Disney-comics digest #795.

[Don Rosa]

KNUT:
        Well, you're right -- $crooge tossing a tip (even if it was a penny)
to a doorman, or to tip ANYBODY, would be out of character, eh? I think I
was probably searching for an opening panel gag, and sorta showing how
$crooge or Donald probably don't really ever notice that little "helper"
like he's just omnipresent clutter in Gyro's shack. I feel like Gyro is so
used to him that he's only vaguely aware he (the Helper) is around. Of
course, the nephews are aware of everything at all times.
        Never seen CITIZEN KANE? I'm one of those who thinks it's the
greatest film ever made, and by a wide margin. I've used it or quotes from
it in at least 5 or 6 stories, and have it ever-on-my-mind while doing any
$crooge tale. I don't doubt that my love for CK has some basis in my love of
$crooge. I personally see $crooge's philosophy of life very close to Kane's,
even though Kane is a guy who never worked for his money, but inherited it
all. But CK is all about a man searching for meaning and happiness in his
life based on the money he had and what he could buy and what people would
think of him, only to learn as he died that he lost all chance of happiness
the moment he became super-wealthy. I see this as pretty much the message of
the final page of "Only a Poor Old Man", though I see $crooge's few joys
coming not from his money but from his memories, something Kane did not
have. But Kane lost all chance of ever enjoying something like his old
"Rosebud" same as $crooge lost all chance of ever enjoying an ice cream soda
like Donald can. CITIZEN KANE is the classic story of how money and greed
lead to empty lives.
        What was the episode of "Columbo" that had something to do with CK?

DAVID:
        Yes, "The Incredible Shrinking Tightwad" is the story where the
Ducks are cleaning out an old closet in the Money Bin, and I show lots of
useless items left over from old Barks (and a few Rosa) stories.
        No, you know I never talk about anything I do unless I'm
specifically asked by someone. That's why I'm so quiet when on convention
panels, and why I decline invitations to give lectures to groups while I'm
in Europe. I never feel comfortable deciding what people want to know about
something I'm doing... but if I'm asked a question, I'll yammer away far too
long. So, I'll never talk about my current projects unless asked to.
        So, you're asking? For one thing, of course, I'm VERY slow since I'm
doing the whole job from idea to finished art, and I'm slow anyway, so I
don't DO that many stories. The last one I finished was the adventure
involving the historically accurate "King Arthur" that we discussed MANY
months ago. Now I'm doing a tale called something like "The Ten Avatars" or
"Treasure of the Ten Avatars" which involves $crooge on a search for the
lost city of Shambala, the capital of ancient India that turned back the
conquest-march of Alexander the Great in 326 BC. Lots of authentic Hindu
mythology and so forth. And I hadn't mentioned this yet either, but I've
been given permission to do this as a 28 page one-part story; now I think I
can do one or two of these a year again, and not be limited to the 24-page
3-parters that were causing me a bit of grief. Anyway, don't ask me if this
India story is any good -- I muck about with them for so long that I never
like any of them while I'm doing 'em. You'll need to decide if it sux eggs
or not when you see it someday.