Don Rosa Kalenteri 2003 - November
Title: Don Rosa Kalenteri 2003 - November Year: 2002 Publisher: Aku Ankka/Egmont Code: Qfi/VK2003 L Size: 29.0 cm  x  41.5 cm Published: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway. Don Rosa's comments: NOVEMBER: THE BLACK KNIGHT Since I enjoy using Barks' characters, the characters I grew up with, the characters that seem actually alive in my mind, I never really think about creating my own new characters. As for villains, Barks seemed to create all that were needed. he had a set of baddies that complimented each other perfectly. First he had a band of thieves, the Beagle Boys, who wanted ALL of his money; next there was Magica DeSpell who only wanted a single particular one of $crooge's coins, the tiniest possible portion of his money; then there was Flintheart Glomgold who didn't want any of $crooge's money, he had plenty of his own -- his mission was to financially ruin $crooge, his rival for the title of "World's Richest Tycoon". The villain that I eventually added to this rogue's gallery was master cat burglar Arpin Lusene (whose name is obviously a jumbled version of that of the famous fictional thief, Arsene Lupin). I designed my character as a successful, world-famous thief who was wealthy and ready to retire to his villa on the French Riviera. but he wanted to cap his career by burglarizing the world's richest man, $crooge McDuck! What makes Arpin more dangerous than any of $crooge's other villains is that, since he really doesn't need $crooge's money, all he wants to do is make it look as if he's stolen it just to satisfy his ego. and the easiest way to do that is to destroy all the money in the Bin and only claim to have stolen it. Unlike when the Beagle Boys might manage to make off with some or all of $crooge's cash, $crooge can always fight and get it back from them. but he cannot reclaim money that no longer exists after Arpin has wiped it out of existence! How would Arpin do such a thing? He employed a Universal Solvent which would dissolve any substance (except diamond) - he coated a suit of armor and a sword with the black stuff, and made himself into an invincible Black Knight whom no force could touch, and whose sword could cut through any barrier! As usual, in my pin-up I include as many story elements from the attack of the Black Knight as possible! Most noticeable is how Donald's old "313" car has been neatly sliced in two! In the background you can also see how the Knight's sword has cut through buildings and telephone poles and fire hydrants and all else just like a hot knife through soft butter. A defense rocket called in from the military by $crooge is about to smack Arpin, but he knows it will instantly dissolve to nothingness, and he is boldly pointing out his ultimate objective there on Killmotor Hill in the distance. My script for this story gave the French Arpin a comical dialect copied after Peter Sellers' great Inspector Clouseau. and I obtained advice on the proper use and spelling of French words from a French Duckfan and good pal named Didier Ghez. That explains the odd names on the toppled street sign. (D.U.C.K. spoiler: It's getting late in the year and our luck with these hidden dedications is getting worse! Look along the bottom of the nearest arm of the giant Cornelius Coot statue - the dedication is written upside down in the buckskin fringe, with the "K." formed by creases under his arm. The colorist did a nice job making the statue look distant and hazy, but that didn't help the visibility of my dedication.)	Scan of "Don Rosa Kalenteri 2003 - November".
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