Disney-comics digest #272.

[David A Gerstein]

	Dear Folks,


	MAD's influence on Don Rosa, and MAD in general
	===============================================

	DON said:  "MAD was originally aimed at adults and college-age
folks, more like NATIONAL LAMPOON was in the 70s. But as they realized
who most of MAD's buyers were, they started aiming it at a younger and
younger audience until they got to about "junior high" level. When?
Oh, I guess they got there by the late 60's and thereafter. The MAD
comics and magazines of c. 1952-62 would be, after Barks' Dells and 
old movies, my biggest influence."

	First of all, MAD is NO LONGER aimed at kids.  I picked up a
current issue and was startled by thousands of very obvious references
to sex... NOT as typical of the innuendos in the old MAD, but items
which are equivalent to repeating over and over "Everybody's doing 
it."  In the most issue I saw, several parents wrote in to protest 
this new trend in MAD.  The letter column editor jeered back with a 
harsh and obnoxious reply, implying that those parents were 
prudes...
	MAD is making a mistake in this age of teen pregnancy and
AIDS.  If they had the older teen/collegiate audience that they used
to (and still have in Europe, where once the issue was distributed
with a free condom in every issue) it would be different.

	[Discussion of MAD with no relevence to Disney ends here]

	As for the influence the early MAD has on your work, Don:
	A)  I find that your shading is much like Basil Wolverton's,
especially as he did it for a few MAD issues.  (Didn't work for them
very long though...)
	B)  Your art style during your first year of Disney comics is
virtually identical to the Will Elder "Mickey Rodent" story.  The
resemblance was made even more striking by how closely John Clark's
lettering of the time resembled that of whoever lettered "Mickey
Rodent."  When I look at "Mickey Rodent," I say, "that's a Don Rosa
Donald Duck."
	Sadly Will Elder's Mickey Mouse was much further off the mark
(disregarding the stubble on his face).  You can draw a much better
Mickey, Don (hint, hint, hint).  I think Elder was trying to imitate
Bill Wright's Mickey, but he has the figure all wrong.
	Notably, this tale is about Mickey laying a trap for Donald
(or, "Darnold," as he's called here) to get rid of him for good,
because he wants the popularity back that Donald stole from him!


	Basil Wolverton's MM
	====================

	In 1935 Basil Wolverton began a MM comic story when applying
for a job at Disney.  It was never used.  Now Bill Spicer has the art
to the -- unfinished -- story.  Who could finish this thing so it
could appear in D&M?  I hate to say this, but, DON, your style is
closest to his among the current artists --


	Use of the term "nosey parker"
	==============================

	Nothing's purebred Brit about that -- let's see here!  In last
month's WDC&S ("High-Flying Picnic"):

	"What ho!  You're aloft -- with your girl and balloon, and no
nosey parkers to watch while you croon!"

	Important question:  The author of Donald's ballooning book in
that story, Hotwind J. Flated, is clearly a caricature of Carl Barks.
Some of the ink lines look altered.  Was this a Barks caricature in
the Dutch version as well?  If so, has it been altered for its
appearance here?


	So long, folks.  I'll probably write my final letter for 2
weeks, tomorrow...

	David Gerstein

	"I'm the Fuller Brush Man!  I'm givin' g'way free semple!"
	<David.A.Gerstein at Williams.edu>