From RoC

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

Geir couldn't be bothered to read his free copy of Norwegian Donald
Duck. You should give #1/1994 a chance as it contains a recordbreaking
27 pages of Dutch stories, of which only the Mau Heymans story made it
into the other Nordic issues. You - on the other hand - may feast your
eyes on a Jippes 10 pager just-like-if-not-better-than-Barks (H 7418).

Harry doesn't like pocket books Made in Italy, but only 14 have been
published in Holland, whereas Danes can pick up #150 this month.
In Norway it's #64 and the Germans must be close to #200. Incidentally
these books are very popular here; so popular that second-hand shops
will only trade them for others, not common comic books. (I guess it
has something to do with collector's disease. The ads go something like
"There are now xxx Jumbo Books, have you got'em all?") And as it has
been stated here before, the quality of the art has improved in the
later years. I had to buy a digest, which featured a story (I 1948) in
which Clarabelle read a fairy tale to Morty and Ferdie: "Mickey Mouse
and the Troubadour of Camelot." The story is colored in red-scale and
has the old pie-eyed Mickey and Minnie appearing in a medieval setting.
This ties in with the recent character/actor discussion, and I think
Italian scripters are the most faithful to Floyd Gottfredson, whose
introduction to the Abbeville book BTW kicks off with the words:
"Mickey Mouse is an actor."

Photographs of Barks unlawful? Finnish #52b/1993 (a Barks/Gyro special)
has 3 pictures of him including a signed full back cover color photo.
I think they are copyrighted 1993 by "The Good Fellows." There's also
an interview from Atlanta. Could somebody translate this bit?

(@ = a-with-two-dots)
Markku Kivek at s: Arvioisitko nykyisi@ ankkataiteilijoita?
Carl Barks: Jaa, tunnen heist@ vain kaksi - Don Rosan ja William van
Hornin. Pid at n kyll@ molempien aikaansaannoksista. Williamin grafiikka
muistuttaa enemm at n minun tyyli at ni. Rosa puolestaan ahtaa ruudut t at yteen
yksityiskohtia - jopa liiankin kanssa. Muuten, olen suunnittelemassa
k at sikirjoitusta uuteen Roope-seikkailuun, jonka William ty"ost@@ valmiiksi.

Did Adolf Kabatek really do the "Treasure Chest" series? He is only
credited for the idea, and in CB&Co.#18 an Alfonso MolinBH from Spain
tells that Francisco BargadNS runs the Recreo Studio in Barcelona. They
make S-coded stories and "recently did [...] Der Regengott von Uxmal."
That's ten years ago.

Don is mildly annoyed at some statements from Geoffrey Blum, that have
surfaced in an interview with Daan Jippes. These had been translated
through a handful of languages and were entirely out of any context.
I have most issues of CB&Co. and just got access to a scanner, so I
can at least "render into machine-readable form" the latest two issues.
The older ones are type-written and don't translate too well. I already
have the Geoffrey Blum interview that takes up half of CB&Co.#19. If
it's not a hanging offence, I could put it on the index/archive list for
those who understand Danish gobbledigook. Just give me the word, Per.
And I know you're watching me, in case my feather-brained brother tries
anything funny with my mail!
Just after mailing my last letter I got to read the most recent mail,
which happened to consist mainly of inquiries to, transcripts and
translations from Carl Barks & Co. #20. When I asked you to "beg on
your knees" for translations, I had no idea you already *did*.
Don't, oh please don't, type more of it, Don, I can see you obviously
labored over it. Though I couldn't spot a single error, I think that
"I'm a better writer than Don Rosa."  (To be quoted out of context:)

For those of you who've read this far, here's the prize.
As promised, I have translated one (the shortest) of the interviews
in Carl Barks & Co.#20. The Jippes interview is roughly three times
as long. If somebody wants a go at it, I can make a scan of it.

If some of the following doesn't make too much sense, remember that
it has been translated from Italian, via German to Danish before it
even got to the point where I could mess it up.

========================================================================

INTERVIEW with MARCO ROTA from CARL BARKS & CO. #20
(translated from Danish by Ole Reichstein in January 1994)

Introduction by Klaus Strzyz

Italian Disney artists don't always have the best reputation in Northern
Europe. Their stories are often considered wild and chaotic, their style
too fast and inaccurate. That this point of view is justification can be
ascertained in numerous Jumbo books. But the following interview with
Marco Rota should prove, that there is more to it than that.

