Donald Duck & Co # 8 2000

["Jørgen Andreas Bangor"]

Donald Duck & Co # 8 - 2000

Egmont front cover, showing Donald in a ski lift, and at the same time 
stuck on the top of an elk.

First story out is about Donald Duck (D 99034, 8 pages), written by 
Paul Halas and drawn by Marsal.

Donald is tired of winter and snow, and decides to hibernate the rest 
of the winter. If bears and hedgehogs can, why not him? He puts on all 
the heat he can, and blows the electical system. The electrician won't 
come out in the bad weather, so there he is. To get some heat he now needs 
wood, and to get that he must go to the forest. He brings some honey 
chocolate.
Out there, the car gets stuck in the snow, and Donald finds a cave in which 
he can find shelter. And, oops, there's a bear (what a surprise...). 
Fortunately the bear likes the chocolate, and they become good friends.
Donald is found and rescued. After the electrical system of his house is 
repaired, he discovers that the bear has decided to stay there for the 
rest of the winter.

I'm sure there is some point in this story, but I fail to see it.

Next is an old one-pager (KF-05-15-50).

The third story is about Mad Madam Mim (D 96331, 4 pages), written by 
Paul Halas and Jack Sutter, and drawn by Millet.

Mim gets a new book from the witch book club. It's about doing magic 
with weather. She starts by removing the winter, and lets the spring come 
out (I wish I could do that). Soon it shows up that not everyone is happy 
about this - like kids with their sleighs. Mim then creates some very 
local winters for those who needs it.
Close by is a film studio which is about to make a winter scene. Only 
problem is that their snow machines are out of function. One assistant has 
noted Mim's local snow weathers, and they get her to the studio. It works 
perfect for a very short time, until they discover that her snow is 
actually cold, and breaks havoc in the studio.

This could have been pretty good, if there weren't about a million 
Mim stories with similar story line. Is it impossible to make up 
something new?

The fourth story is about Donald Duck (D 98408, 12 pages), written by 
Per Hedman, and drawn by Colomer.

Scrooge wants something far out in an area of wilderness, and sends out 
Donald and a professional guide to find it. He won't tell them what it 
is, but he'll give them more information when they have reached the 
place where it is. The guide is soon tired by Donald, who's not quite 
as used to the wilderness as he is.
After a while Donald discovers that there's something mysterious about 
the guide. He's talking to someone on a mobile phone, informing this 
"someone" about the expedition.
Suddenly the new instructions are dropped from a helicopter, and Donald 
and the guide fight to get to them first.
At the same time, Scrooge finds out that Donald's guide is not the one 
he hired, but one who has been put in his place by Glomgold, to find out 
what Scrooge is up to. The real one is then dropped at the same place by 
the same chopper. Together they find what Scrooge wants - a few golden 
flowers, which he intends to give to a collector (in return for something, 
of course). Now it shows up that both guides are members of an organization 
which protects rare plants, and none of them will pick the flowers.

Although quite classical, the idea isn't so bad. But why send Donald 
and a guide all the way on the ground, when someone could have just gone 
there with the helicopter?

Then a Mickey Mouse story (D 99096, 10 pages), written by Jeff Hamill, 
and drawn by Ferioli.

Mickey is chosen to recieve this years prize for being a fellow human 
being in Duckburg. What he has done, is to collect old computers, and 
giving them to youth clubs that needed them. He's given a lot of attention 
by other citizens, which makes him embarrassed. He did this because he 
wanted to, not to get a prize for it.
The driver whos taking him in the mayor's limousine, to the reception where 
he's to get the prize, is a very bitter man, and his behaviour is really 
bad towards Mickey. Mickey tries to be nice to him, but after the driver 
collided the car, he (Mickey) realises that he (the driver) is jealous of 
him. All the time he does nice things to other people, but never is it 
mentioned. But if a celebrity like Mickey does one nice thing, everybody 
get to know it, and he gets a prize for it. Mickey tries to make up for 
this by bringing the driver with him on the stage at the reception, and 
telling that he'll share the prize with a person who all the time works 
for the society. The result of this is that Mickey gets even more 
attention for being unselfish, and the driver is forgotten. The driver 
thinks Mickey used him to get more attention to himself, and is just as
mad as before. 

This is a good story. It illustrates well and simple how some people work 
for the society because they wants to, how the society needs heroes to 
look up to, and  how this sometimes can clash together when personal
feelings are messed into it.

Next is an old one-pager (KF 10-10-54).

Then a newer one-pager, about Goofy (D 93002). No credits, but the art 
looks like Esteban.

Goofy puts snow chains on his car (it's winter), and claims that nothing 
can stop him now. Because a road sign is covered with snow, he drives 
against the direction on a one-way street, and has to stop for a snow 
plough.

I suppose it was meant to be funny.

The eighth story is the second part of a Donald Duck story beginning in # 7 
(D 99171), written by Andreas Pihl, and drawn by Colomer.

I will comment this when I've read it all, but so far I'll at least 
say that this is one of the best Duck stories I've read in years!

Last is another old one-pager (KF-12-18-60).

Also with this issue was an extra with the story I-AL-6-1955 by 
Guido Martina and Romano Scarpa.



   Jørgen