Post by Scrooge MacDuck on Oct 14, 2017 9:50:12 GMT
We discussed it a little while ago, and the French Disney book publisher, Glénat, has finally begun printing out their Romano Scarpa Library.
The first volume above covers all stories to which Scarpa contributed from 1953 to 1956, so it's actually a complete edition, not just the stories he wrote as some suggested. And I mean complete. Everything received new translations, and several stories had never been published in France, such as the 1954 story Donald 3D. Also included are numerous excellent Snow White stories, so we Frenchmen aren't left behind the American folk who get that neat hardcover book of Scarpa's SW stories.
Only weird detail, the translations get confused on a couple of characters' names. In Snow White and the Green Flame, Martina created a strange secondary character in the person of Mexican semi-anthropomorphic parrot Pipperetto Sarape (who looks essentially like a fusion of José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles). Despite the helpful documentation before the story clearly stating that the bird is a new character, the translation itself calls him… José Carioca. Perhaps even weirder, this new translation of Shellfish Motives calls Gedeone De'Paperoni "Gédéon Mac Duck", even though the French translation of "McDuck"/"De Paperoni" has always been "Picsou" or "McPicsou", in accordance with Scrooge's name "Balthazar Picsou".
Great news! I dont know why italian version is so hard to get a hold of, it was not released long ago, also I m not sure but I think I saw something similar in greece
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Oct 14, 2017 15:43:56 GMT
The Italian version was not sold anywhere. Each week a volume was given with the newspaper for a plus of some 7 or 8 euros. This is why it is hard to find.
The French one is the exact translation of the Italian one...colors, essayes, they did not even translate the drawn titles from the Italian. It is only more expensive (high quality of the paper).
The French one is the exact translation of the Italian one...colors, essayes, they did not even translate the drawn titles from the Italian. It is only more expensive (high quality of the paper).
They never do that in modern Libraries (it's not the case either in the Duck Avenger Library); I think they consider the original linework of the title part of the original art, and these recent collections aim to be as close to the original versions as possible.
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Oct 14, 2017 16:12:50 GMT
But they redraw the titles in super picsou géant, mickey parade géant, picsou magazine.
Anyhow, for French readers who do not know much about Scarpa: volumes 2-6 will contain all his masterpiece. Those are the ones to get if you want his best as a complete author in a nutshell.
But they redraw the titles in Super Picsou Géant, Mickey Parade Géant, Picsou Magazine.
Yes, but while they often contain good stories, those three are "kid's magazines" that don't aim to have any "scholarly" value, unlike the various Libraries.
But they redraw the titles in super picsou géant, mickey parade géant, picsou magazine.
Anyhow, for French readers who do not know much about Scarpa: volumes 2-6 will contain all his masterpiece. Those are the ones to get if you want his best as a complete author in a nutshell.
Uhm, Volume 1 did have The Phantom Blot's Secret Double which I believe is considered one of his most memorable stories? And the Snow White stuff is pretty good. Anyway, I'll still get the whole series.
"Blot's Double Mystery" is indeed one of the best stories Scarpa ever drew... but Guido Martina wrote it, so Scarpa wasn't the writer, or "author," even though it was obviously very influential to his own stories. That's probably what "Monkey_Feyerabend" means.
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Oct 14, 2017 19:08:08 GMT
Yes, I was talking of Scarpa's stories as a complete author. In the first volume the onlystory written by the manis Paperino e i Gamberi in Salmì, all the rest is signed Guido Martina. Whereas volumes 2-6 are almost completely by Scarpa, with a couple of Martina's intrusions. Scarpa's best is there (1956-1962).
For a wider perspective on Scarpa's work some more volumes are necessary, this is sure. Maybe not all 54, especially considering the price of this Glénat edition! In particular the first volume, which contains the famous blot's double mistery, is certainly one to get. But I would recommend that story only because so many people consider it a good one, and I respect other people's tastes and opinions. (Also, if so many people like it, there is a good chance that my interlocutor could like it too!) But personally, no, I dislike that story. More generally, I find Martina a very very very bad comics writer. One that could not handle the language properly (not to speak of the internal narrative incoherence in so many of his stories.) One that should have done another job. I am not the only one that think this, I am sure. But it seems like I am the only one putting it down on the internet. Well, whatever. Of course, The blot's double mistery is definitely one of his masterpieces, as much as I have read by him. As a matter of facts, I think I even gave it a 5/10 on the inducks...
EDIT: ok, I said "Martina should have done another job", but I do not blame the man for keeping it. And I do not blame him for producing much garbage, especially with Mickey in the 70's (most of which will never be seen outside of Italy). The poor guy had to write something like a story per week to pay his life...
[by the way, why my nickname between " ", thadwell?]
More generally, I find Martina a very very very bad comics writer. One that could not handle the language properly (not to speak of the internal narrative incoherence in so many of his stories.) One that should have done another job. I am not the only one that think this, I am sure. But it seems like I am the only one putting it down on the internet. Well, whatever.
The only one? Oh, no, my friend. Meet our friend GeoX, who is also notable for disliking Scarpa's plottings, incidentally.
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Oct 14, 2017 20:00:51 GMT
I agree on almost everything Geox says, especially on Scarpa's plots. I often comment his posts, with my real name. But honestly I don't remember reading any of his analysis on Martina's stories. That tells you how much I am interested in Martina.
I agree on almost everything Geox says, especially on Scarpa's plots. I often comment his posts, with my real name. But honestly I don't remember reading any of his analysis on Martina's stories. That tells you how much I am interested in Martina.
I say give that Blot's Double Mystery review of his a read if you're in the "it's bad" camp too. Honestly, when the reviewer has GeoX's comedic qualities, I think the reviews are even more of a must-read if you don't like the work being reviewed. It's why things like The Nostalgia Critic work so well.
...also I m not sure but I think I saw something similar in greece
Yep! Here's the Inducks link. The series started in July as a newspaper giveaway in both Greece and Cyprus. Each volume was made available separately in newsstands a few weeks later. The volumes are half the size of the Italian ones. We got seven volumes this summer and presumably (and hopefully) the series will continue next year. It looks that this is going to be a really long term project for the publisher as we are looking at roughly a hundred volumes but never the less I'm really excited about the prospect of having Scarpa's entire output in my library! And I'm happy for all the French and French-speaking Scarpa fans that are getting the series too!
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Oct 15, 2017 20:14:34 GMT
Notice that the beginning of this Greek edition is not in chronological order! They started with the Italian/French volume 2, postponing the first years (1953-1955), when Scarpa only did artwork for Martina's stories, to the following volumes. They probably wanted to shoot out the best in the first volumes, so to push more people to get interested in the series. Maybe the responsible for this Greek Scarpa library shares my view on Guido Martina...
Notice that the beginning of this Greek edition is not in chronological order! They started with the Italian/French volume 2, postponing the first years (1953-1955), when Scarpa only did artwork for Martina's stories, to the following volumes. They probably wanted to shoot out the best in the first volumes, so to push more people to get interested in the series. Maybe the responsible for this Greek Scarpa library shares my view on Guido Martina...
You will recall Glénat resorted to this trick on their otherwise-chronological Carl Barks Library — they started in 1950 and only got back to 1942 once they were done with his late stories.
Post by Monkey_Feyerabend on Oct 15, 2017 22:02:40 GMT
Yes, that was in the Italian version in the first place! I just do not understand why not to start with 1949 instead of 1950 (like Fantagraphics cleverly did). They have done the same for the Gottfredson's library. Not to forget the idea of putting La Jeunesse at the beginning of Rosa's library! I think it's fine, if it helps selling.