Disney-comics digest #461.

[Don Rosa]

DAVID:
	Yes, when I first saw a U$ #289 (with part V), the first thing I
did was wince and cuss at the color printing! In my issue there are at
least two pages grossly off register and many of the other pages that
are sorta blurry. Part of the blurring is something I didn't know was
done which you seem to mention, and I wonder how they even go about it
-- but I see off-register lines of blue and red coloring next to solid
black lines. They lay color over the black to beef it up, eh? I didn't
know they had to do that. The whole story looked PALE to me, which is
odd since I LIKE the pale coloring and black-blacks of old comics --
makes the art stand out and the backgrounds stay back, unlike the way
modern lurid color printing does. Still, I was upset for an instant by
the pale look -- perhaps since I've gotten used to seeing these stories
in umpty-um foreign editions on slick paper with jet-black ink (and
completely uninspired coloring) and I get shocked by the pale black inks
in the Gladstones and inspired coloring botched at the printing plant.

FRANK:
	How do I define a "gag" story? Asking me that made me stop and
think long enough to realize I HAVE done gag stories since 1990. I did
that Olympics story in 1993, and had almost successfully blotted it from
my memory, thank you. That was another uninspired gag story. And those
others you mention which were "adventure" oriented ("On Stolen Time",
"Super Snooper Strikes Again" were long (15-page?) gag stories. And yet
none of these 15-page Lo$ stories are gag stories. I think the
difference in these 15-pagers is that the Lo$ stories are so loaded with
logistic problems of continuity and references to past stories and
foreshadowing to future stories, etc., etc., that they are far more
complex to those self-contained gag stories of the same length. Anyway,
that's my definition. The gag stories are far easier to do in a sense,
but they are difficult for me because I can't maintain interest
(inspiration?) when there's not as many ideas to juggle. These Lo$ short
stories were all an absolute joy, and yet they were the most difficult
and challenging stories I'll probably ever do. That's why I always say I
don't write such great dialogue nor draw such good art, yet I am
INTENSELY proud of my work! Take that 15-page "New Laird of Castle
McDuck" -- I think I got more accomplished in that 15 pages than in a
year worth of any given American super-hero comic.

MARK:
	What was that recent 10-pager about. Oh, I'd rather forget it.
But... I had the idea in my notes about "what if" some businessman
noticed Donald's ability to tell his nephews apart even though they are
absolutely identicle, and he hires Donald as a quality control inspector
in a manufacturing plant due to his "Master" attention to detail. I'd
already made references in the past to how Donald can tell the Kids
apart, but $crooge saw them as all identicle (he's the businessman). My
story has lots of funny little bits... but I just couldn't figure out
how to work the plot; Donald apparently DOES have these powers, so how
would he screw up his job even though he DOES have this attention to
detail??? I tried to figure it that he can only do it when he's not
thinking about it -- but I just couldn't pull the basic logistics off
smoothly. The whole story seemed "forced" to me -- so I don't like it.
Feh.