How come nobody is talking about this news on Rosa's facebook page?
The Facebook page is maintained by a fan, not Rosa himself. I think it's because fandoms in different countries are not as interconnected as we'd like to think. People come to one source for information. People don't share their information. People have moved on from collecting Disney and/or Don Rosa stories. Fandom is continuously renewing itself. People find different outlets (forums) to indulge their fandom. Information that has built up in one place doesn't get transferred to the next spot. What happened to DCF's archives, for example?
No. Or, well, not in the sense you seem to be assuming. I'm his German editor and translator at Egmont and manage all of "his" social media channels. I've translated and edited all his stories, background commentary texts and autobiography chapters and only stuff edited and translated by me can use his name in German publications. I also travel around with him during a variety of European signings and am in constant contact with him several times a week.
So what's not mentioned on the FB page isn't happening. This is all info coming directly from Don himself even though he doesn't actively post the stuff himself. The whole claim about a "new Lo$" chapter is just bullsh** and that guy either deliberately gave out fake news or he misunderstood something.
"Fandoms not interacting" is completely irrelevant for any news on the page. I indeed don't get any news from the internet since I only post what has been personally confirmed to me by Don himself or sent to me by him. End of story.
The whole claim about a "new Lo$" chapter is just bullsh** and that guy either deliberately gave out fake news or he misunderstood something.
I assume he misunderstood something Don said about "The Prisoner of White Agony Creek". It's his last written Lo$ chapter & it *will* be reprinted in the last volume of the Fantagraphics Rosa Library, which should see print in December 2018. That's not quite 2019, but almost.
"Fandoms not interacting" is completely irrelevant for any news on the page. I indeed don't get any news from the internet since I only post what has been personally confirmed to me by Don himself or sent to me by him.
So you definitely wouldn't know or write about something posted on a Dutch forum, which is more or less what I was getting at. Quite understandably, too. Editors don't even have *time* to spend snooping around on the internet, as far as I understand it.
Yeah, that makes much more sense. The last Lo$ chapter will obviously be in the last Fanta volume, but I really don't know how he got the idea of this being anything new.
And yes, that's definitely true. While I do get mention alerts for the search phrase "don rosa", I can't check each and every of those. But I really don't need to anyway. If something like this would indeed be happening, I'd definitely be among the first three to five people besides Don himself to know about it. Most of the time, I'm even the only one besides Don to know about stuff like this, even when he asks me to not post it publicly until a later time. For instance, I knew well in advance of the release of the European Don Rosa Collection (well, that's no surprise actually, since I worked on that one myself), the Fanta Library and stuff like Don getting the Bill Finger Award.
So while it's not actually him writing on the page, the FB page (as well as the Twitter and Instagram feeds) are the only 100 % trustworthy and comprehensive news sources regarding anything Don Rosa since everything there is provided by the man himself or confirmed by him. If it's not on the page, Don doesn't know about it, so it's not happening.
Thus, please always be careful with retelling/reposting stuff you heard from someone who heard something. Cause rumours spread VERY easily, and then I'M the one who's got to answer a dozen direct messages and emails from confused and excited fans asking if "that post on the Feathery Society forum" about a new story is true. So for anything you might read or hear regarding Don, please always have a look if it's mentioned on the FB page first or check back with me directly... cause otherwise it makes my job (or, well, voluntary work) VERY tedious. Thanks.
A quick guide to convince Don Rosa to write one last Duck comic (written for Byron Ericsson, or if he is aready retired, then the current editor at Egmont, and for editors at other companies producing Disney comics):
1. Call Don. 2. Tell him the following: "Hi Don! If you write that “The Death of Scrooge” story you have been talking about, the one inspired by Alan Moore's “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”, then we will release it." 3. Don't forget to add: "I heard your eyesight is better now, but if you prefered to only write the story, we will get Marco Rota to draw it."
Seriously, I am convinced there is at least one more GREAT Duck comic in Don Rosa. It would be a huge shame if we never saw it.
EDIT: just found the interview where he talked about this story:
"If you could do one big, huge adventure right now, where would you send the ducks? Is there any place left unexplored for you?"
"Death.
Seriously, the one story that I would like to do is “The Death of Scrooge”. Many fans requested it. And the story that I would use as a spiritual guide would be Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”. This was a story done in 1986 when DC Comics decided to “reboot” their main character. But the editors wisely knew that old Superman fans would not like that idea one bit! And they were right. So, their ingenious solution was to create a story that ended the legend of the original Superman, before recreating a new version. It concluded all old plotlines, concluded the careers of all old villains, and resolved all the traditional aspects which had made the Superman comics so great for nearly 50 years. It was a beautiful story!
The trick was that even though the world thought Superman had died, he actually did not, and… well, it was just a perfect ending! I would do something similar for Scrooge McDuck."
