Disney Witches revisited

Gerstein, David DK - ECN DGE at ECN.egmont.com
Sat Aug 30 00:44:56 CEST 2003


	Hi Daniel,

>At least Frank Jonker has teamed Witch Hazel ("Hortensia Heks") with Madam 
>Mim.

	A few Danish creators have done it, too.

>> 7) Granny de Spell
>> A portrait of Whistler's Mother aptly describes her appearance.

	And one story actually shows her posing in a painting that IS a
direct parody of Whistler's Mother.

>Does Granny de Spell appear in those stories in which Magica and Madam Mim
>live together in a castle?

	Yep. I like these stories, too, just for their basic flavor. You've
got this whole crazy crew: frazzled Magica, exuberant Mim, nerdy Samson Hex,
world-weary Granny, bad seed Witch Child and pesky Warlock, the two comedy
ravens Ed and Al, even Mim's sneaky leprechaun uncle and this dragon named
Alexander, down in the basement, whom we never actually see...
	Only trouble with all of this is that a lot of the potential is
never fulfilled. Stories ramble on like disjointed vaudeville sketches,
reaching page five (of eight!) before someone says "Hey, weren't we getting
together to cast a spell on Scrooge?" And this is the first time in the
story that anyone has mentioned Scrooge, or anything like a real plot. Holy
pacing problems, Batman!
	There's also the fact that very little of the original Magica or Mim
survives. Magica's frustration is there; so is Mim's libido, but other
aspects of their personalities are rarely shown. Scrooge's dime is,
unfortunately, a lucky dime in these stories, and Magica's plans for it are
never consistent.

>BTW. I'm defending myself against a friend, who thought I was crazy for 
>liking these stories. (Hi!)

	I like them, and I know I'M crazy! Don't fight it! (-:
	Admittedly, when it comes to Magica and Mim as individuals, I vastly
prefer other stories. But I still like the wacky world of this
witch/sorceress sub-universe.

	David


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