Interesting. So you think Hortense is still alive?
Yes, i belive she is alive. In "Donald's Best Christmas" (1945) by Barks, There is a grandma with a very different design who does not lives in a farm, but in a house. Due to the differences, i like to think this character could be retconned into being Hortense
But this Grandma lives alone, so if we retcon her into being Hortense, this means Quackmore is probably dead. Maybe he died in WW2?
But this Grandma lives alone, so if we retcon her into being Hortense, this means Quackmore is probably dead. Maybe he died in WW2?
I believe as well that the Best Christmas-Grandma is Hortense, but I believe she died in 1947 (which is what prompted Scrooge to reach out to Donald and HD&L in "Christmas on Bear Mountain"), I can't reconcile her being still alive in "present day" stories and never being seen or mentioned. I also agree that Quackmore predeceased her (see the "Surviving Duck Family Members" thread, page 16 on, for more discussion on all this).
But this Grandma lives alone, so if we retcon her into being Hortense, this means Quackmore is probably dead. Maybe he died in WW2?
I believe as well that the Best Christmas-Grandma is Hortense, but I believe she died in 1947 (which is what prompted Scrooge to reach out to Donald and HD&L in "Christmas on Bear Mountain"), I can't reconcile her being still alive in "present day" stories and never being seen or mentioned. I also agree that Quackmore predeceased her (see the "Surviving Duck Family Members" thread, page 16 on, for more discussion on all this).
I don't like the idea of Hortense being alive past 1947 either, but there might be a solution. Perhaps Hortense is still so mad at Scrooge that, after she heard Donald had begun to spend time with him, cut-off contact with her son. May seem extreme, but both Hortense and Donald are renowned for their temper. Maybe they got into a shouting match as to whether or not Scrooge should be accepted back into the family, and the match culminated in Hortense telling Donald not to come around more. I think that's a possibility. I don't believe it personally. I like the thought that Scrooge got a chance at reconciliation with one sister and not the other. I see Matilda as representing his chance to rectify his past misdeeds, while Hortense represents the mistakes he's made that he can't take back. That's the interpretation I prefer, but if one wants Hortense alive, I think they are reasonable explanations as to why we don't see her.
No matter what I say or do, know that Jesus loves you.
I believe as well that the Best Christmas-Grandma is Hortense, but I believe she died in 1947 (which is what prompted Scrooge to reach out to Donald and HD&L in "Christmas on Bear Mountain"), I can't reconcile her being still alive in "present day" stories and never being seen or mentioned. I also agree that Quackmore predeceased her (see the "Surviving Duck Family Members" thread, page 16 on, for more discussion on all this).
I don't like the idea of Hortense being alive past 1947 either, but there might be a solution. Perhaps Hortense is still so mad at Scrooge that, after she heard Donald had begun to spend time with him, cut-off contact with her son. May seem extreme, but both Hortense and Donald are renowned for their temper. Maybe they got into a shouting match as to whether or not Scrooge should be accepted back into the family, and the match culminated in Hortense telling Donald not to come around more. I think that's a possibility. I don't believe it personally. I like the thought that Scrooge got a chance at reconciliation with one sister and not the other. I see Matilda as representing his chance to rectify his past misdeeds, while Hortense represents the mistakes he's made that he can't take back. That's the interpretation I prefer, but if one wants Hortense alive, I think they are reasonable explanations as to why we don't see her.
I had exactly the same idea two months ago, and since then i have included it in my headcanon. I also like to think Matilda helped Scrooge reconciliate with Hortense after 1955
So the consensus on Magica is anywhere between her 20s and ageless? I was looking for something a little definite, but this doesn't help much.
I would probably place Magica in her mid-to-late thirties. She should be a little older than Donald and Gladstone, still fighting over a girl like a couple of youngsters. And for her to be a formidable enemy to Scrooge, she should be able to carry a little weight in the age department. On the other hand, she was based on Italian movie stars, and I do think she's considered conventionally attractive in the Duckverse -- even without magic. I've also never heard anyone mention signs of age on her -- that eyeliner she wears is simply what was in style at the time she was created. Also, Magica is just a bit of a goth, what with the long black hair with black dress and black eyeliner. (Do we have any flashbacks to Magica in school?)
