I see. The portuguese version says: "Her sisters have a discrete life nowadays! They were last seen in this footage taken 17 years ago!".
It's actually kind of interesting that we haven't discussed this before (perhaps this topic is deserving of its own thread), but what do different translations of that first panel say? When I read the original, I assumed that "long since disappeared from public life" was Rosa's way of hinting that Matilda, Hortense and Quackmore were dead, but I guess I was wrong since it seems Rosa had all along planned for Scrooge's sisters at least to still be alive in "present day". The Portuguese version you quote seems to suggest more strongly that Scrooge's family is still alive.
As to the criticism leveled against Van Horn vis-à-vis his decision to make Rumpus Scrooge's "sole surviving sibling"; yes, he ignored Gideon (whom he must have been aware of) but he did remain true to the Barks-via-Rosa canon. Barks had already declared (in "Some Heir Over the Rainbow") that Donald, Gladstone and HD&L were Scrooge's only heirs (and in another Barks story Donald refers to Scrooge as his only uncle), and when "Travails" came out, Rosa had not yet published his decision to have Matilda (and, although thankfully withdrawn, Hortense) still be alive.
Wait, why do you think Hortense was "thankfully withdraw"? Personally, i would love if she had appeared in a Letter from Home.
Also, Eider Duck and Cuthbert Coot (and Luke Goose, if you consider as canon the fact that he did the in-universe version of the Duck Family Tree) are still alive, so i think when Donald said Scrooge was his sole uncle, he was reffering to his uncles on his mother's side
The only uncle I can think of that really contradicts the "only uncle" bit is Gideon McDuck. I think Eider Duck is the only confirmed actual uncle (and not first cousin once removed or granduncle or something) of Donald's on the Duck side. I have a theory already explaining any inconsistencies with Eider, with my idea being that he was adopted by Grandma and Grandpa Duck. Thus, he is not a biological uncle of Donald's. There is Dinkum Duck, but the fact that he lives in Australia could imply that he's a more distant relative. Any other uncles (such as Willie Waddle, Webfoot McWaddle, Ludwig von Drake, Uncle Herman, and others) could very well be uncles by marriage or related in other ways. Thus, Scrooge and Gideon could be Donald's only biological uncles, not counting Rumpus, whose exact relationship with Donald was not revealed until Travails.
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that we don't have to believe that Donald was only referring to his mother's side when he referred to Scrooge as his only uncle, as there are solutions for most other uncles. The most problematic uncle is Gideon McDuck, who is on Donald's mother's side.
As I've already said, I've read very little stories with Rumpus. Which stories refer to him as Scrooge's "sole surviving sibling"? If we are to put Van Horn, Rosa, and Scarpa in the same continuity, it seems Matilda and Gideon must've died by the time of the revelation of Rumpus' relation to Scrooge. Unless Gideon just doesn't count like he seemingly didn't when Donald referred to Scrooge as his only uncle.
No matter what I say or do, know that Jesus loves you.
I think Eider Duck is the only confirmed actual uncle (and not first cousin once removed or granduncle or something) of Donald's on the Duck side. I have a theory already explaining any inconsistencies with Eider, with my idea being that he was adopted by Grandma and Grandpa Duck. Thus, he is not a biological uncle of Donald's.
My problem with this is that if Elvira and Humperdink had legally adopted Eider, then he would for all intents and purposes be their son and be always referred to as such, and thus Donald would think of him as an uncle (in the same way that, if Matilda had adopted Gladstone, Scrooge would have referred to him as his nephew, not his distant nephew, in "Some Heir over the Rainbow"). If I remember correctly, Donald made the "only uncle" comment in question when he was concocting a scheme of some sort against Scrooge ("I hate to do this to my only uncle!"); there was no need to differentiate between biological and non-biological uncles. It makes more sense to me to consider Eider as having died after sending Donald the falcon.
I think Eider Duck is the only confirmed actual uncle (and not first cousin once removed or granduncle or something) of Donald's on the Duck side. I have a theory already explaining any inconsistencies with Eider, with my idea being that he was adopted by Grandma and Grandpa Duck. Thus, he is not a biological uncle of Donald's.
My problem with this is that if Elvira and Humperdink had legally adopted Eider, then he would for all intents and purposes be their son and be always referred to as such, and thus Donald would think of him as an uncle (in the same way that, if Matilda had adopted Gladstone, Scrooge would have referred to him as his nephew, not his distant nephew, in "Some Heir over the Rainbow"). If I remember correctly, Donald made the "only uncle" comment in question when he was concocting a scheme of some sort against Scrooge ("I hate to do this to my only uncle!"); there was no need to differentiate between biological and non-biological uncles. It makes more sense to me to consider Eider as having died after sending Donald the falcon.
Also remember that Donald seems unfamiliar with Whitewater Duck in The Log Jockey. I believe that you consider Whitewater to have a different father than Eider, but if we were to stick with Rosa's tree, then there is precedent that Donald isn't super familiar with Eider's branch of the family. Also, my current hypothesis is that Eider eventually got on bad terms with Elvira and Humperdink, so though he may have legally been their son, he no longer wished to be referred to as such and distanced himself from the family, giving us an explanation as to why we haven't seen him around at Christmas, why Donald knows little about his branch of the family, and why Donald apparently did not think of him as an uncle.
No matter what I say or do, know that Jesus loves you.
