Anonymous asked: your duck doodle comics were the first I've ever read, and now I've read almost all of the Uncle Scrooge comics, from Just a Poor Old Man right up to the ones from 2014! I'm super grateful, I haven't had this much fun binging on comics since Sandman. I was wondering, what was the first duck comic you ever read?
oh wow! that’s fantastic, I’m so happy that you found the duck comics (and like them as much as I do, apparently!)- as for your question, it happens to be one that nobody knows the title for, because Barks never gave it one! but it’s often referred to as The Horseradish Treasure. I had no idea there were any disney comics until I found it in the library- and I read it expecting something like the Donald shorts I’d seen on TV, but boy I got a shock! It was so action packed and beautifully drawn, and the characters were so delightfully multifaceted (especially Scrooge) that I was absolutely hooked just from that one story.
Today in “Yet another thing I like about Gladstone” let’s talk about how he doesn’t abuse his power.
His luck can (and often does) give him anything he needs. He even ask for stuff… he is been know to cause natural phenomena (minor…so far). His luck is border line impossible. He breaks every probability and he know it.
He is fully aware.
He understands completely how much more he could get, after all, is not like his luck would allow any suffering into his perfect life. But he doesn’t takes more than what he needs.
In the comic referenced above, he wanted the money only for the raffle ticket. Once that necessity is full filled, he decides he doesn’t need that money at all. The thought of investing it or buy a lottery ticket that would turn him rich in a second knowing that he can’t lose, doesn’t even cross his mind. He has live “in the moment” his whole life, never planning for tomorrow. Lady Luck has him covered, if he is too win the lottery, he would no matter what he does. So, why bother? Everything would be ok.
He may be egotistical, proud, childish and empathy-lacking to a degree, but he is not the tyrant he could have been.
He knows how to live an eccentric, yet simple life.
Anonymous asked: hey so I just read ALL your doodle comics and I love them so so much- one thing, in the latest one with Gladstone and the cat he says something like 'this is worse than that time with the kittens'- was that a reference to a comic or?
it was! it’s this short Barks comic- it’s simple but I kind of love it :’D
it’s also where I got the idea that Gladstone supposed that cats bring bad luck
Anonymous asked: what really gets me about your duck doodle comics is how warm and cosy and 'just like the Barks ones' they feel- like, if I had to say one example it's how you get Magica just right; she's not a pushover, can be stone cold badass, but we can empathize with her and there's a part of you that wants her to succeed! but you know she won't, and that's okay because she shouldn't- she's greedy and powerful but not evil, not toxic, just a not really 'bad' bad guy who's cute, fun, fallible and fantastic
(read more for rambling) oh my, anon this means an awful lot to me-
Anonymous asked: Can you explain the phrase "Ye cats and little kittens"? I've seen it in your duck comics before, but I don't think I know what it means...
it’s just one of the little cute expressions that scrooge/the ducks use in some of the comics! very often it’s just ‘ye cats’, but sometimes its the full phrase
it’s a bit like Tintin’s famous “Great Snakes!” exclamation of surprise- they don’t really mean anything specific, but they’re quaint and rather catchy. Two other famous phrases are ‘oh me, oh my!’ and ‘oh my stars and little comets!’, which are reused by the duck comics even now! it’s just a nice little nod to Scrooge’s origins and Carl Barks’ way of writing the character- like a verbal signature.
well of all the things I thought I’d spend my afternoon off doing
something I get asked about with unnerving regularity is what I think ducks without clothes would look like- which is hilarious to me as they are? ducks? but it’s good learning and good practice for me to make these notes. All of this is just how I do things so don’t take it as law! Also I’m always trying to improve and I promise you in a month’s time I will be horrified at how off model these are. The first pictures are examples from Carl Barks and I basically choose that as my default as to how the Disney Ducks look/behave without clothes… which is not very differently at all! Also I love that Scrooge is just a cuddly soft duck look at him don’t you just want to hug that grouchy old bazillionaire gosh
chinchillasinunison asked: hey lol I saw your post about Magica and Gladstone being like a double act, and I guess that just set off something in my brain so I just wanted to ask.... opinions on Laurel & Hardy? I know you're a Buster Keaton fan, and they're from around that same period...
I LOVE LAUREL AND HARDY are you kidding that shit’s classic gosh yeah folks you want some good comedy 101 go watch some of that- also Harold Lloyd, Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin- all that stuff it’s been invaluable to me both as an artist and a writer
shucks! I am so glad, they’re really good stuff! also- yes! there’s a lot of instances where he gets used for his luck, but I can immediately think of this instance from The Secret of Hondorica by Carl Barks (fair warning- has your typical misrepresentation of native peoples and tribes, but it does have story merit, great art and Gladstone gets to be a Real Stinker in it and totally deserves what he gets!)
truth be told I grew up with a mix of the blond/white feather look, depending on the comic- and yes, I prefer the blond! However, my argument for it being the more canon of the two is that in every oil painting Carl Barks did he gave Gladstone blond coloured feathers- we also have to remember that he didn’t have a huge amount of control over what colours the comics were given, so while he may have striven to imply it with the contouring and curls he drew Gladstone’s hair with, the process of colouring them yellow may have been thought too complex/ignored by the colourists of the comics
