Post by Hector on May 18, 2017 1:02:42 GMT
Just like Casty's ''Tide of centuries'', which i reviewed a while ago,
this is a story i read in a volume i found in a recycling bin (lol,
sometimes, i'm glad i never listen to my mother when she tells me
to give up the humiliating habit of searching for stuff in trash bins).
I don't know its original title or its creators, but i'm pretty sure
there are not many stories out there that are similar to this one.
The unsurpassable Don Rosa said in an interview that, in his story,
''The duck that never was'', Gladstone was the only one whose life
wasn't negatively affected by Donald's absence in the ''No Donald''
universe, because a story where Gladstone is miserable would make
the reader empathise with him and that would defeat the character's
purpose, which is to annoy us.
Well, the author of ''The luckiest duck in the world'' obviously had
other ideas, for this is exactly what this story is about. It's an
unusually sad for Disney's standards story.
Gladstone has got bored of his life. Winning prizes no longer excites
him at all. He decides to invite someone to do something fun with
him, but all his relatives refuse, because his good luck annoys them
one way or another.
Not in a giving up mood, Gladstone decides to make new friends, only
to realize that, even if someone hangs out with him, that someone will
only be interested in being benefited from Gladstone's luck.
Angrier than ever, he resorts to Gyro. This inventor, who's practically
a magician (a true one, not a magician wannabe, like Barkses Magica
De Spell) can definitely do something to rid him of his annoying luck, is
he right? Once more, Gyro lives up to expectations and devices a
machine that absorbs and liquefies auras (!). Gladstone's luck is now
contained by a plain bottle! Our hero can drink it and get back his luck
any time he wishes, but, as Gyro points, the proccess cannot be
repeated once he gets his luck back.
At first, Gladstone is delighted at the realization he can now have plain
accidents like us mortals. Since his luck is no longer there to feed him,
he also has to get a job. And so he does. Of course, his application
form includes a fake name, because nobody would hire the luckiest
duck in the world.
In his new job as a delivery boy, he's more hard working, more jolly and
more polite to customers than any of his colleagues. Due to those
qualities, he's liked by a red head duckness who works as a secretary
at the same company, Ariana (or at least that's her name in my
country's translation). The clumsy way in which Gladstone initially tries
to get to know her makes me wonder whether he had ever dated a
woman before; it seems, apart from trying to steal Daisy from Donald,
Gladstone had been surprisingly inexperienced with women up to that
point.
Anyway, he and Ariana like each other and everything seems to be
going great for the ex luckiest duck in the world. Gladstone plans to
take his lady to a romantic place, tell her the truth about who he is,
spill his liquefied luck and propose to her. He's so happy. At that
point, i wished the story ended that way. Unfortunately, i knew that
wasn't possible, for it would ruin the fabric of feathery universe. Alas,
what follows is a nightmare for the hero.
The cable car that is transporting them breaks. Now, to save them all
(including himself), Gladstone has to drink back his luck. He does so
and everybody is saved. Gladstone is exposed, Ariana gets mad at
him and breaks up. Also, he gets fired from his job, because of having
applied with a fake id.
Despite the mayor giving him an award for having saved citizens,
Gladstone is miserable like hell. Personally, i don't think the story had
to end that badly. I know Glastone had to become lucky again for
obvious reasons, but i don't see why Ariana couldn't be written by the
authors into forgiving him. I mean, that would add a new character,
Gladstone's mate, who could be used or not be used by other creators.
Why not? Donald also has a mate, Daisy, but that never stopped those
who want to write him as a playboy in certain stories (including Barks).
Rating: 9/10
this is a story i read in a volume i found in a recycling bin (lol,
sometimes, i'm glad i never listen to my mother when she tells me
to give up the humiliating habit of searching for stuff in trash bins).
I don't know its original title or its creators, but i'm pretty sure
there are not many stories out there that are similar to this one.
The unsurpassable Don Rosa said in an interview that, in his story,
''The duck that never was'', Gladstone was the only one whose life
wasn't negatively affected by Donald's absence in the ''No Donald''
universe, because a story where Gladstone is miserable would make
the reader empathise with him and that would defeat the character's
purpose, which is to annoy us.
Well, the author of ''The luckiest duck in the world'' obviously had
other ideas, for this is exactly what this story is about. It's an
unusually sad for Disney's standards story.
Gladstone has got bored of his life. Winning prizes no longer excites
him at all. He decides to invite someone to do something fun with
him, but all his relatives refuse, because his good luck annoys them
one way or another.
Not in a giving up mood, Gladstone decides to make new friends, only
to realize that, even if someone hangs out with him, that someone will
only be interested in being benefited from Gladstone's luck.
Angrier than ever, he resorts to Gyro. This inventor, who's practically
a magician (a true one, not a magician wannabe, like Barkses Magica
De Spell) can definitely do something to rid him of his annoying luck, is
he right? Once more, Gyro lives up to expectations and devices a
machine that absorbs and liquefies auras (!). Gladstone's luck is now
contained by a plain bottle! Our hero can drink it and get back his luck
any time he wishes, but, as Gyro points, the proccess cannot be
repeated once he gets his luck back.
At first, Gladstone is delighted at the realization he can now have plain
accidents like us mortals. Since his luck is no longer there to feed him,
he also has to get a job. And so he does. Of course, his application
form includes a fake name, because nobody would hire the luckiest
duck in the world.
In his new job as a delivery boy, he's more hard working, more jolly and
more polite to customers than any of his colleagues. Due to those
qualities, he's liked by a red head duckness who works as a secretary
at the same company, Ariana (or at least that's her name in my
country's translation). The clumsy way in which Gladstone initially tries
to get to know her makes me wonder whether he had ever dated a
woman before; it seems, apart from trying to steal Daisy from Donald,
Gladstone had been surprisingly inexperienced with women up to that
point.
Anyway, he and Ariana like each other and everything seems to be
going great for the ex luckiest duck in the world. Gladstone plans to
take his lady to a romantic place, tell her the truth about who he is,
spill his liquefied luck and propose to her. He's so happy. At that
point, i wished the story ended that way. Unfortunately, i knew that
wasn't possible, for it would ruin the fabric of feathery universe. Alas,
what follows is a nightmare for the hero.
The cable car that is transporting them breaks. Now, to save them all
(including himself), Gladstone has to drink back his luck. He does so
and everybody is saved. Gladstone is exposed, Ariana gets mad at
him and breaks up. Also, he gets fired from his job, because of having
applied with a fake id.
Despite the mayor giving him an award for having saved citizens,
Gladstone is miserable like hell. Personally, i don't think the story had
to end that badly. I know Glastone had to become lucky again for
obvious reasons, but i don't see why Ariana couldn't be written by the
authors into forgiving him. I mean, that would add a new character,
Gladstone's mate, who could be used or not be used by other creators.
Why not? Donald also has a mate, Daisy, but that never stopped those
who want to write him as a playboy in certain stories (including Barks).
Rating: 9/10
