Intervista a Cèsar Ferioli

Come un vaporware, se ne parla da mesi, ma -finalmente- dopo un breve periodo di latitanza, sul DWD tornano le interviste agli autori Disney… Quest'oggi vi propongo un'interessante intervista al grande autore ispanico Cèsar Ferioli, definito da alcuni l'Erede di Gottfredson.

Chi è Cèsar Ferioli?

Nato il 22 luglio, a Barcellona, da padre italiano e madre spagnola, Cèsar Ferioli Pelaez è uno degli autori Disney più conosciuti e "in gamba" del momento.

Cèsar intraprende gli studi da biologo, studi che lascerà quando sceglierà di inseguire il suo sogno di disegnatore. Disegna la sua prima storia Disney nel 1981, sotto i testi del "Professore" Guido Martina.

Al finire degli anni '80, disegna anche per il mercato francese e, dopo aver compiuto la sua ultima storia italiana nel 1989-90, Cèsar verrà chiamato dalla Egmont per disegnare quelle grandi storie che l'hanno reso famoso, un pilastro dell'Universo Disney contemporaneo.

Direi che si può partire con l'intervista, allacciatevi le cinture!...


Ciao Cèsar, sono Simone Cavazzuti del blog "Daily War Drum"!

Ciao Simone!

Partiamo con una domandina facile… Sai cos'è il Daily War Drum?

"Daily War Drum"?! Certo che lo conosco! Floyd, anni '30, bel nome! Gambadilegno come "boss" di un "racket", quando ancora non gli era cresciuta la gamba, che prova a bloccare il giornale nel quale lavorano il topo e gli amici.

Bene, ti vedo preparato… Preferisci disegnare o sceneggiare?

Disegnare storie è quello che faccio da sempre, e quello sarebbe il mio mestiere. Comunque, mi piace molto anche sceneggiare e vorrei avere più occasioni per farlo, anche se, per mancanza di allenamento, mi costa abbastanza costruire una storia. Purtroppo di lavoro non ce n'è poi tanto e, adesso, voler fare delle sceneggiature sarebbe come “rubare” agli sceneggiatori il poco lavoro che hanno.

All'inizio sei stato aiutato da qualcuno o sei autodidatta?

Autodidatta sì, nel senso che non ho mai frequentato una scuola d'arte o di fumetti. Comunque ho sempre avuto l'occasione d'imparare il mestiere dai disegnatori più esperti, specialmente nei miei primi anni, quando lavoravo in uno studio.

Ti ispiri a qualche grande del passato?

Fin da quando lavoravo in quello studio, appunto, ho sempre tenuto d'occhio i disegni dei grandi del passato, come Barks e Gottfredson, ma anche, ogni tanto, Cavazzano, Claude Marin, Vicar, Branca, ecc.

Qual è il tuo genere di storia preferito? (fantasy, giallo, thriller, comico…)

Direi in generale che le storie di fantasy (sulla scia di Shambor o Mythos Island) mi motivano di più. Tuttavia se la storia che devo raccontare è buona e la “sento”, allora il resto, il background in cui si svolge l'azione, passa ad un secondo piano.

La tua carriera come disegnatore di Fumetti Disney è iniziata negli anni Ottanta, se non sbaglio le tue prime storie erano italiane, poi francesi e infine, mondiali. Noto anche che, delle tue molte storie, due sono state scritte da te, una ispirata a Barks e l'altra a un cartone classico di Topolino. Potresti parlare di queste storie e di come sono nate le idee…

Dici bene, per quel che riguarda i fumetti disneyani, sebbene, al tempo nel quale lavoravo per i francesi, facevo anche delle storie per l'Olanda. È vero che ho anche scritto due storie: la prima di esse fu un incarico per uno speciale natalizio, dovevo mettere su dei fogli l'antico “Mickey's Trailer”, il vecchio cartone animato. Fu un lavoro lungo, molte ore con il video, fermando le immagini e scattando delle foto sull'immagine congelata, nel tempo in cui non avevo ancora una camera digitale… Volevo essere il più accurato possibile e penso di esserci riuscito. Se guardi con attenzione il film, vedrai persino che il conduttore del camion è quello che ho disegnato io, sembra Gambadilegno ma non è lui. Mi dimenticavo, feci anche la sceneggiatura di Manrique per questa serie natalizia, nella quale c'era Paperino alle prese con l'uccello esotico della selva in “Saludos Amigos”.

L'altra sceneggiatura, e cioè quella dell'omaggio a Barks, fu una scelta propria, non un incarico: mi avevano incaricato solo i disegni per la storia di Gladstone Gander, però mi ostinai anche a fare lo script, poiché ammiravo Barks più di qualunque altro autore (conoscevo le sue storie fin da bambino). Così, ho fatto una storia piena di cenni alle antiche storie del Maestro. Vista anni dopo, la storia mi pare ancora divertente, purtroppo i disegni…

Alcune tue storie, tra le mie preferite, sono sceneggiate dall'ottimo David Gerstein. Potresti parlare di alcune di esse che particolarmente ti sono care e spiegare il tuo rapporto con (le storie di) David?

