in their original script. Though David might be able to confirm or deny that assumption.
@Achille Talon
"I too rather think that Donald was hatched from an egg": I guess I am in minority here. Still, I won't change my idea.
"my view of the Disney Ducks being that they are to normal ducks what we are to monkey": this seems rather convoulted to me, but to each his own.
"my opinion is simply that this was the day Ma Duck laid Daphne's egg": well, obviously the birth wasn't shown, but the scene has an atmosphere that kind of implies a mammal birth... which is unsurprising, considering the story was made by an author who regards the Ducks as human beings ans says he is creeped out by the thought of ducks hatching from eggs. Since the birth wasn't shown, everyone can decide if it was a mammal birth or an egg layed: I pefer the first option, and I know this is the same idea the story's author had when writing/drawing it.
And for "omelet egg": I just dismiss these things as nonsense without too much thought. I also don't believe Donald was raised by Grandma Duck, but this is a totally different topic...
I don't know if Hercule Parrot was used in the original version, but if it was I think it was a bad idea. I mean, why not use the real name (Hercule Poirot)? It's like a Super Goof story I read 10+ years ago (I read it in Italian but I think it was an American story) where SG says something like "The great detective Sherlock Bones, when he was reflecting on a case, used a violing to concentrate. I only need a tennis ball"; this striked me as very odd, as the real name Sherlock Holmes could have been used. And as much as I love Barks, I think it was pointless for him to change the name of Loch Ness to "Loch Less", especlially since I didn't even notice the change the first time I read the story. As for Hercule Paperot, I think the name change was a good idea, since he was presented as a real character rather than a fictional one, and since he interacted with the main characters.
@Joe
Your post about animated Donald is interesting. Indeed, Barks started by taking basic elements from animated Donald, and he developed the character until it basically became "his own creation".
"Good to know that the Italian version of “That’s No Fable” kept its “egg references”! I suspect most, if not all versions did": I also think so.
"I’ve also gotta believe that, with 34 (!) comics out in a month – as opposed to IDW’s mere FOUR, Italians WOULD have to pick and choose when it comes to their purchases – or, they live in very spacious houses": indeed. It's not just the space to store them, the money to buy them and the time to read them. Anyway, this month I'll buy the first issue of a new bimonthly comic book, TESORI INTERNATIONAL, which reprints the original 12 chapters of "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck"; issue #2 will have the extra chapters, and issues from 3 onwards will be dedicated to other creators. I already have Lo$, but this edition has been supervised by Don Rosa himself with changes in translation, coloring, alternate art etc. It's the first time that in Italy a Don Rosa story is published with the author's consent and supervision, and this may be the prelude of something: you can't have the Italian equivalent of the Don Rosa Library without the autor's consent and supervision.
"I’m shocked, shocked (Claude Rains level "shocked"!), to learn this! :-)": I had to google Claude Rains to get what you meant, though I imagined what to expect. :-) Anyway, the fact that I used "buy" instead of "believe" is just a coincidence: any relation with the "omelet egg BOUGHT at the market" thing... that was not intentional.
"I think that’s a fascinating way to look at it, and it not unlike the way I view “The Goofy and Pluto Conundrum”": I never understood the big deal with Goofy and Pluto. For me, Goofy is a human being charicaturally drawn as a dog, and Pluto is a real dog. As simple as that.
Anon:
I think it’s just a “convention” of comics/ animation/ comedy writing to use a parody name of a person, place or thing, even if the actual name CAN be used without owing to issues of copyright! And that, I’m certain, was exactly what the McGreals were doing. I know I’ve done it. Sometimes, of course, you really CANNOT use the actual name, and a “parody name” is a must.
I feel Carl Barks’ comic book Donald was the outgrowth of Jack King’s animated Donald. Though, that could easily be because Barks had been a gag man for King. …We’ll never know.
And, it’s more likely that, if you CAN afford to live in a “very spacious house”, you can also afford to by upwards of 34 comics a month. Alas, as with most folks, I can afford to do neither. I’m glad IDW keeps it at the “Core Four”.
And, “Claude Rains”, is a reference to his role (and great line) in (Oh, I can see the responses pouring in now…) The Greatest Film of All Time “Casablanca”!