Also, and entirely unrelatedly, but how old is Scrooge's butler Battista? He was first introduced as an old man, but over the years he's gotten younger and younger, to the point where some artists seem to regard him as not much older than Donald nowadays. It depends a lot on his hair I supposed, whether it's a big mop of brown curls or whether he's already balding. Any ideas?
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Apr 15, 2020 18:04:18 GMT
The funny thing is that Battista gets inconsistent hairstyles not only from one artist to another: he gets younger and younger within Cavazzano's stories!
To me he is in his early 40's, an age where it can make equally sense to be still super hairy, partially balding or already completely bald.
So, hey, this is mostly relevant to this thread. In Mickey Mouse In Death Valley, Mickey finds a bunch of cheese and says "If I only had a bottle of beer!" This implies that he has had beer before, which makes me wonder if that also means that Mickey is supposed to be of legal drinking age during this story. Is Mickey at least 21 in Death Valley? I would say that he was in his late teens in these early strips, based on his personality. But here's the thing: Death Valley was published in 1930. The Prohibition didn't end until 1933, which is when the legal drinking age of 21 was established. So either way, did Disney's rodent mascot really consume alcohol as a minor (illegally)? Or does Death Valley somehow retroactively take place in or after 1933, when the Prohibition ended, and also is Mickey at least 21?
(I mean, imagine reading that in 1930. Mickey is basically saying "Boy, I wish I could brake the law right now!".)
Interesting. So you think Hortense is still alive?
Yes, i belive she is alive. In "Donald's Best Christmas" (1945) by Barks, There is a grandma with a very different design who does not lives in a farm, but in a house. Due to the differences, i like to think this character could be retconned into being Hortense
But this Grandma lives alone, so if we retcon her into being Hortense, this means Quackmore is probably dead. Maybe he died in WW2?
If Quackmore would be a grandfather in 1950, he'd have been too old to have been a soldier during WWII. So, IF he died during that war (because of the war) that would imply that the war reached Calisota. If combat, or bombing reached Calisota, that would mean that Calisota is NOT in USA, or that Quackmore was a businessman with dealings in The Phillipine Islands or Hawaii. or a social worker on The Aleutian Islands (Attu or Kiska) during wartime, or was an international businessman/merchant who ignored warnings of danger, or he was a spy for USA or an allied nation, or he was a spy for the enemy, or he worked for US Intelligence(OSS), and got killed inside USA by German underground agents , trying to fight against their attempts at sabotage(the latter situation would make a very nice story).
So, hey, this is mostly relevant to this thread. In Mickey Mouse In Death Valley, Mickey finds a bunch of cheese and says "If I only had a bottle of beer!" This implies that he has had beer before, which makes me wonder if that also means that Mickey is supposed to be of legal drinking age during this story. Is Mickey at least 21 in Death Valley? I would say that he was in his late teens in these early strips, based on his personality. But here's the thing: Death Valley was published in 1930. The Prohibition didn't end until 1933, which is when the legal drinking age of 21 was established. So either way, did Disney's rodent mascot really consume alcohol as a minor (illegally)? Or does Death Valley somehow retroactively take place in or after 1933, when the Prohibition ended, and also is Mickey at least 21?
(I mean, imagine reading that in 1930. Mickey is basically saying "Boy, I wish I could brake the law right now!".)
I don't really see that comment of Mickey's as pointing to any specific age. He was enough of a rascal back then that I could see him drinking without it being legal.
Death Valley takes place before Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers (see Mickey's comments about boots and Minnie referencing some events from the story), which in turn takes place before Boxing Champion and High Society (Mickey and Butch first met in Egg Robbers, but they already know each other in Boxing Champion and High Society). One of the first strips in High Society has a calendar dating it to a year with a Friday, May the 1st. Assuming that the calendars in Mickey's world matches ours and that the story takes place in the 1930's, then it took place in either 1931 or 1936. If we further assume that all Mickey Mouse strips take place in the same order they are released, then it must take place before Editor-in-Grief, which is implied to take place in 1935. Thus, if you agree with all three assumptions (their calendars match ours, the story takes place in the 1930's, and the story takes place before Editor-in-Grief), then High Society must take place in May 1931, with Mickey Mouse in Death Valley taking place at least a few months earlier.
