tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79595046712093761422024-03-13T03:22:47.059-07:00Disney Comics ReviewsReviewing obscure or not-so-obscure Disney comics… and other stuffsAchille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-38457669261289914102018-03-01T10:31:00.000-08:002018-03-01T10:31:26.214-08:00REVIEW: "Uncle Scrooge and the Horn of Plenty"<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's an unusual story I bring you this time, and one which I translated myself. <a href="https://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+AT++303-A" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Uncle Scrooge and the Horn of Plenty</a> was written in 1982 by Osvaldo Pavese, and illustrated by something called the Francest Bargadà Studios. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(The "F" flag refers to the old French currency, the Francs. In an official localization, this would have </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">been changed to a $ sign, but I do what I can.)</span></span></div>
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We open at sea, with some prety darn decent art. This story has a very Barksian vibe, helped greatly by Donald's characterization. Seeing him at the steering wheel of a sailing ship naturally brings this <a href="http://www.dhresource.com/0x0s/f2-albu-g4-M00-57-51-rBVaEVfaCKWAFLNsAAce9AdWdd0161.jpg/donald-duck-high-quality-art-oil-painting.jpg" target="_blank">oft-reproduced Barks painting</a> to mind, too. Also, the mythical island they are looking for is called “Erinia”, which is the name of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erinia" target="_blank">a real Greek island</a>. It is hard to tell what Pavese was thinking — on the one hand, this shows he did his research, but on the other hand, well, Erinia <i>exists</i> and we're pretty sure it is not populated by centaurs, giants and co. Quid? </div>
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Why the turnip-bashing? I like turnips. Involving disliked vegetables in a Greek-themed treasure quest may be a call-back to Barks's <i>Golden Fleecing</i>, although, unlike in the Barks tale, the turnips in <i>Horn of Plenty</i> never really tie into the main plot beyond the nephews intending to use the Cornucopia to eat something else at last.</div>
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The island as seen from the sky is a striking picture, though perhpas the island seems a bit small in comparison to the apparent size of Scrooge and co. I find the childish, petty conflict between Donald and Scrooge endearing, and Scrooge's likewise childlike enthusiasm about finding Greek Mythology creatures even moreso. (Also, you'd think Huey, Dewey and Louie would have learnt something from <i>Golden Fleecing</i> and not doubt the existence of the creatures so thoroughly, but ah well. Continuity was never the strong point of Disney comics before Don Rosa.)</div>
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So after being knocked out by rocks, they meet this Centaur fellow. His design is nothing special, but his dialogue (in the original Italian) is poetical and grandiloquent, which I tried to carry on to this version. Also, grumpfh. Prophecy. <i>Why is there always a prophecy?</i> And the hints dropped by the Centaurs and Co. (which fly right above Scrooge's head every time) about wanting to keep the Horn are all but obvious, but I couldn't really help it.</div>
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More obvious hints that everybody misses. Bah. Also, those duck-faced satyrs look very odd. I'm pretty sure something like the one in the bottom right panel would tumble over and fall. On the other hand, Scrooge's oblivious, dream-like happiness still amuses me.</div>
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…So on the one hand, Scrooge is moving away from “likable obliviousness” to “pretty damn thick” here. On the other hand, I don't know if that was Pavese's intention, but maybe Scrooge is being “too clever by half” here, because giving ceremonial weapons to new citizens actually was a thing in Ancient Athens, so…? (Also, this blacksmith looks like Fergus McDuck. …No reason.)</div>
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Ah yes, the Giant. I don't quite know what to make of him. From what develops later, it's clear he's based on Polyphemes in the <i>Odyssey</i>, but then, why <i>isn't</i> he a cyclops? Not to mention that as far as Giants go, he is a pretty bland Giant. Forget Willie — freakin' <a href="http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Gustav_the_Giant" target="_blank">Gustav</a> had more personality than this guy. The Francest Bargadà Studio folks also can't seem to keep his height straight from one panel to another, as you can see.</div>
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This sequence, on the other hand, is pretty nice and dynamic. You really get a sense of motion despite the image's actually being, well, just a static image. The Giant isn't anything special, but I like his confused expressions.</div>
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The reference to Barks's <i>September Scrimmage</i> in the second panel here is mine, of course. On the other hand, what <i>does</i> belong to the story is the design of that goat. I can't quite place why but I really like that goat. Very graceful. </div>
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Also, will fiction stop portraying setting people's bottoms on fire as harmless slapstick? Seriously, it's <i>fire</i>. This sort of thing can lead to serious injury. It would be bad enough if the Giant's bouncing attempts to light it off succeeded, but the last panel here clearly shows they haven't, so the fire would have realistically long ago burnt through his clothing and started <i> </i>consuming <i>him</i>, weren't this a children's comic.</div>
