Freddy Milton

Per Starb{ck starback at Minsk.DoCS.UU.SE
Tue Nov 24 00:57:01 CET 1992


Harry wrote this in a message to me that I guess was meant for the
list:
> Per Starback wrote (in answer to me=Harry Fluks, who wrote in answer to
> Jamal Hannah):
>  
> > I think one of his
> > first duck stories was called "The Big Sneeze", but he couldn't sell
> > it and later he re-made it with other characters instead of the ducks.
> 
> I think this could be "The big Sneezer", a 31-page Duck story he _did_
> do for Holland (code: H 8001). It wasn't one of his first stories, but
> maybe one of the first without Jippes.
> Milton re-made this story as a W.Woodpecker story (also reprinted in 
> Holland).
> "The big Sneezer" is a very good story. Maybe someone could convince Disney
> to reprint it in the USA? They may not know it exists.
> 
> --Harry.

Now I've found a reference: the interview with Milton in the German
book "Disney von Innen".  I quote (and translate):

	_The Big Sneeze_ was published as a 31 page story in the Dutch
	Groot Vakantieboek 1980.  It was drawn as a Donald Duck story
	by Milton already in 1974.  When the Danish producer couldn't
	use it he got permission to print it himself, if he changed
	the heads of Donald and the nephews.  So Donald Duck became
	--- Kalle Klodrik.  (_Freddy Milton pr<ae>senterer Kalle
	Klodrik i 'Det Store Nys'_, 1976, 30 pages)

The title The Big SneezeR seems to have been an invention of Oberon.
Evidently he tried to sell the story in the USA as well before going
to Oberon, because this letter from Western is reproduced as well:

	Dear Mr. Milton:

	Your enclosed Donald Duck story, "The Big Sneeze," arrived
	several days ago.  I read it with interest and was surprised
	how well you achieved the "Carl Barks" look.  You evidently
	studied "Barks" art from some of his early issues as Donald's
	beak is no longer as long as you drew it.

	Unfortunately, we cannot use a story of this length.  Also, as
	you know, most of our Donald stories these days are reprints.
	We are not producing the number of books that we did years ago
	and, as a result, there are artists and writers nearby who
	would do more work if I had the assignments.

	I know there is a great amount of work in your story; I am
	somewhat surpriesed that you went ahead with it before finding
	out if there was a market for it.  Perhaps through the Dutch
	company that you have submitted comic book art to, you could
	learn the names of companies in other countries who procude
	/sic/ Disney comic book material --- such as Italy, England,
	etc.  It is possible they could use a long story --- or could
	encourage you to do other stories and art for them.

	I wish you good luck.

					Sincerely yours,

					Del Connell

Editor Del Connell wrote lots of Disney stories himself, btw.

In a way it's ironic with artists who prefer to work with characters
owned by a big company instead of working with their own characters,
when they have the opportunity to do so, but evidently Milton wanted
the duck version of The Big Sneeze much more than the Kalle Klodrik
version.  It's the same with Don Rosa who said that he really thought
about the ducks when he did the Pertwillaby stories, and that he will
remake those stories with the ducks substituted.

I wonder what happens legally with stories like the Kalle Klodrik Big
Sneeze and Pertwillaby stories later remade as duck stories...  Will
the creators have the rights to republish those stories now that
they've sold the same story to Disney?
--       "
Per Starback, Uppsala, Sweden.  email: Per.Starback at student.docs.uu.se
 "Life is but a gamble!  Let flipism chart your ramble!"



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