DCML Digest Issue 47

[Don Rosa]

> From: Kai Saarto <ksaarto at mbnet.fi>
> Subject: Re: Correspondence and history - replying to Don Rosa
> I think what Don said about being "feeling soiled"
> is good description of how I too would feel if my personal letters were
> exposed to anyone who'd like to read them.

Oh, NO! That's not what I meant in that specific reference. I might feel ...
"uncomfortable" if people were reading private messages that someone else
had sent me, especially without first getting the permission from both me
and the writer, which I can only assume Blum did from Barks. But I wouldn't
feel "soiled" by people reading my mails as published in something like that
Disney album... after all, the readers would be *comics fans*, people who
are more important than editors, writers or artists.
When I said I felt "soiled" it was because *all* of my private mail to and
from Barks, messages that were very special to me, was exposed to *certain
specific parties* without my knowledge or permission. That was one of the
worst feelings in my gut I've ever had.

> Still, it would be great that *some* parts of the said correspondence
> between Barks and Rosa could be seen *someday*. Those that are not
> overly personal.

None of my correspondence with Barks was very personal. I don't think he
understood really ardent fans like me, and I think we made him somewhat
uneasy. And in subsequent years I finally had an object-lesson in that very
feeling, which I never in my wildest dreams imagined would happen as it did.
I am very happy to hear from fans who like my stories, naturally... but then
I also hear from people who went on to study a particular subject in college
and into a particular career, or even people who met and *got married* due
to correspondence about my work or meeting at a function where they went to
see me (I've heard of at least three such instances, who knows how many
others there are?!), or that I've caused some other profound change in some
reader's life. (The power of Barks' characters is INCREDIBLE.) And this sort
of stuff rather bothers me as it perhaps bothered Barks. I only want to
entertain people for a few minutes. I don't want to change their lives
forever!!! That's a responsibility I'm not up to!

> From: Mike Rhode <mgrhode at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: Correspondence and history - replying to Don Rosa
> Barks and all his heirs are dead
> now, and can't be hurt by
> anything now.

Omigosh! Was there some sorta nuclear attack on the west coast?! I saw
nothing on CNN!

(Sorry, Mr. President -- I meant "nucular".)