Your favorite Giorgio Cavazzano stories

[Orora]

The other thread was mostly about artists influenced by Cavazzano.

But I think it is only fair to open a thread about the man himself.

What are your favorite stories by him?

What do you think of his "main" style? I know at least a couple of you preferred his style from the 70s.

[Matilda]

Favorite Cavazzano Stories:

Artibani & Arena's first two "Magica's family" stories

Casty's first three Euraisa Toft stories

Casty's two Estrella Marina stories

Cimino's il piffero variabile

Faraci's Another Christmas on Bear Mountain
Faraci's Chief Casey's Longest Night

Gasc's Clarabelle story, "le soda se boit sec"

McGreals' Mismatched Mentors

Martina's il vascello fantasma

Lucky 13! And eight of them published by IDW Disney under David Gerstein, bless his heart.

Also, I have to list my favorite Cavazzano covers:

two which I know from IDW Disney:

Donald in the Viking helmet

(scroll down to see it uncluttered on the IDW comic)

another Christmas on Bear Mt

and three which I know from European comics:

Estrella Marina

the JWs exploring a temple

and most of all: HDL as JWs in the snow

which is my favorite cover illustration of the nephews EVER. No one draws more endearing nephews than Cavazzano. This cover never fails to make me happy. 

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p.s. I can't say that Cimino's l'errore del Paperzucum is a favorite story of mine; I prefer the Amazons in A Guerra Das Amazonas . But the art in that Cimino story is Cavazzano at his 1970's best! You can see from my list above, though, that I also like Cavazzano in his other "periods."

[thadwell]

Of the man's later work, "Great Rock of Power-Plus" and "World of the Dragonlords" are easily my favorites.

I will say that his '70s work is on a whole different planet, so I can't pick just one. His work then was the best Disney cartooning ever got.

[Orora]

I find it interesting that several of you find his 70s art his best. Can you describe why?

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Sept 3, 2018 8:14:02 GMT Orora said:

I find it interesting that several of you find his 70s art his best. Can you describe why?

Much more detailed a la Don Rosa, much more energetic — his "modern", iconic style has been described as 'loosey-goosey' by GeoX and that's a very apt description: lots of curves, broad, clear artwork. The 70's style had a more in-depth, sketchier look and leaner, more rubbery figures, giving the characters a sort of Chuck Jones look that's always bursting with movement. 

[thadwell]

That description works for me, mostly. While the detail in Rosa's work always felt labored and overbearing to me, the detail in Cavazzano's looks natural the same way Barks' detail did, encapsulating a real sense of adventure and wonder. Also, Cavazzano's posing evokes the same feeling as a lot of the best cartoon animation—real plasticity of movement, energy, and emotion.

[rasterax]

Of the few stories he also wrote I'd highly recommend Zio Paperone e i miliardari in vacanza

Very funny story, with a great use of Donald in particular  - he's rarely been funnier than he is in this story, in fact.

There are a number of important Italian artists that only wrote a few of their stories, but when they did, they were generally of very high quality: Cavazzano, Carpi, M. De Vita. Makes you wish they'd written much more of their own stuff.

ETA: Link fixed

[Matilda]

Sept 4, 2018 12:44:36 GMT rasterax said:

Of the few stories he also wrote I'd highly recommend Zio Paperone e i miliardari in vacanza

Very funny story, with a great use of Donald in particular  - he's rarely been funnier than he is in this story, in fact.

There are a number of important Italian artists that only wrote a few of their stories, but when they did, they were generally of very high quality: Cavazzano, Carpi, M. De Vita. Makes you wish they'd written much more of their own stuff.

please fix link

[jumbojr]

Some of my favourites:
Anderville
Ombretta e l'angolo dei Salici
Topolino e il passaggio al Tor Korgat
Zio Paperone e la moltiplicazione degli affitti

[Spectrus]

Way too many to mention.

Of the ones already mentioned, "Casey's Longest Night", "Topolino e il passaggio al Tor Korgat", any- and everything he did with Casty (especially the Eurasia stories, but also "Master of the Clouds"), and- and everything he did with the underrated Silvano Mezzavilla (e.g. "The Delayed Telephone Call", "The Statue's Secret", "Villa of Missing Things"). Also another recent Mickey story, "The Cat's Promise" and another Artibani collab, "The Sunken Fortune" - very likely one of the best things ever done with Duck Avenger and crying out for an IDW localisation!

