2-Month Hiatus

Rob Klein bi442 at lafn.org
Sun Sep 9 17:45:48 CEST 2001


Greetings fellow DCMLers!  I'm back after 2 months away doing hard work on
a children's adventure book series (with comic book - or animation -style
art).  The DCML archives are a great way to catch up.  Thanks, Per!  I'm
glad to see all the great recent work done by Harry F., Olaf,
Gilles-Maurice, Alex Goerig, and the others on their websites.  Please
don't be offended if I didn't mention yours (I cannot remember all that I
checked or learned of from the archives).  

Regarding the English versions of websites:  I think it is great that most
people making websites are making at least part of their site available in
a "Lingua Franca" (which is usually English).  It is much better for a wide
range of fans to be able to understand fully and clearly what the site
maker seeks to get across to the visitor.  As Disney Comic fans, many of us
ARE interested in the development of the publications in other countries.

Regarding Kevin Howard's comments on DCML membership from various
countries:
I remember about 10 Dutch members who contribute somewhat regularly, plus
we have had a few more giving a few messages.  Relating to the 16M
population, that may, or may not be more representation than some of the
larger countries, such as France or Germany.  I seem to remember many, many
more messages from Germans.  However, it is true that most of those Germans
have sent only a few messages, especially recently.  Let us just note that
we have members mostly from much of Europe and North America, and growing
numbers from South America, Australasia and The Far East.  Let's hope we
add memberhip from Africa and Western Asia too.

One point from the topics I missed, that I need to get clarified:
I enjoyed the discussions over the familial relationship (or lack of) of
Donald, Daisy, Huey,Dewey and louie, April, may and June to eachother. 
But, I am confused.  If most of us are willing to use Barks' universe as at
least a base for the family trees, this fact must be used:  April, May and
June are the daughters of Daisy's SISTER.  In WDC 149 (Flipism story),
Daisy was visiting her sister when Donald accidently found her.  She
introduced her nieces.  It IS possible that these were NOT the daughters of
the particular sister she was visiting, but were daughters of her BROTHER,
who wer ALSO visiting their Aunt.  But that is not a good way to use the
rare information Barks provides.  It is much more reasonable to assume that
Daisy's sister is their mother, and that they live with her in that
particular flat.  Given that, it is highly unlikely that April, May and
June are daughters of Daisy's BROTHER.  That would be one of the worst
kinds of incest!  And, therefore, Donald's SISTER cannot be their mother. 
Donald's BROTHER COULD (conceivably) be married to Daisy's sister, but I
rather doubt that.  We have seen no evidence of Donald having a brother. 
If his brother were married to Daisy's sister, wouldn't we have seen them
all together in family situations.  Why were they never at the picnic
parties?  Why never at Grandma's for christmas?  Just having the same name
(Duck), does not make one related closely enough by law or tradition to be
considered a close relative (or "family").  Perhaps I should walk up to
Calvin Klein, Carole King (real name Klein), or Oberon's Patti Klein; and
say "Hi cousin!!!"    NO!  It is much more reasonable to realise that
Donald and Daisy are not related closely enough to be considered related by
law (3rd cousin in some nations, 2nd in some, and even 1st cousin in some).
 The name "Duck" in Duckburg may be like Smith or Jones in English speaking
nations, Mueller or Schmidt in German, Hernandez and Garcia in Spanish, 
Andersen (sson, on) and Hansen (on) in Scandinavian, and Feenstra and
Poostma in Friesland (8-) and so on.  There were enough Ducks and fowl-type
beings left in Duckburg to find to mate with to avoid incest.  One
scientific way to determine that would be to register a list of all
DIFFERENT characters in all of Barks' approximately 50,000 panels of Duck
story artwork; and then calculate the percentages of the "races" or
"species" (if you don't believe dog-people can produce offspring with
fowl-people).  From my experience, it seems that, overall, through the
years, fowl (incl. owls) make up about 25 - 30 % of Duckburg's population;
with mamals (dogs, weasels, pigs, moose,etc.) forming most of the
remainder.  

That brings up the August comment on the population of Duckburg.  It is
clear, as Carl Barks told me, himself, several times, that he did not set
out to create a CONSISTANT history or setting for the Duck's world.  From
the look of his drawings of the city, in its various incarnations, it is
clear that it has changed its size and physical character and location,
many times, as each individual story required.  I believe Duckburg was a
"middle-sized" city varying from 100,000 (100.000) to 500,000 (500.000) in
population.  It is true, that sometimes Barks had even portrayed it as a
sleepy country village of, say, 20,000-50,000.  But that latter vision is
rare.  Consider the splash panel in "The magic Hourglass".  Duckburg must
be a large industrial city.  It has a large port.  It is a railroad centre.
 With that infrastructure and employment base, the population must be (at
least) in the 350,000-500,000 range.  Disregard Flintheart Glomgold's
comments that Scrooge was a "small town" money champ.  That was just
bragging.  He was probably claiming Johannesburg as "his" large,
sophistocated city (when his money bin was actually isolated in the
countryside).  Although Duckburg wasn't a metropolis, it must be considered
as at least a secondary significantly large city.  It is also at least a
semi-autonomous "city state", as it has its own laws (and even an army?)  
Whether or not we assume it is in USA (based on its Disney historical
origins); or if we assume it is in our own country (Denmark, Sweden,
Norway, Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Greece, Brazil, Indonesia, Your
Country,) Perhaps it is a province or state within a sovereign nation,
which has special individual autonomous rights (such as Bremen in Germany,
or The Navajo Nation within USA).  I assume that the Army and Navy are from
the "National Government", but the police and jurisdictions are theirs. 
The fact that they have their own Ambassadors and Consulates should not
make one think that they are a totally sovereign nation.  I believe they
are an autonomous sub-government of their nation, which enjoys special
status and rights.  They might be something similar to Scotland within "The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland".  They can have their own
consulates and Olympic sports teams.

I'd better stop now.  I really need to work.  I hope I can control myself
enough to not lose my career over paying too much attention to DCML's
interesting conversations.  I doubt that I'll have access to the internet
in the poorhouse!  - Rob Klein

 



More information about the DCML mailing list