David lo conosco di persona e mi pare un tipo molto in gamba. Purtroppo le storie che ho fatto con lui sono quelle in cui mi sono trovato più in difficoltà: il fatto di dover rivisitare l'antico stile, attraverso gli antichi personaggi, mi ha dato sempre certi brividi…

Dovevo cambiare un po' tutto, persino gli abitati, le macchine, i mobili e certi personaggi, per riuscire ad accoppiare in modo armonico gli antichi personaggi, molti dei quali si “spensero” negli anni '30.

Bello sí, ma scomodo…

Forse la storia con lui che più mi ha avvinto è l'ultima, quella in due parti della villa e dei fantasmi.

Nel corso della tua lunga carriera, hai ripreso personaggi storici di Gottfredson, facendo tornare Topolino in calzoni corti, potresti parlare di come hai accolto quest'idea?

Un po' la domanda si risponde dal rapporto con le storie di David. Ma l'idea dei calzoni corti per le storie danesi l'ebbe, in origine, Byron Erickson, direttore artistico della ditta a quel tempo. Fu introdotta nella storia a tre puntate “Fantasy Island” all'inizio dei '90. Dal momento in cui i lettori non si accorsero del fatto (non ci furono delle lettere di protesta) si continuò così.

Per me fu difficile all'inizio, ma adesso mi risulta più facile disegnare il topo coi calzoni corti.

Pensi che gli abitanti di Topolinia/Paperopoli vivano negli anni '50 o nel 2000 come noi?

Per me, non hanno il tempo, non è comunque qualcosa che mi dia da pensare. Credo anzi che il problema per il topo sia la continuità, fuori dalle storie speciali o onomastiche.

Secondo la continuity della Egmont, Pietro non ha mai avuto una gamba-di-legno, cosa ne pensi?

Penso che, sicuramente, mi piace di più con la gamba di legno. Penso comunque che fu una decisione della Disney del passato, forse per evitare dei problemi legali nei confronti della gente con le amputazioni. Si sa, l'America, quella grande terra piena di avvocati!

Avvocati come Lupo (Sylvester Shyster) che hai reinterpretato magistralmente in L'agosto di Topolino - Senza colori (Vacation Brake). Preferisci lui o Eli Squick, altro storico compare di Gambadilegno?

Entrambi sono personaggi tanto belli (Eli, inoltre, è proprio difficile da disegnare) comunque sono sempre personaggi degli anni '30, senza un'evoluzione posteriore, e condizionano tantissimo il disegnatore nelle storie in cui appaiono, poiché devi attorniarli di tutt'un'atmosfera "classica".

Entrambi, assieme ad Orango i tre professori ecc. compaiono nella storia Viaggio con sorpresa (The Past-Imperfect), Qual è il tuo preferito di essi?

Quella storia… Meglio di no! Voglio dire, non ho un "villain" preferito speciale: anche se le tre scimmie o l'Orango… Quando ho disegnato quello script non conoscevo assolutamente molti dei personaggi e non avevo ancora imparato l'inglese, cosicché dovetti improvvisare...Immagina!

Cosa ne pensi di Macchia Nera? È un personaggio affascinante? Chi può nascondersi sotto il suo mantello?

Macchia Nera è per me forse il più villain dei villain e il più affascinante, provo sempre a disegnare quello di Gottfredson degli anni '30, senza alcuna espressione; questo lo rende ancora più inquietante. Sotto il mantello si sa com'è: penso che fu lo stesso Gottfredson a svelarlo per primo e, in seguito, altri autori italiani lo mostrarono senza il cappuccio in altre storie. Per me, come per molti altri, fu una grossa delusione, il volto nudo non colmava le aspettative.

Perché, come te l'aspettavi?

Credo che mi avrebbe deluso qualsiasi volto, per Macchia Nera. Quello che fa cosí avvincente il personaggio è proprio il mistero che l'avvolge, il fatto che, sebbene i suoi piani finivano per andare storti, lui non era mai beccato, un eterno "latitante" :-)

Conosci l'opera di Romano Scarpa? Cosa ne pensi dei suoi personaggi?

Certo che conosco l'opera di Scarpa! Ricordo di averlo scoperto coi Topolini che ogni tanto mio padre mi portava dall'Italia: le storie mi affascinavano, insieme a quelle di Carpi. Anche se ero un fanciullo ricordo sempre la storia di Scarpa della collana degli Indiani Chirikawa e quella di Carpi della fata di Fonte Argento.

Potresti spendere qualche parola sul Dottor Static, inventato da Michael Gilbert e te, e della sua "spaventosa" somiglianza col professor "Tarabubu" di Catalano/Scarpa in Eta Beta e la Cometa al Fenantrone?

Per quel che riguarda il Tarabubu/Static, me ne parlò per primo David e mi mostrò i disegni… Veramente la somiglianza è enorme, tenendo conto che, quando disegnai Doc Static, non conoscevo questo personaggio assolutamente! … E non avrei nessun problema ad ammettere il contrario (se fosse vero), perché ho spesso usato personaggi "senza nome" di parecchi altri autori in molte delle mie storie (Carl Barks principalmente ma anche Vicar, Branca, Gottfredson, Cavazzano, Carson Van Osten, ecc.) Ma per il mio Doc volevo fare qualcosa di originale, di mio, visto che si intuiva che poteva avere una certa continuità… Constatato che per una strana casualità originale non è, posso anche dirti che non sono mai stato troppo soddisfatto dell'immagine di questa mia "creatura". Strano!... Le coincidenze tra Scarpa e mio padre erano molte: entrambi nacquero sul finire degli anni '20 (mio padre nel '29; Scarpa nel '27) e si chiamavano Romano, tutti e due vennero a vivere in Spagna e Doc Static era ispirato in un certo modo a mio padre: piuttosto alto, un po' di pancia, sopracciglia folte e nere, capelli bianchi e occhiali, stessa bocca… :-)

Qual è la tua idea di Topolino e Paperino?