Marco Rota rose to become art-director at the large Italian licencee
Arnoldo Mondadori, and kept this position until Disney itself took over
publishing in Italy. On that occasion he was sidetracked by internal
intrigues, so he left the editorial staff of his own accord. Today his
work with Disney characters is limited to freelance projects. He has
among other things contributed with stories to the Scandinavian Egmont
group.

Marco Rota was born on September 18.th 1942 in Milan. He did his first
professional job at the age of 16, but it would take another 13 years
before he had his first Disney story published. It was "Topolino e la
tigre col fiocco" from June 6.th 1971 in Topolino #10. His style is
characterized by a calm, without the hectic course usually seen in
Italian licenced productions. A typical example of his elegant style is
Almanacco Topolino #277 from 1980 with the story "Le avventure di Mac
Paperin - L'arrosta della salvezza", now reprinted by Egmont.
Also some other stories from the early 80'es. The last monday issue of
Anders And & Co. #35/93 had a 12 page Rota episode from his current
freelance period.

The following interview was done by Luca Boschi and is from September
1986. It is translated from the German version in a book about Disney
artists edited by Klaus Strzyz: Das Imperium der Maus, 2.nd edition.

Luca Boschi: - How long have you been working professonally on comics?

Marco Rota: - It dates back to 1958, when I was 16 years old and full
 of enthusiasm. My first comic was a western titled "Steve Morgan, il
 trappolatore," that went as a serial in a weekly from the publishing
 house Dardo in Milan. After that I worked a while for "Tarzanetto"
 before I in 1963 came to Mondadori, where I drew chapters with Super-
 man and Batman in the publication "Albi del Falco." For the - in Italy
 very esteemed - weekly ABC I developed in 1966 some erotic comics with
 a main character Mustine and her parents Sado and Maso. Then I did a
 comic in Nordic settings, "Ringo il Vichingo."

- When did you come to Topolino?

- In 1962 I did a book for Mondadori with automobiles from yesterday,
 today and tomorrow, where I contributed with both black/white and color
 illustrations. At that time I was offered a full time job as an artist
 in the house, so a couple of months later I joined the editorial staff
 of Topolino.

- From the beginning you seem to be inspired by the American school.
 Which artists did you like the most?

- Floyd Gottfredson, Al Taliaferro, Carl Barks and also Paul Murry.
 Especially Murry's work seems at first glance somewhat childish, but
 after a closer look you see, that he has a great narrative and
 graphical talent at his disposal.
 Gottfredson is of course the master, with respect to Mickey Mouse.
 The weight and the anatomical building of the characters gives him a
 high star on Disney's firmament. And especially the stories from the
 30'es and 40'es display an unsurpassed synthesis of graphics and
 narration. Taliaferro was a great artist, who unfortunately never got
 to do longer stories, where he really could have excelled.
 But the one who influenced me the most was Carl Barks. His stories
 fascinated me right from my childhood. Apart from his outstanding
 dramaturgy his stories are imbued with a caricature of reality, that
 makes them more interesting than they already are. His drawings can
 almost better be seen as photo documentaries from Duckburg, which
 appears as a real existing place.

- You have said, that you should draw Mickey Mouse with a brush, but
 Donald Duck with a pen. Why?

- Because you need some agitated, sharp and biting strokes sometimes,
 when you draw the ducks. The pen is in that case more realistic, the
 environment has more credibility and the caricature is close to
 reality. I don't get the same effect at all with a brush, if I use
 it to ink the ducks with. You risk that the effect is vague, rubbery
 and powerless. For the mouse on the other hand it is fine, as that
 figure almost entirely consists of circles, ovals and curves. The
 mouse becomes gentler by nature, and the inking gets more fluent and
 harmonic. Even though Gottfredson has used a pen quite a lot too.

- Which Italian artists do you like the most and who do in your opinion
 come closest to the Disney style.

