Disney Witches revisited

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

DAVID GERSTEIN to me, 30-08-2003:

>> Does Granny de Spell appear in those stories in which Magica and 
>> Madam Mim live together in a castle?

> Yep. I like these stories, too, just for their basic flavor. You've
> got this whole crazy crew: frazzled Magica, exuberant Mim, nerdy 
> Samson Hex, world-weary Granny, bad seed Witch Child and pesky Warlock, 
> the two comedy ravens Ed and Al, even Mim's sneaky leprechaun uncle 
> and this dragon named Alexander, down in the basement, whom we never 
> actually see...

I don't remember all the characters you mention, but "frazzled Magica" 
and "world-weary Granny" are exactly the terms I've been searching for,
to describe these (I'm told) Jim Fletcher stories.

> Only trouble with all of this is that a lot of the potential is never 
> fulfilled. Stories ramble on like disjointed vaudeville sketches,
> reaching page five (of eight!) before someone says "Hey, weren't we 
> getting together to cast a spell on Scrooge?" And this is the first time 
> in the story that anyone has mentioned Scrooge, or anything like a real 
> plot. Holy pacing problems, Batman!

I love the way you decribe this!!! :-) Maybe the castle can be seen as some 
kind of funny farm for witches/sorcerers?

It's been a some time since I've last read the stories, and I don't know 
if I've only seen the highlights, but from time to time I just like to read 
a relaxing story which just rambles on. And these zany, wacky, directionless 
castle-stories are very charming for me, that way.

> There's also the fact that very little of the original Magica or Mim
> survives. Magica's frustration is there; so is Mim's libido, but other
> aspects of their personalities are rarely shown. Scrooge's dime is,
> unfortunately, a lucky dime in these stories, and Magica's plans for it 
> are never consistent.

I don't mind about this all. I like such variation in Disney comics!

Model-sheet oriented stories can become rather stale after a while (IMO), 
as if they are all made on the same assembly line. Sometimes I find it 
nice when the model-sheet is ignored. It gives a chance to explore new 
directions.

--- Daniël