Quelli che mi hanno dato da mangiare un mucchio di anni! Sul serio, due personaggi con molte possibilità (come si è dimostrato) forse un Paperino più popolare nei fumetti grazie all'opera ingente di Carl Barks, che ha saputo costruirgli attorno un universo di personaggi molto avvincenti e con una grande consistenza sia di registri come di relazioni.

Come definiresti personaggi secondari come Pippo e Paperoga ?

Due personaggi con una grande “vis comica”, forse non troppo sfruttata nel caso del cugino Paperoga.

Qual è il tuo personaggio Disney preferito, se ne hai uno?

Non posso darti una risposta concreta, per me, tutti loro hanno avuto un posto lungo durante questi anni. Non c'è una debolezza in particolare per alcuno di essi, in concreto… Il ché non significa assolutamente che siano tutti lo stesso per me. A chi vuoi più bene, a mamma o a papà?

Se tu dovessi scrivere una storia, ora, che personaggi utilizzeresti?

Se avessi una completa libertà? Mah! Non so, prima vedrei di trovarci una buona storia e poi di scegliere gli attori adatti per svilupparla, sì, proprio come se fossi il regista di un film. Infatti, il fumettista deve pensare più come un regista che come un disegnatore: è una storia, quella che deve essere raccontata, ed essere un bravo disegnatore è solo uno strumento, forse il più necessario, ma solo uno strumento…

Chi ti senti di ringraziare in modo maggiore per la tua carriera?

Helge Barner. È stato lui che ebbe fiducia in me e mi cercò perché io lavorassi per la Danimarca. E anni dopo mi permise di lavorare direttamente per l'Egmont, quando ancora tutti dovevano lavorare tramite un agenzia. Anche Byron Erickson, che intuì che io potevo essere la sua “prora” per i progetti danesi di Topolino. Due ottimi amici anche se tanto lontani, mi mancano assai. Erano dei bei tempi.

Pat McGreal, l'autore dei miei migliori scripts, assieme alla moglie, Carol. Michael Gilbert, con cui avrei potuto fare delle grandi cose se avessimo avuto l'opportunità… Tantissima altra gente! Non voglio allungarmi, magari sembrerei un attore mediocre premiato con un “oscar” al perfetto attore “grigio”...

Dove lavori (casa, ufficio…)?

Lavoro a casa, da più di quindici anni…

Che strumenti usi per lavorare?
Della carta, matite nere e colorate (soprattutto blu e arancio), pennino, inchiostro e gomma… Come vedi niente hi-tech, tutto all'antica.

Potresti essere più specifico, per quanto riguarda le marche?

Le marche, dunque… Ogni tanto cambio, tanto per non annoiarmi come per provare cose nuove, però, adesso posso dirti che adopero matite nere della Faber Castell del tipo 3b o 2b per rifinire cose piccole.

Per il rough uso Faber-Castell colore Cobalt Turquoise e ogni tanto Dark Cadmium, quando si sovrappongono più personaggi (sebbene non è una regola fissa). Se il rough è buono, non rifinisco con la matita nera più che piccoli particolari o qualche personaggio, poiché sono io ad inchiostrare e il traccio nero dell'inchiostro si vede meglio sulla matita colorata che sulla nera.

Lavoro sempre sulla stessa carta, dallo schizzo all'inchiostro, e cioè Zander Stern di 300g liscia, dove il pennino scivola come sul ghiaccio. Perdo rugosità per la matita però ho il vantaggio della pulizia e di poter compiere tutti i passi sulla stessa carta. So di compagni miei che lavorano su fogli e poi trasferiscono, purtroppo, ritengo che ogni trasferimento tolga "freschezza" al disegno…

L'inchiostro è Talens e i pennini sono Brauer, abbastanza duri e difficili a trovarsi, ne uso un paio, uno poco usato e perciò più duro per le cose piccole e uno più "lavorato" per cose più grandi. Per i primissimi piani, o quando voglio "rompere" il traccio, uso una Guillot inglese super-morbida ma difficile da controllare.

Puoi spendere un paio di parole, a proposito dell "Agenzia più piccola del Mondo"?

Nel 1998, finalmente, potei farla finita col fatto di avere un agente. Purtroppo, dovevo costituire me stesso come agenzia, per avere relazione con l'Egmont. Ero solito scherzare del fatto che la mia era dunque l'agenzia più piccola del mondo, in quanto non avevo nessun interesse a rappresentare alcun disegnatore. Comunque fui costretto ad accogliere sotto il mio “lembo” il disegnatore Manrique, che intanto aveva lasciato la agenzia tramite la quale lavorava, e furono dieci anni! L'anno scorso, Manrique ha smesso di disegnare, brutte cose di questa crisi, insomma!

