Barks's exact years / new Rosa sequels / Glittering Goldie

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

DON ROSA to MATTHEW WILLIAMS, 04-04-2004:

> ["my own little universe"] If that terminology displeases you, then I'll 
> switch it back to saying "my personal view of this Universe". Is that 
> better?

That would be just a different name for the same situation.

> But there *was* a comics writer/artists who *would* name precise years 
> that events in $crooge's life took place. He stated that $crooge was in 
> the Yukon Gold Rush in 1898... that he was in the cattle wars on the old 
> frontier in 1882... on a riverboat on the Mississippi in 1880... bought 
> a coat in Scotland in 1902... bought a top hat in 1910. I guess you know 
> whom I refer to, eh? And yet, even though Carl Barks would name these 
> exact years in $crooge's life, [...]

As far as I know, Barks NEVER has stated that he intended these dates to 
be put in a *timeline*, not in his stories and not in his interviews/letters. 

I don't mind if an artist puts some individual(!) dates into the Duck 
stories, or in the articles/letters that explain these stories. But in 
your output there's a pattern(!) and structure(!) of dates and situations, 
which connects your Barks revisits together, suggesting to the readers that 
it's all according to the original (Disney/Barks) view, and that there 
finally is an artist who ties these individual dates and situations 
together, finally giving us "the" long-lost life story of Scrooge and his 
family.

There are so much other Scrooge life stories to make. What if Barks's 
Scrooge, mostly a dull banker, is shamelessly *bragging* about some his 
travels around the world? Some of Scrooge's recollections in Barks stories, 
are too zany to be true. Maybe banker Scrooge learned a lot of his foreign 
languages from dusty *books* and comfortable (third class) business travels? 

In Barks's 'The Looney Lunar Gold Rush' (US 49) Scrooge is telling his life 
story to the Junior Woodchucks. Even these kids can see that he's telling 
lies. And so, Scrooge's life story turns out to be one big *embarrassment*.
Have you thought of that possibility? Have you taken this Barks story in 
mind when creating Disney's 'Life of $crooge'?

> It seems like Barks nailed down the facts of $crooge's history 50 years 
> before I expounded on them at the publisher's request.

Barks's stories contain contradictions within themselves. So, whatever fact 
he "nailed down", might be a different fact in the next story. 

Otherwise, your 'Life of $crooge' would have been a piece of cake, just a 
chronological print-out of Barks situations. But I've always understood 
that it was *very* difficult and *impossible* to tie all Barks's history 
"facts" together in one logical, chronological real-life timeframe.

You had to ignore Mrs. Penny Wise (WDC 164) for example, and the history 
of "The Magic Hourglass" (OS 291). At least about the latter story, you 
have stated that it didn't happen within "your" Barks/Rosa universe, 
because you couldn't fit it into your view. And so you decided that such 
Barks situations must be "fictional fiction", or something like that. 
I find that nonsense. For me, all Barks stories did "really" happen, or 
*none* of them did happen. I don't see any reason to add multiple layers 
to Barks's transparant, open universe.

> Well, again, you'll need to *first* talk to the editors who ask me to do 
> those, and then I'll answer for my being happy to take their orders.

I find it remarkable to see you state that "the editor makes you do it". 
But you do have a point here, I think. And I'm really surprised that 
editors have let you (or any other artist) go this far. Your techniques 
look very unDisney to me.

> (Now, it's been suggested by one person that I should never write [...]

Maybe this person hides under your bed? There's never been such a person 
here on this mailing list. Rest assured.

> This means that I might do a story involving the month when $crooge 
> kidnapped Goldie to White Agony Creek.

Here are some other suggestions for other new Rosa stories:

- 'The Return Of The Giant Robot Robbers' (sequel of US 58)
- 'The OTHER Phantom Of The Notre Duck' (sequel of US 60)
- 'So Far And No Safari Again' (sequel of US 61)
- 'Yes, It's A Fable!' (sequel of US 32)
- 'The Alternate Money Champ' (sequel of US 27)
- 'Another Island Of Golden Geese' (sequel of US 45)

> I love talking about this stuff! Thanks!

I love talking about this stuff, too. I find the different views very 
interesting to read.

DON ROSA to MATTHEW WILLIAMS, 04-04-2004:

> I won't even get into all the new Nero Wolf and James Bond and Fu 
> Manchu and Doc Savage and Shadow and Oz novels being produced, along 
> with many other famous characters of dead authors. I save that for 
> when it is foolishly stated that there should be no new $crooge 
> stories created since Barks retired.

I think it's nice that lots of new, fresh stories have been made since 
Barks's retirement. And, as a side-effect, it even resulted in quite a 
lot of new Barks stories, like his script-only Junior Woodchucks series.
That's why I like the ducks to be alive and well in 2004. This way, they 
can participate in my own daily life, instead of the faraway 1950s youth 
of someone as old as my father.

But on the other hand, I do understand why some artists like Hergé 
(Tin Tin) and Uderzo (Asterix) have stated that they don't want their 
characters to take place in new adventures, after their death. Heirs 
tend to screw up the original vision sooner or later, calling it an 
improvement. But often, after a while, this "improvement" all the more 
shows that the original vision wasn't old-fashioned, but *timeless* 
and *timeproof*.

--- Daniël

"Now EVERYBODY'S mad at me! What'll I do? What'll I do?"
(Which Barks story) :-)