Rawson - story list

Dave Rawson Dave.Rawson at salata.com
Wed Sep 27 02:51:06 CET 1995


DAVID GERSTEIN:

You're right, I was actually responding to Harry's posting listing only one
of my works. As far as the D-codes, that will have to wait until the spare
moment. I overlooked "Wings"? Likely that was in the same block of lax
record-keeping from last quarter of last year. This will get included along
with the D-codes.

 d>      You noted that your M+D story "On the Ball" was censored.
 d> Where?  Are you simply referring to how only a very few Egmont
 d> countries (or maybe even only ONE) printed it?

The Mickey-and-Donald-together story, "On the Ball," was NEVER printed to my
knowledge, even though the art was created. If you know otherwise (you
indicate you do), PLEASE get me or point me to the specifics.

 d>      I don't think that anyone on this list knew that Egmont had
 d> commissioned a story with Mickey and Donald together, but then either
 d> Disney-Europe, or Egmont themselves, chickened out and only allowed it
 d> to see print in a very small market.

Well, for those who don't know, the story is this. The Hong Kong
affiliate was creating a Rubics-sphere with raised-relief, colored figures of
Mickey and Donald on opposing sides of the sphere. (I now have one.) They
contacted Egmont to see if a comic book could be created to be given away
with the sphere.

Byron saw that as a perfect opportunity to do a Donald-and-Mickey together
story, one where each character would retain their NORMAL character and
operate as foils for each other in an adventure-length 24-page story. He
obtained the necessary permission.

So we had to design the story to work as two 12-page stories as well, because
it would be printed in Denmark as a continued adventure over two sucessive
weeks. Also, we had to explain the garish cutaway tuxedos the Mickey and
Donald characters wear on the ball.

None of this was hard, of course, but what I rolled into everything was a
wonderfully subversive fairytale/folklore backstory wherein the rightful
female ruler of a mythic kingdom was wrongfully imprisoned by a dictatorial
dictator named Fwhee (phooey). Donald through his bumbling and Mickey
through his inventiveness manage to set things aright.

Now Myanmar, formerly Burma, was in exactly such straights. Their
democratically elected ruler had been under house arrest for some time. The
Nobel committee had awarded her the Peace Prize in hopes of turning a bit of
media spotlight on the country and its conditions. But all journalists are
baned from Myanmar, so no reports exist except what are smuggled out and
those were few and VERY far between. The strongman who rules is named Schwee.

I know the simple allegory we had set up would be obvious to the culture of
Asia, but I figured no one in the west would know what I was up to. This
acutally is the case. The reason the story wasn't printed is more prosaic.

When it came time to actually schedule the story for Danish release, Byron
sought to CONFIRM the earlier approval. This is unusal and the higher-ups
took note, and cancelled the book out of suspicion that something wasn't
kosher. So even though Byron didn't know what I was doing, and the higher-ups
had no idea Disney would strike a blow for Democracy, it never happened.
Sadly.

As I understand it, technically, no Disney character can appear to ENDORSE a
product and, the reasoning goes, the comic book packaged with the toy would
be a tacit endorsement. This despite the fact the toy has TWO CHARACTERS and
a Disney copyright molded into the surface, on the ball, as it were.

This was one of the great disappointments of my life.

Fortunately, the miltary regieme has recently released the rightful ruler
from her house arrest and the hope is that this signals some potential
raproachment with the will of the people of Myanmar, but pacifism in the face
of vicious thuggery is difficult to sustain, especially when the eyes of the
world are turned away and the darkness is so deep.

The director John Boorman has an (unfortunately mediocre) movie out recently,
seeking to shed a little light as well. I commend him for the effort.

There also is a "Free Burma" page on the web at North Carolina's Sunsite.

 d>      Actually, Dave, since Egmont HAS printed it, that means it's
 d> available for Gladstone to use in D+M!  I wouldn't mind seeing the
 d> story myself, either...

As I said, I'm under the impression that they have not, but if somehow I'm
misunderstanding the circumstances, I think fans would LOVE to see these two
characters together. The story was written as entertainment first and
foremost. None of the behind the scenes alegory I just outlined is necessary
to know. If you can somehow get Gladstone to print this, I'll buy you a
drink!

... All that is required for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.
 * Evaluation copy of Silver Xpress. Day # 53
--- via Silver Xpress V4.01 [NR]




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