|
 Stavanger (Stavanger Aftenblad) May 6th 2002 - The main story in this week's Donald Duck & Co is the Don Rosa-sequel for the Disney-classic "A Christmas for Shacktown". The Stavanger donaldist Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr. deserves much credit for the origin of "Gyro's First Invention". In the Carl Barks-classic "A Christmas for Shacktown" - first published in Norway in 1954 - Uncle Scrooges Money Bin collapses as a result of the weight of all the money stored in it. The money fall hundreds of meters down a giant rat-hole. The bearded scientists called in by the billionaire concluded as follows: "We are sorry! But you will never get that money back, Mr. McDuck!" But with the help of Donald and the smart nephews, Scrooge has the money located. And with the help of a model train, money is taken out of the hole. But it takes time to get such large amounts of money out with a model train. Scrooge makes calculations - and gives the following comment in the last bubble: "If that idiotic little train is going to get all my money back... I'll be staying here for two-hundred and seventy-two years, eleven months, three weeks and four days!" And now it gets interesting. In the next story by Barks, all the money is back in the Money Bin again. Just a coincidence? Not likely. Something must have happened so that Uncle Scrooge didn't have to sit next to the model train for 272 years.
Now you can read what happened in this week's issue of Donald Duck & Co. The story "Gyro's First Invention" is based upon an idea sent by Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr. to Don Rosa via an e-mail on Monday January 11th 1999: - I suggested that he could let the genius inventor Gyro Gearloose solve the problem about getting the lost money back much faster. And added that this story also could be the story about how the two first met. Don Rosa - or Keno Don Hugo Rosa which is his full name - found this idea from the bright donaldist from Stavanger very interesting. Already the next day Grøsfjeld jr. got an answer from the artist who lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky, USA: "That is a great story idea!!! (...) I am going to write this idea down *definitely*!" Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr. insists though that he only came up with the basic idea. - Don Rosa formed the whole story himself. I wouldn't dream of involving myself in that process, he says. - What do you think about this story? - I have only read the first part, but so far it looks great. Grøsfjeld adds that the new story fits into the chronology of the Duckburg-universe, because by the time Barks drew "A Christmas for Shacktown", Gyro Gearloose had not yet jumped into the city on his jumping-device. And it's no coincidence either that "Gyro's First Invention" is published right now in 2002. This year the genius inventor with the pointed beak reaches 50 years. The same goes for his helper, the living light bulb. The origin of the clever little helper is also shown in this story. But what does the Stavanger donaldist and Disney-collector think about the fact that Don Rosa does sequels for the old Carl Barks-stories? - I have nothing against it. Quite the opposite, I think it's very good. Don Rosa is my clear favourite among today's Disney-artists - and I hold him as a good number two, right behind Barks himself. Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr. holds a Master's Degree in history and is for the time being working at Stavanger Museum. As a historian he has thus a special eye for Don Rosa's critical attitude towards checking facts and his care for historical continuity. - He never contradicts Barks' chronology of the Duckburg-universe. Grøsfjeld jr. still has regular contact with Don Rosa via e-mail and in March 2001 he met the artist in Oslo. On around 12 meters of shelving containing various Disney-comics he has several books with dedications from Don Rosa.
- He is incredibly nice towards his serious fans, he says. And adds that in many ways it's thanks to Don Rosa that he returned to the Disney-universe himself. - I bought Donald Duck & Co on a regularly basis form 1975/76 to 1984. By then I felt that the series became less interesting so my interests declined. Then I saw issue DD&Co 16/1990 where I read part 1 of Don Rosa's sequel to the legendary "Lost in the Andes", "Return to Plain Awful". The story gave me a real kick, and then it was done. In his collection Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr. has got all the Don Rosa stories published in Norwegian, 74 stories including the new one this week. He also has comics written and drawn by Rosa before his career as a Disney-artist - including "The Adventures of Captain Kentucky" with Rosa himself as the main character in a superhero-role. - Rosa is big in Norway. The fact that a Norwegian publishing house publishes his pre-Disney material in its original language tells everything about this interest. In September Don Rosa will join the Raptus comics-festival in Bergen. Grøsfjeld jr. will most certainly be found there. But, has he got any reward for his idea? - Don Rosa has promised me a fan-drawing - a drawing done specially for me. 
See the Norwegian original version
See the award-drawing in D.U.C.K.hunt's fan-drawing section |
|
Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr. is educated historian - a choice the Donald-fans on the internet should be very grateful for. Among other things he is responsible for the Don Rosa biography, The Duck Family Tree and the history of Duckburg at the site Duckhunt - <http://www.duckhunt.de> Go there and read the interesting and well organized Don Rosa biography. Here you can read that Rosa is a big collector - not only of old comics-magazines, but also of movies. And then he also enjoys taking care of his garden. You can also take a look at Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr.'s own homepage: <http://duckman.pettho.com>
Here are Sigvald Grøsfjeld's five favourite-stories by the legendary Disney-artist Carl Barks. The years within the parenthesis are when the stories were first published in Norway.
Here are Sigvald Grøsfjeld's five favourite-stories by Don Rosa. The years within the parenthesis are when the stories were first published in Norway.
|
|
Go to "The D.U.C.K.man"
|