Direi che le domande sono finite, se hai qualcosa da dire sulla tua biografia o sulla tua carriera, hai carta bianca…

Aggiungere? Boh! Ci sono sempre parecchie cose da aggiungere… Forse dirti che amo molto l'Italia (ed è assolutamente vero) e che una delle mie più grandi “spine” nella vita è quella di non avere potuto essere un autore riconosciuto da voi. L'ultima mia storia per il settimanale Topolino fu fatta nel 1990, quando ancora non avevo raggiunto una maturità nel mestiere, e mi sento molto frustrato di non essere stato capace di aver fatto una storia tutta “italiana” della quale sentirmi pienamente soddisfatto.

Magari ci riuscirò, un giorno. Purtroppo, “irreparabile tempus fugit”...

Quello che state per vedere è l'omaggio che il grande artista ha reso al mio umile blog. Una libera interpretazione della storia gottfredsoniana Topolino giornalista (1935).

Le Immagini sono (c) Disney

The Synopsis

 

In this month issue of "Donald Duck (and friends)" (issue number 363) it's published new Barks, Lustig and Jippes Somewhere beyond Nowhere.

Obviously, I've read it and I like it too, it's a bit different from the previous one; for example, we don't see Uncle Scrooge and Hamalot McSwine becomes Hamfits McSwine and we also can admire old Huey, Dewey and Louie's mate from Barks, Herbert (Hog).

I let you read it and I don't want to spoiler - in fact - I'd like to tell you about an important document, found with the help of our friend John Lustig, also the story writer and great American comics writer (we can remember his "Last Kiss" strips).

Thanks to him, I have got his original synopsis of "Somewhere in Nowhere", the previous story of which "Somewhere beyond Nowhere" is the remake or - as someone says - the official version.

Somewhere in Nowhere

September 1, 1996
John Lustig

Synopsis for: Donald Duck
Length: 16-24 Pages?

Possible story titles:
LOST IN THE GREAT NOWHERE
TO NOWHERE--AND BACK!
IS SOMEONE EVER SOMEWHERE IN NOWHERE?

Donald is wearing a drab, shabby uniform as he crouches over--peering at the sidewalk through a magnifying glass. He's a "sidewalk superintendent, junior-assistant fourth class" for the McDuck Crackless Cement Company and he has to inspect every inch of sidewalk in Duckburg to make sure it's crack-free. Donald moans that he has the most boring, useless job in the world and that his career is going "nowhere fast!"

(During this time we'll see Scrooge McDuck's name on various company signs and logos as Donald passes them.)

Donald is so bored that he can't wait for people to move out of the way. He uses a board to pry up a very fat--and very surprised--woman who's sitting on a curb eating ice cream. Next he comes up behind what appears to be another woman--this time wearing a fur coat--who's also sitting on the curb. Switching angles in the next panel we can see that the "woman" is really a large, fierce-looking dog. When Donald tries to move it, the dog growls and chases him up a tree. (Donald shares a branch with a cat that has also been treed.)

For Donald, this is the last straw. After the dog finally leaves, Donald gets down and marches into Scrooge's office. Donald demands a better, more important and more exciting job. Scrooge refuses--saying that's the only job Donald is qualified for. They argue. Donald insists that he can't find a better job because Scrooge won't give him a chance--and Scrooge owns all the businesses in Duckburg. In fact, Scrooge owns all the businesses everywhere, moans Donald.

Scrooge fumes and has a clerk find someplace in the world that Scrooge doesn't have a business or own any land. A computer search turns up "Bearflanks, Alaska." Scrooge offers to send Donald to Bearflanks. If Donald can make a success of himself there then Scrooge will pay for Donald's return trip and give him a more important job. However, if Donald fails, then Donald goes back to work as a sidewalk superintendent and pays Scrooge back--out of his wages--for the cost of the trip.

At 30 cents an hour that'll take forever--give or take 60 years or so. Donald gulps, but he accepts the bet.

We cut to Donald in the plane to Bearflanks. He's brimming with hope and dreams of success. As the plane lands he's thinking that at last he's going someplace with real opportunities. A place where one man doesn't own everything. As he exits the plane, he's flabbergasted to find that one man does own almost everything in Bearflanks--Hamalot McSwine.

McSwine's name and likeness are plastered everywhere from the seedy McSwine National Bank to the McSwine Hotel. (McSwine even has his name and face plastered on the inside of every McSwine manufactured garbage can in town.)

The model of a giant popsicle sits on top of a building--the McSwine Blubbersicle Factory. On the side of the building there's a mural that shows McSwine stuffing his face with a blubbersicle. ("Hot-Peppered Blubbersicles! A whale of a treat!" "You know they're fine! They're made by McSwine!") A large man--his face obscured by his hat and muffler--is in front of the mural studying it. Donald walks over and looks at the mural as well.

"Wiltin' wallflowers!" says Donald. "This guy's got his name and mug on more walls than a politician with a staple gun! Ye gads! What a face!"

The muffled figure responds, "Yes, he is handsome--isn't he? But he's more than just a pretty face! Hamalot McSwine is Bearflank's leading citizen! The blubber king of the frozen north! The genius who invented blubbersicles! The hero who rescued this town from economic monotony! The man I admire more than anyone else in the world!"

