Disney-comics digest #657.

Don Rosa donrosa at iglou.com
Tue May 9 14:48:00 CEST 1995


PETER:
        Your are not the first person to say that they thought I strayed
from the Barks "canon" by saying the Money Bin was built in 1902 and not 50
years later as was stated when Donald showed the kids Uncle $crooge's "NEW
Money Bin" in a 1952 WDC&S. But you must know that the earliest versions of
$crooge in Barks' own stories were nothing like the version he settled on
when he started $crooge in his own title. Barks never dreamed $crooge was
more than a one-shot character and only slowly turned him into a continuing
character for the series, thinking up new angles and ideas as he went. The
Money Bin was something Barks didn't think of until 1952, but even Barks
later treated the Bin as though $crooge had built it many decades earlier
than 1952. In fact, in that back-up titleless story in one early UNCLE
$CROOGE issue -- the story about $crooge having to move the Bin around to
get it out of the way of dams and rocket-launchers and so on -- $crooge
states something like "And here on this hill is where my Money Bin has stood
for 70 years!" Now you could say I'm inaccurate since I don't have $crooge
building the Bin in 1882 (when he wasn't even rich yet).
      Plus, there's always "literary" or "dramatic license" to consider.
It's easy to see how a Bin built all at once to cap off chapter 10 is vastly
more interesting than one edged up to for the next 50 years. No story value
there.
          Also, as to how he could build the Bin and still have all 8
hogsheads of cash left: I'm sure your German edition correctly translated
the portions of chapter 9 that told of how this was only $crooge's ready
CASH at the moment he left Canada. I showed that he still owned countless
industries and banks all over the Northwest -- these would surely provide
enough cash flow to build one Bin. As I try to state clearly in chapter 12
since so many people seem to think that ALL of $crooge's money is what's in
that Bin, that's only the cash he earned in the early decades of his
struggle (say, 1902-1940); of course he owns limitless businesses that
generate billions more $ every day (every minute?) but that is NOT what's in
the Bin. How could it be? That money is reinvested or is credited in
accounts in all his banks. Make sense?
        But as I've said before, I'm not saying your idea is wrong, or that
either of us is right. The "Lo$" is only MY version of all this stuff. If
you have a different idea, it's just as good as mine. But I had to weigh all
the options I had on every fact and event in that series, and make a choice.
And I'm still very pleased with all my choices, while not expecting anyone
else should be as pleased.

MIKE:
        Yes, I must have misspoke about doing a story set in Finland, since
there was another list member who thought that's what I said. I meant to say
that the Finnish editors said they would LIKE me to do a story set in
Finland, but I have not been asked to do so by my actual "boss" (Byron
Erickson). The chain of command is for them to tell HIM what they want, and
for him to decide if that's what HE wants. (And you might realize it's
somewhat unlikely for the Egmont main office to want me to spend time doing
a story that will only be of use to ONE of there many, many publishers -- so
don't expect it to happen soon.
        There will be NO "Lo$" in the Finnish hardback book as they feel
those stories are too recent. I guess they'll save that for some other volume.




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