Rota in DDA 23

[David A Gerstein]

	Dear Folks,

	DDA 23 and WDC&S 588 have at last appeared in these parts.
Fine issues, although really I think they coulda used the old WDC&S 68
version of "The World of Tomorrow" and saved some space in the middle
of the comic for wolves, bugs and rabbits.  But heck, I should be
*glad*... I'm the Gottfredson fan around here!

	Anyway, to DDA 23.  Adding this story to the list we have so
far gives us this list of Rota stories that we know by name:

32  I         DD  van ei tot eend (DD origin story)
36  I  215    US  in: de geldzee (appeared in Disney Comics' U$)
45  I  228-A  DD  en kleine krack (one of the Viking stories)
32  I         DD  in de nacht van de saraceen
36  I  277-A  DD  geroosterd vlees als redding (another Viking story)
36  I  245-A  DD  als forens
28+ D  5393   DD  and his fierce ancestor Andold Wild Duck (another
Viking story)
17  D  5480   US  op jacht naar onderzeese schatten
44  D  9434   DD  en de tijdmachine (1st time machine story, with
Vikings)
12  D 92120   DD  vliegtuiggevecht met bolderbast
14  D 92444   US  inbraak in opdracht
12  D 93041   DD  paa dybt vand

	The new one sticks out like a sore thumb since I didn't know
what it was called in Holland and had to put it in English!

	Someone said that this was a version of "En Kleine Krack" in
another digest, but they must be mistaken, because that's an Italian
story and this one is one that Rota did for Egmont.  (He used to do
stories for them once-in-a-while, but as we know now works only for
them.)

	Something else points to this as a Danish story besides the
code number... mainly that this has 8-panel pages while most Italian
stories have 6-panel ones.

	So what is "En Kleine Krack"??  Anyway, Marco Rota's
favorite subject matter is obviously Vikings.  Considering that you'd
think he'd try harder to make them seem authentic...

	But then, "Andold Wild Duck" is a pretty old story, c.
late-1970s with THAT code.  My guess is that the time-machine story
has better-grounded Vikings.

	By the way, Disney Comics had Gary Gabner do the three Danish
time travel stories (the first by Marco Rota above, then two by Vicar)
in English, but never printed them.  Now Gladstone could do them.
Does anyone want to support my desire to see them?  I have seen the
"Stone Age" story by Vicar in German, and I think it's far superior to
any other Vicar work.  The art is just unbelievable, and the story is
pretty good if not exceptional.

	* * * * *

	One other comment before "Andold Wild Duck" becomes a thing of
the past:  That Andold/Bo pair reminds me of a slightly more bumbling
Asterix and Obelix quite a lot!  You don't suppose that Rota took a
leaf from Goscinny and Uderzo's book(s)?

	Yours,

	David Gerstein

	"It is here that we notice the efficiency of the Roman ships'
capture system.  A hook here, a sharp jab, then PULL... and the
enemy's fat is in the fire!"
	"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THE ENEMY'S FAT?"
		-- Albert Uderzo, "Asterix and the Black Gold"