The Duck Who Never Was

[Olivier]

Hi everyone!


Fabio:
>>>> I read this fabulous story in Picsou, i loved the references to Frank
Capra,
>>>> etc. But I can't understand the principal detail: the real age of
Donald
>>>> Duck in that comic. He is not really 70 in that Barksian realm of the
>>>> fifties... isn't?

>From DD # 586 (Sept '94), p 2 of  the story:
panel 6, Donald fills his birthday on the form-- "month: 09" "day: 06"
panel 8, the short-sighted museum head of personnel mistakenly holds the
paper upside down and reads "This bottom entry... it says that you're SIXTY
YEARS OLD!", and accordingly offers Donald a gold watch "as a token of  your
many... MINUTES with us!"
The man visits Donald at his home at the end to give him back his job, as
"it turns out *65* is the retirement age!"
Playing on the agelessness of  comics characters, Don Rosa has Daisy scream
in surprise "you're *60*?! EEEK!", and Gladstone teasingly calls for extra
candles on the cake. The joke enables Don to conclude with all th characters
wishing Donald a "Happy 60th Birthday, Donald Duck!!!"
Nicely handled.

Let's see now... Ah yes, PM changed the panel & translation: panel 8 p 2,
where the man peers over the upside-down paper (in the original script, ie),
instead of  "90 / 60", he reads "1934", right side up, and rightly concludes
Donald is 70. Consequently, the story now depicts Donald as really being 70,
with the date explicitly given, when in fact Don was careful not to mention
any date at all, thus sustaining the suspension of  time regarding aging
that characterizes most comics.
At the end of  the story, PM's translator/editor awkwardly has the man say
"*70* is the retirement age! But since you are only 70..." -- which doesn't
make any sense at all; naturally, they could hardly have him say the
retirement age is 80.

That's what happens when you try to tamper with a text when translating it,
regardless of  a pun it hinges around.


Have a nice summer, all of  you! I am staying here and will keep reading.


Olivier