+Postage Due+Disney-comics digest #134.

[Don Rosa]

COMMENTS ON #134:

David -- 
	I am going to do a special "Donald's 60th Birthday" story
beginning as soon as I finish the 211 page "Life of $crooge"... which I
expect to ink the last page, the big finish, a single full-page panel
(first in a Disney comic? Probbly not...) by next Tuesday. That will
finish the project I started about 2 1/2 years ago. I have no idea what
sort of story I'm going to do about DD... maybe something about his
early life, though that might seem a repititious theme after this
$crooge deal. And I don't know if it will be completed and available to
Gladstone when they need it. All I know is I hope my DD story or
ANYBODY'S DD story can prevent them from possibly using that nicely
drawn (Marco Rota) but idiotic "Life of Donald Duck" epic that the
Italians did some years ago. Actually, I've never read the whole story
which I think deals with Donald's past life on the basis of his old
Disney cartoons rather than his comic-book career -- but I do know the
story opens with brother and sister $crooge McDuck and Grandma Duck
(!!!! -- my family is Italian so I can vouch for the fact that, even in
Italy, one's uncle is not the brother of his grandmother) driving along
in a storm when a duck nest is blown out of a tree and Donald pops out
of the egg. This whole idea is so bizarre that it baffles any logic! So,
Donald is the offspring of a wild duck? Or the kind grandma keeps on her
farm and cooks for Sunday dinner? This is such an odd story that I find
it rather creepy... like something from ZAP COMICS or something.
	Anyway, the "Lost Library" story won't appear until next SUMMER?
Why not? They're using the Van Horn stuff about a week after it appears
in Europe -- what's the delay on the "Library" story? Or is summer their
"ratings period"?

	Somebody saw that letter from Lustig in the CBG. Pity you can't
read between the lines. Lustig and Van Horn are working closely with
Grandy, Barks' new "agent" who sells his work and Van Horn's. Van Horn
makes copies of his stories and covers which Grandy and he sell on the
open market, in direct violation of their contracts, and in direct
conflict with my efforts to gain legitimate permission for such
activities. This will also help us see the reason for lots of recent
events, and more to come... such as Barks writing a story for Van Horn
to illustrate which he and Grandy will then.... well... And you can see
where the directive to Lustig originated to have him write the letter
objecting to someone other than Van Horn getting the kindly attention
from Duck fans.