DCML Digest, Vol 41, Issue 12

[David Gerstein]

     OLIVIER:

> Would you be tempted to write the first American Atomo story (not  
> for the sake of  being the first, of course), or would you rather  
> focus on Gottfredson's universe?

     I don't have a lot of time to write original stories these days.  
But when I do, I have absolutely no intention of restricting myself  
to Gottfredson's universe. So I'd like to write an Atomo story at  
some point down the line. Whether another American beats me, of  
course, is his or her business.

     RICH:

> As an aside, it’s nice to know Pete’s allies will be increasing!   
> Will Plottigat,
> being a “cousin” to Pete & Trudy, be making his debut sometime  
> soon?  And does he
> have an English name as well?

     At Egmont, Plottigat's English name is Portis. Scarpa approved  
its use, so I imagine we'll call him that at Gemstone if and when we  
use stories with him.
     I'm unsure what you mean by putting the word "cousin" in quotes.  
Unless I misunderstand something, Portis is Pete's cousin, his  
biological relative. Portis isn't related to Trudy.

> BTW, does Trudy’s surname have anything to do with Pete’s former ID  
> as J.P.
> Diamondtubs?

     Nope.
     (Um, and since when was J. P. Diamondtubs Pete's "former I. D."?  
J. P. is a Pete-like character who appears in an early Barks gag  
story. He looks like the character we know as Pete, but doesn't act  
or talk like him. We might say it's Pete playing a role in a set- 
piece, cartoonlike story, but if you're trying to say that J. P.  
Diamondtubs is the former Christian name of the villain Mickey Mouse  
knows as Pegleg or Black Pete, I would strongly disagree.)

> As for others I would love to see revived [...]

     You'll soon see some of the characters you requested. Some  
(Launchpad, Tanglefoot) have already appeared in Gemstone comics and  
will appear again.

> Given that, I’d much prefer to see “Super” Daisy or rather Papernika
> debut under a much more clever name like the CRIMSON QUACKETTE

     To be brutally honest, Paperinika exists to be Daisy's idea of a  
self-declared feminist counterpart to Duck Avenger. She wants to  
prove that she can be a better hero than Duck Avenger, and that women  
can make better heroes than men.
     Thus I don't think Daisy would modify her superhero name with an  
old-fashioned feminine diminutive like "-ette"...

> since Donald emulates Batman in his “Dark Knight” persona, thus  
> Daisy could sync
> up with Batman’s dark protégé The Huntress, taking on the name  
> “DUCK HUNTRESS”

     ...and because Daisy is out to prove that she's better than Duck  
Avenger and owes nothing to him, she would never take a name implying  
she was his protégé. The name is funny, but the cross-reference works  
against the character's reason for being.
     (In earlier DC continuity, of course, the Huntress was also the  
daughter of Earth-2 Batman. That could make the continuity parallels  
even stranger...)

     Best, David