- Generally: Milo Manara, Hugo Pratt, Aurelio Gallepini, Guido Crepax,
 Gino d'Antonio and Guido Buzelli. The Disney artists: Romano Scarpa,
 Giovan Battista Carpi, Massimo de Vita and Giorgio Cavazzano. Romano
 Scarpa is also a first class letterer and the greatest interpreter of
 the full Disney universe. Carpi too is a first class artist, who with
 Massimo de Vita has created some of the most beautiful stories lately,
 whose original soul and feel for creativity has renewed drawing tech-
 nique.

- Before you became art director not much care was put into the covers
 of the Disney publications. Usually they were drawn by Gioseppe Perego,
 who was also responsible for the prologues in the Jumbo Books. What
 have you changed.

- At that time only a gag - unrelated to the contents - was shown on the
 cover. The idea was, that the books were addressed to children, and you
 didn't have to care about the adult readers. In the 60'es and 70'es
 they became aware that adults read comics too, and because of that it
 was decided in 1980 to change the covers, where you adapted the motive
 to the contents. This pertained especially to Topolino. Since then,
 news have been mentioned, or a recruiting campaign or a short concluded
 story.

- How do you develop your stories?

- I often start with a random, isolated idea, which I put down in a
 sketch. When I am convinced that of the idea's validity I write a
 short synopsis. And where do the ideas come from? I got "Scrooge and
 the depot in the sea" from a cover gag somebody sent to the monthly
 Topolino without it being used before I decided to make a story from
 it. Then there are all the people I know, who live out of town, but
 work in the city - that gave me the idea for "Donald as a pendler."
 Sometimes it hits me as a lightning from a clear sky, as the time when
 I was standing on the pier in the Ligurian fishing village Varigotti
 with my three year old son. I told him about pirates and pointed at
 an old tower on a cape, and later that becme "Donald Duck and the
 night of the Saracen." I try to include realistic things along the way
 to give the story a special geographic conciseness. While developing
 the theme I do preliminary drawings, sketches and studies, also of
 surroundings, vehicles, interiors and costumes. Gradually I build up
 a storyboard, where the picture sequence and the final text is worked
 out. I also start inking while parts of the story are still open. After
 this it also happens, that I change pictures or swaps some things,
 because I have difficulty being totally content with my work.

- Abroad you are considered the Italian artist, who carries over Barks'
 style best. What does that mean to you?

- It is a great satisfaction to me. For some artists it is impossible
 to step in other's footprints, because if it doesn't work too well,
 they start to doubt their own creativity. But if the goal is adjusted,
 so it won't be a defeat but an improvement of youir own quality, the
 process is laudable. For me the starting point is Barks. Maybe it is
 also a weakness or a nostalgic retrospection or seeking a classic form
 of general expressiveness, where the goal would be a possibility of
 total confusion with Barks? But there is also a reassurance in that,
 which I admit for the first time in public. I believe I am the first
 in Italy to openly discuss this possibility or risk. My first story
 is from 1972 and quite clearly expresses my wish to practically express
 what I have dreamt of so many times.

- Did you recieve any reactions from your readers then.

- Yes, there were phonecalls, a few reviews and letters too. Of course
 they didn't arrive at my address, as it wasn't signed, but at Topo-
 lino's offices, where I was presented them by my boss. I 1979 I even
 got a letter signed by 24 readers in their 30'es, professing them-
 selves passionately as Donald Duck fans. It was a letter taking a
 quite critical stance to the general style of Topolino's production
 at that time, and it gave me a certain pride to feel, that my stories
 with Donald as a pendler were mentioned as a prominent example, where
 the old humor and tradition shined through, instead of the common
 platitudes and banalities. Such statements were enough for me, because
 it told me, that the readers acknowledged that I tried to live up to
 the barksistic qualities. I can thank Barks for all that.

- Now and then tiny drawings with the signature "Marks" appear,
 obviously a dedication to him. How did this trademark arise?

- The idea arose one day in Mario Gentilini's office. He was the
 editor-in-chief of Topolino at that time. Every time I was in there
 I saw a picture on the wall by Carl Barks, where Scrooge pushes a
 wheelbarrow full of money. Underneath was the dedication: To Mario
 Gentilini, Carl Barks. This drawing inspired me to implant a tiny
 drawing in my stories signed Marks, so I achieved a phonetic
 correspondance and at the same time openly admitted to my inspiration.

