Does this comics tradition apply also to other comics series, or is it just a Donald Duck thing? I don't know anything about Norwegian comics. Except that this year I finally read some Jason, an author that I have always snubbed in the past. He is now one of my favourite active cartoonists.
Oh, it's HUGE. It started way back in 1911 with The Katzenjammer Kids (in Norwegian, 'Knoll og Tott'), which is still to this day one of the best-selling julehefte titles, year after year. (It's currently printing classic Knerr Sunday pages from the 40s.) The julehefte publications are mainly newspaper comic strips - classics like Bringing Up Father and Blondie, modern Norwegian hits like Pondus and Lunch, older Norwegian comics like Nr. 91 Stomperud - but Disney titles have also been a big part of the julehefte market for many decades now.
The main publisher of julehefte comics is Egmont, which has also been publishing Disney comics in general in Scandinavia since 1948. Here's an advert showing most if not all of the Christmas annuals they released in 2018 (a few are literary, but the vast majority contain comics):
I must begrudgingly admit my Swedish envy - Egmont only gives us half as many. I would love to have Bringing Up Father. Also irritating to see so many (interesting-looking!) Disney albums. We only get "Carl Barks" and "Julehistorier".
Oh, it's HUGE. It started way back in 1911 with The Katzenjammer Kids (in Norwegian, 'Knoll og Tott'), which is still to this day one of the best-selling julehefte titles, year after year. (It's currently printing classic Knerr Sunday pages from the 40s.) The julehefte publications are mainly newspaper comic strips - classics like Bringing Up Father and Blondie, modern Norwegian hits like Pondus and Lunch, older Norwegian comics like Nr. 91 Stomperud - but Disney titles have also been a big part of the julehefte market for many decades now.
The main publisher of julehefte comics is Egmont, which has also been publishing Disney comics in general in Scandinavia since 1948. Here's an advert showing most if not all of the Christmas annuals they released in 2018 (a few are literary, but the vast majority contain comics):
I must begrudgingly admit my Swedish envy - Egmont only gives us half as many. I would love to have Bringing Up Father. Also irritating to see so many (interesting-looking!) Disney albums. We only get "Carl Barks" and "Julehistorier".
Oh, wow... I see even the famous "Kalle Ankas julbok" published its last issue in 2017. It had been running since 1941, and its predecessor was "Musse Piggs julbok", running from 1936 to 1940.
"Bringing Up Father" is one I tend to get every year, and I always buy "The Katzenjammer Kids", too. For the past few years I've been buying "Blondie" as well, since they've been running classic Chic Young Sunday pages from the 40s.
When it comes to the Disney albums, my favorite is "Donald Duck & Co", the spinoff of the Scandinavian weekly. David Gerstein revamped it contents-wise a few years ago -- it now starts off with an Egmont story from the 90s (usually Vicar or Branca) and then continues with new-to-Norway, classic American stories starring an assortment of characters. It very much gives me the feeling of reading a vintage issue of the weekly.
Drat. D 2019-009, the L&N/Midthun Klondike Christmas story, is not in the December 2020 Super Picsou Geant, as I had hoped it would be. Finland is publishing it this year, but that doesn’t help me. Maybe a Dutch or German publication will come through, but it’s more likely I won’t see it until next December.
Taking the long view, when I play “Fantasy Fantagraphics” I do imagine a Christmas-themed Midthun Masters volume including at least three of his stories from the Norwegian Christmas specials: Strathbungo (Orphan’s Christmas), The Christmas Train, and this Klondike one.
Oh, wow... I see even the famous "Kalle Ankas julbok" published its last issue in 2017. It had been running since 1941, and its predecessor was "Musse Piggs julbok", running from 1936 to 1940.
"Bringing Up Father" is one I tend to get every year, and I always buy "The Katzenjammer Kids", too. For the past few years I've been buying "Blondie" as well, since they've been running classic Chic Young Sunday pages from the 40s.
When it comes to the Disney albums, my favorite is "Donald Duck & Co", the spinoff of the Scandinavian weekly. David Gerstein revamped it contents-wise a few years ago -- it now starts off with an Egmont story from the 90s (usually Vicar or Branca) and then continues with new-to-Norway, classic American stories starring an assortment of characters. It very much gives me the feeling of reading a vintage issue of the weekly.
As a follow up I can report that my christmas comics got decidedly more Norwegian this year...
