Ellsworth? Wasn't Ellsworth introduced in a series of American strips?
Wasn't he introduced in Mickey Mouse Sunday strips in 1948, and adopted by Goofy? or did HE adopt Goofy? He was staying with Mickey some, at the start, if I remember correctly. Most of those were reprinted in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
Ellsworth? Wasn't Ellsworth introduced in a series of American strips?
Wasn't he introduced in Mickey Mouse Sunday strips in 1948, and adopted by Goofy? or did HE adopt Goofy? He was staying with Mickey some, at the start, if I remember correctly. Most of those were reprinted in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
Doing a quick search in inducks, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories only printed a Sunday page with Ellsworth once (in WDC&S #154)
But last year IDW reprinted the very first Sunday page with Ellsworth and then a bunch of other rarely reprinted ones in the monthly Mickey Mouse series. This was probably as part of a plan to introduce the character to new readers (and a lot of old American readers too I guess) before printing a Scarpa story with both Ellsworth and Ellroy in May this year. Then after introducing Ellroy (and giving him an American name), we got another story with him in June.
So as matilda said, IDW might have a long term plan for Dickie Duck too - and I’m glad they start by printing the very first story with her even if it might not be the best one (I haven't read it so I don't know)
Post by Scrooge MacDuck on Jun 25, 2016 9:55:00 GMT
Oh, I see. Of course, the strips would not be very well-known, but it still isn't the same as for Dickie or Gideon; it's still an American reprint, not a first translation.
Yes, OK, Ellsworth is in a different category because he's not a European import. But he still needed introduction to most of us readers. I've been reading American Disney comics since the 1960's, and I had never encountered him there. My point remains: the IDW editorial staff apparently has a policy of introducing unfamiliar characters to us, usually in their first-appearance story, before presenting stories in which the character is taken for granted.
Thad, I'm glad to hear you find "The Miner's Granddaughter" worthwhile for its own sake! Yes, it'll be good to have one of the first (the first?) story in which a writer other than Barks builds on Scrooge's Klondike backstory. And I'm also happy about it because it likely means more Dickie stories are in the offing.
I very much appreciate the way in which David Gerstein takes care to familiarize us with new additions to our regular cast of characters.
But last year IDW reprinted the very first Sunday page with Ellsworth and then a bunch of other rarely reprinted ones in the monthly Mickey Mouse series. This was probably as part of a plan to introduce the character to new readers (and a lot of old American readers too I guess) before printing a Scarpa story with both Ellsworth and Ellroy in May this year. Then after introducing Ellroy (and giving him an American name), we got another story with him in June.
As of right now, we have a few more planned, too.
Many of Scarpa's great later Mickey stories feature Ellroy—including those that introduced Portis, Pete's diabolical mad scientist relative. So as Thad also cited earlier, getting our audiences used to both Ellsworth and Ellroy was not only fun, but a strategic step: can't properly get to Portis (or more of those great later Scarpas!) without them.
Ellsworth? Wasn't Ellsworth introduced in a series of American strips?
I think the idea was to reintroduce Ellsworth as part of the regular cast, so that this Crawford Crow lookalike wouldn't take new readers by surprise and to make way for the great Scarpa stories with Ellsworth's nephew Ellroy.
As for "The Miner's Graddaughter", speaking as the translator, I liked it well enough. It serves as an interesting time capsule of weird '60s culture, and gets points from me for being one of the first attempts by another writer to give Scrooge and his backstory some depth. I don't get the "punch it up" charge against us, but I've given up trying to understand it.
Different culture entirely Reminds me I recently saw a tweet showing how worldwide various countries changed Voldemort's name, on the Harry Potter books, so that the "Tom Marvolo Riddle" anagramming to "I am Lord Voldemort" could be kept.
Portuguese edition just straight out wrote "I am Lord Voldemort" in Portuguese without altering Riddle's name, and added a translator's note in the bottom noting that it was an anagram in the original English.
Different cultural expectations. I suppose in the end there's nothing really wrong with how American Disney comics do it, and even if there is, it's not the fault of those doing it but the tradition that's established; but it irks me for days nonetheless
I think the idea was to reintroduce Ellsworth as part of the regular cast, so that this Crawford Crow lookalike wouldn't take new readers by surprise and to make way for the great Scarpa stories with Ellsworth's nephew Ellroy.
