Bad and good Disney-comics

[Geir.Hasnes@DELAB.SINTEF.no]

DAVID:

>        There are some good stories out there!  They are hard to find,
>but if you read through a year of the Egmont DD, bad as many of the
>stories are, there are some good ones.

Yes, I agree, although I probably dont like as many as you do! I must also
add that some of the Dutch stories are very well done. I have to say this
because you should not get the impression that I mean everything not by
Barks and Rosa are bad and everything those two do is good (which it nearly
is, anyway, I dont think I have spotted a single bad Rosa story). 

>        I find that Barks' work starts going downhill around 1954.  It
>starts going REALLY downhill around 1958.  I'd say that 1958 is when
>the Scrooge stories begin losing their special quality;  I think that
>the ten-pagers do that in '54.  Oh, of course there are some great
>ones from after those dates!  But I'm just implying that only for a
>brief time did Barks do stories which could be considered PERFECT.

Barks delivered perfect stories the whole time, but also some imperfect
ones in between. You might have your impression because you havent grown up
with the comics. Some of the latest stories are just as much genius as the
top stories of 1949-52, although there are more fillers in the later years.

>       I find
>that I actually *prefer* some good Egmont stories.

I never did, although I tried to be objective! Not one single story that is
better than the worst Barks story. Maybe we should try a poll for the worst
Barks story and the best Egmont story, excluding Rosa of course. All Rosa
stories IMO are better than the worst Barks stories.

>        As for the Italian stuff, I think you're making a BIG MISTAKE
>by lumping it all together as garbage... you mention that Gladstone
>and Disney only have printed the very few good things from Italy out
>of a slime pit of the bad, but actually there are many others well
>worth reprinting -- they're just too damned LONG to print often,
>because they chew up space which American Disney comics don't have.

I dont know what to say. Most of what I have seen is garbage, even a 100
times more obvious garbage than Egmont, because the Egmont writers and
artists at least tries and they sometimes succeed here and there. But I
have read, a few times, good Italian stories too, yes. So if there are good
stories, I would be very glad.

>        Anyway, there's my two cents.  What do you think of Dutch
>stories?  As bad as Danish stories?

Some Dutch stories are very good, others are simply odd. Even Daan Jippes
may be too far out for me sometimes. 

BTW, I do appreciate the translators work with the manuscripts, they really
struggle hard in Norway to make it sound well and they many times repair
bad manuscripts.

DON:

>        So, Geir's advice to me is never disclaim anything. Well, what
>do I do when I read yet ANOTHER article of misinformation. 

You will be a controversial person for the rest of your life and if you
should bother about misgivings and misinformation and all that, well, most
of us dont even care, and you just end up with a stroke or whatever. Better
that you make stories and keep your good natured view of the world.

>for Geir -- I may not be proud of much about the way I draw Duck
>stories, but I do like the way I draw Duck HEADS and expressions. My
>Duck heads were better.

The Norwegian translator Dyrkorn told me he hadnt anticipated the huge
interest in your stories in Norway, certainly readers are more interested
in a story than in streamlined Vicar lines. And you are a good artist
whether you are proud of it or not. However, everyone can improve.

Sorry I am late with the posting. Much to do at work. Keep up the spirits,
this newsgroup is the best ever on the net!

Geir Hasnes