Digest

[Don Rosa]

COMMENTS ON DIGEST -- 
	We'll see if this method works better for me. The session where I answered 20 individual messages cost me over $10!!!

	This question of Egmont copying other company's stories -- they DO copy other company's COVERS since the cover idea is Disney property 
and therefore belongs to any Disney licensee. Egmont has a particular art style and lay-out for their covers, so it's necessary to 
redraw the covers if they wish to use the idea. But to redraw an entire STORY makes no sense -- are we sure they've done this? It 
costs one Disney licensee NOTHING to use the work produced by another... this is one reason Gladstone can make a go of Disney publishing 
in a country where comics sell poorly in general, and Disney comics sell poorly in particular. The only thing I can think of is maybe 
some freelance writer is passing off these stories as their own new work since they can't be sued for plegarism, but only cussed by 
the editor in the unlikely event their copying is noticed (and that's not likely with tens of thousands of Duck stories out there 
and editors who don't know much).

	RICH BELLACERA says he sees no problems in the DUCKTALES "universe" being the same as the Duck comic (Barksian) universe. This tells 
me that Rich discovered the Duck comics after watching DUCKTALES. No Duck fan who has read Duck comics for 20-30-45 years can tolerate 
the idea of these two universes being the same. To say that "Bubba Duck" and names for the Beagle Boys do not "generally exist" in the 
comics is an understatement -- they do not exist PERIOD. The DUCKTALES "universe" is totally separate and never the twain shall meet. 
It's like the DC Superman and Batman comics and their kiddie SUPERFRIENDS TV show title of some years back -- just a separate "reality" 
for the kiddies.

	The digest says there has been much discussion about the conflicts in the timelines and hometowns and family tree in the Duck comics. 
I'd like to know what such conflicts are as I'm aware of very few. (DUCKTALES, as I said, does not count.) And no one has even seen the 
Family Tree yet! And yes, a reader CAN decide for himself what he chooses to "believe" from story to story --  and he can choose to 
even believe that DUCKTALES is part of the universe.... I can't stop him. But any reader who wants to believe the Barksian universe and 
MY universe will have NO conflicts to worry about; this universe is specific and accurate and constant. And I can answer any questions 
anyone might have on it. So...?
	TORSTEN ADAIR asks me if I might someday draw Pegleg Pete. No can do. He does not exist in the Duck stories -- he's a Mouse villain. 
Besides, Disney has abolished his pegleg because that made fun of cripples or some such. And he can't be called BLACK Pete either -- 
guess why! The character that now exists in the Mouse stories is BAD Pete. (Yeeccch.)
	Thanks for liking that new UNCLE $CROOGE cover. Did you catch the symbolic meaning therein. The "MOUSE" is being exterminated from 
the money bin/Duck comics. Yep.
	You're a recent Barks fan? The JW story that you think Barks' art looks strange on was drawn by Kay Wright, as stated in the album 
credits. Barks only wrote it. And the other JW issue you refer to sounds like another not drawn (or written?) by Barks. You DO KNOW 
that Barks didn't write/draw every Duck story ever, right!? ...And to rea	Oops.... better end now and see how much THIS will cost me!