Rosa, Database, Barks in Holland, a French issue

H.W. Fluks fluks at pcssdc.pttnwb.nl
Mon Oct 10 13:23:17 CET 1994


Hi everyone. Here's a message I prepared 3 days ago.

Wendigo poem
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes Don, you once sent me the English script of the story. The "poem"
may be uninteresting for Americans that can't read the (rest of the) story,
but Europeans might be interested. I think I'll type it in if I can find it
(It's a bit "misplaced" at home right now..)

Disney comics Database
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Per already announced last week, a new version is available, including
source files of C-programs. Everyone is invited to give comments and
locate errors in the index or in the programs. I had a better look at the
indexes after I sent them to Per, and already noticed the following:

- In the 'issues' files, the field "page layout" is often a question mark
  in the case of newspaper reprints. This should be a space.

- The file gl-aa-dd.issues gives incomplete information for DD 284 through
  DD 287.

- The Carl Barks index (CB.creator) is a bit messy, especially in the
  beginning and the end of the file.

- There are some files on ftp that are _not_ embedded (yet) in the Database:
  the Swedish Barks index from NAFS(k) ("nk5"), the Dutch Barks index, the
  Danish index, and Gerstein's K-coded index ("k.index").

- The Rosa and Van Horn index from the Database do not contain all
  information (yet) from the files "don-rosa.index" and "van-horn.index".

- We even have one story title in Norwegian! I forgot about that when I
  made the legend.

- You can find some remarks and questions in both English and Dutch at
  certain entries (e.g. [PER: WHICH ONE?]).

I hope to have solved most of these points in the next version...

Dutch Rosa
~~~~~~~~~~
Dutch DD Extra #10 contains Don Rosa's Lo$ chapter 8, "The Argonaut
of Wild Agony Creek". An excellent story! Apart from chapter 2, it's the best
part of Lo$ so far. Maybe it's because I like longer (24-page) stories?

The story has its own cover, by Wilma van den Bosch, I think. The quality
is quite poor.

Announced for DD Extra #11 is "The Son of the Sun"! At last! But I guess
that means we won't see Lo$ chapter 12 this Christmas, unless they put
several chapters in one DD Extra...

Carl Barks in Holland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the fanzine "Stripschrift" #273 there was an interview with Barks, and
some photographs of his visit to Holland. Some interesting points:

- Bill Grandy [sic] says that Jippes was Barks' first choice for drawing
  the story "Horsin' Around with History". He says Egmont told Barks
  that Jippes didn't have time, without even asking Jippes. Then they
  proposed their "own" artist Bill Van Horn...
  (I wish Jippes had drawn that story! I haven't seen it yet, but I'm
  sure Jippes would have done a better job than Van Horn. Sorry Fredrik!)

- One photograph shows Barks with all current Dutch artists. They are:
  Ed van Schuijlenburg, Michel Nadorp, Mau Heymans, Jaap Stavenuiter,
  Frank Jonker (writer), Wilma van den Bosch, Ben Verhagen, Jan Kruse
  (writer), Daan Jippes, Bas Heymans.
  I knew most of them, except Bas Heymans. Apparently, Mau has a little
  brother...

A French issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My ex-colleagues gave me a goodbye-present: a special 60th anniversary
issue of the French "Picsou Magazine". Among others, it contained a
chronology of 60 years of Donald Duck. Some interesting things:

- 1956. Barks introduces Flintheart Glomgold, in French: Gripsou.
  [part of the cover of Son of the Sun is shown, with the text "le
  dessin a gauche est de Don Rosa"]

- 1957. In Italy, the writer Guido Martina starts a series of parodies
  on famous heroes: the Three Musketeers, Marco Polo, etc. Drawn by
  Carpi, De Vita, Bottaro, and Scarpa...

- 1963. The Beatles conquer the world, and Popop, Fethry Duck in English,
  enters the life of Donald, created by Dick Kinney and the artist
  Al Hubbard. [So even the French know Fethry's English name. Anyone
  ever heard of Dick Kinney?]

- 1964. Tony Strobl finally shows us the youth of Donald. As a little child,
  he helped his grandparents on the farm. [Which story can this be?]

- 1974. Fantomiald existed in Italy since 1969. His first adventures were
  published in France in 1974. [So we know Paperinik's French name now.
  BTW, Fredrik: Ludwig Von Drake is called Donald Dingue in French.]

- 1975. Barks gives Scarpa a sketch of a gag with Brigitte MacBridge.
  [This sketch is actually shown! In one of Gladstone's Uncle Scrooge
  comics, a drawing by Scarpa is shown, while the text said the original
  Barks drawing was lost.]

- 1986. The "Disney Babies" are published. A creation of Claude Marin.

- 1989. In 1988, Le Journal de Mickey brought the first story of Keno
  Don Rosa. In 1989, Picsou Magazine publishes every story by Don Rosa!

Stories in this special issue: some Taliaferro sunday strips, Barks (WDC
80), Cavazzano? (a special DD 60 story coded D 93135), Branca (D 92300)
and Van Horn (D 92211, pizza story)

That's all for now, but I will return...
--Harry.




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