- Some years ago a problem was recognized at Mondadori regarding the
 improvement of the art, and at that time you advised people to adjust
 to Taliaferro and not barks. How come?

- Because you can learn a lot from Taliaferro, and I still think so.
 Of course I then refer to his best period between 1940 and 1945. If
 you study him, you can clearly see how the ducks and other characters
 should be drawn most correctly, how a scene should be established and
 the cinematic rhytm can be be played. Another important factor is,
 that you can then study the duck and the mouse in the same tradition
 of design, as Taliaferro's style can also refer to Gotfredson's Mickey
 Mouse qualities.

- And how has the artists taken to your advise?

- It didn't work out too well. Taliaferrro has never been especially
 recognized as a rolemodel by collegues. On top of that we got a load
 of stills from the movie division as reference and ran into further
 problems. There was only one artist who succeeded in approximating
 Taliaferro, Guido Scala, but his style already showed some correspon-
 dance before that.

- If you disregard your works, and some of Bottaro's and Scarpa's,
 Italian produced stories are not in high esteem with foreign readers.
 What is the biggest mistake that has been made?

- The faults are probably more in the art than the stories. Though some
 lack of systematics in the psychological cope of the characters must
 be admitted. Mickey Mouse has become a simple detective, who almost
 mechanically works with the police. The settings have been provincial
 and the international aspect was for a while only lightly accentuated.

- Apparently you have a weakness for vikings, since several stories take
 place in earlier times?

- Yes, I always liked the sagas and medieval chronicles. It was an age
 of obscurity, and there's something secretive about viking stories.
 These themes haven't been exhausted by other writers either.

- In "The night of the saracen" you hid quite a few names of other
 editors of Topolino. How did that arise, and did the readers notice?

- Already in "Donald Duck as a pendler" I had some caricatures. I like
 having real people in the story, and I think that emphazises the ducks.

- And what about the names?

- They are hidden in small drawings along the way. For those who know
 and look for it it can be a bonus, but so far nobody has succeeded in
 finding them all.

- What is the major problem, when you try to adapt to the Disney style
 and the various characters?

- The graphic synthesis, the original line and the anatomical characte-
 ristics takes much practice, to be combined with an expressive fluent
 dynamic narration. To master not only the main characters but also the
 varied gallery of the supporting characters is a complex process, also
 because you must transform all humanoid expressions to the style of the
 animal caricatures. I basically think, that the duck universe is easier
 to make homogenous and effective than Mickey Mouse and his gallery.
 With Mickey you take a risk of making him a little man, and that's not
 desirable. But often you see him drawn in a way that if you took off
 his head, you are left with a bad caricature of a human. The humerous
 and poetic has also diminished by the removal of the short pants, so
 now you've got a somewhat dull humanoid, that in terms of expressive-
 ness can not compete with the ducks.

- What advise would you give to a young artist wanting to try out with
 the Disney ducks?

- You definitely should not believe you are a new Rafaell, who stoops to
 spending a rich talent on something as trivial as comics. Also remember
 that the world of Disney characters is mainly produced for children's
 consumption, then you automatically realize the limitations of the
 litterary and graphical means of expression. But you must also remember
 that adults too have always been moved by the expressiveness of these
 characters, when they have been used well, and thus don't fall short of
 Goldoni and MoliBHre. Then you have to like the characters, be enthused
 by them, have fun with them and about them, so your work doesn't become
 a dull routine. Then you must follow the style, that corresponds best
 with your own skills, and study it for so long that you are on intimate
 terms with the characters. As for the characters, I recommend that you
 thoroughly sketch moves, expressions and traits of personality. Then
 you must join the seperate panels so that the reading runs freely from
 picture to picture in a logic course. Inking the pencils is done with
 brush or pen, but never with rapidograph. You must subdue your ambi-
 tions of a personal expression and remember that many artists before
 you already perfected the expression of character. We have an obliga-
 tion to carry on the work in an existing tradition and to try to keep
 the level of quality that the best performers have reached. If we do
 remember that, we will also be aware that the personal sensitivity and
 talent of an artist will always shine through, and in that way you will
 always put something of yourself into the work, even if it is a commis-
 sioned work with set principal lines.

========================================================================

Can we have another quiz, huh? (And make it *hard*, 'cause I cheat.)

Arrividerci.

- Ole Reichstein -