Those Germans

David A Gerstein David.A.Gerstein at williams.edu
Sat Apr 16 18:52:18 CEST 1994


	Dear Folks,

	Don discussed the German weekly: "This is the only country 
where the weekly is named after the wrong character. Those Germans 
-- always being contrary!"

	>Snort!<  Them's fightin' words!  Sure, the German weekly is
named after Mickey!  SO'S the Italian one, and the British one.

	It's easy to explain in Italy and Germany.  Both of those
countries get all the stuff produced in Italy (it comes to the Germans
in a whopping THREE pocket books per month, one with 256 pages!), in
which Mickey has appeared in his Gottfredson version continuously.
And in Italy Gottfredson's stories have never been out of print.

	It is the strong characterization of MM by Gottfredson, and
those who worked in his footsteps, that is enough to keep Mickey up
there with DD as a popular character.  It is the countries which have
given constant exposure to this characterization (since the 1950s)
where MM is equal in popularity to DD and US.

	As for the British situation, I haven't a clue.  Actually,
Mickey's name vanished from the weekly when Gottfredson stopped doing
the adventure stories in the late 1950s.  It only returned about three
years ago.

	Regarding "Return to Xanadu"'s German publication:  "I see 
the #2000 has (part 2?) of my "Return to Xanadu" under the title 
"(something) to Trala La". So, the surprise of Xanadu being Trala
La is merely given away in the TITLE of the story? What did they use
for a title to "Citizen Kane" in Germany? "The Man with the Sled 
Named Rosebud"?

	No, but "War of the Wendigo" is there called "Return to the
Land of the Pygmy Indians," spoiling any surprise in the sudden
reappearance of the Peeweegahs.

	Yep, them Germans can't keep a secret.

	Your pal,

	David Gerstein





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