"In other words, duck, he is...me!" by now the muffled figure has unwrapped his face and we see that the man is, indeed, McSwine.

©2005 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Donald and McSwine soon get into a fight. McSwine jams all three flavors of blubbersicles (Unbearably Hot; Even Hotter; and Volcanic Eruption) into Donald's mouth at the same time. Then he gives Donald the boot and vows to make sure Donald will never get a job in Bearflanks.

Sure enough all of McSwine's businesses in Bearflank kick Donald out when he goes job hunting.

Weary and discouraged, Donald ends up in the only place in town that isn't owned by McSwine--the combination general store/post office run by Sourdough Sally. She tells Donald that the town is broke and McSwine has been buying up all the businesses. Sally's store is the only hold out--but she's deeply in debt and she's going to lose the store to McSwine at the end of the week! Then McSwine will own everything and he'll be able to charge everybody whatever he likes!

The only other thing that Sally owns is a vast tract of land north of town. But the land is so wild, barren and unbelievably cold that it's considered uninhabitable. In fact, the area is called "The Great Nowhere"--because it's nowhere that anyone would ever want to go.

So Sally doesn't have much hope of selling the land. In fact, it'd take a miracle!

Just then a heavily-bearded man walks in and says he's interested in Sally's property up north. Sally's eyes light up as she eagerly asks, "You want to buy 'Nowhere?' "

"Yes!" says the man as he hands Sally an envelope. "And here's my offer! I figure it's exactly what it's worth!"

Donald looks on as Sally eagerly opens the envelope and finds...

"Nothing!" gasps Sally.

"That's right!" laughs the man as he tears off his beard and reveals himself as McSwine. "Nothing for Nowhere! No way! No how!"

McSwine chortles that Sally hasn't got a chance of selling her land! She might as well just give up and let him have the store now. He's going to end up with the store AND the land once she goes broke.

In fact, McSwine plans to eventually own all the land around here. And he's got big plans for it too. He plans to turn one of the mountains into a Mt. Rushmore-like giant sculpture of himself. It'll be the eighth wonder of the world. Tourists will flock to see it and he'll sell them a zillion blubbersicles!

This is more than Donald can stand. Before McSwine can describe this awful fantasy in more detail Donald beans McSwine with a box of blubbersicles and drives him off.

Sally is impressed and grateful. She tells Donald that she does know of one job that's available--and it's a mighty important one too--delivering mail. Nobody will take the job, though, because it's so dangerous. In addition to delivering mail in town, the mail carrier has to deliver to all those hardy loners living in the perilous wilderness around Bearflanks.

Donald takes the job and succeeds in delivering all the mail by dog sled through a combination of ingenuity, ignorance and sheer luck. (Among other things: he takes a shortcut across an untested natural ice bridge and gets across only seconds before it collapses. He rides over snowdrifts too soft to support a dog team by putting snowshoes on each dog. To save even more time he uses a slingshot to shoot packages across a crevasse to one customer on his route. He takes a shortcut through Avalanche Pass and just barely makes it out in time. Etc.)

Each day Donald's gets more reckless and makes his deliveries faster. And each day McSwine gets more upset seeing Donald being regarded as a hero as he takes mail to those people too independent to live in town and work for McSwine. In addition, many of the customers on Donald's wilderness route are giving Donald orders and checks for goods from Sally's store. If this keeps up Sally might just have enough money to pay her debt to McSwine. On the third day Donald breaks a post office record for delivering mail swiftly. Clearly, Donald is a success--but how long can he keep it up?

Meanwhile, back in Duckburg, Uncle Scrooge has begun worrying about Donald. That boy has a talent for disaster and that's mighty harsh country up there, thinks Scrooge. Can Donald survive Bearflanks? For that matter can Bearflanks survive Donald? Scrooge orders one of his clerks to check--via a McDuck weather satellite--to see if Bearflanks still exists or whether Donald has burned it down or blown it up yet.

The clerk comes back all excited. Not only do the satellite pictures show that Bearflanks is still around--it shows a large crack in the ice fields north of the town. A crack that almost always indicates pressure from a vast oil and gas reserve beneath the surface.

Scrooge finds out who owns the property (Sourdough Sally) and phones her and offers to lease the mineral rights for "The Great Nowhere" for $10 an acre. Donald is there when Sally gets the call--but never realizes that the caller is Scrooge because Sally never mentions the caller's name. Besides, Sally thinks it's really McSwine on the phone playing another cruel trick on her. Deciding to play along--and also see if the offer is for real, Sally tells her caller (Scrooge) that he'll have to pay $100 an acre and have it to her by the end of the week. An instant later, Sally hangs up the phone and looks at Donald with a look of disgust.

"Now, I know that call was a fake!" says Sally. "He agreed to pay $100 an acre for that worthless land!"

McSwine, however, is just outside Sally's window and overhears the call. Realizing that the call must be for real, he resolves to stop the check from arriving--no matter what it takes.

Meanwhile, Scrooge has ordered his clerk to send a certified check to Sally by Special Delivery. Shortly after that Scrooge asks the clerk to check the satellite to see if it can spot anymore oil deposits. The clerk comes back a moment later all red-faced. According to the satellite pictures there are oil deposits everywhere the satellite looked.

"That's impossible!" says Scrooge.