Also: A wonderful "Twilight" parody - inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+2849-1
A recent Hard Haid Moe story - inducks.org/story.php?c=I%2FD+2010-006
A great Brick Boulder story - inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+2989-1
The unforgettable "Goofy as ocean pianist" story - inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+2737-1P
A rare self-penned one, basically homage to Floyd Gottfredson: inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1672-B
Unusual Daisy story: I M 59-2

Of his Egmont productions, I'd mention "The Secret of Shapur" which has some of his most unusual art in recent times - and of course the wonderful "Secret of the Incas".

Sept 3, 2018 2:32:07 GMT thadwell said:

Of the man's later work, "Great Rock of Power-Plus" and "World of the Dragonlords" are easily my favorites.

I will say that his '70s work is on a whole different planet, so I can't pick just one. His work then was the best Disney cartooning ever got.

Personally, I think he really underachieved in "War of the Dragonlords", and I remember not being particularly moved by the art in "Great Rock of Power-Plus" either. This was clearly his worst period (IMO), although his Mickey (universe) stories from the era are still very good - "Anderville" probably being the standout example. Even the Duck Avenger story mentioned above is a bit lacking in detail, but it's saved by the great story.

My favourite era of Cavazzano's is the 80s. While the art was generally more sedate than in the so-called "techno" period, it still had a livelier feel to it, and the inking style was very different. More recently he seems to have improved again, although as I said elsewhere, the Duck stories he draws for Egmont often feel somewhat soulless compared to the Mouse stories he does for Topolino. You can tell if his heart is really in it.

So, here's some of which is generally accepted as the glory days of Italian Disney production, and which is clearly the era of Cavazzano that's most loved in Germany:

inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1541-AP
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1588-A (already mentioned above)
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1455-BP
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1501-BP
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1462-AP (featuring OK Quack)
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1555-BP
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1565-A
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1587-A
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1529-AP
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1673-A (the 3rd and IMO best Reginella story)
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1416-A (another OK Quack one)
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1443-A
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+2044-3
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1914-A
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1965-D
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1961-DP
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TP++++1-1
inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1703-B

All killer, no filler! And enough to fill a couple of "Disney Masters" books ;-)

[Spectrus]

Sept 4, 2018 12:44:36 GMT rasterax said:

Of the few stories he also wrote I'd highly recommend Zio Paperone e i miliardari in vacanza

Very funny story, with a great use of Donald in particular  - he's rarely been funnier than he is in this story, in fact.

There are a number of important Italian artists that only wrote a few of their stories, but when they did, they were generally of very high quality: Cavazzano, Carpi, M. De Vita. Makes you wish they'd written much more of their own stuff.

ETA: Link fixed

I'd add Guerrini and Chierchini to that list.



And if somebody asks for the *worst* Cavazzano stories, here's a few too:



inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1999-E (horrible, violent nonsense)

inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+2028-1 (not much better)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+93135 (yikes)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2010-048 (illogical nonsense)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2006-233 (violent, idiotic nonsense)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2009-278 (aggressive, violent nonsense)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2011-054 (aggressive, violent nonsense)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2014-080 (misguided, strange story - including several drawing errors)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2016-324 (complete nonsense)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2006-332 (poorly written, and the art looks empty)

inducks.org/story.php?c=D+2014-103 (a completely wrong version of the Duck Avenger, including alien slugs!)

inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+1130-A (nice art, but Guido Martina's interpretation of Duckburg simply isn't correct!)

inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+2427-1 (good story, but the art really looks as if he couldn't care less)

[Orora]

Sept 19, 2018 13:49:38 GMT Spectrus said:

My favourite era of Cavazzano's is the 80s. While the art was generally more sedate than in the so-called "techno" period, it still had a livelier feel to it, and the inking style was very different. 

Just what is this "techno" style that so many artists describe Cavazzano's style as?

I keep reading about Cavazzano's "techno style" on several websites, but they never give any context what it means.

