The time has come, the Walrus said...
...Of why this Blog was left for dead...
...Despite your many "pings"!
My sincerest apologies to all you wonderful friends (friends both to me and to this humble Blog) for your concern - and especially your continued contact with comments - and it's time I finally shared the long, long story.
Frankly, from mid-summer until very recently, it's been a bad time for us.
To those brave solus that inquired, my stock reply was "It's not health! It's not divorce! Anything else can work itself out!"
And, after a long series of unpleasant experiences that brought us unprecedented levels of stress, things did - actually, and in total - work themselves out!
I'll not go into details, as living through it once was difficult enough, but neither Esther nor I were at fault... and, paradoxically, we also both were!
BUT, IT'S OVER NOW! HOORAY!
The end result is that we are moving! But a mere 6.30 miles from our present address. There were reasons having to do with the neighborhood - one that I've lived in (or around) since I was 14 (with only some small breaks) - but, having spent some time at our future address just this very day, we both love it, and can't wait until our closing date.
So, I thank you for sticking with us, lo these many blog-barren months - and especially for all the comments, which kept coming in despite my lack of response. I WILL (hopefully) GET TO THEM ALL IN THE NEAR FUTURE, among and around the herculean task of packing for the move!
The comments actually meant a great deal to me as (...if you've followed some squarely-dropped hints) I was - and, to some degree, still am - considering ending this Blog. I will do a post as to WHY at some point, but you're welcome to drop an opinion of your own!
TO HAPPIER THINGS: My work with Fantagraphics and Gold Key continues with great stuff coming from both publishers... and then there's THIS...
I must have turned this in close to two years ago, but IT'S FINALLY HERE!
And, if I've got the schedule right, Issues 2 and 3 will have an amazing story by Casty (...with me as a hanger-on... of the "for dear life" variety) using another villain from the Gottfredson/Walsh era who has been too seldom seen - and, as a writer, I can say - with good reason! GREAT VILLAIN, but very hard to write. Some of you should guess it pretty quickly, with THAT hint!
It WAS the most difficult and effort-intensive task I ever performed for Fantagraphics (...and all those drop-out Disney publishers that preceded them)... but I did it for our esteemed editor David Gerstein, for Mickey, for the Very-Hard-To-Write-Villain... and especially for YOU!
Gold Key is way too early to talk about, but I've taken on some interesting duties there as well.
See you in the Comments Section (...I hope?)
14 comments:
Such a relief to have you reappear on the blog! Sorry you and Esther had such a terribly unpleasant and stressful stretch of months there--and I hope once you are settled in the new house you'll both have time to recuperate. Glad that you both really like the new place! May the closing go smoothly, and the move go without any major problems.
Yes, the Fantagraphic regular comics are the Best News by far in a very bad year for news. I *really* need a day-brightener now and then in the current news environment, and nothing brightens a day like a Fantagraphic floppy! Also some great hardcovers coming out from Fantagraphics, this year and next. Can't wait for the Clan McDuck collection!
I look forward to hearing more about what you're doing for Gold Key!
Exciting times indeed! Very glad to see this blog coming out of hibernation… so, it goes without saying, I would be very sad to see it go in a more formal way! I always like seeing a new post, especially with email correspondence often being subject to the vagaries of Horrific Business on either end.
If it must lie fallow every so often, then so be it; bringing it to an end in an official way just seems like something that one might be liable to regret later, while having no true upside relative to hiatuses-as-needed. Moreover, to end it would be to give in to a hostile era of the Web whose reasons for choking out individual blogs are nothing that should be surrendered to, even when the going gets tough. And think: aren't you just a handful of years away from a staggering *20 year anniversary*? Surely it'd be a crying shame to give up so close to such a milestone!…
Also, an anecdote: busy as I am, I genuinely would have *missed the news* about the new Fantagraphics Disney monthlies! Yes, really! I mean, I'd surely have found out eventually, but likely too late to make it to the window of preorders for the first "Uncle Scrooge". If that's not a darn good reason for a comics blog to chug on, I don't know what is. And now I'm off to preorder that "Blot"! Also very curious about the Casty of it all, of course…
(My copy of the first Fantagraphics Uncle Scrooge has not, in fact, arrived yet, but I'm tracking it avidly. Still — I ordered it a month ago now, to the day. I do hope a way to buy these digitally will emerge. It's one thing to stomach the cost of shipping, but not yet having received #461 when #462 is already sold out is properly tantalising!)
