Disney-comics digest #264.

Don Rosa 72260.2635 at CompuServe.COM
Thu Mar 10 06:27:03 CET 1994


	Well, I have a list of things to comment on.

DAVID:
	David, believe me, I have been reading those
statement-of-ownerships long enough to know the difference between the
"issues-sold" and the "issues-printed". Everything I said in my last
message was true -- go back and check your Disney-Disneys and see. They
DID print their "annual" statement-of-ownership twice in 2 months, and
the figures for "average number of copies sold per issue" for the same
period of time DID drop as drastically as I said.

BJORN:
	I'm very glad you liked that Lo$ #10. In many ways, it's my
favorite chapter of the series! It is jam-packed with Barks references,
it has such a great cast of interesting characters, it ties up so many
aspects of the series past and future, and it really moves at a
lightning speed with several things going on at all times. I wish I
could get all my stuff to work out like this.
	I, myself, am VERY displeased with that half-page panel. I don't
know why I can't see this sort of thing until after I send in the art,
but those battleships are drawn with the wrong perspective and look like
2D cut-outs in a shooting gallery. (People who have yet to read the
story are going "Battleships? What the hell...?" Gosh, it'll be late
summer 1995 before Americans will know about those battleships.
	Anyway, yes, I was real happy with Lo$ #10. In fact, I just
received my copies from the Norwegian editor (the ONLY editor in the
world who is nice enough to send me copies). I can't check now - are you
in Norway? Is someone else here in Norway? Geir, are you out there
tonight? The reason I ask is that I'd really like to know what is going
on in this DONALD DUCK & CO. #10, 1994, (this Lo$#10 issue) on pages 24
& 25! It seems to be some sort of contest with the prize being a signed
& numbered limited edition lithograph of my DD Family Tree. (I may have
never mentioned that they printed a small number of these in Norway for
such prize offers and to give to Egmont VIPs. I signed and numbered them
last time I was in Norway.) Does this contest have something to do with
the approach of DD&CO #2000 in about 5 weeks? And what is that puzzle
story that precedes the prize pages?

MATTIAS:
	Yes, getcherseff a Lo$ #10. I want to know what you think of it!
	And, YES, I'm still trusting that you'll be my Swedish supplier
of funnybooks! I don't think there are any back-issue Don Rosa - KALLE
ANKAs that I need, unless you already have some set aside. Whatever I
might have told you I needed before still applies, I guess. 

ABOUT HARRY GLADSTONE:
	NOW I know the story you folks are discussing! I have an
interesting tale to tell about that, involving the only brush I had with
Disney stuff prior to going to work for Gladstone (the company) in '86.
	I had known Russell Schroeder through fanzines since about
1974, and on my first visit to DisneyWorld, he took me on a tour of his
office in the Disney Merchandise Art Department below Main Street.
While down there he introduced me to someone (apparently Gladstone, the
guy) and told me he had done a story that Gold Key had just used. And I
was very interested since I had spotted that story while flipping
through those hideous Gold Key comics that I was still buying for
collection's sake. I can't recall any details of the story's history
that he told me -- I can't recall when or why he submitted it to Gold
Key, or why they used a story so completely different from the drek
they'd been publishing. I don't think he ever had any interest in doing
comic books but did that one tale for fun. And if Barks had any
connection with it, I dunno... I would think I'd recall that detail.
	Anyway, the OTHER weird thing that happened was that Russell
then took me to meet...uh...whatzisname, the old guy who is down there
in DisneyWorld and who they trot out to park guests since he's one of
the few living souls who worked in the studio animation department in
the 30s. You still see this guy down set up in the Disney "collectibles"
(UGH) store there in the Magic Kingdom where "The Walt Disney Story"
used to be. Anyhow, I spoke to the old fellow briefly, and he said he
used to know Barks at the studio, and our short discussion lead somehow
to my commenting on how Barks was then currently painting scenes of
Donald and $crooge and selling them at auctions or to collectors for
thousands of dollars and wasn't that great. And the old guy's eyes lit
up with fire and he said "He's doing WHAT!!!???"... and he became rather
disturbed. Naturally ALL those guys would like to have a deal like that,
but it's not allowed. I asked Russell later if he thought I had
inadvertantly gotten Barks in trouble and he said he was sure not. And
yet, shortly thereafter, Disney ordered Barks to STOP doing those
paintings. I'll never know the story of what happened here.

RON:
	I'm compelled to mention that there were a few stories in the
mid 60s... ONE in particular... where Barks claimed that Duckburg was
far advanced of all other Earth cities, it looked like a city out of
Buck Rogers with people hopping about in space-cars, its own space
station, and everybody and his brother rocketing about the solar system
on weekend trips. I regard these as "fictitious" tales, done at a time
when Barks must obviously have been running dry of ideas! Duckburg is
nothing more than a medium-sized, absolutely normal west-coast city. The
only space travel I can tolerate in a Duck comic is when Gyro invents
some one-of-a-kind ship for $crooge for some special occaission, and
where the idea of space travel is treated in a very Jules Verne style. I
will not tolerate the idea of these Ducks being able to hop around the
solar system at will in rockets, anymore than I would tolerate them all
becoming a super-hero team or some such.





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