My longtime and very dear friend, Dana Gabbard, passed away yesterday at the age of 59.
He was the publisher of a fanzine called “The Duckburg Times”, an historically important publication to American Disney comic book fandom - back when information on such things was largely unknown, difficult to come by, and said fandom was in its relative infancy.
Whether they know it or not, any and every member of this fandom today owes Dana Gabbard a debt for his pioneering efforts… and for the many persons he influenced, that made myriad contributions to that fandom for years to come!
I am, without question, one of those persons influenced - and inspired - by Dana Gabbard.
It was Dana who, ages ago, asked me to contribute written articles to “The Duckburg Times”... and I expressed doubts about being able to do so! But, Dana prevailed, and look at all that has since flowed from that (life-changing) invitation - different fanzine writings, over 300 letters in comic book letter columns, professional writing of various text articles on Disney comics, “translation and dialogue” for those same comics for several different publishers… and even this Blog!
Beyond being an immeasurable influence on so many aspects of my life, Dana was a great friend! We, and some other close friends, had great fun every year at the San Diego Comic-Con (1988-2003 - with me missing only three within that span). As I lived in New York and Dana lived in California, it was my annual opportunity to visit with him.
Dana found a good pancake place, with outdoor dining to enjoy the pleasant San Diego mornings, where we regularly “broke-fast”. I do not recall the actual name of that establishment but - because he discovered it, and in the tradition of the “International House of Pancakes” chain (IHOP) - one year, I christened it “D-HOP” for Dana, and that became its “official name” among us forever after.
Evenings, after the con was closed, we often convened at a pizza place called “Little Joe’s” in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. They served their pizzas “California Style” - not like the REAL PIZZA we have in New York! It was Dana who convinced me to try the radically unheard-of "pizza with pineapple toppings"! And, while this proud New Yorker still refused to accept this aberration as “pizza”, I enjoyed it very much - and ordered it year after each succeeding year.
That was one (of so many) of my fun interactions with Dana… the “New York vs. California Thing”. For instance, over the six days I’d spend in San Diego (four days of Comic-Con and two days for travel to-and-from), I’d never reset my watch. When Dana asked me why, I replied “So that I’ll always know what time it REALLY IS!”, leading to a long series of “time-difference jokes”.
For a while, I'd call him each year as the ball dropped in Times Square, and say something like "Happy New Year - from THE REAL 1995!"
Dana laughed, and I was totally dismayed, when a San Diego police officer stopped me... for jaywalking! I was SO surprised that I told the officer that "We do it in New York all the time!" I guess I was both sufficiently sincere and taken-aback that I was let off with a warning! Dana had that one on me for a long time to come!
As was often the case in the primitive early-1980s, my friendship with Dana played out over correspondence (ya know, like "letters"), because even phone calls between New York and California (...or, as Dana would put it "California and New York") were prohibitively expensive. But, when I was hospitalized in 1984 for what is an easy in-and-out procedure today (...as I said, "primitive"), Dana bore the "impossible-to-conceive-today" expense of calling me once I'd returned home for a recuperative period! ...And it was a long call! His actions delighted me no end that day!
I could go on and on, but I hope I've given you the smallest feel for the fun we had, and why Dana Gabbard was such a special friend!
My last "interaction" with Dana (...if you could call it that) was his sending me a Christmas card, in which he wrote: "Call sometime!"
I explained in an e-mail to him that we sent out no Christmas cards this year because of the construction chaos, and that also impacted my ability to make all but brief phone calls - and promised him that we would have a lengthy conversation as soon as the construction yielded to a more "normal life".
That e-mail went unanswered... and, unfortunately, I now believe I know why...
I know it's a poor substitute for that unmade phone call but, if Blogs can be read in Heaven, I hope this somehow reaches you, and reminds you of all the great times we've shared!
Thank you, Dana… for all you’ve done… and continue to do! I'll do my best to "pay it forward" at every opportunity!
