As I understand it, the series' intention is to encompass talent worldwide and may very well highlight the very creators requested here in later volumes.
Sort of like the Hall of Fame books in other countries like Denmark and Germany?
I'm actually hoping for a lot of old Italian stuff, nicely restored and colored, everything that has not surfaced in USA or was published years ago. I really hope we can avoid both the Van Horns and their meaningless 10 page stories (same goes for basically every recent Egmont artist) for some genuine multi page adventures that cannot fit in the monthly issues or contain outdated references for the american market.
I'm actually hoping for a lot of old Italian stuff, nicely restored and colored, everything that has not surfaced in USA or was published years ago. I really hope we can avoid both the Van Horns and their meaningless 10 page stories (same goes for basically every recent Egmont artist) for some genuine multi page adventures that cannot fit in the monthly issues or contain outdated references for the american market.
Meaningless 10 page stories? Nonsense. Most William Van Horn's 10-pagers are better drawn, better structured and more mature than anything I've read by Scarpa, Bottaro, Carpi or Cavazzano. Van Horn's characterization of the Ducks is miles above what you see in Italian Disney comics. I love a good adventure comic much more than most 10-pagers, but I've always thought 99% of Italian Disney comics are immature fluff. As for other Egmont artists, I agree that most of them should be avoided, but there are a few genuine talents among them: especially Branca and Rota (who happens to be the single most talented Italian Disney comic writer/artist who has ever lived in my opinion).
I agree and disagree with both of you. For me egmont stuff in american monthlies is great because it is classic style art and stories, when I read a Van Horn I feel the same as when reading a Barks 10 pager, this is the main charm of guys like Van Horn, Vicar, Ferioli, Jiipes, McGreal and others.
On the other hand saying italian stuff is immature just means you havent read a bunch of it. I have read many thousands of pages of italian comics this year as I learned italian, just last night I was reading an episode of pippo reporter and you know how some times in Don Rosa stories you have these chills and amazement on the last panel of the story, I had this feeling for straight 5 pages where each panel had a big caption box and I have never in my life read such a long amount of amazing text, not even in a novel. Then couple of days ago I read steamboat willie sequel by Faraci and Cavazzano, where I was amazed the same way. See, I read stories that I find really deep practically on a daily basis.
Also, ducks wise they are not as simple as classic stories from classic authors, like; nephews play hookie and donald goes looking for them or donald has to deliver mail in a bad weather, they are way more complex and thought out than those. And dont get me started on guys like Mottura that have absurdly amazing art, I dont even care about story when I see his art(even though almost all stories are top notch).
So my point being I love them both and I think most people do and we were talking here about possible complete library of some artist, not just what we love the most but what would be most logical and appealing to the masses, mainly american, even though I believe at least half of these books get bought from people in rest of the world.
I want to say that I think the point alexoni97 was trying to make is that stuff like Van Horn 10 pagers could be better left to the IDW monthly issues while these hardcovers should prioritize longer stories that don't work as well in the monthly 20 page format and that he just picked a bad way to convey that.
Either way, I'm sure a Van Horn book will turn up at some point because not to discredit any Italian creators but Van Horn's stuff is very great from what I've read of it over the years. Just like iggy said, they capture the spirit of Barks' 10 pagers very effectively.
I like both William Van Horn and many of the Italian stories I've read. I also like that one of the books is dedicated to the vintage Paul Murry Mickey Mouse serials. They're nowhere near Gottfredson, Scarpa and Casty's league, but they did introduce a generation to Mickey Mouse's adventures. I'd also like to see a "best of Tony Strobl" book, Although these, like Murry's Mickey, have to be put in their correct context.
I can't agree with all the sentiments, but yes, the idea is to highlight great stories that would never fly in the monthly comics, either because of length, content, or datedness. I'm sure there'll be a little something for everyone as the series progresses.
Scarpa is good but Dimension Delta is one of his most overrated stories.
I also find it overrated, but nevertheless we should admit that it is highly representative of Scarpa's best period. If you don't put that story in such a book, I don't see what! And if you add to this the fact that the volume will also publish two of his best Mickey stories from the same period, bot unseen in the US, I would say that the Fantagraphics staff has done a good job on that volume. I am considering to buy it, since - as I always complain - Italy has never given Scarpa's old non-Scrooge stories a proper recoloring. (Scarpa's Mickey from 1956-1962 and Faraci's Mickey from '96-'02 are my favorite non-Gottfredson comics incarnations of Mickey, and the only really valuable things that I found in Italian Disney comics, at least in terms of writing.)
