New german blog

I've made a german blog, because the most people who read this are germans.
zwischendenpanels.blogspot.com
Thank you!

War and Peace

Do you know the book "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoi? No? Then it's time for you to read it, it's really one of the best books in the world. Equally ingenius is the Comicadaption by his majesty Giovan Battista Carpi, although the story is in my eyes no adaption, but a new story. It would be a very difficult task, to adapt a for associations-book in a 65 side comic.
The story takes place in Russia in the third coaliation wars between Russia and France.

This is Napoleon near the battle of Borodinio, which is a very important battle in the story. But let's begin at the start.
Well, Scrooge McDuckzukov (those Russian names), who lives in Moscow and who's lost in his dark thoughts about money.

This is Moscow by Carpi...; such a great artist

 

He thinks about taxes, inflation and famine and how poor he is

 

poor, mhm

But, let's not forget his nephew, the dissolute Count Donald Duckzukov. He's living in St. Petersburg. Why? 'Cause Scrooge's sent him there to study. And what's he doing? "Modern" dancing!

And as if that were not enough, he want to have urgently ONE THOUSAND ROUBLES. But not with Scrooge McDuckzuko, he'll defend his Kopeks ever! Though, he sends his Butler to St. Petersburg, to get Donald to Moscow, it's time to change the strategy. But what's Scrooge gonna do with him? He will marry him to the pestilental Hellen Kuraghin. Of course Donald don't want to marry her, but what if he refuses? He's gonna be send to the coal foundarys of Scrooge's, as a coal shoveler.

So, we find ourselves at the party of the noblewoman Anna Pavlovna, with Donald who's dancing with her pestilantence Hellen Kuraghin.

Yes I think he finds this party marvelous...
But let's go on with the story, the marriage hasn't happening, so Donald must go into the foundry.

Poor Donald

Siberia? Have I heard Siberia? I f we're talking about Siberia, I can only say to you: The Beagle Boys from the Steppes. They're prisoners of a prison in the wide lands of siberia. But it would be better to say they're no more prisoners of the prison.

And, they've taken the Colonel's sleigh, his horses, and the guardian's wood-stove.

And, they want to "rob" (why rob? Why not steal) the Prince's money. Of Course Prince Scrooge's gonna be prepared, with the biggest weapon you've ever seen:

Yes...
Here ends my short description, let's go on to the part of the revue, in which I'm gonna tell you my opinion about the story.

This is great art, don't you think so? And that's what's so ingenius about the story, the art, I mean look at this:

and at this:

But, not only the art is such ingenius, the story too! Scrooge's just made cannon balls from his Kopeks, to deceive the Beagle Boys.
What a sheam, though, that Napoleon has been misrepresented! If you ask someone about Napoleon, I think he'll answer you that Napoleon wasn't so big. That's wrong! For that time, he had a normal size! But if we look over this li'l error, we have a great comic adaption of a masterpiece of world literature.

Storycode: I TL 1604-A
Story and Art: Giovan Battista Carpi

Mister Mouse

1994. Egmont is missing our favourite mouse a trenchcoat and let him identify in a Columbo-like Mouseton - without Minnie, without Goofy, only Casey and Chief O'Hara were allowed to stay. Two years later; Phantomias was modernized by the Italians, from the ground up. This is like a science-fiction masterpiece with aliens, an artificial intelligence and much technical stuff, the stories will be published in August in America. Another three years later, 1999, the series “Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine” starts in Italy, a series which is very similar to the aforementioned “A Case for Mickey” series. Again a few years later, two more serieses were called into action, although on of it actually is not a series. Egmont pulled the mouse everything except the underpants out and in Italy the Otherworld first was called into action. Once can be said without any fear, the late nighties were full of new ideas in the Disney-comic-world, whether good or bad, they were revolutionary in any case!

Of one of the serieses we will take today a closer look; “Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine”, also called “MMMM”.

We all know Mickey Mouse. Whether we call him a hobbysniffer, or a master detective, once can be said, the Mouse often was a serious help of the police. Even as a student, the criminology was one of the important things in his life. Together with his best friend Sonny Mitchell, he has gone to the car cinema every week. But at one visit, Sonny told him the truth; he isn’t good enough for the university. He tell Mickey, that he will go to Anderville, and want to open a detective agency and Mickey will have 50 % of the detective agency.

Translation

And as luck want it, a few years later, Sonny Mitchell disappears from Anderville and Mickey just need to got there, because he owns 50 % of the agency. Of course Mickey thinks ‘That can’t be that hard, I’m helping the police in Mouseton too, so what?’ but as soon as possible, he see, that the things in Anderville are a tiny bit different that in Mouseton, because the police in Anderville – in this case the grumpy Inspector Clayton – don’t like the help of amateur detectives.

 Translation

Also the superiority that Mickey is showing in front of Chief O’Hara in Duckburg Police Office is not good to show here, because the police and the bandits are more clever and more unscroupulus that the bandits and the pollice in Duckburg. But what actually remains of Mickey's old identity? Nothing, except for a few thoughts of his old friends. Of course the philistine house Mickey’s was replaced by a properly dirty detective agency, like it befits a real detective.

During his stay in Anderville Mister Mouse solves the various cases, and noted how ruthless the city is. It's like boxing, you cannot get out without a black eye, you may just have no scruples. And this is like Mickey's enemies are going ahead, even if the detective is not  dumber than in Mouseton, his environment is stronger and harder than before.

This is obviously a very insensitive handling of the subject of death for a Disney comic, but I still think that violence fits here definitely. And just this insensitive handling with various taboos is the appeal of reading for me. This also includes that Micky sometimes grappling with dodgy people, and their help takes up and the policeman is the "evil".

But each story has to be finished, and so the story of Micky Mystery ends in march 2001. Finally, one thing remains for me to say: Welcome back Mickey, farewell Mister mouse.

Translation

Storycode: I MM 0-1 -I MM 11-1, without additional stories
Story: Tito Faraci, Ezio Sisto, Francesco Artibani, Augusto Machetto, Riccardo Secchi
Art: Giorgio Cavazzano, Allessandro Perina, Andrea Cagol, Sandro Zemolin, Giuseppe Zironi, Gianni Gatti, Claudio Sciarrone, Gianmarco Villa, Corrado Mastantuono, Stefano Turconi, Roberto Zanotta, Paolo Mottura, Silvio Camboni