"Yes, sir!" gulps the clerk. "There must be a crack in the satellite's camera lens!"

Scrooge is aghast. This means that the picture showing a crack near Bearflanks is probably wrong too. There's probably no oil there, either. Scrooge tries to get the certified check back, but the mail's already gone out. In fact it's being loaded right now on the next flight to Alaska. Scrooge gets a ticket and boards the plane. Scrooge figures he'll somehow get the check when the plane lands and the mail is unloaded. The only problem is that this plane doesn't land in Bearflanks. It just drops the mail by parachute. Scrooge parachutes down after the mail. Instead of landing, however, Scrooge's chute gets hung up on the giant blubbersicle on top of the blubblersicle factory and he's left dangling helplessly above the street.

A moment later Donald shows up and retrieves the mail which has landed nearby. Scrooge calls out and orders Donald to get him down and give him the mail. (Scrooge refuses to explain why he wants the mail, however.) Donald refuses. The mail is a sacred trust and must be delivered. Suspicious that Scrooge may have come all the way to Bearflanks just to sabotage his chance at success, Donald leaves him hanging for now and goes back to Sally's store.

McSwine, however, has overheard everything and realizes that Scrooge is the one who wants to buy The Great Nowhere and that his check must be in the mailbag Donald has just picked up.

Quickly donning a disguise, McSwine wraps a package and enters the post office. He demands that his package be delivered "Posthaste, Extra-Special Delivery!" Sally gasps. Nobody in the entire history of the U.S. Mail has ever been willing to pay that rate. The postage is $500 and according to postal regulations it has to be delivered before any other mail. Donald protests that he's got a Special Delivery letter here from Duckburg that'll just take two seconds to deliver.

But Sally won't listen. Rules are rules--and she always follows the rules. Donald must deliver this package first. He'll have to take the rest of the mail with him, sort it on the way and deliver it on the way back if he can. To make matters worse Donald won't have time to deliver any goods from Sally's store and so she won't get the money she needs to pay her debt. McSwine will get her store.

Where is the package going anyway, asks Donald. They look and both gasp at the address:

Sumbody B. Anybody

Third Cave From the Right

Somewhere in Nowhere

They figure it must be off in the Great Nowhere. It's hopeless, but Donald has to try and deliver it anyway.

Meanwhile McSwine has secretly replaced Donald's lead sled dog with a Nodding Nap Hound which sleeps 20 hours a day and is impossible to wake up. Donald's in such a hurry that he doesn't even notice the switch as he takes off.

McSwine chortles as Donald leaves. He's sure Donald will get lost and stranded in the wilderness. Even if Donald does survive he'll never make it back in time to deliver the check.

By now Scrooge has cut himself free and has learned where Donald and the mail are headed. He rents a dog team and sets off after Donald. McSwine misinterprets this and thinks Scrooge is going off to aid Donald. So McSwine takes off in a snowmobile to stop and sabotage both of them.

Halfway through a mountain pass the Nodding Nap Hound conks out. Unable to wake the mutt, Donald puts him in the sled and gamely struggles on.

(NOTE: I haven't worked out all the gags for this part of the story. If we're just running 16 pages then there won't be as much room for gags in which Scrooge and McSwine try to stop Donald and/or steal the mail. Carl, as you suggested in your synopsis , they can try to slow down Donald "with a series of detours and tricks such as sand in the snow." If we're going 24 pages then there will have to be more gags. I can come up with the gags, but if you have any suggestions I'd like to hear them.)

In any event, Scrooge and McSwine both try to stop Donald and steal the mail along the way, but nothing works. McSwine is also trying to stop Scrooge. Scrooge finally figures out that someone else is out there besides Donald, but he doesn't know it's McSwine or what he's up to.

At one point Scrooge and McSwine both plant dynamite to blow up an ice bridge and widen a chasm so Donald can't get across. Between the two of them they use so much dynamite that it creates a giant crack. To the surprise of both Scrooge and McSwine oil gushes up from the crack. (The air's so cold, though, that the oil freezes in mid-gusher.)

Now that he knows there's really oil here Scrooge realizes he's got to help Donald get back and deliver that check.

Meanwhile McSwine's sled has been wrecked in the explosion and so he steals Scrooge's dog team and sled. McSwine takes off chortling evilly. He figures that Donald's overworked dog team can't go on much longer. Donald and Scrooge will be stranded.

Scrooge wants to help Donald get back to Bearflanks, but Donald stubbornly refuses to turn back until he finds someone he can deliver the package to. "There must be somebody somewhere in Nowhere!" insists Donald.

Finally, they spot a cave. Blurry-eyed from cold and exhaustion Donald stumbles into the cave. In the dark he doesn't realize that the cave's inhabitant isn't a fur-coated hermit, but a bear. The curious bear sniffs the package and eats it. Unfortunately, McSwine put Hot-Peppered Blubbersicles in the package. Enraged by the spicy hot taste the bear angrily runs off to get Donald. Meanwhile Donald has had time to get back to the sled. He and Scrooge have put the Nodding Nap Hound back into harness and are trying to wake him up. Yells of "Mush" fail to stir him. Finally Donald gives one more determined try--yelling "Mush" louder than ever before. The Nap Hound's only response is to lazily flicker one eye open. At this moment the bear comes charging into view and the Hound takes off--pulling the sled at record speed as Donald and Scrooge desperately try to hang on.