Hi Joe,
I suspected that you might be going through some absorbing events given lack of published comments on this blog. I'm very happy that everything is over now and I wish you the best of luck and lots of strength for your planned move.
As for your riddle, I'm afraid that Fantagraphics has taken the pleasure of guessing away from us as they've already revealed the description and cover for "Mickey Mouse" #2 on their site!
https://www.fantagraphics.com/products/mickey-mouse-legacy-332-ripples-in-time-part-1-of-2
By doing this, they revealed that the great villain in question is none other than Gottfredson and Walsh's Rhyming Man ;) And seeing as he is accompanied on the cover by Agent Uma, the story featured must be "Topolino e l'anomalia concentrica" by Vacca and Mazzarello, as confirmed by authors' credits (INDUCKS link: https://inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+3455-2P).
The description of the other story points to "Memento" by Noel Van Horn (INDUCKS: https://inducks.org/story.php?c=D%2FD+2003-050). This one I had a chance to read and I must say it's a fairly moving yarn for a Disney comic, touching, albeit indirectly, on subjects that aren't frequently featured in the adventures of ducks and mice. I'll refrain from a more detailed synopsis to avoid spoilers, but it'll be certainly interesting to hear the opinions of American readers once it's released in English.
Everyone:
IT’S SO WONDERFUL TO BE BACK!
A TITANIC TIAH-TON OF THANKS TO ALL FOR THE NEW AND ENTHUSIASTIC COMMENTS!
THAT’S WHAT I ENJOY MOST ABOUT DOING THIS… AND WHAT I’LL MISS MOST, SHOULD I DECIDE TO STOP …something still under some consideration, but your comments are exactly what I need to help sway me!
I’LL BE GETTING TO ALL OF YOUR “BACK COMMENTS” ON PREVIOUS POSTS HOPEFULLY SOON… BUT, FOR NOW LET’S GET TO YOUR GREATLY-APPRECIATED THOUGHTS!
Elaine:
Thank you for the good wishes, Elaine! Right now, the greatest challenge facing us is… PACKING! Having never expected to move from our present house (especially after adding that ”nifty guest room”, in which you were the first-occupying ”nifty guest”, and a host of other improvements we’ve made since moving here in 2016), I’d never imagined that we’d *voluntarily* put ourselves through this ordeal ever again!
But, just as I thought we’d never again see “REAL” Disney standard format comic books – produced by the people (creative and editorial) who do them best and REALLY CARE about getting them right, and that my 1960s favorites LOST IN SPACE and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA would still be running EVERY DAY on TV in the far-off year of 2025, ya just never know what’s gonna happen!
Speaking of “REAL” Disney standard format comic books – produced by the people (creative and editorial) who do them best and REALLY CARE about getting them right, how great is it that we have them back – and, as you say, acting as vital day-brighteners during day after day of relentlessly depressing domestic and international news!
Between these and Dynamite’s SPACE GHOST, Mad Cave’s DICK TRACY, and the various RICK AND MORTY comics from Oni Press (all so welcome after I’ve completely abandoned my once-beloved DC – or did DC “abandon me”?), even the most upsetting headlines lose just a tad of their negative potency!
…And wait’ll you see what Gold Key is cooking up!
Achille:
You make some incredibly meaningful points – some of which I’ve also considered – that could counteract the overall frustrations that originally pushed me toward bringing this (admittedly wonderful creation of mine – he says with the greatest of humility… as if “bragging-with-great-humility” is even a thing) to a permanent close. I’ll probably lay out those frustrations for you all before I make any final decision… but comments like yours and the others in this thread sincerely help the odds of its continuance!
*20-Year Anniversary*, eh? Hmmm… Less than three years to go… Double hmmm… One day a MILESTONE, one day a MILLSTONE… Triple hmmm…
I *am* sorry if this Blog’s absence might have caused you to miss out on the first Fantagraphics UNCLE SCROOGE! That’s one reason (perhaps the *only* reason) I forced myself to push out a “minimalist” post heralding its arrival. I just couldn’t let such a long-awaited occurrence go by without some acknowledgement.