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Perhaps ironically, due to the very same home construction that I used to delay that "never-will-be" phone call to Dana, my scanner is disabled and I can't access any old photos - so I do not have an image of Dana to present with this post. I will retroactively remedy that (and remove this passage), as soon as the situation allows. ...UPDATE: I did locate one photo of Dana, which I had used in an older blog post, and put it here. As the construction (eventually) subsides - and I have access to my scanner and actual printed photos, I will add more!
22 comments:
I'm grateful to Dana for all he did to build and sustain Barksian fandom in the USA. And I'm very sorry for your loss, Joe--these longtime friendships can never be replaced. You do "pay it forward" in all sorts of ways, though, including your friendships with folks like me here on the blog, and all your work to document and share comics history.
It's fun that the two restaurants you guys patronized in San Diego included one nicknamed after Dana (D-HOP) and one named "after" you! I do agree with you that the baked flatbread concoction with pineapple chunks can taste great but IS NOT PIZZA. Also, Eastern Time is Real Time, and zip codes beginning with "9" are obviously bogus. I mean, there was even a fictional TV series named with such a zip code! Clearly made up!
Elaine:
Thank you for the kind words about Dana and his far-reaching influence. I wonder if even *he* truly knew the full extent of the seeds he planted and the fruits he shared!
Never realized the name-connections in restaurants, until you mentioned it! Yay!
And, YES! Sorry, Dana… but the Northeast RULES!
RIP. It is always sad to lose a close friend. As a fan of your blog and your comics work, I say, "Thank you, Dana Gabbard, for encouraging Joe to become a writer."
And thank you, Joe, for sharing some of those fun moments you had with Dana.
It seems that aside from a love of comics, we have something else in common... I, too, have been stopped by a police officer for jaywalking... in Connecticut. While it may be part of the East Coast, I guess Connecticut is no New York!
Thank you, Sergio.
We sure had fun in those bygone days, didn’t we? To that, my aim was not to dwell on the tragedy of Dana’s passing, but to celebrate the great times we had over the years - and what he meant to me as a friend.
THIS 2018 POST, when he was still with us, shows my acknowledgement of the trajectory Dana had set me on - ultimately bringing us all to this place. The people and things you “touch” throughout the journey of life boggles the mind! And, even if I didn’t make “that phone call”, through this post (and in the many, many conversations we’ve had) I made certain that Dana knew what he meant to me!
Finally, on a lighter note, you write: “While it may be part of the East Coast, I guess Connecticut is no New York!”
No, but it’s a CLOSE SECOND… depending on your opinion of New Jersey! …He says, setting up an obvious straight line!
I'm sorry for your loss
Thank you, Marc.
This was a tough one. A great and enduring friendship of forty years.
Joe,
When you called the other night to break the news to me, to say that it left a deep hole in my heart is no understatement. The world of Disney comic enthusiasts is not very large when compared to other fan bases, especially here in the US. Dana was a bright star whose efforts and commitment to The Duckburg Times, back in the Dark Ages, brought so many of us together, as you and I discussed. It is stunning to realize that it has indeed been 40 years. I thoroughly enjoyed the regretably few times I got to be in Dana's company, mostly thanks to you I might add! Our Disney Comic galaxy just dimmed.....
A post script since I missed it the first time: the photo that you posted was taken during the one con that I was able to participate with you all and that especially means an enormous amount to me with Dana as I remember him best.
Chuck:
Just considering my calling you with the bad news Wednesday evening…after having just gotten off the phone with David Gerstein who told me, and who himself had just received the news from Brent Swanson…
It boggles the mind to contemplate the number of people WHO WOULD PROBABLY NOT EVEN *KNOW* ONE ANOTHER if Dana were somehow “subtracted” or otherwise “removed-completely-and without-a-trace” from The Great Cosmic Mix!