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Again the graceful goat. Either way, although the story naturally doesn't expound on it, I think we're meant to assume that the Giant dies (if not from getting a boulder twice the size of his head smashed into his skull, then from the subsequent rockslide). This is… unexpectedly dark — even Homer didn't kill Polyphemes off entirely.</div>
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Seriously, that goat. Look at its satisfied smile in the first panel as it parades Scrooge & Co. around. I want that goat as a pet. On the other hand… (sigh) Brigitis. </div>
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<i>Brigitis</i>. Brigitis is a <i>strange</i> turn for the story to take, especially with nothing hinting at her existence previously. I mean, unexplained lookalikes are no strangers to Disney comics, but… why? This isn't a historical parody story, Pavese! The real Brigitta McBridge is presumably minding her own business back in Duckburg, even now! So… why? And why does Brigitis have to be in love with Scrooge just because she looks just like Brigitta, or the other way around? See, this would make sense if the story was actually All Just a Dream, but it's <i>not</i>. </div>
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Also, in the original, Scrooge seems to be rejecting Brigits's proposal on the basis that she looks like Brigitta, and therefore must be just as insufferable. This is so overwhelmingly stupid that I broke my usual rule of not tampering with dialogue, and had Scrooge protest on the more reasonable grounds that <i>madam, I've only just met you a minute ago, fercrissake!</i></div>
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That helpful Centaur also turns bloodthirsty pretty quickly. It's, again, surprisingly dark, but very mythological. <i>Break not the Faerie's rules</i> and all that. </div>
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<i>It was all just a dream, except, oh, it wasn't, blah blah blah.</i> We have ourselves a conclusion. I'll admit, those final three panels are surprisingly moving, and Scrooge losing the last two jewels from Erinia without even noticing they were there at all is a nice touch. This particular “Dream… Or Not?” ending seems to be more about why Scrooge won't think to come back, than it is about leaving the actual facts ambiguous. Which, okay. Fine. I'm still sick of the trope, but fine.</div>
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Something odd is that it's clear the <i>idea</i> was that the Erinians were using the Corncupia as their primary source of food, hence their desperation to get it back. This made the Giant come across as all the more of a jerk, since with his goats and all, <i>he</i> could probably feed himself without the Horn. But such a plot point seems like it was <i>setting up something</i> — namely, Scrooge realizing he can't just waltz in and take away those islanders' livelihood just to get some more shinies. Only that never happens, because Scrooge gets the Horn taken away from him by Brigits Ex Machina before he even considers the morality of bringing it back to Duckburg. Blah.</div>
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So… that's <i>Uncle Scrooge and the Horn of Plenty</i>. Is it a masterpiece? No, by far. But it is nicely drawn (Giant proportions notwithstanding), creative, and evocative. The overall atmosphere is very Barksian, to me, especially the sequences with Donald at the beginning and end. It's a romp I wouldn't mind seeing IDW publish one of these days, unlikely though it may be. </div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-60253070971470030542017-04-20T08:29:00.002-07:002017-04-20T08:30:26.996-07:00REVIEW: "20.000 Weeds Under The Sea"<div style="text-align: justify;">
I trust most of you are familiar with the Italian <i>Grandi Parodie</i> series, where classic works of literature are recreated-slash-parodied with the various characters replaced with classic Disney characters. What is less well-known is that the American Gold Key books had their own series with this exact conept, called <i>The Walt Disney Theater</i>. The main differences were that there were much fewer installments, and the other one was that, well, there were a lot less good. </div>
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And today, we're going to be looking at one of them: <i>20.000 Weeds Under The Sea.</i>, by the dubious team of Vic Lockman, Tony Strobl and Steve Steere. And… talk about an opening <i>in medias res</i>. Mind you, the opening narration box does a good job of explaining the context, but when I first happened upon this, I first wondered this was the second part of a serial tale and I went back to check the previous issue to find what I missed. Huh. Also note that from the Jules Verne book's three main protagonists (outside of Nemo), this story cuts back to just two, dropping Professor Aronax's butler Conseil. Why not have, I don't know, Ludwig von Drake, or… somebody… to play the role? It's not like this story is limiting itself to Mickey Mouse characters, since we'll see Captain Hook later on. Then again, bickering about how unfaithful this is to the original novel might be a losing battle.</div>
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And a very nice panel is followed by a… <i>not</i> very nice panel. This is symptomatic of the usual problems with Strobl. Sometimes he's good… but then he immediately follows it with weird poses or drawings of allegedly moving characters who are completely devoid of motion.</div>
