Freddy Milton -- The Big Sneeze

[Harry Fluks]

David:
>> Reportedly, Fred Milton did some long Duck story for Oberon in the
>> '70s, then found out it was going to be published as a regular comic
>> rather than an album (or vice versa), so withdrew it, hid (or
>> destroyed?) the original art, then redid the story with his own
>> freshly-invented anthropomorphic GEESE and had it published by someone
>> else!!!!

Per:
> I think that you're thinking about "The Big Sneeze", and I think the
> story is more like this:
> 
> FM made this as a 32-page Donald story in the 70s and tried
> unsuccessfully to sell it to Gutenberghus (= Egmont) in Denmark.  When
> he couldn't sell it he remade it as a story with new characters and it
> was published (with 30 pages) as "Kalle Klodrik i Det Store Nys" in
> Denmark in 1976.

Kalle Klodrik = Woody Woodpecker, I presume? Was it published that early as 
in 1976?

> But evidently FM really wanted it as a Donald story
> and kept trying to sell it--a rejection letter from Western dated
> January 1980 is published in the German book _Disney von Innen_ in the
> chapter on FM.  Then at last he managed to sell it to Oberon in
> Holland and it was published as a 31-page Donald story in 1980. 

So 1 page is missing in the 'Dutch' version?

> I haven't seen it, but Harry has said that it's very good.  The code is
> H 8001 in case anyone wants to suggest the story for Gladstone.

Well, I would! David: could you convince John Clark ore some other Gladstone
editor?

David:
>> One of the stories in that [Harvey Comics' Woody Woodpecker Giant
>> Size #1], "Danger at Sea," is by Milton and is the only Milton Woody
>> to see print here.

Per:
> Oops, we're off to non-Disney-stuff, but anyhow:  What story is that?
> The story I have in Swedish called approximately "Danger at Sea" is 10
> pages and only a part of a loosely connected story which involving a
> sneezing dragon.  Is this yet another variant of The Big Sneeze??

I have a 10-page episode of a "Woody Woodpecker" story, which matches
the Donald Duck story "the Big Sneeze" panel by panel. It appears to
be part of a 3-part series, with each episode its own title and page 
numbering. I think this is what Per refers to. But was there another
version of the same story?

And one other thing, about Milton's drawing styles. The story H 8001
has a drawing style of 1979/1980, when Milton has been coached by
Jippes for a few years.
The Woodpecker story also has a drawing style of the early 80s.

So maybe Milton *redrew* the Duck story before selling it to Holland?
(Making it a 31-pager in stead of 32?)
And he made a Woodpecker-story of it *after* it was published as a Duck
story?

What do you think?

--Harry.