"I think it’s just a “convention” of comics/ animation/ comedy writing to use a parody name of a person, place or thing, even if the actual name CAN be used without owing to issues of copyright!": in my opinion, whether this convention is good or bad varies from case to case. The novel "Larceny on the Orient Express" starring Hercule Parrot, the great detective Sherlock Bones who plays the violin to concentrate etc. are bad because they are pointless; "Fakasso" instead of Picasso is good because he (indirectly) interacts with Donald in a story set in the present; the Loch Less monster is bad because it sounds as weird as the nine cities of Kibola, the mathematician's stone and the silver fleeching (thank goodness we were spared those things). Of course, these are just my opinions.
"I feel Carl Barks’ comic book Donald was the outgrowth of Jack King’s animated Donald. Though, that could easily be because Barks had been a gag man for King. …We’ll never know": indeed, we'll never know what animated Donald would have become had Barks stayed longer in the animation department or what the Donald from the American comics would have become if Barks didn't work on them until later.
"I’m glad IDW keeps it at the “Core Four”": I'd say quality trumps quantity, so it doesn't matter if there are "only" four comics per month (plus the collections of opera omnia), though I think a few more pages per issue wouldn't hurt (but you already explained to me why it isn't feasible to have more pages). By the way, since IDW includes the credits for the stories, wouldn't it be better if it also included the original title? I think it would be good to also have the full original date of publication instead of just the year.
"And, “Claude Rains”, is a reference to his role (and great line) in (Oh, I can see the responses pouring in now…) The Greatest Film of All Time “Casablanca”!": this is a movie that I have planned to see for a long time (as I know it by fame) but unfortunately I haven't seen it yet. :-( But someday I will...
Of course, it's hard to decide which is the greatest film of all time, as many movies can claim that title:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_considered_the_best
"I don't know if Hercule Parrot was used in the original version, but if it was I think it was a bad idea. I mean, why not use the real name (Hercule Poirot)? (…) As for Hercule Paperot, I think the name change was a good idea, since he was presented as a real character rather than a fictional one, and since he interacted with the main characters."
You're being inconsistent. Because, I mean, the Phantomallard story and this one are supposed to be set in the same universe. How weird would it be that there's BOTH a fictional "Hercule Poirot", and a real-flesh-and-blood Hercule Paperot, coexisting in the same universe ? While it'd make sense, and it would be an interesting easter egg, for Scrooge to be reading about the Phantomallard Hercule Paperot.
Anon:
I think that the use of Parody Names simply may be another of those areas in which we disagree. One reason why is that I feel it requires the writer to be “more creative” to come up with a “funny but recognizable” reference. And, especially when they’re good, I enjoy both reading – and writing – them!
If I had to choose, I’d prefer that Barks moved from animation to comic books exactly when he did – even if the shorts suffered after his (and not that long thereafter, Jack King’s) departure. Any earlier, and comic books would have been “too much in their infancy” for him to take hold as he did.
And, here in the USA, the shorts were not omnipresent on television in the days of my youth (…I doubt they are today either), as opposed to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, and many other theatrical series… while Carl Barks’ comic books were readily and regularly available for me to enjoy. So, in strictly “me-centric terms”, I had Carl Barks to grow up with, as things actually played out – and, if he remained considerably longer in animation, I would not have.
You ABSOLUTELY MUST see “Casablanca” at some point! Everyone should! ‘Nuff said, to quote the great Stan Lee!
Designating the “Greatest Film of All Time” would be not unlike designating the “Greatest Comic Book Story of All Time”. Most folks would disagree, but enough would very likely name “Casablanca” to keep it in serious consideration.
HERE, as always, is Anon’s link.
Achille:
I think I’ll step aside and let you and Anon have at it on this one.
But, for what it’s worth, I like the idea of both a real and fictional character existing in the same universe. In the ‘70s, Mark Evanier established that there were “Super Goof comic books” in the same world in which Super Goof existed. And, I liked that so much that I threw it in as an offhanded reference myself. I can also recall an ‘80s run of Captain America where Steve Rogers actually worked as an artist on the “Captain America comic book”.
As for “Hercule Paperot” and “Hercule Parrot”, perhaps one of them is REAL, and the other is one of those fictional PARODY NAMES that I like so much, that is used to avoid copyright infringement!
