Dutch Disney Comics

[edge]

While I'm the first to admit that I'm not necessarily the biggest Italian comics fan, I will admit that I am becoming quite fond of the Dutch comics I've been seeing in IDWs offerings.

I like the art style and the stories tend to be up-tempo and fun. I haven't had a lot of exposure to the Dutch offerings, so many of them are new to me.

I hope to see more of them moving forward.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

I agree completely ! We in France have probably seen a little more Dutch comics, but actually not that much.

What I find most amazing with them is how they still use the large board of characters Western and Dell artist used to be able to work with — Brer Bear, Zeke Wolf, etc. —, whereas even the Italians gave up on them… and they even have Aladdin stories as a regular part of their comic books !… I also know they managed to do a story about the Rescuers a few years ago, which is a single case in Disney comics history.

[Matilda]

I'm also very happy to see more Dutch stories. The very first story I ever decided to keep that was by someone other than Barks or Rosa was "The Last Voyage of Ringtail Van Dukke," the Geradts/Verhagen pirate story. I've liked stories by Jan Kruse, Kirsten de Graaff, Mau Heymans, Frank Jonker, etc. as well as Geradts and Verhagen. More Dutch Ducks, please! I'd even like to see some of the Duckies one-pagers, with HDL, AMJ and their various schoolmates; I like how those stories fill out the kids' world with recurring characters.

And yes, it is amazing how they continue to use such a large repertoire of characters. I have a story where Zeke Wolf disguises himself as Sinterklaas, which is a hoot (but quite untranslatable, of course!). You haven't lived until you've seen Zeke in a bishop's mitre.

[Ramapith]

I've only got a moment, but—new-to-USA Verhagen Donald coming in the next WDCS!

And agreed, nobody does Wolves like the Dutch do Wolves... translating theirs for our market might be the most flat-out fun I've had in my entire comics career, such as it is.

[RobbK1]

Mar 29, 2016 16:05:36 GMT Scrooge MacDuck said:

I agree completely ! We in France have probably seen a little more Dutch comics, but actually not that much.

What I find most amazing with them is how they still use the large board of characters Western and Dell artist used to be able to work with — Brer Bear, Zeke Wolf, etc. —, whereas even the Italians gave up on them… and they even have Aladdin stories as a regular part of their comic books !… I also know they managed to do a story about the Rescuers a few years ago, which is a single case in Disney comics history.

But, sadly, they don't let us use Ludwig von Drake (who I don't agree is interchangeable with Gyro Gearloose), and they don't use Fethry Duck (who we DID use a lot in the 1960s).  But, glad to say that Bucky Bug and Joe Carioca are popular, along with the wolves' and rabbits' forest gang, and other universes dropped long ago in USA.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Quite (although I disagree with the term "universes", since I really see all those various comics as a single continuity). As for Ludwig… Yes, he isn't interchangeable with Gyro. Well, he technically is (you COULD easily rewrite most Gyro stories with Ludwig instead), but he doesn't have to be; it's very easy to separate them. I love Ludwig von Drake, he's one of my favorite characters. On the other hand, the fast-paced kooky animation and Paul Frees's (or Corey Burton's) acting are a great chunk of the character's appeal… I don't think he works quite as well in comic form as in cartoon form. That is not to say however that I wouldn't love to see him use more in comics -- I'd love to see what you'd have done with it, RobbK1.

[RobbK1]

For ME, there would only be a small overlap in stories Gyro and Ludwig would be chosen. Ludwig is a university professor, who has SOME scientific abilities, but seems to be a self-appointed authority on ALL subjects. He is terribly egotistical, and loves to be known as the authority on any given subject. He loves to hear the sound of his own voice (teaching and informing people). But, he is very absent-minded. And so, is more apt to botch an assignment, or lead an expedition into danger. He is much more a bumbler than a successful scientist or professor.

Gyro, on the other hand, is a certified genius, and phenomenal inventor of almost anything needed (or not needed). He is an extreme hard worker (workaholic
, who is very modest, and neither looking for notoriety, monetary gain, nor credit nor even thankfulness for his work. He invents because inventions are needed, and because he instinctively feels that is his destiny. He is a very competent scientist, unlike Ludwig.

If you need a very funny and eccentric bumbler, to lead an expedition into danger, or to blow your university chemistry lab into smithereens, or give a longwinded speech no one understands, he's your man. If you need hands on, nuts and bolts inventor to solve a big problem for your hero (either purposely, based on his experience, or by a lucky accident) Gyro is your man.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

I get this distinction, and it would have been undeniable when "An Adventure in Color" came out. The thing is, I think somewhere down the way, the lines were blurred; in a number of comic strips and Tony Strobl comics we see Ludwig inventing wacky robots and machines. So THIS somewhat toned-down, but still undeniably existing, version of Ludwig could take on the part of Plot-Device-Inventor!Gyro in a lot of stories.

[RobbK1]

I even remember a 1961 Tony Strobl Donald Duck story in which BOTH Gyro and Ludwig were significant characters. They even worked together.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

There is a much more recent Italian stories with the two of them,The Weight of Culture. It's about Ludwig asking Gyro to find a way to store his ever-growing collection of books, which are taking up way too much space in his apartment. (Yes, Ludwig lives in a flat in this story, for some reason -- you'd think Van Drake Manor would be a pretty hard thing to miss, especially if you've seen A Symposium on Popular Songs, but then again, it does actually work for the character to live in a flat; had Symposium not existed, I'd have nothing against that addition).