But honestly, I never imagined the likes of you would have missed it entirely, given the other existing avenues to obtain such knowledge. Or, more frankly put, wouldn’t all those [FILL IN YOUR OWN DEROGATORY ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS HERE] at Feathery Society have been all over this?
They sure were when they were criticizing our team at IDW, and calling for our jobs, the dirty [FILL IN YOUR OWN DEROGATORY ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS HERE]! Even all the Americans who continue to frequent that murky pit (and sorry to the many of them that I know and like) would not have needed me to give them the scoop!
I’m just very glad you’re along with us for this (hopefully long) journey! And you don’t have to be curious about the Casty Mickey in issues #2-3, because T. has just given you the scoop!
IT’S GONNA BE GOOD! …and I oughta know!
T.:
Your phrase “absorbing events” doesn’t even begin to describe the ordeal (not just the moving, but all the other events, related and unrelated, that surrounded it). I’ll simply say… not for the squeamish, and leave it at that – but happily take your good wishes and run before more such stuff catches up with me!
Well, you scooped me on The Rhyming Man – and, unlike spoiling, scooping is always fair ‘round here! I hereby thank you on Achille’s behalf.
GREAT GOBS OF GECKO GIZZARDS! I was *wrong* about Casty doing “Ripples In Time”! I just checked my final draft and it was indeed written by Francesco Vacca and drawn by Marco Mazzarello! How could I have made such an error?!!
Well, just to offer a meager defense, Casty did create the whole Uma “time-cop” thing, and also used The Rhyming Man in “Mickey Mouse and the World to Come”, the first Casty story to appear in the United States! …And I submitted my final draft of the script on November 10, 2024 – literally one year and two days ago, as I write this! And subsequent events never allowed me to look back.
Still inexcusable, though! But that’s the difference in writing for a Blog and for an actual publication! For the latter you absolutely, positively must get these things right, rather than rely on possibly vague or faulty memories. …Then again, MY name is omitted from the advertised credits of “The Phantom Blot’s Double Revenge”, which WAS by Casty… and I probably had more to do with that book than any of the listed names other than Casty!
To atone for my great embarrassment, I’ll give you a peek behind the curtain:
THIS WAS PERHAPS THE MOST DIFFICULT AND LABOR INTENSIVE THING I’VE EVER DONE IN COMICS!
Why? Aside from the (required?) re-reading of three lengthy stories as prep, it's because Casty writes his original stories in Italian, and it’s up to me to translate and script them in American English. That’s typical, but The Rhyming Man came with an additional difficulty… (Can ya see what’s coming?)
I had to translate Casty’s RHYMING DIALOGUE from Italian to English, have it say the SAME THING that Casty intended… and have RM speak that SAME THING in RHYMING ENGLISH!!! A lot harder than it sounds, especially if you’re looking for accuracy and “loyalty” to the original and, at the same time, something funny or innovative in the new language!
I would imagine that the Polish translation you’ve read presented the same challenge to my Polish equivalent. I hope translators everywhere did this story proud – because it ain’t easy to translate a rhyme into another language, make it mean what it meant in the original (crucial to the story), and have it rhyme in the second language (crucial to the character of The Rhyming Man)!
I know that I went the extra-dozen-or-so-miles for this one (as I always do for Casty – and most everything else) by first re-reading his original Uma story, then the Walsh/Gottfredson Rhyming Man story, and finally “Mickey Mouse and the World to Come” - just to be sure I got everything right!
You will see evidence of this when you compare Walsh and Gottfredson’s first line of Rhyming Man dialogue to mine in “Ripples In Time”! Just another of those “things to look for” in the works of this talented team, under the guidance of out talented editor!
I didn’t read the Noel Van Horn story in advance, as I don’t read anyone else’s stories in advance. That way I can enjoy them as a fan!
HERE is T.’s link to the ad for “Ripples In Time” - just to further whet your rhyming appetite!
Joe:
Yes, I'm sure they were, but I don't spend nearly so much time on the Society as I used to. It's not so much anything about the atmosphere of the place that pushed me away (though I understand your frustrations; but mind you, remember that a certain Ramapith still seems to post regularly, so it's hardly all bad company!). Mostly it's just the vagaries of my own periods of Horrific Business — I have a book coming out any day now, real-world distractions aside! — combined shifting interests; for some years now my primary online-fandom activities have been to do with Who rather than Ducks & Mice, and that has Forums of its own.