Don't tell me Don wouldn't write this story, if he knew for sure that a Duck comic publisher would buy and release it, and if he were promised that Marco Rota would draw it! Rosa and Rota teaming up to create the last Scrooge comic! It would be the single biggest event in Disney comic history since the first release of the 12 main chapters of the Life of Scrooge saga!
I'd opened the tab earlier, before you posted your messages, and only got around to writing the answer now. Sorry about that.
No worries, I was just a bit ... desperate since I got a similar direct message on FB just a few minutes before your post about the exact same thing. Even though I had posted a clarification post on the FB page two hours earlier.
So yeah, please just don't post anything without actually confirming such a piece of info first. It causes Don and especially me a lot of trouble because we have to deal with all the fans who get their hopes up. Thanks!
Don't tell me Don wouldn't write this story, if he knew for sure that a Duck comic publisher would buy and release it, and if he were promised that Marco Rota would draw it!
He wouldn't. As long as the creators are treated the way they are by the Disney system (and this won't change anytime soon... or ever), he won't put anymore work into it. It's a matter of principle.
You need to realize one thing: At this point, ALL Disney comics publishers would buy ANYTHING new Don might do at any ridiculous price he might ask, no matter how possibly poor it is. It doesn't matter cause they know it would sell. But he just doesn't care for it. Believe me, scenarios like the one you're describing (you can do whatever you want... if you don't wanna draw it, a script is fine too and it'll be done by whomever you prefer) HAVE happened more than once already. He's not interested.
Don't tell me Don wouldn't write this story, if he knew for sure that a Duck comic publisher would buy and release it, and if he were promised that Marco Rota would draw it!
He wouldn't. As long as the creators are treated the way they are by the Disney system (and this won't change anytime soon... or ever), he won't put anymore work into it. It's a matter of principle.
You need to realize one thing: At this point, ALL Disney comics publishers would buy ANYTHING new Don might do at any ridiculous price he might ask, no matter how possibly poor it is. It doesn't matter cause they know it would sell. But he just doesn't care for it. Believe me, scenarios like the one you're describing (you can do whatever you want... if you don't wanna draw it, a script is fine too and it'll be done by whomever you prefer) HAVE happened more than once already. He's not interested.
I get that he is not interested in writing another gag story, or an adventure comic with Scrooge. Maybe he isn't even interested in writing another LO$ chapter. But what about "The Death of Scrooge" story? What makes me believe that he would be interested in writing that is that 3 year old interview I quoted. I understand that he hates the Disney system, but the Duck comics are far bigger than the Disney system itself. The comics Barks and Don created will far outlive the suits at the Walt Disney company. I firmly believe that all Don Rosa needs to write this last Scrooge story is a little push. Jano, you should think up a plan to convince him. I am absolutely certain you COULD convince him to write "The Death of Scrooge" story, if you wanted to.
Haha, if you believe this, you really don't know Don. He can't be convinced to do ANYTHING he doesn't want to do himself. He's not the type. I can convince him to do quite a few things, that's true. But that's along the lines of going to a con he's maybe not super interested in himself. Or taking some current pics to post on the FB page. But there's just nothing and no-one who can get him to do anything in terms of new comics. It just won't happen. I know that interview and what he meant was that this is a story he might have been interested in doing back in the days, not that it's something he'd wanna do now or would do if paid enough money or whatever (that part got a bit lost in the editing). There's nothing stronger than Don's absolute and complete profound aversion against the Disney system and there's absolutely no-one on earth who could possibly convince him to do a story. He actually told me exactly this just a couple days ago in Toulouse when I suggested he could possibly do new albums for Glénat (who seem to actually be paying royalties to their "Mickey as imagined by this and that famous French cartoonist" album artists). His exact words were "NEW art or writing? I'm DONE. No more."
As those Glénat albums are not typical Disney comic books anyway, I'm sure it could be arranged to do such a Alan Moore type album for them. But he just doesn't want to. As I was saying on the FB page, he much rather spends his days growing chili peppers, playing with his pinball machine collection, taking care of his dogs and woods, BBQing and other fun stuff now. He's just in no way at all interested in creating comic books anymore. Not in the least. And if he doesn't want to, there's really no-one that could convince him to do otherwise.
Never trust artists who say NEVER. Sean Connery did return as James Bond after saying he would never do another one. Sam Mendes did direct a second Bond film after saying he is 100% done with Bond after Skyfall (the producer even put out a press release confirming he wouldn't return after Skyfall). And these are just two Bond related examples. True, Don will probably never created another comic, but I will never stop hoping that he will change his mind one day, and will return for one last adventure.
Anyway, thanks for at least trying to convince him to change his mind. Suggesting he could do an album for Glénat was an excellent idea!