DCML digest #883

Don Rosa donrosa at iglou.com
Thu Apr 4 15:35:49 CEST 2002


From: Goofy313g at aol.com
>>>About the little character with a beard in "THe Crown of The Crusader
Kings"
I wanted to know his original name .I have read in Barksbase it was Monsieur
Mattressface, but did Barks give him a first name?

Nope.

>>>What does Mattressface means? Does that mean "Somebody whose face looks
like
a mattress, that is to say the thing you have on a bed?" Is this a joke
because of his beard?

If this was a gag that made sense, it must have been some ancient joke
popular from Barks' youth. I never did understand why someone with  beard
would have a name like "matressface". What sort of mattress looks like hair?

>>>What is the original name for the tall beared character. In France, he is
"Mnsieur Mollay". Where does his name come from?
(And From: Francois Willot)
I guess this is the descendant of Jacques de Mollay
the templiers who was sentenced to death in Paris,

That's correct, I named him after the last Grand Master of the Knights
Templar. Some readers have asked me why I did not make it clear that he was
a descendant of that Master -- because I sometimes put little hidden pearls
into the story details to allow an astute reader to discover them on their
own.

>>>Was there any crown intended as a gift to the Khan
from Europe? I've never heard of that.

The only fact in that story that is not absolutely true is that the Crown
was taken to be given to the Khan of Cathay. And yet, maybe it was, I dunno.
And I don't know that E. R. Nordenskiold actually had the lost logbook of
Columbus, but it's the sort of thing he collected and studied, so if anyone
ever had it, he would have... that's why I knew that using him would be a
great way to tie Finland into that plot which I already had in my notes. But
the existance of the crown and all else I say about the Templars and their
treasure is true.

From: "timo ronkainen" <timoro at hotmail.com>
>>>I think Mollay is original name. BTW he looks very much like Finnish
professor of astronomy Esko Valtaoja.
Was this just accident, Don, or something little more extra for us Finns?

It was not an accident that he was named Mollay, but if he looks like your
astronomy professor, that was pure chance. Or maybe it was in the stars.

From: Goofy313g at aol.com
>>>Is the map on panel 6 page 12 written in french in the original version?

!?!?  No. Why would it have been in French?

>>>> I
was just curious about what the names on this map would look like in English
alnguage)

The labels in my script (who knows what the translators do with or to them)
are, top to bottom, "Arctic Ocean", "Siberian Sea", "Kolyuchin Bay", and
"Siberia".

>>>>Does the "Bay of Kolyouchine" exist for real

Sure, though I don't know about your spelling -- and is *is* where E. R.
Nordenskiold spent the winter of 1878.

 >>>Brutopia)
Is it the first time that Brutopia is said to be in Russia?
Is Brutopia Russia or is it a state near Russia?

Barks made it quite obvious that he was implying that Brutopia was the
equivalent of Russia or the USSR. I don't say it's exactly Russia, otherwise
I would not call it Brutopia, I'd call it Russia. I place it as occupying
the eastern third of Russia (Siberia), as I place Calisota as the northern
third of California. But you can decide for yourself where either one is.






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