Teams, individuals, Scarpa, Barks

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

FRANCESCO SPREAFICO to MICHEL PRIOR, 15-08-2003:

> Tthere's another thing to keep in mind: there are stories only drawn 
> by [Scarpa] and there are stories written and drawn by [Scarpa].
> Don Rosa once wrote:
> "I think any comic that is written and drawn by ONE person, even if 
> it's mediocre, has a quality that puts it somehow above the best 
> comic written and drawn by two different people."
> And I think he's right... in this case it's not even mediocre comics 
> we're talking about, but great ones.

There are many great comic book teams, within and outside Disney. 
Daan Jippes and Freddy Milton, to name just one team. I think it  
depends on how people work best, and on their attitude. Some people 
like to work alone, and other people like to fill in each other while 
creating a story.

I think the most important criterion to create good comics (or 
anything else), is an inner power that insists that a new creation 
will be an improvement on the previous one.

When I asked a Dutch songwriter to tell me his best song, he humbly 
answered: "I still have to write that one." And he already was one 
of the best songwriters in The Netherlands! I think his answer 
perfectly explained how he got that far.

So far my thoughts about "the secret of success". :-)

> Scrooge is the Scrooge I love (100% Barksian, if you like it so, but 
> not only so).

Shouldn't Scarpa gets credits as well, if he creates a good Scrooge?
It can't be 100% Barksian, because the story isn't created by Barks.
I often see great efforts by artists, and then their fans let Barks 
take all the credits. Personally, I find that unfair and confusing.

> He feels lonely so he gets this bird, the Kaibi', and then does 
> anything he can to feed him.

Barks's Scrooge in the gag "Playmates" (US 38), and Barks's Scrooge 
in "The Pixilated Parrot" (OS 282) contain a quite different, less 
friendly Scrooge when it comes to taking care for pets, IMO.

Are there Barks stories in which Scrooge has a generous attitude to 
pets and animals? At the moment, I only remember a gag about Scrooge 
accidently feeding money to a horse. (US 23)

--- Daniël

P.S. Just in case I'm giving a wrong impression, I want to emphasize 
that I've enjoyed your enthusiastic account of Scarpa's work. After 
reading it, I feel uneasy not really knowing much of his work. Maybe 
I should feel ashamed? Well, what do you think? :-)