Anders to Daniel about Rosa and Barks in the Netherlands

Anders Christian Sivebæk anders_sivebaek at nns.dk
Mon Aug 4 20:24:01 CEST 2003


Harry: 
>
>
>> i would like to meet them so we could clear up this
>> long-time misunderstandment, as it probably is.
>
>I don't see how a meeting would clear up any "misunderstandment".
>You make it sound like it's something between the Dutch editors and you
>personally, which only a personal meeting can solve. (And after such a
>meeting, the Dutch will do as you please?)
That was not what i meant - that is not my understanding of a meeting/ a
talk. 
In such a talk both parts would listen to each other, and understand more
of the others wievs. 
That's the only thing I had as a wish for such a meeting...
>
>
>FYI: many of the covers are drawn by Michel Nadorp, one of the best
>currently active cover artists in the world.
Sorry to bring this up: but this would be your opinion, or whose opinion? 
Sorry, just teasing there. 
>
>The word "traced" does not give justice to the quality of the covers
>(maybe with one or two exceptions in the past 20 years).
Okay, i've just been unlucky seeing those two exceptions. (The covers fro
the Extras with Rosa-stories - there seem to have been more incidents of
the thing I call tracing than 1 or 2, I may be very wrong, and will check
with my archive (collection!). 
>
>
>But you *do* mention elsewhere that they are *not* big Rosa-fans.
>You can't know that either, since you have no contact with them.
You are right - sorry I implied that. 
>
>The Dutch editors are a bunch of individuals; every individual having his
>own opinions and tastes.
Of course - deep down i know that - Maybe i just couldn't see it, before,
but I will try to. 
>
>There are some freelance artists who expressed their dislike of Rosa's
>artwork in public (Janssens, Heymans).
>There are others who think the artwork is OK, but too different from the
>"mainstream" Disney style.
>And there are others who like Rosa's artwork.
I'm getting another lesson now - because of course this is the case with
everyone about any artist/writer...
>
>
>95 per cent of the Dutch editors (and writers and artists) that I have
>met *do* like Rosa's story-telling a lot.
Nice to know :-) One of the editors I've meet at the dansih publisher
likes Rosa's story. i've only meet one, with whom i discussed the subject.

>And one more thing: the Dutch editors don't treat any writer or artist
>different from another. Rosa is a good writer. And (for instance)
>Korhonen is a good writer. There's no reason to treat Rosa's work
>differently from Korhonen's.
But don't they do that? (And now I'm turning around on a plate, or how the
saying goes:) Do they publish Korhonens works in nice albums with covers?
>
>> > They redraw Barks's covers.
>> > Maybe this means they're not much of a Barks fan, either?
>> I again can't know about that before I meat them.
>
>8-)
>You "meat" them would mean you "make meat out of them"...
Erm, no I did not mean to say that, or do that... Gosh...  :-)
>
>> But you dutch people have told me before they have this tradition of
>> redrawng 
>> covers and other things - Only the first couple of albums with
>> barks-stories had Barks-
>> covers in Netherland, then it was stopped - Why is that?
>
>Only the first BESTE VERHALEN album had a cover that was made out of
>Barks artwork. All others have covers by Jippes and (a few) Nadorp.
Okay
>
>
>The reason for that (as I've been told by the editors) is that the Barks
>covers are not good enough! Barks was a great writer and story artist,
>but not a great cover artist. So even if they use a Barks cover, they
>re-ink it to make it look better.
>After all, the cover of a comic book (or album) is the first thing a
>buyer looks at. So it better be good.
I agree on that - i just don't agree that Barks wasn't a good cover
artist. He made great stories, but many of his covers were IMO great too.
Especially many covers of Uncle Scrooge showing Scrooge in situations -
they were just gags, but funny, and adding something to his personality. 
But then, if these should be used for cover on dutch albums... that
wouldn't work, no. 

>And personally, I agree. Jippes has made some outstanding comic book
>covers. I'd even suggest that part of the success of Gladstone's first
>comic book run (1986-1989) was due to the many excellent Jippes covers!
Hasn't Rosa once told what he thought when he first saw a Gladstone-issue:
A Barks-cover I hadn't seen? And that was not meant as an example of how
good Jippes is, that he can draw like barks, or something like that. It
was meant as an example that you are right - jippes is a good cover
artist. I have many of those covers myself. 
>
>
>> There sure isn't anything more in my criticism than the fact that 
>> *I* think they could put a little more effort into some of 
>> these things.
>
>Yes, I have the feeling you're blaming them for being very good, but not
>perfect.
Hmm.... Maybe I did - But rewally I am not entitled to do that. Afterall,
as they say, noone is perfect. 

Hilsen/Yours
Anders Christian Sivebæk
Donaldist



More information about the DCML mailing list