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Captain Hook is playing Captain Nemo! …Way to completely throw out Nemo's trademark moral ambiguity there, Lockman. Also, Mickey Aronax apparently knows Captain Hook as "a notorious pirate". This is another problem with the <i>Walt Disney Theater</i> stories: they're never clear on whether they take place in the same universe as normal stories. Some characters have different names and contexts in traditional <i>Grandi Parodie</i> fashion, and the story usually takes place in the past, but then some characters just pop up entirely identical to their usual selves. Like Captain Hook here. Are we to believe that this story happened to Captain Hook at some point before <i>Peter Pan</i>? Possibly before he even came to Neverland? That's an interesting angle for sure, but here it's just… odd, since they don't elaborate on it.</div>
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Credit where credit is due: the whole 'pirate submarine' concept is handled rather well in this story. It has nothing on Nemo's motivation for sinking ships in the original, but it's pretty in-character for Captain Hook. It's a little dark (we are left to assume the crews of the sunken ship are left to drown by the fiend), but I'm not complaining, far from there; Hook is <i>supposed</i> to be murderous.</div>
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As for the <i>Scuttilus</i> itself, Strobl does what he can, but it doesn't look particularly memorable, and (this is my main issue) it's just too <i>small</i>. The <i>Nautilus</i> was amazing not only because it was a submarine, but because it was an absurdly <i>large</i>, self-sustaining one. It also had a large crew, of which we see no evidence in this story. Where does Hook put all that treasure, anyway? At least a third of this thing must be taken up by the engine and air supplies, and then you have the sleeping quarters of Hook, Smee, and "guests" like Mickey and Goofy. </div>
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Wait. Just <i>when</i> is this story taking place, exactly? The novel took place in the 1860's, but surely Captain Hook wouldn't call it "the new world" if it was so late? Unless it's just the fact that he's from the 18th century showing, but he can't <i>possibly</i> have lived that long without already having been in Neverland for some time, which shoots down my theory from earlier, which… gah!</div>
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Well, uh, Queen Victoria, folks! She's in that story! For some reason. And, ah, what is Her Royal Dognose Highness doing in the middle of the Atlantic again? …You're going to adress that, are you, Lockman? I should have known.</div>
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No it doesn't. This isn't a squid, it's an <i>octopus</i>. This matter aside, though, I do like this image. Especially how the Giant Not-Squid is apparently trying to <i>bite</i> the ship in anger<i> </i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(with teeth it's not supposed to have, being an octopus, but whatever).</span></div>
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And let it be known to future generation that Lockman, Victor, was responsible for a comic panel where a dognosed, "tee-hee"ing Queen Victoria greets Mickey Mouse while Goofy's talking head is seemingly mounted on her wall. Really. Of all the weird conclusions.</div>
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So that was <i>20.000 Weeds Under The Sea</i>. It's a pefect example of a failed experiment, which mostly failed because they assigned Vic Lockman to the project instead of, say, Carl Barks. It's not devoid of interest: for all that the story is odd and simplistic, it's nicely told; the art is pretty solid most of the time; and as far as they may be from the original Nautilus crew, it's nice to see relatively unsual characters Hook and Smee in a story. But it's simply not <i>good</i>. Lockman, Strobl, go read <i><a href="http://duckcomicsrevue.blogspot.fr/2014/01/donald-fracas.html">Donald Fracas</a></i> and take notes: <i>this</i> is how you write a Parodie-type story that, in spite of using weird casting choices, having weird universe mixing, and being only tenuously related to the novel, is actually, genuinely fun to read. </div>
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By the way, aside from its traitorous betrayal of the original, have you, by any chance, noticed anything wrong with it? No, not the fact that it's god-darn insane. (Well, that too, but you know what I mean.) Still don't see it? <i>It has nothing to do with weeds whatsoever</i>. I don't get it. It's an incomprehensible… non-pun. "Weeds" doesn't even sound much like "leagues". Why choose this out of all the doubtful homophones that Lockman could have… Wait. Doesn't weed have another meaning in modern slang…? Oh. Oh. <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs">Now I get it</a>.</div>
Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-62173205518770774062016-10-23T14:30:00.000-07:002016-10-23T14:30:15.415-07:00Duck Family Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_345480204"></span><span id="goog_345480205"></span><br />Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-16649395606310369212016-10-23T09:28:00.005-07:002016-10-23T14:14:24.217-07:00The McDuck Family Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Of course, the art is not mine. Though arranging all these together did take some time.Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-54415524218120206852016-08-24T03:36:00.000-07:002016-08-24T03:36:07.969-07:00REVIEW: "The Inner-Earth Adventure"<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having read a lot of post-Barks pre-Rosa old <i>Uncle Scrooge</i> issues, I have discovered that the amount of Barks reprints was absolutely, ludicrously overwhelming for a period, at least for the main story. Then somewhere near the #190 mark, I suddenly had a chunk of fresh air in the form of main stories written by honored Disney comic author "?" and drawn by the creative if somewhat glitchy Pete Alvarado. Alvarado was no Rosa or Bottaro, but his work was still quite enjoyable. One of the more notable stories I found was this:</div>