@Achille Talon
I don't think I was inconsistent. Hercule Paperot is portrayed as a real character who interacts with Phantomallard, so I think it would have been a bad idea to portray Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot as a real charcter in the context of the duck universe. But if Scrooge is going to just mention a novel starring Poirot to make a comparison to his current adventure, I just don't see the point of changing the name. I'll make two more examples: in the Phantomallard series we also meet Paperholmes and Duckson, in Lockman/Barks' "The Invisible Intruder" we meet Surelock and surely there are more Holmes rip-offs. I think those are good changes, as these detectives interact with the main cast. On the other hand, the example I made in a previous comment (Super Goof comparing himself with the great detective Sherlock Bones who played the violin to concentrate and was implied to be just a popular fictional character) contains what I see as a pointless change. I hope I explained my point of view more clearly this time.
"I mean, the Phantomallard story and this one are supposed to be set in the same universe. How weird would it be that there's BOTH a fictional "Hercule Poirot", and a real-flesh-and-blood Hercule Paperot, coexisting in the same universe ?": I see what you mean, though this is just a consequence of the two characters being mentioned in two unrelated stories by different authors.
@Joe
"I think that the use of Parody Names simply may be another of those areas in which we disagree": I don't think we are really disagreeing here, as I too like parody names ("Fakasso" instead of Picasso in a Barks story, to make an example); it's just that I think there are a few instances in which it is better not to use them.
"I think I’ll step aside and let you and Anon have at it on this one": I can picture you making one step behind, sitting down, and eating pop-corn while you watch Achille and me discuss ths with a smug smile on your face...
"But, for what it’s worth, I like the idea of both a real and fictional character existing in the same universe": this time we really have to agree to disagree, as I don't like blatant fourth-wall breaking (like Dickie Duck's debut story, where the whole Duckburg cast go meeting her for no reason, and she picks an issue of TOPOLINO saying: I know all of you, I am a reader of you), which just throw me out of the story. On the other hand, I like how in Don Rosa's "Nobody's Business" and "Guardians of the Lost Library" we see or hear mention of issues of MICKEY MOUSE comics, as I think the duck universe and the mouse universe as separate universes; I also have nothing against the scene in Lo$ part 12 (extended version) where we see Don's Eisner Award, as it is done with subtelty: you won't see the small 1995 date unless you are really paying attention, and even then you could find plenty of in-universe explanations as to why 1947 Scrooge would have an object with "1995" written on it. And if I remember correctly how the 1990's Spider-Man animated tv series ended, there was a clever use of the multiverse theory to show an alternate universe (for the audience, that is the real world) in which Spidey is a fictional charcater and Stan Lee is his creator: I liked that.
"You ABSOLUTELY MUST see “Casablanca” at some point!": I will when I have the chance, I promise.
"But, for what it’s worth, I like the idea of both a real and fictional character existing in the same universe. In the ‘70s, Mark Evanier established that there were “Super Goof comic books” in the same world in which Super Goof existed. And, I liked that so much that I threw it in as an offhanded reference myself. I can also recall an ‘80s run of Captain America where Steve Rogers actually worked as an artist on the “Captain America comic book”."
—> I know! I'm actually all the more familiar with the principle (applied with Disney comics) because it is a standard, established fact in Italian stories that the characters' lives are adapted as comic books (see the Carl Barks homage story, for instance) into the comics we buy and love. The thing that bothered me was not at all that Scrooge was reading a book about a character that was also real in his world; that was totally okay. My only problem was with the slightly different name! I like your idea about "Hercule Parrot" being an in-universe parody name. Heacanon accepted.
Anon:
“I can picture you making one step behind, sitting down, and eating pop-corn while you watch Achille and me discuss this with a smug smile on your face...”
Maybe not “smug”, but I’d sure be watching with the popcorn! :-) Since I like you both, I’d root for a draw!
I remember not liking Don Rosa’s “Eisner Award Joke”, when I first read it, but I think I’d view it differently now.
Achille:
I'm happy to have helped shape your headcanon!
@Achille
"it is a standard, established fact in Italian stories that the characters' lives are adapted as comic books (see the Carl Barks homage story, for instance) into the comics we buy and love": it think it's too much to say it is an estabilished fact in Italian stories, as I think this plot device has only been used in a few Italian stories. Thank goodness, I'll say, as I don't like this idea at all.
@Joe
"Since I like you both, I’d root for a draw!": hahaha, what a great group we are!
"I remember not liking Don Rosa’s “Eisner Award Joke”, when I first read it, but I think I’d view it differently now": maybe the reason it doesn't bother me is that it doesn't interrupts the narrative flow (Donald dismissing things about Scrooge), and it is subtly done, as most people don't even know what a Eisner Award is; plus, casual readers won't notice the date written on it, since it is not that big.
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