SO MANY of the ricocheting-connections of our lives have sprung (directly or indirectly) from the mere existence of this one “key” individual. I wonder if Dana ever fully realized the impact he had on so many of us!
…And he DID IT ALL before the rise of home computer technology - and all that it’s wrought, for better or for worse! What an accomplishment!
Joe - thanks for letting fandom know of Dana's death. My interaction with him was only as a subscriber to the D Times, so I think of him from that aspect - a major connection and crossroads pointing from the early Barks fandom of the 1960s to the European vision that we're still in. I sure hope he knew that. And so young! He must have been a child prodigy!
Steven Rowe
Steven:
A child prodigy? Could be… I didn’t know him until we were both in our twenties, but could be…
What I *do* know is that Dana had a tremendous drive, powered by a boatload of enthusiasm, and he channeled that into the things he liked best… comics fandom, and later transit advocacy.
Another funny thing about Dana’s far-reaching influence is that, long after he did, I also became a local transit advocate when the bus service in my Long Island county was first privatized and then subject to very deep cuts. I guess I saw that if Dana could fight the good fight in Los Angeles, I could do so on LI… and sure enough, I’m now on a first-name basis with the CEO of the local bus operating firm, and have worked with him (from the rider’s perspective) to affect positive change. I've also spoken before the county legislature on the subject of transit funding. …And I didn’t even realize Dana’s inspiration was in play here until I literally began typing these words!
You write: “I think of him from that aspect - a major connection and crossroads pointing from the early Barks fandom of the 1960s to the European vision that we're still in. I sure hope he knew that. ”
Oh, he KNEW THAT! Witness an exchange I had with him as the “computer age” began rising in fandom. Dana did it all BEFORE any of that happened. He did it “the hard way”, step-by-step, making contacts, accumulating knowledge, and gaining credibility… unlike so many today, who fancy themselves “historians” and fandom-figures just because they have a Facebook (oh, sorry… “Meta”) page! You and I have had similar journeys, so I’m sure you’ll appreciate this anecdote:
When the increasing volume of online comics reference was taking over from the individual researchers and fanzine/APA contributors, etc. who had formed fandom’s foundations, I depressingly remarked: “Dana, I don’t think they need us anymore!”
To which he replied (citing the amount of incorrect, incomplete, or outright missing information found on what was then called “The Information Superhighway”): “No, they NEED US MORE THAN EVER!” …And he was right, given the number of contributions we all continued to make - up to and including our respective adding or correcting index entries in the Grand Comics Database! Many of our final conversations or e-mail exchanges touched on our contributions to GCD.
So, yes… he KNEW IT all the way to the end!
See, it's exactly the same reason why the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook would *still* be a crucial thing to have, despite all the information available at your fingertips via your smartphone...because the information in the JW Guidebook is VETTED by people who care about the sourcing and provenance of information and is thus RELIABLE! Not just asserted by someone who knows how to make their website look official. Not from an online encyclopedia entry edited by some corporate actor whose company's financial interests are at stake.
You and Dana and those like you are like the anonymous editors of the Guidebook, bless you!
Joe:
The past few years have been a bit of a viper in taking special people from us, very often before their time. So sorry to hear of Dana's passing, I know you had an exceptional, longtime friendship with him, entwined with the very same things we all enjoy.
Dana's research and comic book "archeology" broke ground on the backstory for those things we all enjoy—and while his research is cited in many places, no doubt there are countless resources where his research SHOULD be cited! I'm sure you'll continue to celebrate him here at TIAH and beyond.
The true blessing is that Dana's meticulous work and attention to detail lives on through his colleagues like you... and so many others who will benefit from that remarkable foundation of accurate information curated long before the days of the internet.
While the great comic artists, writers and editors have been receiving more due credit in recent years, it sure is gratifying to know there is documented attention and affection for those who have been working to "add to the story" even if they never created content for an official published comic.
Dana Gabbard added SO much to the story.