I still check the Society boards, oh, every month or so, but not as often or as reflexively as I still check if there's anything new on *this* webpage!
Achille (you write):
“I still check the Society boards, oh, every month or so, but not as often or as reflexively as I still check if there's anything new on *this* webpage!”
THANK YOU! I consider that a HUGE compliment! [Aside to everyone who’s not Achille] Someone must really want this humble Blog to stick around!
“…but I don't spend nearly so much time on the Society as I used to.”
[Aside to everyone INCLUDING Achille] That same “someone” is clearly making better use of his time these days!
I joke about that murky pit, but the fact that we were all fired, after enough of those [FILL IN YOUR OWN DEROGATORY ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS HERE] began piling-on their inappropriate calls for our jobs, and were replaced with “a-single-person-who-was clearly-not-up-to-the-task-of-writing-for-an-American-audience”, (How’d THAT work out for you, trolls?) seems a tad more than coincidental and still stings today – so forgive me my pint of residual bitterness!
Besides, critique all you want… everything boils down to a matter of taste, but NEVER call for someone’s job! That’s a line NO ONE should cross!
And, to make matters all the more distasteful, the persons calling for our jobs were NOT EVEN AMERICANS – the very audience we were writing for, and an audience that was very appreciative of what we did… and, apparently, still are! And I thank all of you for that!
They all HAD their own country’s comics (and LOTS OF ‘EM), presumably done the way THEY liked them, so why pick on us for pleasing our specific audience… and certainly others throughout the world!
And even if their numbers were small, a misguided-but-vocal minority can bring about misguided change! Hell, it even happens to COUNTRIES these days [FILL IN YOUR OWN EXAMPLES], so what should we expect from a mere comic book publisher?
But the big picture is that WE’RE BACK, BABY! Doing what we do best, so let their yowling begin again! I certainly won’t be looking in to see what they say, ‘cause I’ve got BETTER THINGS TO DO! …Including the probable continuance of this humble Blog, if, for no other reason, than to up the percentage of non-trolling sites where everyone is welcome and treated fairly and respectfully!
Congratulations on the book! About Doctor Who, I presume. And, yeah… I’ll bet those WHO forums are brutal! Personally, I could do without the Disney-fied musical numbers and general approach of the last season… but I’m not calling for anyone’s job over it!
@Joe: Well, to be honest, I haven't read the Polish translation of "Topolino e l'anomalia concentrica"/"Ripples in Time"... because it has not been published in Poland yet :) Out of the two stories from #2, only van Horn's "Memento" has been printed in my home country.
However, several stories with the Rhyming Man have gotten their Polish versions, including "Topolino e il mondo che verrà"/"The World to Come". And I'm pleased to say that the Rhyming Man (or, as he's called here, "szpieg poeta" - "the poet spy") keeps on rhyming in our language, just as he does in English.
There's no doubt that poetry in speech bubbles makes a story much more harder to translate, and even not necessarily because of rhymes - for example, the latest Polish versions of Barks's "Land of the Pygmy Indians" and Rosa's "War of the Wendigo" keep the original, Longfellowian rhythm of the Peeweegahs' lines: a difficult feat even with no rhyming to worry about! One of the problems is that we have much fewer short, one-syllable words than English speakers, which makes it often fairly difficult to cram the required English meaning into a single line of Polish text (while keeping all the stresses in the right places).
Rhymes were also kept in Donald Duck's debut in "Silly Symphonies", "The Wise Little Hen", which has recently appeared in two various collected editions in my country... but they might be one of the reasons (apart from the time of creation) why only a few stories from this series have been translated into Polish. I guess preparing a Polish version of Bucky the Bug's adventures would take much more time than working on your average Disney story... :)
@Joe: oh, and - you write:
"Then again, MY name is omitted from the advertised credits of “The Phantom Blot’s Double Revenge”, which WAS by Casty… and I probably had more to do with that book than any of the listed names other than Casty!"
While - and let it be absolutely clear - I'm far from disparaging your undoubtedly great effort in even the smallest of ways (and it's a terrible pity you've been left out of credits), I can't help but feel that Mr. Roberto Vian, who drew the entire story, might also make a claim in this specific regard ;)
T.:
Sorry for the delay in replying…
You write: “ There's no doubt that poetry in speech bubbles makes a story much more harder to translate…”
Indeed it does, T.! Appreciate the… um, appreciation! Write Fantagraphics and suggest that I should get a bonus for all that effort! NAAAH! As you already know – or can easily figure – I do it out of (Choke!) love!