I’d love to see Fantagraphics put out these new Klondike Scrooge stories as a hardcover, regardless of whether or not they brand it “Disney Masters”. It seems like more of a fit for the types of Disney Comics they’re running as opposed to the types of comics IDW has been running post-Team Gerstein.
So McDuck Journals III seems to be only two stories. One starring child Scrooge in London, and the other one takes place in Egypt. Both were published in the new McDuck Journals hardcover, and now the Scandinavian Disney weeklies. And Korhonen is already working on a McDuck Journals IV, which will take place in the Far East.
Is she called "Frau Rührig" instead of "Fräulein"? In that case it might be her mother.
I guessed that THIS character HAS to be her mother, because Scrooge's secretary couldn't possibly be the same character because of the latter's much younger age than Scrooge's, as well as the use of "Frau" here, rather than the secretary's usual designation as "Fräulein".
Is she called "Frau Rührig" instead of "Fräulein"? In that case it might be her mother.
I guessed that THIS character HAS to be her mother, because Scrooge's secretary couldn't possibly be the same character because of the latter's much younger age than Scrooge's, as well as the use of "Frau" here, rather than the secretary's usual designation as "Fräulein".
I think I read in the editorial before the Italian reprint (and maybe in the French as well?) that Brunilde is the aunt of Emily.
Drat. D 2019-009, the L&N/Midthun Klondike Christmas story, is not in the December 2020 Super Picsou Geant, as I had hoped it would be.
In the meantime, as you may already know, this story was included in Picsou Magazine's latest winter issue! (I knew it would be published this year, because I'd been chatting with the French translator.) I like this story well enough, except for the fact that the presence of so many Beagle Boys at this stage doesn't mesh well with The Life and Times.
I guessed that THIS character HAS to be her mother, because Scrooge's secretary couldn't possibly be the same character because of the latter's much younger age than Scrooge's, as well as the use of "Frau" here, rather than the secretary's usual designation as "Fräulein".
I think I read in the editorial before the Italian reprint (and maybe in the French as well?) that Brunilde is the aunt of Emily.
spoiler (select the yellow part to read):
in D 2019-009, a very young Emily Quackfaster is going to Skagway to her aunt.
Drat. D 2019-009, the L&N/Midthun Klondike Christmas story, is not in the December 2020 Super Picsou Geant, as I had hoped it would be.
In the meantime, as you may already know, this story was included in Picsou Magazine's latest winter issue! (I knew it would be published this year, because I'd been chatting with the French translator.) I like this story well enough, except for the fact that the presence of so many Beagle Boys at this stage doesn't mesh well with The Life and Times.
Hooray! I just was able to order Picsou 557 & 558 from an eBay seller who will ship to the USA. Now I just have to get the trading cards from 555 & 556, and I'll be all set! I'll be very happy to have a hard copy of the Klondike Christmas story to re-read every December. At least, I'll read this copy until we get a Disney Masters Midthun volume timed to the holidays, with several of the Christmas stories written for the Norwegian specials.... that's my dream for Christmas Yet to Come!
...though, getting back on topic, I also want a Korhonen Disney Masters volume.
Apparently Korhonen created a new series titled "The Secrets of the Duck Family Tree". These comics will focus on various less known characters from Rosa's Duck family tree. Will be published in 2023.
Also, not Korhonen but Lo$ related and seems pretty interesting: Cavazzano has a new comic out in this week's Topolino for Scrooge's 75th anniversary which is a mostly wordless trip through Scrooge's life with lots of Barks and Rosa references.
Apparently Korhonen created a new series titled "The Secrets of the Duck Family Tree". These comics will focus on various less known characters from Rosa's Duck family tree. Will be published in 2023.
That is absolutely amazing! I've always been interested in those characters that were only made for the family tree and never used again. I'm especially interested in the stories that will be made for Fethry's mother and Quagmire McDuck, because those are the characters that seem the most interesting to me.
The only sad part is that the series, just like with the other ones made by Korhonen, will never get published in my country, so I hope that an english version gets made eventually.
Apparently Korhonen created a new series titled "The Secrets of the Duck Family Tree". These comics will focus on various less known characters from Rosa's Duck family tree. Will be published in 2023.
Also, not Korhonen but Lo$ related and seems pretty interesting: Cavazzano has a new comic out in this week's Topolino for Scrooge's 75th anniversary which is a mostly wordless trip through Scrooge's life with lots of Barks and Rosa references.
Mostly wordless, eh? Might be worth trying to buy the Topolino, given the current exchange rate, if anyone sells it on eBay… Anyway, thanks for alerting us to it!