Disney-comics digest #160.

David A Gerstein David.A.Gerstein at williams.edu
Thu Nov 18 03:31:55 CET 1993


	Dear Folks,

	Gilbert Milburn quoted me:

>      The complaints about Rosa in this article are virtually
> identical to the few anti-Rosa letters I saw in the old Gladstone
> comics.  (I saw no anti-Rosa letters in Disney's comics, although
> there were a great deal of anti-Van-Horn letters.)  Nothing new under
> the sun.

	Then he added:

      "YES, unfortunately this is the case most of the time!  I don't see why
people can't just let Don do what he loves doing with out always telling him
that: "You Sir, are NO Barks!"  Who cares, who is anyway?!?  They don't
ridicule Van Horn or any of the rest, so why do they consistently devour Don
alive???"

	Huh?  What I meant to say was that during the Disney Comics
period (1990-93) I saw *no* anti-Rosa letters, and I followed their
comics very closely.  However, what I meant was that there were
*droves* of letters panning William Van Horn.  The letter column of
Disney Comics' DDA was (particularly around issues #15-18 I think) the
center of a raging debate over Van Horn.  The comments ranged from
dripping praise (as I often give Don Rosa! ;-) to furious comments of
the "this art is better suited to coloring books" variety.  Even Bob
Foster chimed in, in one case giving a relatively nasty answer to
someone who referred to Van Horn's stories as "drek" (he didn't mind
criticism, he said, but insults were different).

	The only letters I saw panning Rosa were in the old Gladstone
comics, and they sounded very much like that German article.

	In issue #21 there was even a letter from one Cap Petschulat
(I'm not sure about the spelling there) who wrote in attacking Carl
Barks.  Paraphrase:  "I can't understand all the shouting about your
'hot' artist, Carl Barks.  He only has about four or five different
duck expressions which he reuses again and again... I prefer Vicar."
To this Bob responded, "Yeah, we ought to get rid of that Barks guy.
He's been producing clunky stuff for years now.  I don't think he has
a future in comics."


	DDA 24
	=== ==

	Gladstone filled up the issue with a story from Egmont about
.... about a *talking mailbox*?  Aaargh!  I'd go with Branca, Vicar
and Scalabroni almost always if you ask me.  They get the best scripts
because Byron and the other editors think better of their work.

	Gladstone seems to be picking real lemons when it comes to
Danish stories... I can't help but say so.  From 1989-1992 I had
regular access to the Danish comics in their German editions.  I'd say
that there was a lot of slop, but also some good stories now and then,
and Gladstone is overlooking them!  Why?  In the old days they chose
so many *good* Danish stories!  What's happened?  The general quality
of Egmont's stuff has in general gotten *better* if you ask me.

	I'm doing my bit by choosing my favorite Danish stories to
translate for use here.  And both I and Dwight Decker are preparing
lots of good Dutch stories, too.  (BTW:  The quality of Dutch stories
seems to me in general to be better than the Danish ones.)

	
	That's about all for now.  Soon I'll be able to tell you about
the laser disc set I'll have in a few days put out by Disney, a
collection of all-black-and-white Mickeys from 1928-1935.  It'll be of
interest here since so many of the cartoons on the set were used as
the basis for Gottfredson stories.

	Your friend,

	David Gerstein

	"Oh, the cows and the chickens, they all sound like the
Dickens when I hear my little Minnie's YOO-HOO!"
	<David.A.Gerstein at Williams.edu>

	P. S.  That's a fine old 1929 song which Mickey opens my first
Egmont Mouse story by singing!  Back to Gottfredsonian basics, I say!


	



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