When I read "techno", it just makes me think of dated 80s electronic dance music.

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

In 1974 Cavazzano drastically and almost suddently changed style, abandoning his Scarpa-oriented art. The new style was technically more sophisticated and heavely influenced by the spigolous art of Franco-Belgian humor comics (such as the ones of Morris and Uderzo). This is the 'techno' period of Cavazzano, roughly going from 1974 to 1978/1979. In 1979 he went back to draw a bit more morbid lines, entering his 80's hybrid period.

Explanation of the name 'techno'. This new style was adopted when Cavazzano passed from mainly working with writer Cimino to working with writer Giorgio Pezzin, an old schoolmate that Cavazzano himself had advised to become a Disney writer. The stories of the pair Pezzin-Cavazzano were more cartoonish and humoristic than Disney comics had ever been until then. They most often involved some cartoonish technologic idea (Pezzin was a former engineer, like Rosa), or induced Cavazzano to draw some realistic piece of technology, like aircrafts or planes. From this comes the denomination 'techno period', that I think was introduced by the Disney scholar (and professor of computer science at Cambridge) Frank Stajano, although I may be wrong.

Most of the stories of the techno period featured Uncle Scrooge in battle against the Beagle Boys/Rockerduck, or some crazy adventure with the duo Fethry-Donald. (Pezzin and Cavazzano are basically responsable for the developing of the Italian version of Fethry.) But not everyone knows that the new ''Franco-Belgian' style was first experimented by Cavazzano in all his power in the following important Mickey Mouse story, that I think none yet cited in this thread: inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL++990-A.  The story starts with a quick cinematic bank robbery...where the robbers are Mickey and Goofy! The beginning of the story sounds today as some kind of ironic declaration of war from the authors against the tradition. 

[Horace]

Sept 19, 2018 21:47:21 GMT Monkey_Feyerabend said:

In 1974 Cavazzano drastically and almost suddently changed style, abandoning his Scarpa-oriented art. The new style was technically more sophisticated and heavely influenced by the spigolous art of Franco-Belgian humor comics (such as the ones of Morris and Uderzo). This is the 'techno' period of Cavazzano, roughly going from 1974 to 1978/1979. In 1979 he went back to draw a bit more morbid lines, entering his 80's hybrid period.

Explanation of the name 'techno'. This new style was adopted when Cavazzano passed from mainly working with writer Cimino to working with writer Giorgio Pezzin, an old schoolmate that Cavazzano himself had advised to become a Disney writer. The stories of the pair Pezzin-Cavazzano were more cartoonish and humoristic than Disney comics had ever been until then. They most often involved some cartoonish technologic idea (Pezzin was a former engineer, like Rosa), or induced Cavazzano to draw some realistic piece of technology, like aircrafts or planes. From this comes the denomination 'techno period', that I think was introduced by the Disney scholar (and professor of computer science at Cambridge) Frank Stajano, although I may be wrong.

Most of the stories of the techno period featured Uncle Scrooge in battle against the Beagle Boys/Rockerduck, or some crazy adventure with the duo Fethry-Donald. (Pezzin and Cavazzano are basically responsable for the developing of the Italian version of Fethry.) But not everyone knows that the new ''Franco-Belgian' style was first experimented by Cavazzano in all his power in the following important Mickey Mouse story, that I think none yet cited in this thread: inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL++990-A.  The story starts with a quick cinematic bank robbery...where the robbers are Mickey and Goofy! The beginning of the story sounds today as some kind of ironic declaration of war from the authors against the tradition. 

Is this his period/style where the characters all looked very stretched and flexible like they were made out of gum? He also used this style in his self-created comics like "Peter O' Pencil" (for German ZACK magazine) and Captain Rogers. It's very recognisable (Although I thought these comics were created a liitle later, more like end of 70s, beginning of 80s).

[Monkey_Feyerabend]

Sept 20, 2018 21:16:37 GMT Horace said:

Sept 19, 2018 21:47:21 GMT Monkey_Feyerabend said:

 

Is this his period/style where the characters all looked very stretched and flexible like they were made out of gum? 

Yes:
(The following pages are taken from an old Stajano's page on Cavazzano, where you can find samplers from other periods of the artist up to 1994.)