So, hey, this is mostly relevant to this thread. In Mickey Mouse In Death Valley, Mickey finds a bunch of cheese and says "If I only had a bottle of beer!" This implies that he has had beer before, which makes me wonder if that also means that Mickey is supposed to be of legal drinking age during this story. Is Mickey at least 21 in Death Valley? I would say that he was in his late teens in these early strips, based on his personality. But here's the thing: Death Valley was published in 1930. The Prohibition didn't end until 1933, which is when the legal drinking age of 21 was established. So either way, did Disney's rodent mascot really consume alcohol as a minor (illegally)? Or does Death Valley somehow retroactively take place in or after 1933, when the Prohibition ended, and also is Mickey at least 21?
(I mean, imagine reading that in 1930. Mickey is basically saying "Boy, I wish I could brake the law right now!".)
I don't really see that comment of Mickey's as pointing to any specific age. He was enough of a rascal back then that I could see him drinking without it being legal.
Death Valley takes place before Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers (see Mickey's comments about boots and Minnie referencing some events from the story), which in turn takes place before Boxing Champion and High Society (Mickey and Butch first met in Egg Robbers, but they already know each other in Boxing Champion and High Society). One of the first strips in High Society has a calendar dating it to a year with a Friday, May the 1st. Assuming that the calendars in Mickey's world matches ours and that the story takes place in the 1930's, then it took place in either 1931 or 1936. If we further assume that all Mickey Mouse strips take place in the same order they are released, then it must take place before Editor-in-Grief, which is implied to take place in 1935. Thus, if you agree with all three assumptions (their calendars match ours, the story takes place in the 1930's, and the story takes place before Editor-in-Grief), then High Society must take place in May 1931, with Mickey Mouse in Death Valley taking place at least a few months earlier.
The interesting thing about early Mickey comics is that they occasionally follow the cartoons. Death Valley follows Lost on a Desert Island, which starts with the same conceit as Plane Crazy. I believe that the comics and the cartoons often portrays different or embellished accounts of the same event, which means Lost on a Desert Island (and by the same token, Death Valley) could take place as early as 1928.
Yes, i belive she is alive. In "Donald's Best Christmas" (1945) by Barks, There is a grandma with a very different design who does not lives in a farm, but in a house. Due to the differences, i like to think this character could be retconned into being Hortense
But this Grandma lives alone, so if we retcon her into being Hortense, this means Quackmore is probably dead. Maybe he died in WW2?
If Quackmore would be a grandfather in 1950, he'd have been too old to have been a soldier during WWII. So, IF he died during that war (because of the war) that would imply that the war reached Calisota. If combat, or bombing reached Calisota, that would mean that Calisota is NOT in USA, or that Quackmore was a businessman with dealings in The Phillipine Islands or Hawaii. or a social worker on The Aleutian Islands (Attu or Kiska) during wartime, or was an international businessman/merchant who ignored warnings of danger, or he was a spy for USA or an allied nation, or he was a spy for the enemy, or he worked for US Intelligence(OSS), and got killed inside USA by German underground agents , trying to fight against their attempts at sabotage(the latter situation would make a very nice story).
Well, combat never reached the US mainland in our universe, but our universe doesn't have a Duckburg, Calisota in it. If Bedknobs and Broomsticks can spin a tale around a fictional Nutzi invasion of Britain, I don't see why a fictional (aborted) invasion of Duckburg should be out of the question.
I mean, this has got to be an interesting take on a Scrooge story. The money is a worthless hunk of metal that only he cares about. If all of Duckburg were under peril, that would raise the stakes significantly.
I applaud you for your logic and temporal placement of the early strips, Moose! But wow, if the early Gottfredson-strips took place in 1931, then Pluto should be pretty old for a dog in "the present" of the 1950s.