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

Jun 8, 2016 21:39:20 GMT RobbK1 said:

Mar 29, 2016 16:05:36 GMT Scrooge MacDuck said:

I agree completely ! We in France have probably seen a little more Dutch comics, but actually not that much.

What I find most amazing with them is how they still use the large board of characters Western and Dell artist used to be able to work with — Brer Bear, Zeke Wolf, etc. —, whereas even the Italians gave up on them… and they even have Aladdin stories as a regular part of their comic books !… I also know they managed to do a story about the Rescuers a few years ago, which is a single case in Disney comics history.

But, sadly, they don't let us use Ludwig von Drake (who I don't agree is interchangeable with Gyro Gearloose), and they don't use Fethry Duck (who we DID use a lot in the 1960s).  But, glad to say that Bucky Bug and Joe Carioca are popular, along with the wolves' and rabbits' forest gang, and other universes dropped long ago in USA.

There is something I am curious about. Are Dutch writers not using Fethry just because they don't want (maybe by "Barksian orthodoxy" or something like that), or is the editor itself interdicting the use of the character? And in the second case, why is that?!? It is so strange. Especially to an Italian.* 


[* I don't like Italian duck stories, it's a completely different form of comics, so I do not qualify myself as an Italian reader. But Fethry is some kind of national hero in my country, we love him in a very profound way, even those uninterested in Disney comics: you will find (too) many Italians telling you that they do not like Mickey, a few of them telling you that they don't like Scrooge, even here and there someone admitting not to like Donald...but finding an Italian that dislikes Fethry? Good luck on that!     ]



 

[jumbojr]

I'm not a fan of Dutch Disney stories, they're not ambitious enough, or long enough(most of them). Generic, boring stuff.

[RobbK1]

Jan 28, 2017 9:43:31 GMT Monkey_Feyerabend said:

Jun 8, 2016 21:39:20 GMT RobbK1 said:

But, sadly, they don't let us use Ludwig von Drake (who I don't agree is interchangeable with Gyro Gearloose), and they don't use Fethry Duck (who we DID use a lot in the 1960s).  But, glad to say that Bucky Bug and Joe Carioca are popular, along with the wolves' and rabbits' forest gang, and other universes dropped long ago in USA.

There is something I am curious about. Are Dutch writers not using Fethry just because they don't want (maybe by "Barksian orthodoxy" or something like that), or is the editor itself interdicting the use of the character? And in the second case, why is that?!? It is so strange. Especially to an Italian.* 

The editors don't accept stories starring or co-starring Fethry.  Same for Ludwig.  there have only been one or 2 printed over the last 10 years, and those were special cases, and, I think one of the 2 was an Egmont story, and the other was a cameo appearance.   I'd like to use him as a Barks-style character (both drawn that way, and in his capacity as a "pest" and agitator to Donald).   Here is my conception of him as if Barks had drawn him:

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

Wow, nice drawing! You can make a very expressive Fethry!

But what is the reason for the non acceptance of Fethry by the editor? Did they ever tell you writers why?

I can understand the motivation for the ban of Ludwig, even if I do not agree on that at all: not only you are right when you say that he represents a different kind of genius/savants than Gyro, but moreover their personalities are very different -- so you can make Ludwig behave in many (more or less crazy) ways that would be out-of-character on Gyro!

But what the reason for Fethry? He is not interchangeable with Donald (even the Italian Fethry, less annoying and more naive than the original characterization by Kinney, cannot play the same role as Donald!). And of course he is not interchangeable with Gladstone. So what is the matter?  

[RobbK1]

Jan 28, 2017 22:27:37 GMT Monkey_Feyerabend said:

Wow, nice drawing! You can make a very expressive Fethry!

But what is the reason for the non acceptance of Fethry by the editor? Did they ever tell you writers why?

I can understand the motivation for the ban of Ludwig, even if I do not agree on that at all: not only you are right when you say that he represents a different kind of genius/savants than Gyro, but moreover their personalities are very different -- so you can make Ludwig behave in many (more or less crazy) ways that would be out-of-character on Gyro!

But what the reason for Fethry? He is not interchangeable with Donald (even the Italian Fethry, less annoying and more naive than the original characterization by Kinney, cannot play the same role as Donald!). And of course he is not interchangeable with Gladstone. So what is the matter?  

I don't think they ever made an official statement.  They just told us orally that no Fethry stories are being accepted at "this time" (which has stayed true for a long while now).  I think they believe that the Dutch readers aren't interested in him.  He WAS popular in The Netherlands in the mid and late '60s, but, maybe the readers got burnt out on him? 

"So you can make Ludwig behave in many (more or less crazy) ways that would be out-of-character on Gyro!"

- YES.  Ludwig was an absent-minded, self aggrandising, egotistical, "know-it-all blowhard, in love with the sound of his own voice, who fancies himself an expert on EVERYTHING (including fisticuffs and "how to handle women").  He makes a great candidate for all kinds of shenanigans in a variety of story types and different types of roles.  Much wider possibilities than Gyro.  It's really a shame to waste such a versatile character.

Here's my conception of him as Barks might have drawn him: