DCML Digest Issue 35 -- Pothole McDuck

[Olivier]

Hi everyone!

Don Rosa:

>>> I have always had it in the back of my mind to do another "Lo$" where
>>> Pothole would be young $crooge's sidekick, giving him a friend/relative
to
>>> talk to (since he should otherwise be a loner). And I wanted that story
to
>>> tell (as a sideplot) how Pothole invents American comic books after his
>>> success in dime novels.

I love "Master of  the Mississippi" Pothole McDuck. He's a great creation--
funny, endearing, and indeed a bit like Donald in his bragging.


>>>On the other hand, that did not actually take place
>>> until the early 1930's which would put it too late for involvement by
>>> $crooge (who by then would be running his empire from Duckburg) or by
>>> Pothole (who would be either too old or too dead).

I saw this on Bud Plant's site:
http://www.budplant.com/prod.itml/icOid/11983
"THE ADVENTURES OF OBADIAH OLDBUCK
By Rodolphe Töpffer.
 The First American Comic Book. Originally published in 1842, more than half
a century before the creation of Yellow Kid! Shown in sequential panels,
this is the comical tale of a man in love, Mr. Vieux Bois. However, his love
is unrequited, resulting in innumerable failed suicide attempts, the
solitary life of a monk and endless adventure. Very entertaining. Also
includes "Martin Mystére" by Alfredo Castelli and Lucio Filippucci (in
Italian) and a loose 4-page, 11x14 heavy stock newspaper reproduction (May
5, 1895) with more comics and text. [...]"

I'll have to order it some time.
In my (short) research on comic strips a couple of  years ago, I had found a
reference to Töpffer's as the first comic. As the name suggests, it was a
European "comic", entitled "Histoires en Estampes", published in Switzerland
in 1846-7.
The next comic work was Wilhelm Busch's "Max und Moritz" (1860-70), in
Germany.

I am not sure in which book in my bibliography I found this, though. I don't
know how to explain the 1842/1846 US/Germany  difference. I believe the
notes in the Obadiah book explain it all.

Anyway, this might help solve the dilemma (having Pothole meet Töpffer?).



>>> what's going on? Or perhaps the problem is (as I have heard, though it
>>> boggles the mind) that some of these editors give translators comic
scripts
>>> to translate *without* showing them the art, which would be blatantly
>>> idiotic.

TV and movie translations are quite baffling too. Even if  they don't see
the movie, they should at least actually *read* and pay attention to what
they're writing!
Disney-wise, in a series of  stories published in Super Picsou Géant (about
F1 racing), Flintheart (Gripsou) is always called Rockerduck (Flairsou). Who
translated this? Someone who doesn't know the characters? Even so, how hard
is it to check who the duck is? It's part of  the job, after all? And
howcome nobody notices it? I have already seen that confusion in other
stories.


Have a nice week-end!

Olivier