Scrooge's silk hat

[Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr.]

Hi all!

I have just read the Norwegian Donald Duck Pocket #270. A book with many
good stories – including the one I will comment here. There is one detail in
the last story that I feel need to be mentioned here at DCML. In panel 1 in
page 4 of this story "Onkel Skrue og idealet som brast" – written by
Caterina Mognato and drawn by Giuseppe Dalla Santa -  Scrooge says that he
bought his silk hat at a second hand sale during the days of Klondike. This
explanation of the hat's origin contradicts the "fact" given in panel 1 on
page 15 of Lo$, part 11 – "The Empire-builder from Calisota" where it's
clearly shown that Scrooge bought his silk hat and his stick on sale in a
store in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1909 in order to look OK when meeting
czar Nikolai II (Don Rosa has based this on "facts" previous given by Carl
Barks).

Off course Mognato (or the translator) is free to use whatever explanation
they like in this story (this is *not* about right or wrong), but by using
this explanation I have been given the impression that Mognato (or the
translator) haven't bothered to read Lo$, or that the one responsible for
the explanation used in this story, doesn't value Rosa (and Barks as Lo$ are
based upon Barks) as much as myself, AC, Thomas and many others here on
DCML.

You may say that the one fact is as true as the other. It's OK to think so,
but then I would like you to know that the main reason I prefer Rosa's
version is that he didn't take it out of thin air – he did some sincere and
careful research to come up with those "facts" – IMO that's admirable.

Anyway, as I am ready to learn more about how various creators are working I
have a friendly question to our friends Lars Jensen and Rob Klein. If you
come up with a story in where you will need to include an explanation like
this about the origin of something – what would you do? And why?

Sigvald :-)