And you’re ABSOLUTELY CORRECT on Roberto Vian, who drew “The Phantom Blot’s Double Revenge”! No excuses for such a mistake… but, what the heck, I’ll try one anyway! …It was so long ago that I submitted my American English script for that story that I simply forgot that Casty did not draw it!
Actually, my script draft even SAYS it was Roberto Vian – as do the credits in the issue… that is out TODAY, November 19, 2025! And, unlike the ad, my credit (and everyone else’s) are there too!
Hope you enjoy it, and hope to see you in that post’s Comments Section!
Hi, Joe! Glad to hear you're doing well and to see you're back in business!
Congratulations on getting to do translation and dialogue work on Disney comics for Fantagraphics! I think Fantagraphics will be a much better home for these comics than IDW. Fantagraphics has a deep respect for the history of the medium, as the myriad books they've published show.
Congrats as well on your work for Gold Key. I suspect you never in your wildest dreams imagined you would be doing work for Gold Key, especially after they closed up shop in the '80s.
I'd like to add my voice to Achille's as one in favour of keeping your blog going. The reasons he gives strongly resonate with me.
Your blog always makes me happy, and I'm clearly not the only one. While posting can sometimes seem like a chore, at least you have a loyal audience that engages with you. Surely that makes it worth it!
That's my view. Ultimately, of course, the decision is yours, and I'll support you in whatever decision you make.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
And a happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Sergio!
Fantagraphics *IS* a much better home for these comics than IDW, as they’ve been doing it right since 2011 in their many beautiful hardcover books! Now, they finally get to “do it right” in the standard comic magazine format – which has always been my favorite form for the comics medium!
IDW *WAS* a good home for these comics… until, suddenly one day, it WASN’T! Anyone who followed those books can pinpoint exactly when that was! HINT: It was when all the familiar editing and scripting names you know (and, hopefully, love), and who are STILL working with these cherished comics to this day, disappeared from the issue credits! IDW’s lack-of-longevity as a Disney comics publisher PAST that point, still stands as testament!
That’s not likely to happen at Fantagraphics because, with a president and publisher like Gary Groth, we are regarded as the best personnel for the job… and, as Fantagraphics is “his baby”, Gary is here to stay!
The only thing that could scuttle (…not Peg-Leg Pete’s henchman) these things is insufficient sales to keep them afloat! I’m not privy to that part of the operation, so all I can tell you is, if you really like this stuff – and really like the way WE do it – GET OUT THERE AND BUY! I’ve been buying the things myself – and I work for them!
Have them PUT ON YOUR PULL-LIST, so that your comics retailer will know that they have a following! At 44 pages, even the cover price is a bargain, compared with other 36 and 32-page comics! And remember that the ill-advised… nay, CRAZY, INFLATIONARY, AND DESTRUCTIVE TARIFFS (on printing and other things) are hurting ALL comics publishers right now!
So, I hope that everyone does whatever he or she can to see that this incarnation of Mickey, Donald, and Scrooge comics sticks around! After all, aren’t you getting tired of having a new publisher every few years? I SURE AM, especially as we finally have a publisher that KNOWS how to "do them right"!
And, YES! Never in “my wildest dreams” did I imagine I’d be doing work for Gold Key… or any entity bearing that beloved brand! The people over there are great and allowed me to carve out a little corner for myself, which I’ll be cultivating over the coming year, where I’ve dreamed up a “fun little thing” to draw reader attention and participation. They’ve also trusted me to move into certain editorial review functions – and we’re looking at some great things coming in 2026 and beyond! …Of course, once I’m allowed to discuss them, you’ll find that news right here!
Finally, to that… I’ve had some doubts about continuing this humble Blog since last spring, and for a number of different reasons which I may someday elaborate, but the responses I’ve been getting since poking my head out of the Blogging ground, like that “winter/spring predicting animal” in February, have VERY MUCH moved me in the direction of staying… and THRIVING! So, thanks to you – and everyone – for such positive motivation!
…Besides, someone’s gotta beat the drum for Fantagraphics and Gold Key, and I intend to be around to (…all together now) “do it right”!
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