Silent Night

[bi442@lafn.org]

Thanks so much David and A.C. for sending me scans of the new "Silent Night" 
first 1/2 page.  They are FANTASTIC!!!  Daan even outdid himself!  His Donald 
on the last panel and the Nephews could not be seen as not Barks, even by 
Barks, himself! The splashpanel is great! Only the Donald sitting in his chair 
has Daan's own distinctive style overshadowing that of Barks (and most people 
probably don't have a problem with that. I think michel Nadorp is a good 
artist, and was very happy with the job he did. But, I certainly would have 
preferred in 1986, that Daan would have done the final artwork then. David, you 
did a fine job on the script.  In 1985, I should have put more of my own 
(educated) guesswork into dialogue in those panels.  Carl only told me 
the "essence" of what was in the panels.  He only told me that Donald was 
sitting is his large easy chair, reading a book about the "Good Old Days", and 
saying something like "Great Stuff! Great Stuff!".  I dared not guess at what 
else he said, so added nothing else.  Had i thought more deeply about it; I 
would have surmised, based on Barks' wont, that the story idea probably came to 
him from his disgust with the overcommercialism of Christmas. He probably 
wanted to play Donald's "discovery" of that idea off against the desires of the 
Nephews for gifts. As is Donald's character, he carries the idea too far in his 
actions.  Barks used the "Great Stuff! Great Stuff! line in WDC 32, - so he 
wouldn't have used it again, as is. He might have had some wording that 
described his discovery that the old fashioned ways of celebrating Christmas 
were "true". Then, he would have seen the Boys coveting gifts, and shown his 
disgust. And then, he would have started pacing, thinking that the old 
fashioned way is best (as we have from him in the lower portion of the page.

The story was, indeed slated for WDC 64, January 1946 (as seen in the payment 
records).  Carl told me nothing regarding the name or identity of the person 
whom he gave the drawing. It is clear that he did not remember in 1966, or his 
pal, Malcom Willits would have tried to track that person down; and we would 
have the complete artwork, today. Malcom tracked down the many scattered pieces 
of Barks' unpublished artwork.

Rob Klein


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