Thursday, November 14, 2019

In Search of Ancient Bertrams # 1 "Bertram's Boats"!


One of a number of things I've become known for as a translator and dialogue writer/creator for European stories published in American Disney comic books is the use of the name "Bertram"! 


I can't exactly articulate WHY this particular repeating quirk developed, and so pervaded the my body of work, but a very likely reason for HOW it did dates back to now-vague memories of an issue of BUGS BUNNY that I read in the 1960s.  I'm certain the particular story in question was a reprint from an earlier Dell issue.  

In it, the name "Bertram" was used... and I liked it.  It made me smile.  And, for some still unknown reason, it was funny... and it worked!   
"Bertram", in itself, is not an overtly funny name.  Indeed my first exposure to the name was "Bertram Cabot, Jr.", a pivotal character in the classic episode of THE OUTER LIMITS; "The Man Who Was Never Born" (1963), starring the late, great Martin Landau!  


But, somehow, in the context of the Bugs Bunny story (which I hope to identify and post on, when I locate it as part of The Great Comics Reorganization and Storage Retirement Project), the name WAS funny... and that feeling "stuck-with-me" from that point on! 

Once I was finally privileged to become part of the comic book creative process, I thought to "pay back" the writer of that dimly-remembered Bugs Bunny story and use the name in UNCLE SCROOGE # 275 (Gemstone, Cover Date: March, 2008), in the FIFTH story I ever worked on, as a gag-riff on the once-popular "Beefsteak Charlie's" restaurant chain.  


...And, I've been somewhat regularly "paying-it-forward" to readers (whether they want it, or not) ever since!  
 ...From "Burgers to Burgers" with Bertram!  

And so, as part of the aforementioned (...all together now) Great Comics Reorganization and Storage Retirement Project), I will, from time to time run across "ancient and forgotten Bertrams", scattered across my comics collection like a trail of breadcrumbs, and will report their rediscovery here as part of yet a new subset feature... "In Search of Ancient Bertrams"!

First up (or, more precisely, first FOUND) is from MICKEY MOUSE # 153 (Gold Key Comics, Cover Date: December, 1974) and the opening splash panel of its lead story "The Secret of Drake's Island", written by Carl Fallberg and drawn by Paul Murry (the comic-book-Mouse's most classic team of creators)!


Catch the SIGN at the lower-most right... "BERTRAM'S BOATS"!  


With a presumed extra-special bonus reference to writer and editor Del Connell - "Catch the Big Ones with Delbert"!


"The Secret of Drake's Island" was originally published in MICKEY MOUSE # 67 (Dell Comics, Cover Date: August-September, 1959), though the reprint referenced here was the first version of the story that *I'd* seen!  

We shall return with more "In Search of Ancient Bertrams", as such Bertrams are uncovered!  

6 comments:

Achille Talon said...

Although that obviously cannot cover all Bertrams around (i.e. the Bodacious Ox), would you say most of them are evidence of a singular multidisciplinarian enterpreneur from Calisota, who at various times of his life owned a burger place and a boat business? Or is Bertram just a common given name in Duckburg?

scarecrow33 said...

Don't forget "At Bertram's Hotel," a Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie. One of her later books, but as always a good read.

I was fascinated by your comments on the name Bertram. Interesting how when you fixate on a name, examples start popping up, and the name replicates in many different settings and situations.

One of the names I use frequently in my fiction is the name Alonzo. Several of my characters have this as either a first or a middle name. I also have a lot of Jays, including some Jasons, (or Jaysons) and Jaydens. I have two important characters in different sections of my fictional universe named Bryan (both spelled with a y). For women characters, I use many forms of Anna and similar names, such as Ana, Angela, Angelina. I also favor names that begin with M, such as Michael, Mildred, Mavis, Matthew, etc.

Interestingly, the more certain names recur in the stories, plays, and novels I write, the more often people bearing those names come into my life. Over the years I've had multiple Jasons, Jaydens, and Alonzos in my classes, as well as a few Bryans and many Annas, to mention just a few examples.

I like your use of the word "quirks", because that is what I call my recurrence of certain names as well. I also apply the term to other unique features that reverberate within my (huge) body of work. "Quirks" works!

Joe Torcivia said...

Achille:

You write: “…would you say most of them are evidence of a singular multidisciplinarian entrepreneur from Calisota, who at various times of his life owned a burger place and a boat business? Or is Bertram just a common given name in Duckburg?”

If you ask me, I’d say neither! It’s just a name that seems to work well in comics, as some of my other such (“Ancient Bertram”) discoveries bear out.

I should also say that, during the time away from this Blog – that I’ve instead devoted to “The Great Comics Reorganization and Storage Retirement Project” - I have actually FOUND “Bertram Prime”! The one story that actually started this whole thing! But, I won’t reveal it for a while, due to a huge backlog of posts – some of which are about other “Ancient Bertram” discoveries!

Though, here’s a “Needle-in-a-Haystack” clue… I have actually discussed it in one of my indexes at GRAND COMICS DATABASE! I just won’t yet revel which one! Hee-Hee!

Joe Torcivia said...

Scarecrow:

That is GREAT STUFF! Always interested in getting peeks into other writers’ minds!

Yes, we (… and ALL writers) develop a set of “GO-TO-persons-places-things-adjectives-references-what-have-yous”, and “Bertram” simply became one of mine, as the other names have become for you. In other well known cases, we have Michael Maltese “adding more adjectives than needed and repeating them verbatim as often as he could”, Mark Evanier's Mulch or Cheese Dip, Vic Lockman’s alliteration and unusual phrasings, Sholly Fisch’s highlighting character oddities and inconsistencies in very funny ways, my puns, etc.

Why, we have such “Quirks” (that’s the word, all right), I cannot say, but I always enjoy it, when I catch on to them!

ShadZ said...

DC's teen character Binky's real name is Bertram Biggs Jr,

Joe Torcivia said...

Shad:

Never knew that! I may have to pick up some issues of BINKY out of professional obligation! :-)