From Roc

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

 As usual I'm completely out of sync with recent discussions, so
please excuse my inflation-ridden 2 cents opinions on old topics.

 Anything-You-Say-Can-And-Will-Be-Used-Against-You:

 How about automatically uns*bscr*bing anyone using the 'u' word in
reply mail? Our regular, caring reader would know how to reenlist
and the oops-wrong-number people would appreciate its efficiency.
 I know it's a backdoor to Censorship, which we by sheer serendipity
are momentarily released from in this forum, but at least in this case
it would serve a double-good purpose; we will be spared the cries
of the innocent, and our hapless victims released from Disney-Comic's
rain of terror mail.
 I also suggest a restriction on the word '*ncle':)

 How come we never get anyone 'desperately seeking mature, semi-
proffessional, and alphanumerically encrypted discussion forum' -
it's always "HALP - I want OFF!"
 *MY* new ML name suggestion would be "ye'nside-story.phd.uu.se";)

 Anyway, 'men with the right stuff' still seem to find their way here.
I was especially glad to hear from Frank, our only resident Englishman
perhaps, a regular WJW guide on Italian digests, in which I happen to
be buried these days. It's almost like (re-)discovering Duckburg;
the American version has been practically in suspended animation since
Barks created the world and populated it, whereas the pantheon of the
Italian parallel universe has evolved continuously.
 The guide to Scarpa's periods was very good, and I'd love to add some
references to other publishings of the stories, and then have it online.

 Residents of EGMONT countries may find my Danish index useful when
discussing Italian stories; with the help of Beccattini's index I have
added comprehensive creator data for the early Danish pocket books.
 These books have been published out of sync in various countries though,
so we need cross references from you people; like, "Norwegian Donald Duck
Pocket #82 looks a lot like Danish Jumbo-bog #83".
 But hold your horses; the improved DANISH-INDEX will just have to wait
for Harry to go bug-hunting in it, and he's just getting it... now.

 My least popular of the pre-1960's Italian artists must be Giorgio
Bordini, Giancarlo Gatti and Giulio Chierchini. And that's not even
mentioning Luciano Capitanio, Pier Lorenzo de Vita and Guiseppe Perego.
 Favorites are Luciano Gatto and, it goes without saying, Romano Scarpa.

 Now, I don't really want to knock these artists; I liked de Vita's
stories when I was a kid, even before I could read them, and at least
they had their own style, whereas modern Italian art is slick, but dull.
 You should also remember that Italian artists were developing Disney's
characters long before Holland and Denmark, and thus had a tradition
before Barks set the standards, closer to the cartoons and Taliaferro's
early, dynamic style. I recall that the Norwegian Donaldists lumped all
Italian stories into a category named "brutalism" (examplified by the one
and only Guiseppe Perego), but had 4 or 5 periods in Barks' career.

  Modern Italian Disney is often:

        a) socio-realistic (somewhat italocentric)
        b) space-opera (*VERY* unscientific)
        c) time-travel (MM and prof. Einmug)
        d) ethnographical (Wild West, Backwardistan)
        e) parodic (world litterature classics)

 If Gladstone did like the Dutch DD editors, and printed the pocket
stories with 12 panels to a page, even the longer ones would easily fit
into a normal sized book. And the art wouldn't even be printed smaller!
 May I be so audacious as to recommending Danish artist Flemming
Andersens italistic art, as seen on the cover of DD #291?
 Or should I just be content with my successful lobbying for the new,
improved mouse by that fabulous artist Felolo... eh, Refolili? Whatever.

 BTW, I just checked out "How To Read DD" from the regional library and
glued in a couple of pages with the translators 'disclaimer' posted here
recently. The Danish version was indeed translated from the English,
rather than the original Spanish (Chilenian?) text.
 I also added our address. If anybody asks tell them I sent them. ?!.

 I have to admit that I found Don's "The Fabulous Shrinking Tycoon" story
disappointing; I thought it would be inspired by Philip K. Dick's short
story "The Tireless Frog" (tr.?, from "A Handful of Darkness", 1955), but
it never got scientific or philosophical enough for my taste, like
acknowledging the effects of reduced gravity. Mostly it read like a 'silly'
counterpart to Barks' thoughtprovoking "DD goes to Betelgeuze".
 And wouldn't a shortened short-wave radio transmit on a shorter wavelength?

 Don, if you are contractually obliged to make these slapstick stories,
at least this one, you didn't need a full 24 pages to tell, more like half.
 Oh-uh, here I go again; Don's stories are too LONG!?
If you didn't know better, you'd think I didn't like them. Of course,
even this one was way better than the best tries of other less talented
creators. It's just that with Don, anything less than GRRRREAT is a
disappointment. After all he's up against the champ; himself.

 Luckily, to the general, unenlightened public here in the New World,
it'll fade into oblivion, being followed so rapidly by the Columbus story,
part II or III of the Woodchuck cycle. Now THERE's a story that stirs the
very foundations of reality!
 Being a halfbaked, ancient philologist (no, not ME, I'm only 30:), with
furry feet, I couldn't have had a better treat, if I'd ordered it myself.

 Two questions; the Danish version's editorial listed the backgrounds of
LCoC; The Golden Helmet = idem, Cleopatra's Tomb = GotLL, and Brutopia
= The Swamp of No Return. But Brutopia isn't mentioned in the translation!
Where DOES it fit in, if at all?
 Also, Donald says he first found the helmet "many years ago". That story
was published in 1952 (1954 in Denmark), but the newspaper on page 19 is
dated 1954. Just when I'd got to terms with today always being 1955.
Can someone sort out the chronology?

 No intention of offending, harassing, or plain annoying people with my
opinions should be implied. If anyone would still like to hurt my
feelings, remember; I'm a sensitive sort of a guy, so no need for any
fancy, rude remarks. A simple IHU reply will do just fine;)

 Disney-comics-digest-reader:
 Ole 'RoC' Reichstein Nielsen
     c/o lrn at daimi.aau.dk

         "`What are moon-letters?' asked the hobbit full of excitement.
   oLe     He loved maps, as I have told you before; and he also liked
    -      runes and letters and cunning handwriting, though when he
           wrote himself it was a bit thin and spidery."

                          ("The Hobbit", J.R.R. Tolkien)

--- 1.50$,T: Gain control of target comic-book. Even if that book    ---
---         is discarded, it may be brought back to mind at no cost. ---