The Hound jumps a chasm--leaving the bear behind--and keeps going and going. Eventually the Hound and the other dogs are exhausted. Donald and Scrooge load them into the sled and pull it themselves. Scrooge is a tough old bird, but he can't keep up the pace and eventually it's left to Donald to pull all of them along.

Finally Donald pulls the sled to the crest of the steep mountain that overlooks Bearflanks. Too exhausted to go on, he collapses. The sled tips forward and slides with ever-increasing speed down the slope. (Donald is in front of the sled and is scooped up into the sled by its momentum.) The sled ends up crashing into Sally's store just seconds before Sally's debt deadline. McSwine--who was in the store ready to take possession--is knocked off his feet by the crash and ends up wedged into a barrel.

Donald delivers the check to Sally and she's overjoyed. She's got enough money now to build a whole shopping center if she wants. And Scrooge's oil fields will provide plenty of work for people. Bearflanks is saved. And since McSwine tried to tamper with the U.S. Mail she's going to have him arrested.

"And as for you, Donald," she adds as Donald smiles broadly awaiting the lavish praise that he knows is coming, "you're fired!"

Sally says she's sorry, but rules are rules. In addition to destroying U.S. Postal property during the crash, Donald set a new record for being late delivering the mail. (NOTE: Carl, I can easily put in that nice gag you suggested about the Widow Dish not getting her TV Guide and missing the final episode of her soap opera. And I can also show other residents complaining about not getting their mail. I'm a little concerned though that if we show Dish and the others complaining that it'll draw out the story's conclusion too much. Let me know what you think.)

Donald can't believe it. After all this...he's still a failure.

Scrooge says never mind. Donald's a success to him and he's going to give Donald a great new job. Rather than depend on high-tech gadgets to find oil and other resources, Scrooge is going to make Donald his new President and Senior Field Operative in Charge of Exploration and Development. Donald will be traveling to the most remote corners of the world looking for oil and other resources that Scrooge can exploit. It'll be dangerous, glamorous and exciting--just the kind of job Donald told him he wanted.

Donald's response, however, is that "there's only one job" he wants right now!

We cut back to Duckburg where Donald is once again inspecting sidewalks. Elevated to the rank of "first class inspector" instead of being a mere "junior-assistant fourth class," Donald now wears a snazzy uniform and smiles as he inspects the sidewalk. "Phooey to danger and glamour!" says Donald. "This job's perfect for me now and I've got all the excitement I want right here!"

Just then Donald comes across the same vicious dog that chased him at the beginning of the story. The dog growls. Donald glares and screams, "Mush!" at the startled dog. In the next panel we see the dog up a tree--and the cat from the start of the story looking up at him--as Donald happily inspects the sidewalk below. "Of course," says Donald smugly, "learning a trick or two does help!"

THE END

When I asked John to comment it, he told me:

<< I want to make it clear, though, that this version of the story is similar in many ways to the first version of "Somewhere", but contains more plot elements and would have been even longer than the 28-page story: "Somewhere in Nowhere."

It bears little resemblance to the new, 12-page version of the story: "Somewhere Beyond Nowhere." >>

Images are © Disney and Lustig (Last Kiss one)

Somewhere beyond Nowhere

 La novità del mese è "Somewhere beyond Nowhere", ma, cos'è "Somewhere beyond Nowhere"?

È presto detto! Essa è una nuova versione della storia scritta da John Lustig su soggetto del grande Carl Barks negli anni '90. La storia sarebbe dovuta essere stata disegnata da Daan Jippes, l'autore olandese che ha disegnato molte sceneggiature di Barks dopo Kay Wright e Tony Strobl; purtroppo, Jippes era impegnato e la storia fu disegnata dal buon autore americano Patrick "Pat" Block. Mentre Barks la intendeva come una ten-page o, al massimo, come una "twelve-page", il suo studio (non lui in persona!) scelse di allungarla, stravolgendo anche alcune idee e, sotto i testi dell'americano John Lustig, la storia esordì nel novembre del 2000 in Italia*, in una doppia versione (in italiano ed in inglese).

Barks riuscì a ricevere una copia dei Tesori prima della loro uscita, ma Lustig, non contento del risultato, proporrà nel 2008 alla Egmont una nuova versione della storia, completamente differente, che rispettasse le idee barksiane. Così, con i disegni questa volta di Jippes, la 12-page esordisce in Danimarca nel 2010, per essere pubblicata dalla Boom, in America, nel febbraio del 2011, sul numero 363 di Donald Duck (and friends), storica testata statunitense.

Vi propongo qui qualche vignetta della storia (per ingrandire le immagini, click destro).

* La storia fu acquistata un po' prima del 1998 da The Walt Disney Company Italia (in pratica mentre Block la stava disegnando).

Grazie a Luca Boschi per le correzioni riguardanti l'acquisto della storia e la lettura di essa di Barks.

I copyright delle immagini sono (C) Disney

Interview with Stephen DeStefano

Today I propose you an interesting interview with the comic and cartoon author Stephen DeStefano.

Hi Stephen! Have you ever read a Disney comic? If yes, do you remember what was the first Disney comic you've ever read?