But of course I would also love a Van Horn volume featuring his best stuff. In Italian and French his dialogues do not sound as ironic as they are is in English. But I cannot afford to buy all those old WDCS on ebay (not because they are expensive, but because they become expensive once you add the shipping!).
Then couple of days ago I read steamboat willie sequel by Faraci and Cavazzano, where I was amazed the same way. See, I read stories that I find really deep practically on a daily basis.
The artist is Mastantuono, not Cavazzano (and there's Artibani helping Faraci on the writing).
I can second Monkey_F in his comment on Van Horn's dialogue. Van Horn is known for his inventive and funny wordplay, and I've seen some of his stories in translation where that element was flattened out considerably. I noted one example in my post on the "William Van Horn" thread: in "Deck Us All!" as Jones is falling through the air he cries out, "Why do the fates despise me so?" which made me laugh out loud. In the German translation he says "What did I do to deserve this?" By all means, if you're able to read WVH in English, you should do so!
My first choices/wishes: RO-TA! RO-TA! RO-TA! And Korhonen. My "top ten" lists of favorite writers and artists change from month to month, with people moving around in ranking, coming off the list and coming on. But Rota's been #2 on the artist list (after Barks) and Korhonen's been #3 on the writer list (after Barks and Rosa) for some time now. It's possible that all the Korhonen stories I love which haven't yet appeared in English could be published in the regular comics. But Rota does have some great stories which might not be appropriate for publication in the comics, like "The Incredible Shrinking Duck." I love the art in that one, as Donald shrinks to a smaller and smaller size. But we probably don't need a story with Africans portrayed as head-shrinking medicine men in the regular comics.
I never really could warm up to Romano Scarpa's Duck stories. He had some decent ones, but... I don't know, even if many of his stories had an interesting set-up, and the characters he created turned out to have real staying power, there was always something... vaguely dull about his Scrooge McDuck stories. So many of them just dragged horribly, and I always found the characterisations of Scroog and Donald a little... shaky?
In my opinion Scarpa was a much better fit for Mickey and Goofy than he ever was with the Ducks. Perhaps it's just that he connected more with Mickey, or the "detective" format suited him better... I don't know. But Scarpa's Mickey stories have a charm to them that I find largely absent from his Duck stories. Certainly I think Scarpa was the creator that ever got the closest to matching the tone and feel from the old Floyd Gottfredson comics.
Good to see Scarpa's Mickey Mouse stories. I'm not too crazy about Murry, and haven't read any Bottaro yet.
I know a lot of people like Van Horn. Before I read "the Hard-Boiled Duck" I expected it to be like something exciting because I saw so many people love it, but then when I actually read it I felt... bewildered. I don't get it. The same goes for his other stories. I'm sure there were some inside jokes I just missed. But that just...keeps happening.
No one is going to like every artist or writer. But a series like this looks to be a good way to at least sample some of a particular creator's work, and give some of them like Botarro and Murry exposure that they wouldn't otherwise get in the currently reduced IDW comics line, and put them in their historical context.
ROTA: - I believe the majority of comics drawn by Rota were not written by him, I would prefer if this volume contained mostly stuff drawn AND written by him - an absolute must: Paperino pendolare, a great longer comic, never been released in the US before - some of his comics featuring Andold Wild Duck - a longer 4-tier comic from Egmont: The Nightmare Ship or Beowulf Duck - Monster Slayer - at least one Mickey comic: Operation "Big Glutton" - The Last Stagecoach To Tucson - on my wishlist for personal reason: Wonderwool (the only Disney comic that takes place in my home country, as far as I know) - maybe: The Money Ocean (probably the best comic by Rota, and one of the best Disney comics ever, but has already been printed twice in the US)
VAN HORN: - at least one (but preferebly more) of the dozen or so of his comics that have never been published in English before - at least one story with his most famous creation, Rumpus McFowl - longer adventure comics: The Hauntland Treasure, The Black Moon
BRANCA: - World Wide Witch: the only longer comic Branca has drawn between 1990 and his death in 2005 - What About 65?: one of the best Egmont 10-pagers ever, never been printed in the US before