A whole bunch of stuff

Olaf Solstrand olaf at andebyonline.com
Sat Jul 12 23:11:40 CEST 2003


Hmm... Perhaps I should go back to digest mode? Would be much easier to
answer then...

Oh well. Let's give it a try.



But first: A GREAT THANKS to our fellow caballero Mateusz Lis, who sent me
Kaczor Donald #26-03! I loved it! Even though I don't understand Polish, I
notice that the translator have played a little with my story here - in a
way that I _love_. Like when the police officer says "Odwiedziny od 17:00 do
17:10!" - the visiting time was originally from five to six, but shrinking
it to ten minutes is so much funnier! Now I only have to learn Polish...

Any others seeing D/D 2001-013 in their local comic lately? I have it in
Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Polish now...



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "About going to Europe":
"May I suggest that you go to Sacandinavia next time you bring your wife Ann
with you to Europe. At least here people can speak English and
pursesnatchers are much fewer than in Napoli."

May I remind that Don Rosa's last visit to Scandinavia was in October 2002?
Please, as appreciated as Don Rosa is all over the world and in Europe in
particular, it would be a waste if all his foreign visits would go to
Scandinavia. (though it would be great if he came over for the Summer
meeting in Danish Donaldist Society, I agree - but is that a reason to never
go anywhere else?)



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR, in "Blackheart Beagle's age":
"But just relax - "A Little Something Special" is a typichal fictional
anniversary story - according to the Barks chronology Flintheart Glomgold
and Magica de Spell didn't apear in Duckburg until later."

And don't forget that ALL Disney comics are fictional. Sigvald, you use an
expression here that trigger my curiousity. You say that "[this story] is a
[typhical] fictional anniversary story".

Which makes me wonder: Are there others? (According to YOUR definition of
"fictional" of course)

I know of D 93287, but as you said "typhical anniversary story", I assume
there are others of those as well?

Is D 97437 "fictional"? Is D 93574? Is D 97052? Is D 2000-191? Is D
2001-143? Those are the "anniversary stories" I know of by Don Rosa... are
they fictional?

And, to make it all clear: Can you please explain what you mean about
"fictional"? I ask because I'm confused. You say very clearly that D 96325
is fictional, but you still use facts from this story in your "Lives and
Times in Duckburg".

My interpretation of "fictional" in the meaning of Don Rosa stories, is
"this story did not happen in the Don Rosa universe". But I see that you now
use the word "fictional" about a story you pick a lot of information from,
so I have to wonder.

I also feel the urge to say that the first time I read this story (D 96325),
the story took place in 1997. Well, in my head it was, and nothing else was
said anywhere else either. I loved the story anyhow, and didn't see it as
more fictional than other Rosa stories. I also thought of Miss Typefast's
remark "it's 50 years since you first came to town" to refer to W OS 178-02.
Blackheart Beagle's age didn't bother me at all, as I knew Scrooge had to be
130something, and that Huey, Dewey and Louie had been around for 60 years
and still was kids...



FABIO BLANCO, in "A friendly gest to all Swedes here!":
"(somebody read my question about the gemstone comics?)"

We did, we did. I didn't answer it because I don't know anything for sure,
but here's a hunch from me. Enjoy. (annoying when nobody answers you,
right?)


FABIO BLANCO, in "GEMSTONES italian comics":
"Somebody know if one of the Disney comics from Gemstone will be dedicated
to current italian comics?"

I'm not 100% sure, but I get a feeling that the new "Donald Duck Adventures"
will be mostly dedicated to Italian-style comics. With "Italian-style", I
mean "similar to Italian". I _guess_ they will contain Italian stories, as I
see they will contain Egmont stories that was made "in the Italian style",
that stands side-to-side with new Italian comics in our digest books. I
don't know this, and I don't have any contacts in Gemstone whatsoever - but
I will be disappointed if DDA won't contain any Italian stories. But PLEASE
don't take this from my mouth. I just thought you deserved an answer now -
but I don't have any foundation for what I'm saying.



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Blackheart Beagle's Age":
"This is Disney comics in where moral is very important. So my guess is that
people won't have children before they are married. AFAIK to be married
people must be 18, at least in the western world."

But, this is Don Rosa. As we have discussed earlier, Della according to gave
birth to Huey, Dewey and Louie at age fifteen. Or, if one should believe a
goof made by the Danish translator, at age TWELVE. And yes, this was ALL
because of a goof Don Rosa did (writing "younger" instead of "older")...

...but still: Why is moral so important? This is a Don Rosa story. Don't you
love Don Rosa exactly because he tries to show the REAL WORLD? Well, in the
real world, immorality DOES happen. There are people giving birth at age 16
and younger. Living together without being married is NORMAL nowadays.
Premarital sex is even MORE normal.

Besides: This is BLACKHEART BEAGLE. The man who several times locked up
Scrooge and left him to die. The man who almost threw Scrooge off the
Cornelius Coot-statue. This man does ROBBING and THEFT as a full time job,
and he would not hesitate killing someone either. Does it REALLY make sense
to you that this man thought "Oh no, I can't have sex, I'm not married yet"?