Eider could also have been stationed overseas in the military and may have died in combat ... which is sort of my personal backstory for him (I believe someone else on this forum came up with that). Anyway, the reason I no longer subscribe to Rosa's proposal that Whitewater is the son of Eider, who in turn is the son of Elvira (per Rosa), is that Donald refers to Whitewater as a "distant cousin" whom he only learned about through a "family album". It's perfectly common for first cousins to not know each other well, of course, but native English speakers don't refer to first cousins as "distant" (some have suggested that Donald meant "geographically distant" but again, that would be very awkward phrasing) and it's unlikely that Donald would need to consult a family album to learn about the existence of a first cousin, whether or not he had actually met him.
I don't mind Eider being dead, but the idea that Gideon and Matilda both were alive in "present day" stories but died by the time of the events of "Travails" is mind-boggling. The two schools of thought, as I see it, are that Duck relatives are either alive or died before the events of "Christmas on Bear Mountain" (which might be "event zero" in that by that time, in my headcanon, Della, Quackmore and Hortense are definitely dead), Eider being the possible exception.
Anyway, the reason I no longer subscribe to Rosa's proposal that Whitewater is the son of Eider, who in turn is the son of Elvira (per Rosa), is that Donald refers to Whitewater as a "distant cousin" whom he only learned about through a "family album". It's perfectly common for first cousins to not know each other well, of course, but native English speakers don't refer to first cousins as "distant" (some have suggested that Donald meant "geographically distant" but again, that would be very awkward phrasing) and it's unlikely that Donald would need to consult a family album to learn about the existence of a first cousin, whether or not he had actually met him.
After pondering it long and hard, I have come to the conclusion that Whitewater is dougly related to Donald — on his father's side as a first cousin via Eider, but also through his mother's side to the McDuck side of the family, hence Douglas McDuck's considering Whitewater his nephew. Thus, Donald found Eider on the family tree via the McDuck branch, where he appeared as a rather distant relative, and it slipped his mind that he also had a first cousin called Eider, let alone that both of them were the same individual.
Post by Dr Ivo G Bombastus on Oct 6, 2019 8:18:03 GMT
Things like Rumpus being called $crooge's sole sibling or Whitewater being called Donald's distant cousin are far too minor to ever impact how I interpret Duck family relationships or which characters are supposed to be dead/alive.
Post by Baar Baar Jinx on Oct 28, 2019 15:17:55 GMT
I was reading 'Travails" again, and the following exchange struck me as significant:
If Downy and Mrs. McFowl were indeed sisters, Donald's question makes no sense ... of course Scrooge and Rumpus would be cousins. This would seem to argue against their being sisters. Yet, Mrs. McFowl says that there are ties to the McDucks via others in "our family". Who is the "our" being referred to here? Vera and Mrs. McFowl? Mr. and Mrs. McFowl?
I was reading 'Travails" again, and the following exchange struck me as significant:
If Downy and Mrs. McFowl were indeed sisters, Donald's question makes no sense ... of course Scrooge and Rumpus would be cousins. This would seem to argue against their being sisters. Yet, Mrs. McFowl says that there are ties to the McDucks via others in "our family". Who is the "our" being referred to here? Vera and Mrs. McFowl? Mr. and Mrs. McFowl?
Rumpus' mother should be either Scrooge's aunt or first cousin once removed, unless the one related to the McDucks is actually Mr. McFowl (perhaps Fergus' cousin?)
Rumpus' mother should be either Scrooge's aunt or first cousin once removed, unless the one related to the McDucks is actually Mr. McFowl (perhaps Fergus' cousin?)
Yes, I kind of think that the above sequence suggests that the relationship with the McDucks is via Mr. McFowl rather than Rumpus' mother.
Rumpus' mother should be either Scrooge's aunt or first cousin once removed, unless the one related to the McDucks is actually Mr. McFowl (perhaps Fergus' cousin?)
Yes, I kind of think that the above sequence suggests that the relationship with the McDucks is via Mr. McFowl rather than Rumpus' mother.
So, since Vera is also Scrooge's aunt, this means she is Mr. McFowl's sister?
Post by Baar Baar Jinx on Oct 31, 2019 17:42:32 GMT
It just struck me that we're never told how exactly Scrooge first learned Rumpus was his half-brother. In "Secrets", the prequel to "Travails", this happens:
We're never told what's on that paper. A DNA test? But it's "pretty old". Not the letter Rumpus' mother wrote to Aunt Vera, which Rumpus found during a "recent sojourn in her home" (in Scotland?). So what is it?
Also, Scrooge says Rumpus is not his cousin. That would further argue against Mrs. McFowl and Downy being sisters, since in that case, Scrooge would still be Rumpus' cousin.
It just struck me that we're never told how exactly Scrooge first learned Rumpus was his half-brother. In "Secrets", the prequel to "Travails", this happens:
We're never told what's on that paper. A DNA test? But it's "pretty old". Not the letter Rumpus' mother wrote to Aunt Vera, which Rumpus found during a "recent sojourn in her home" (in Scotland?). So what is it?
Also, Scrooge says Rumpus is not his cousin. That would further argue against Mrs. McFowl and Downy being sisters, since in that case, Scrooge would still be Rumpus' cousin.
Perhaps a letter Fergus wrote before passing away and gave it to Scrooge in 1902