Coming to (Nay, NOW AT) a Target Store Near You!

A short while ago, I received my contributor's copy of THIS MAGNIFICENT BOOK from Fantagraphics... and is it ever amazing!  

At a whopping 256 pages and a size of approximately 13.5" by 10", its prodigious production values, combined with its super-size, make a fitting tribute for Disney's 100 Years Celebration!   

It is a Target Stores exclusive, so you'll have to get it there rather than your usual sources of such books, but, having now held it in my hot little hands... YES! 

 

Just some of the highlights would include Carl Barks' "Mystery of the Swamp", Don Rosa's "His Majesty McDuck" (my personal favorite Rosa story!), Super Goof's "The Thief of Zanzipar" by Bob Ogle and Paul Murry from SUPER GOOF # 1 (1965), a beautiful Seven Dwarfs story by Romano Scarpa... a famous-in-many-lands-but-this-one Tony Strobl story with Donald, Fethry, and Scrooge written by Dick Kinney.... 

...And a Casty Mickey Mouse story that features another of Casty's recurring characters that has yet to be seen in the United States - enthusiastic oceanographer Estrella Marina!  

I did the Translation and Dialogue (for whatever that's worth) in support of a great story - and what may very well be Casty's BEST ART!  Certainly the best I've ever seen!  Some of it is actually breathtaking!  

Aw, heck... THE WHOLE BOOK is breathtaking so, as unthinkable as it might be, I'm going to close by saying... stop reading my Blog - and start reading this book!  

...You can always come back to the Blog later.  Promise I'll be here!  

Oh, and when you DO come back, take a peek at the Chip 'n' Dale post I put up this morning... which has become overshadowed by this BIG BREAKING NEWS! 

...That's breaking NEWS, not breaking HEADS! 

Donald Duck says "Relax!"

Here's a wonderful drawing from our great friend Debbie Anne Perry that's apropos to our times.

 

Notice he's reading a hardcover edition of "Captain Retro Duck"!

I never even knew Fantagraphics put out "Disney Masters Volume 402 Romano Scarpa and Joe Torcivia: Captain Retro Duck Retros Again"!   

A worthy companion it would be to these prestigious volumes...

The least they could have done was let me write an intro!

Back to the response of Donald (DUCK, that is...) 

Considering he's never been the poster-duck for calm... except for this one instance directly below...

...As opposed to his normal state... 

...I'd say he's taking this all rather well!

Let's all try to follow his example, as best we can! 

R.I.P. Russi Taylor

We mourn the passing of Russi Taylor, who sadly left us on July 26, 2019, at the (no longer old) age of 75!

Ms. Taylor, as most people know, was the longtime voice of Minnie Mouse...

...The life's delight of "you-know-who"!

Sharing the good times...

...And the not-so-good! 

But, to me, Russi Taylor's most astounding accomplishment was heard on the original 1987 version of DuckTales...

...Where she somehow managed to imbue Huey, Dewey, and Louie with understandable speech, while still allowing them to sound like their unintelligible "Unca Donald"!

Yes, Russi Taylor could make HER Duck Nephews speak lines like this (above), and this (below)...

...And still maintain that air of "Shared-Duck-Identity"...

 ...That was such a key aspect of stories like these!  Be they animated...  

...Or in comic books where they were at their best! 

So much so that I began to "hear" Russi Taylor SPEAK as the nephews, as I read the comics - though I never heard Donald's overly-quacky original voice actor Clarence Nash, or his successor Tony Anselmo, speak DONALD'S comic-book dialogue!  

To become my "official comics-reading character voice" takes a really indelible impression... and Russi Taylor had indeed made one, when it came to Huey, Dewey, and Louie!  

And also as Minnie Mouse!

When it was my great privilege to "do translations and write dialogue scripts" for these comics, it was Russi Taylor who "aided-from-afar" when it came to my putting just the right words in the mouths (balloons?) of Minnie Mouse...

...And Huey, Dewey, and Louie!

Other notable characters voiced by Russi Taylor include Martin Prince and Purple-Twins Sherri and Terri on THE SIMPSONS...

...And the indisputably indomitable and utterly unsinkable WEBBY, also on DuckTales (1987 Series)!  

But, the most "Disney-Magic-like thing" about Russi Taylor was that in 1991 she married Wayne Allwine (who passed away in 2009), who was THE LONGTIME VOICE OF MICKEY MOUSE!  

And, while we all feel the loss, we can also feel good, knowing that Mickey and Minnie are reunited... as they should always be!  

"That's -30-" for Us with Issue 40

Here's a very important message from your humble blogger...

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.

Ordinarily, we would CLOSE such a post with this now-familiar passage, but it seemed imperative to me that, on this occasion, we OPEN with it!  

And, for anyone wondering about the title of our post, its meaning can be found both HERE and HERE!    

At least its "meaning of origin".  Its emotional meaning, as employed in our title, is another matter entirely!   

Since the introduction of the IDW Disney comic book line in 2015...

...And going back several years - and two publishers - before that...

...I have been both blessed and privileged to work as "translator and dialogue creator" for these extraordinary comics, working alongside such equally extraordinary talents as Jonathan Gray, Thad Komorowski, and Archival Editor David Gerstein. 

 From UNCLE SCROOGE # 34 IDW (2017)

Let alone the still greater privilege of serving the stories of such Disney comic book legends as Romano Scarpa, Giorgio Cavazzano, Andrea ("Casty") Castellan, Giovan Battista Carpi, Luciano Bottaro, Vito Stabile, and so many more - including classic-era American creators such as Paul Murry, Tony Strobl, and Vic Lockman!  

...And even the creator of Superman - Jerry Siegel! 

With IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE # 40 - on sale September 19, 2018 - and with a scant few coming exceptions, this comes to an end.  

New and different individuals will be responsible for the line after that, promising to bring what has been described in the advance solicitations as a "Fresh and Modern" approach!  

I wish them and their efforts well, and urge you to check them out - as I will do.  

With that, I'd like to thank everyone and anyone at IDW - and before that at Gemstone and Boom! Studios - as well as anyone at Disney itself who allowed me to fulfill a lifetime ambition.  

And, the most special thanks of all to my fellow members of the (here's that word again) extraordinary team of Gerstein, Gray, and Komorowski - for the amazing "creative environment" that occurred whenever we got together... and for inspiring me to "elevate my own work" ever higher!  

You will still find me contributing to the (...Can I say it one more time?) extraordinary Fantagraphics "Disney Masters" line of hardcover books, where I will continue to "work with" stories by the greats like Scarpa, Bottaro, and Carpi, and contribute analysis and historical perspective to the work of other creators such as Paul Murry.  

Now, let's just look ahead to this new phase in the "Overall Continuum of American Disney Comic Magazines", ongoing since 1940 (!), and enjoy what's coming next!        

That's -30-!  ...And thanks!