Uncle $crooge #294

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Whew, it's been a while since I posted here.  Well, having found a more 
reliable and faster (!) Internet Service Provider, I've decided to try to 
get back into the swing of things.  And what a place to start!

I've enjoyed all the Life and Times stories so far, but the latest one to 
come out here in America, Chapter Ten, was impressive in many ways.  
First, this is the one I've laughed out longest and hardest at.  The 
instant classic in this story is the sequence of panels when Hortense and 
Quackmore meet and fall immediately in love.  That was too funny.  
Character-wise, $crooge's face after looking out at a sea full of vessels 
and a land filled with irate soldiers and Dwarf Voles (--er, Woodchucks) 
was perfection. There was almost a brief moment of "I an't believe they 
think they're tough enough for me" followed by a quick rise into action 
which suited $crooge perfectly.

The comparisons between Roosevelt and $crooge were handled beautifully.  
They are so similar it is almost scary.  You think maybe Roosevelt may 
have been part inspiration for $crooge for Carl Barks? Or is this something, 
Don, which you managed to so seamlessly weave into existance?

Of course, this story wasn't a hard sell- I love money bin stories and am 
particularly fascinated by its history in Don Rosa's universe.

Gladstone's production qualities?  Well, there were three or four of 
those annoying coloring problems, where the colors aren't in the lines 
perfectly, and this cover looked dull on the regular paper.

Speaking of covers: I know there was some controversy.  Honestly, I didn't 
mind the WD Giant's cover that much.  It still worked for me.  Sometimes, 
the bright colors can be too bright for my tastes. In this case, though, 
U$ #294 just didn't shine like it could have.

Back-up story: I admit I haven't read your translation of "E.A.T." yet, 
David, but the art looks great, and the lettering bring up a particular 
point.  This was lettered by a computer, wasn't it?  At first, I thought 
the lettering looked very uniform, and then I saw who was credited with 
lettering: "A. Machine"  Is this something Gladstone does in-house now, 
or is this a specific letterer who uses a computer for all his lettering?

Maybe next time I'll get around to some comments about the Wlat Disney 
Giant (nee Collectery) and the previous Lo$ story I had a couple of 
thoughts of.  Well, here's hoping!

-Augie

"Watch out for the west turret, sir!" - nameless Rough Rider
"Why? Is there a sniper in--" -TR