digest #163

[Don Rosa]

From: "Apostolis Trikourakis"
>>>>It is true that Don's story, "The Quest for Kalevala" is the best story
that
he ever made?

Jeepers creepers -- I *hope* not!!!!!!!!!!!!
(It's okay... not bad. But it's extra special if you're Finnish. You don't
know how important the Kalevala is to my Finnish friends! I'm glad they
liked it, which puts their reaction to it *very* mildly. I think it was the
fastest-selling / best-selling hardback book in the history of Finland.)

From: HoyMurphy at aol.com
>>>Someone on another mailing list posted a message, citing Bruce Hamilton,
that
Carl Barks has been diagnosed with leukemia.  I hope this is just a bad
rumor.  Can anyone confirm or deny this story?

It's true. He is undergoing chemotherapy which robs one of energy. This has
been going on for about a year or so, and Mr. Barks is doing well other
than that, at age 99, he's decided he needs to start to *slow down*.
His friend and DCML member Dr. Gerry Tank sees him nearly every day. So I
think that when there is some news about Mr. Barks' health that is regarded
as being the business of the public to know, we'll hear about it.

>>> Mr. Barks is 99 years old,
and I'm hoping he'll be with us for many more years.

As does everyone. I think he'll break 100 just coasting on momentum. And
then we'll see that he gets some national recognition, something he's never
gotten in America (other than within the incredibly tiny "collectibles" and
comic-book communities), and make him and his contributions to all that
Disney takes credit for as well known as his work is in Europe!
But the most important thing is that he stayed around long enough to
outlive that "Carl Barks Studio" period, so that, at the end of his
magnificent career, the memory of the Best Storyteller of the 20th Century
would not be tainted in his final days by all *that*.