Hi Simone! I don't remember the first Disney comic I ever read, but I'm pretty sure it was a Paul Murry MICKEY MOUSE comic book. I remember being fascinated by the colors. I loved that Mickey's pants were magenta, instead of a true red.

How did you find job in Disney? How did you collaborate with them?

I was contacted by an editor named David Seidman, who was part of the new DISNEY COMICS publishing group. This had to be around 1990 or so. He was looking for new artists to draw the Disney characters, and I lobbied hard to draw Mickey, because I love the character so.

Could you name your favorite Disney artists?

I love Floyd Gottfredson's MICKEY MOUSE, but I also adore Carl Bark's DONALD and SCROOGE comics. I really, really like Romano Scarpa's and Daan Jippes' work as well.

The first Disney stories you drew were also the first of another author I had the honor to interview, Michael Gilbert. Do you know him personally? How was working with this author?


I did not know Michael personally, and have never met him. He was enjoyable to work with though. His stories were extremely fanciful.

In a few stories, you've drawn the professors Ecks, Doublex. What do you think about these characters?

I love those characters, if only because they were created by the great Floyd Gottfredson! It was a pleasure drawing them, although I think in one of the stories I drew them in, they were combined into one single character with two different heads!


Always about “The Perils of Mickey”, in this story you've drawn Mickey and co. Into a 1930s style : was it difficult to draw that way?


Not difficult at all. It was a pleasure to draw Mickey in that style. My favorite look for Mickey is probably the style Gottfredson was drawing him in post World War II, but I think the "pie-eyed" Mickey is terrific as well. Perhaps the best of the Mickey continuities were during the "pie-eye"
phase.

In your “A Phantom Blot Bedtime Story” and in another one, it appears The Phantom Brat, Blot's daughter.
Could you explain this character, which some authors would call “apocriphal”?

I wasn't in on the creation of the Blot's daughter, other than designing her look for that issue. I only recall being handed a script for that issue, and being thrilled to get to draw the Phantom Blot, who's one of my favorite comics characters.

In “The Sorcerer's Apprentice”, you've re-drawn a part of famous Fantasia. How did it happen? Did you watch the movie many times?

I don't recall watching the movie many many times, as I'm not sure it was even released on video at that point. I do recall listening to the soundtrack over and over, to establish a sense of rhythm and drama in my story. I loved that job! One of my proudest moments at Disney Comics.

There is a story, called “Mickey Mouse – Mobster?”, that you appear to have drawn, but it hasn't been published yet. Michael Gilbert, the story writer, told me that “Basically Mickey gets framed for a bank robbery by Pete, winds up in jail, escapes and clears his name.”, would you like to add something? About drawings?

That was the very first Mickey story I ever drew, intended for the first issue of Disney Comics' MICKEY MOUSE COMICS #1. Actually, it never was inked, it only exists in pencil form. And frankly, I'm glad it was never published, as it gave me an opportunity to learn to the draw the character (and get paid for it) without having some very bad and embarrassing drawing published, and in the eye of the public!

It exists a giveaway called "The Perils of Mickey”, published by Nabisco, that contained three old Gottfredson stories drawn in 2 pages. Have you drawn those? Could you please explain your relation with “The Perils of Mickey” campaign?

A good friend of mine named John Loter was the lead character artist for Disney Merchandise back around the time I was drawing Mickey comics, and he asked me to get involved in the creation of a licensing style guide called "The Perils of Mickey". I submitted some ideas and concepts, and many of them were used, although none as final art. And I didn't do any comics for Nabisco, although I did draw a "Perils of Mickey" comic book story, originally printed in DISNEY DIGEST, here in the United States.


What do you think about the Disney (classic and modern) animation?

I'm a huge fan of classic Disney animation. Some of my favorite feature films were made by Disney. I'm not a big fan of the modern Disney animation, although I haven't seen very much of it, to be fair.


If I am not wrong, you now work as animator. Would you mind saying something about your animation works?

Shortly after drawing 12 issues of MICKEY MOUSE COMICS, I was offered a job working on the REN AND STIMPY SHOW, in Los Angeles. That was the first job I ever had in animation. Since then, I've worked on such diverse shows as BATMAN, SUPERMAN and THE VENTURE BROTHERS.

What do you think about “The Runaway Brain” cartoon? Did you work on it?

"Runaway Brain" is great! Very handsome, exciting cartoon. I only drew development sketches for it, I never actually worked on the production. An extremely talented director named Chris Bailey asked me to work on the short, based on the work I'd done on Mickey Mouse Comics.


What are you working on now?

I'm currently working on storyboards for Disney TV Animation, on a show called KICK BUTTOWSKI. I'm also drawing SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS comic books, as well as drawing the second volume of my graphic novel (Volume one was published this past September) called LUCKY IN LOVE.


Where do you work? (home, office...)

I work in my home, in an office I have for myself.

What instruments do you use to work?

I mainly work on computer these days, on a Wacom Cintiq. However, when I draw my graphic novel, I am working on paper with pencil, pen and ink.


What is, in you opinion, the situation of the comics in America now and what will it be by 20 years?

There's some very good comics work currently being published in the United States, by terrific talents like Dan Clowes and David Mazzucchelli. I can't tell where the business or artform will be in 20 years, but I hope I'm still part of it!