Also: I seem to remember that one CAN be married before the age of 18 [in
the western world] - as long as you have your parents' permission and
signatures to do so. I may be remembering wrong, but...



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Cash Flow":
"When I recently saw that Don Rosa's "On Stolen Time" was to be republished
as "Sommer-lesning" I immediately decided to address DCML in order to
friendly ask our friends at Egmont like David Gerstein, why they seem to
keep ignoring the fact that Don Rosa's "Cash Flow" has not yet seen print in
Denmark (and Sweden)."

First: But that does not have ANYTHING with David Gerstein and others
working in ECN to do, does it?

Anyhow, here's my thoughts on this: I _guess_ that AR 106 will be reprinted
in a few years - as I guess this has something to do with time since last
publication in Norway. D 90147 came in Norway in January 1991, while AR 106
came in autumn 1992. I guess the proper thing to do is to wait a certain
amount of years before reprinting a story? I notice that AR 113 was not
reprinted before ten and a half year after first Norwegian publication,
either. People found that OK, but would perhaps have reacted if they had
reprinted e.g. D 96325 in 2002. I guess this has to do with trying out
hunches - how many years can they wait before reprinting a story?

But if Danish and Swedish Egmont are as clever as I hope they are, we will
hopefully see a reprint of AR 106 in a few years. That said, I REALLY hope
our dear Swedish neighbors print  D 93574 soon. Perhaps for June 9th 2004?



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Cash Flow":
"I didn't speak to our Danish friends before I wrote my statement, but both
AC and Thomas have previously told me that the really want to see Cash Flow
in Denmark."

That's not in any way the same as wanting to see it INSTEAD OF a Walt Kelly
story.



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Cash Flow":
"To Olaf: How could I know that less known writers/artists like Jesper Lund
Madsen and Pedro Alferez Canos have "stolen" Don Rosa's "Cash Flow" title.
Could this be the reason Don Rosa's "Cash Flow" has not yet been printed in
Denmark?"

Then you missed my point, which I assumed was obvious - well, so wrong can
one be. What I meant to say was: "Please mention author and/or story code
when talking about a story, not just the title". It's not obvious that
everything we say has to do with Don Rosa.

To your last question: I DOUBT IT, and has problems seeing any connection
there at all!



DON ROSA, in "DCML Digest  Issue 15":
"Next you criticize my friends at NAFS(k) because... what?... they don't
seize control of the Swedish government and impose some sort of cultural
dictatorship on the entire nation?"

SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Clarifying":
"No, no, no, but they can send letters to the stores menioned by AC and tell
them at there is no reason for having higher prices on KA-issues with your
stories than on similar issues with stories by other great artists like
Barks, Gottfredson, Murry, Van Horn, Rota, Scarpa, etc."

But that would be lying. There's a VERY good reason for having higher prices
on KA-issues with Don Rosa stories in them: Money. People are willing to buy
these magazines for a higher price, which is why the shops sell them for a
higher price in the first place.

Besides: Why would these shops listen to NAFS(K)? They KNOW they can take
more for these comics - and people will still buy them. Because it's Don
Rosa.



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Walt Kelly surprise in #28":
"No, you are also a serious reader. With a "serious reader" I refer to
people who care about WHO have done the stories they read those magazines."

Oh really? From your latest mail I understood that a serious reader was
someone prefering Don Rosa above Walt Kelly.



SIGVALD GRØSFJELD JR., in "Walt Kelly surprise in #28":
"Not as far as I have seen. But if that's true then at least that market
says that Don Rosa is more important than this Walt Kelly..."

To clarify, I don't go much to second-hand book shops. However, I talk a lot
to people on the Internet who is willing to sell their comics to the highest
bidder. And there, magazines containing Don Rosa stories attract more
buyers, and go for a much higher price. Sorry that I didn't state this in my
previous mail - I must have dozed off.


________________________
Best,
Olaf the Blue
"Etari etiuq tseg Dog, detsaw si mreps a fi. Taerg si mreps yreve, dercas si
mreps yreve."




Story codes used in this letter:
AR 106 - "Cash Flow", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
AR 113 - "Last Sled to Dawson", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 2000-191 - "The Beagle Boys vs. The Money Bin", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 2001-143 - "Gyro's First Invention", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 90147 - "On Stolen Time", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 93287 - "From Duckburg to Lillehammer", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 93574 - "The Duck Who Never Was", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 96325 - "A Little Something Special", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 97052 - "W.H.A.D.A.L.O.T.T.A.J.A.R.G.O.N.", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D 97437- "The Sign of the Triple Distelfink", Don Rosa/Don Rosa
D/D 2001-013 - "Being Donald Duck", Olaf Solstrand/Maria Sanchez Núñez
W OS 178-02 - "Christmas on Bear Mountain", Carl Barks/Carl Barks

For more information on a story in particular, check INDUCKS at
http://bolderbast.inducks.org/xsearch.html or another location. Please note
that the code for D/D 2001-013 in INDUCKS is printed with a space instead of
the slash - but I chose to give the PRINTED story code above, as I mentioned
it in a connection where that was the one I wanted people to look for.



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