As for "The Miner's Graddaughter", speaking as the translator, I liked it well enough. It serves as an interesting time capsule of weird '60s culture, and gets points from me for being one of the first attempts by another writer to give Scrooge and his backstory some depth. I don't get the "punch it up" charge against us, but I've given up trying to understand it.
Different culture entirely Reminds me I recently saw a tweet showing how worldwide various countries changed Voldemort's name, on the Harry Potter books, so that the "Tom Marvolo Riddle" anagramming to "I am Lord Voldemort" could be kept.
Portuguese edition just straight out wrote "I am Lord Voldemort" in Portuguese without altering Riddle's name, and added a translator's note in the bottom noting that it was an anagram in the original English.
Different cultural expectations. I suppose in the end there's nothing really wrong with how American Disney comics do it, and even if there is, it's not the fault of those doing it but the tradition that's established; but it irks me for days nonetheless
“Portis”. What a weird name. The French name, Plottigat, is equally weird, but feels more… balanced?… At any rate, where does this name come from?
"Portis" was decided upon by myself and Italian writer/scholars Luca Boschi and Alberto Becattini in communication with Scarpa in the 1990s. We wanted an interesting-sounding P-name, and that filled the bill.
In the Harry Potter example, though, the anagram was an important story element. We're not changing any important story elements. We also preserve the tone of the stories. Speaking for myself, "Peril of Pandora's Box" had a '60s Barks vibe, "Spaced-Out Christmas" needed sentimentality that was heartfelt and not forced, "Siege of Nothing Atoll" was pure farce, and I did my best in each case to make sure they stayed that way.
Barks' work has been overhauled overseas for decades—even to the point where American elements are completely redrawn—without complaints. And we've received praise for our work from the original authors. So I really don't get what the fuss is about.
David, this is not the subject of this forum but I was just if you could address a fear of mine for the IDW line. I'm concerned that putting the Mickey Mouse title on hiatus for a few months will lower the title's sales when it comes back. Is this a valid concern?
That said—while I may have been willing to chime in here, in the future please try to avoid asking me to publicly judge my company's decisions. I'm involved with some and not with others, and under certain circumstances you'd kind of be putting me on the spot. Thanks for understanding.
Mickey Mouse the book may be on hiatus, but the character isn't. There is still the mini-series based on the shorts as well as Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, so Mickey really isn't going away.
In the Harry Potter example, though, the anagram was an important story element. We're not changing any important story elements. We also preserve the tone of the stories. Speaking for myself, "Peril of Pandora's Box" had a '60s Barks vibe, "Spaced-Out Christmas" needed sentimentality that was heartfelt and not forced, "Siege of Nothing Atoll" was pure farce, and I did my best in each case to make sure they stayed that way.
Barks' work has been overhauled overseas for decades—even to the point where American elements are completely redrawn—without complaints. And we've received praise for our work from the original authors. So I really don't get what the fuss is about.
"Overseas" is very wide a thing, though. I don't care if Germany's been doing it for ages, I'm not German and tradition where I come from is for most things to be translated without alteration.
Again, this doesn't mean what you're doing is wrong, for the American audience. I'm not the American audience so I'm irrelevant here, but also I'm not the American audience so this process makes me cringe somewhat. I've built up resistance to it, but considering how much I don't care for "Arriva Paperetta Yè-yè" and how it does things that seem to be sins for the American comics context (such as openly admitting they're a comic), the idea of an American localisation of it immediately made me go "oh no", that's all
That said—while I may have been willing to chime in here, in the future please try to avoid asking me to publicly judge my company's decisions. I'm involved with some and not with others, and under certain circumstances you'd kind of be putting me on the spot. Thanks for understanding.
Consider it a rule added that any official Disney Comics people are free to ignore questions here without it being considered bad posting etiquette or anything of the sort.
That said—while I may have been willing to chime in here, in the future please try to avoid asking me to publicly judge my company's decisions. I'm involved with some and not with others, and under certain circumstances you'd kind of be putting me on the spot. Thanks for understanding.
You're right that was very inconsiderate of me. If I ever do something similar again send me an IM and I'll remove the comment.