Carl Barks,Don Rosa and the other greats.

[Dim I Nticoudis]

  Kriton Kyrimis mentions this phrase "As with Don's Stories only numbers 
made up by Barks count in this game."Which excactly is this game?Living in 
Greece we were lucky enough to be exposed during the years to some of the 
finest works of many Disney Creators.Americans,Italians and Dutch mostly 
have build a tradition for Disney Comics starting on 1930.The many 
interpretations of existing characters and the creation of new have made 
this tradition getting more and more exciting over the years.
  Don Rosa is an excelent creator.Actualy he is my favorite since all this 
historical references and his will to creat a continuity for the characters 
without constantly contradicting himself make him everything I wanted in a 
creator since I was a five year-old.Since I first bought the Crocodile 
Collector,which was my favorite story for years,I thought he was great.There 
is always a little something special for me in his stories.But Rosa has 
based his unic stories mostly on the stories of Barks.Though there are other 
references.For instance his opinion that John D.Rockerduck has inherited his 
money probably has something to do with earlier references of this fact in 
Tony Strobl's stories.
  Barks is surely among Disney's best creators.Stories as "King Scrooge the 
First"are excelent.But Barks had many continiuty errors in his stories.He 
sometimes just used an idea for just one storie,without explaining many 
details,and contradicted it in the next storie.I don't Barks' ideas should 
be taken in consideration in many subjects of Disney Continiuty because he 
didn't seem to have seriously thought of such subjects.
  With the exception of Floyd Gottfredson most other American creators 
haven't excactly impressed me.To be honest when I was a kid I had learned to 
recognise the style of two creators I affectionately called "Mr.Boring" and 
"Mr.Childish".I later learned theier names were Paul Murry and Tony Strobl.
  On the other hand,Kriton,you seem to disregard the long Italian tradition 
of stories which I always found the most complicated and interesting.At 
first if you search Romano Scarpa's stories you shall find many interesting 
stories among them,many with the Beagle Boys at their best.For instance in 
"Il Colosso del Nilo" they manipulate the Ducks almost till the end.Why 
ignor this storie and their numbers?Scarpa's stories deserve to be studied 
as much as Barks' probably.Characters as Dunblane McDuck from "Paperino e la 
leggenda dello Scozzeze Volante"would probably deserve their place in a 
family tree as much as any of Barks' characters.He is well developed and 
interesting.Scrooge's love-hate relationship with Brigitta McBridge who has 
been his lover,his rival and his ally in many occasions makes Scrooge even 
more interesting than the kind of cold Scrooge of Barks.Totaly ignoring 
Scarpa would be a mistake.
  Giovan Battista Carpi,another excelent creator,has made Grandpa Beagle a 
main figure in Italiann stories and turned Donald into a vigilante who works 
at night.Many multi-part stories by Carpi have also digged a little deaper 
in the history and origin of our characters.
  As for Money Bins have a look at "Zio Paperone e il deoposito oceanico" of 
Marco Rota.Have you ever seen Scrooge's wealth being this impressive?Marco's 
Duckburg is also the most impressive since he draws it as a modern 
megalopolis.Marco's ideas for the Ducks' world make his seem most 
impressive.And as for his interpretation of the Ducks' ancestry Andold"Wild 
Duck"Temerary is an excelent creation.
  And also the stories of Bruno Concina,Gianfranco Cordara and Rodolfo 
Cimmino have some of the best interpretations of the Ducks and the Beagles.
  All this great creators' work can not be disregarded because of what 
Mr.Barks had in mind about fifty years ago!Kriton the game you mentioned 
should be the study of many characters as developed and interpredated by a 
number of great creators over the years.We shouldn't forget that Barks is 
only one of them.


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