Once more about the colour

[Mika Halsvaha]

Hello everyone, 
I have been reading this list for quite some time, but never had time to
write anything myself. However the issue of Coin Colour is so concerning
that I must take action... This may be old news, since I don't read
every issue that carefully.

As a Finnish reader I have used to seeing coins in the bin coloured
yellow. There have been quite a few arguments about why yellow colour is
better, and I think that plain aesthetics is one good reason. Ok, Barks
didn't worry about colouring of the comics, but he did make a number of
oil paintings. All those paintings that I remember show us huge piles of
(mainly) yellow/gold coloured coins inside the bin. The reason for this
- I think - is plainly that silvery/white coins do not look as good. Of
course next someone points that: "Paintings have nothing to do with the
stories. They were a hobby of Barks, and that he used different duck
universe etc." That view may be accurate, and of course there are a
number of other artists that may have a totally different opinion. But
since Barks is considered to be such an authority, I'd bring this point
up.

Actually I don't even try to defend certain coloured coins. I think that
the question is not that relevant. I just wanted to bring up another
fact to the conversation, so you can continue discussing matter even
more. Most interesting point was made by Paulo Barrez. He wrote that
Barks didn't pay that much attention to continuous "Duck universe"
(actually I'm beginning to dislike that term). One good example is the
story "The Lemming with the Locket". In that story lemming jumps out of
Money Bin window. Normally, that action would have produced a very
Ex-lemming. Barks was not able to use another animal (bird, for
example); the story relied too much on characteristics of lemmings. So
he simply drew some sort of office building in front of the bin that was
newer to be seen again on any other story. Lemming Jumped out of a first
floor window, and led the Ducks into another great adventure. 

I think that one of the greatest characteristic of barks stories is that
there is not too much irrelevant continuity between them. He was able to
use every ounce of his imagination, without too much concerning "Did the
Bin have windows on this side or that side etc." The stories aren't a
serial story, each is unique, and every detail (that Barks stories have
a lot) serves some purpose on that particular story. 

Mika Halsvaha