Someday I hope to produce a podcast or documentary on Four Color ducks, mice & goofs, Dana's invaluable contributions will be most assuredly acknowledged as a part of that project!
Please stay well/healthy/safe, and talk soon! – Dan Cunningham
Dan:
You can BET that Dana - and all that he initiated and/or contributed to - will continue to be celebrated right here!
The “great comic artists, writers and editors [who] have been receiving more due credit in recent years” do so thanks to the early efforts of persons like Mark Evanier, Alberto Becattini… and Dana Gabbard! I, personally, have learned a great deal from all three.
And, for instance, when I write text pages for Fantagraphics Disney Masters about Paul Murry, that give Mr. Murry that deserved and long overdue credit for his great body of work, it is from pioneers like these that I draw both knowledge and inspiration.
So, not only did “Dana Gabbard add SO much to the story”... HE STILL IS DOING EXACTLY THAT!
Elaine:
You write: “See, it's exactly the same reason why the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook would *still* be a crucial thing to have, despite all the information available at your fingertips via your smartphone...because the information in the JW Guidebook is VETTED by people who care about the sourcing and provenance of information and is thus RELIABLE! Not just asserted by someone who knows how to make their website look official. Not from an online encyclopedia entry edited by some corporate actor whose company's financial interests are at stake.”
And that’s exactly what Dana meant when he said: “No, they NEED US MORE THAN EVER!”
…I didn’t believe it at the time, but now I do!
You and Dana and those like you are like the anonymous editors of the Guidebook, bless you!
That’s very kind… but I’m only a contributor, while Dana wrote the ORIGINAL FIRST DRAFT!
Here is an amazing tribute to Dana... everyone, please read it HERE!
He was smart and sensible, from what little I knew of him.
He was ALL THAT AND THEN SOME, Jonathan!
Sadly, I only tried to get in touch with him once, in 1997 or so. He was too busy at the time, and I never bothered him again.
Alas, isn’t that all too often the way things happen? I could also say the same about Dell and Gold Key creators that I actually *did* get in touch with, but didn’t have as many discussions with them as I could have… Ya know, that old “thinking they’ll always be around” thing that comes with youth…
But (sigh!) we (or they) always seem to be too busy… Now, my motto is “Do everything you can, as soon as you can, and *while* you can!” …Life’s lessons learned.
It was a quirk of fate that caused me to come across a cache of Duck and Mouse stories I hadn't seen before, at the close of 2021. I had been out of the loop for years. I began navigating the contact list of old DCML veterans just too late for him. There aren't many of us left, are there?
Jonathan:
Of a certain type of fan, I would agree that “there aren't many of us left”.
Per a discussion I’ve often had with Dana and with David Gerstein in recent years, I’ve made the observation that the original newspaper readers of the Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse continuities are probably all gone – and that Gottfredson is exclusively known today via comic book reprints, and book collections.
Even Carl Barks’ “original readers” (Dell and Gold Key Comics) are largely age “60’s and up” – including me… though in the decidedly youthful lower range of that spectrum! :-) And, sooner or later, even Barks will be known only by second-generation readers (and beyond) though his many, many comic book reprints and book collections as well
There are still a healthy number of fans from the “pre-computer age”, of which Dana and I certainly were… but there are far more (WAY far more) fans on the other side of that dividing line – and that scale tips further every day! Indeed, I first heard of you during the period when the “transfer and preservation of knowledge” was moving away from fanzines and personal correspondence and toward the online.
Now, there is INDUCKS, and what I feel is the BEST online comics indexing site – Grand Comics Database (aka “GCD”) which comprehensively indexes EVERYTHING, and of which I am a member, providing lots of information on my particular specialties… like THIS ONE!
Since there’s an almost endless discussion of fandoms to be had, I’ll make the offer that I periodically make to all… If you’d like to contact me, please send me a BLOG COMMENT with your e-mail address. I will not publish it, but will respond – and we can take it from there.
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