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In <i>Uncle Scrooge #194</i> lies undiscovered <i>The Inner-Earth Adventure</i>, first published in February of 1982. As I said, the art is by Pete Alvarado, and it is kinda weak in places; however, you can't blame him too much — he was 62 at the time, and looking at older efforts of his, he had used to have a higher amount of details. Anyway.</div>
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We open with this lovely little opening narration. I like the idea, really; and it unintentionally foreshadows Don Rosa's <i>Attack of the Hideous Space Varmints</i>, which also has a similar opening. If there is a downside, though, it is, as I said, with the art. The "outer space" background, no offense meant, looks like it was drawn by a toddler. And sure, you can't expect everyone to be Don Rosa, but I can't help but make the comparison with <i>Hideous Space Varmint</i>'s own opening star-lit splash panel, since the two openings are so alike, and that comparison is jarring:</div>
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But let's not forget ourselves and begin nitpicking already. We've got a whole zany plot to go. So Scrooge has, we're told, always postponed his space voyage because the cost was too off-putting. However, he suddenly realizes that Gyro could help him (come on, you've known the guy since 1952, and just now you think of it?). Never mind that Gyro has already built several spaceships for Scrooge in past stories; it is a thing I find a little hard to swallow, but I won't press that point too much, since Barks himself couldn't remain self-consistent on that point either.</div>
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Gyro Gearloose, it turns out, already has a spaceship ready (albeit an untested one), which works with a super-hot fuel. The unforeseen problem is that as soon as the thing is switched on, the superheat melts the ground, leading the machine to sink into the Earth. Also, the third and fourth panels look very much like Don Rosa's <i>Universal Solvent</i> story. There might be influence there.</div>
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Though the plot itself has little in common, I must admit that the titular Inner-Earth was most likely inspired by Barks's <i>Land Beneath the Ground</i>. Underground world, they're aware of the upper earth but only barely, and there are two similar but competing peoples. The Togs are the hard-working root farmers (I like that this story makes the effort to explain how the underground beings sustain themselves, unlike Barks's Terries and Fermies), and the Krogs are the evil robbers who just steal the product of their work. The Krogs are not especially fearsome (they're just Togs with masks on), but they have a better knowledge of the underground geography: they know passages to Upper-Earth, and also ways to get Freez gems, which are found much deeper into the Earth's crust, the light of which can freeze anyone who looks at it (except them, the light being filtered by their masks).</div>
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They figure out that sunglasses will protect them from the Freez's ray (Huh… they took sunglasses on a space expedition? That's lucky indeed.) There are also “gushes” in Inner-Earth, spontaneous geysers of molten gold that spring from the ground at random times; which interests Scrooge, obviously.</div>
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Ladies and gentlemen, this is a terrible burning stream of glowing molten gold that is going to engulf Scrooge and Gyro (just so you know). It's unfortunate that Alvarado can't seem to render the direness of the situation, because in theory, it makes for a pretty good climax, but the stream appears so small and escape so easy that you hardly get any feeling of danger. Have Marco Rota redraw that story someday, and it'll become a classic.</div>
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<i>Would</i> the stone floor be cool if there's molten gold streaming underneath all the time? Ah well. What is weirder is the Tog's “One good thing: Freez gem gone in golden gush!”. No Togs were speaking in caveman language earlier.</div>
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The ending twist <i>is</i> funny, but why does Scrooge “wak” repeatedly? Were it Donald doing this, I wouldn't look twice, but though Scrooge has been known to utter this kind of exclamative "Wak!"s at the beginning, never has he said: "wak! wak! wak!" in annoyance.</div>
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So, that's <i>The Inner-Earth Adventure</i>, a pretty good little story, in spite of inconsistent artwork. It's neither Barks nor Rosa or Bottaro or Carpi, but for a late pre-Gladstone western story, it's much better than you'd expect. It won't take up much time to read it, so I say give it a go.</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-77570427787230943942016-06-11T03:09:00.003-07:002016-07-07T06:07:49.973-07:00REVIEW: "The Dime from Uncle"<div style="text-align: justify;">
Back in the 60's, Disney was trying to launch comic books about less prominent characters who, they thought, could still have their own stories instead of remaining in the background. Thus, <i>The Phantom Blot</i>, <i>Moby Duck</i>, <i>Ludwig von Drake</i>, <i>The Beagle Boys</i> (and, a little later, <i>The Aristokittens</i>) were born. </div>
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When it comes to <i>The Beagle Boys</i>, they weren't exactly sure what to do with them. The obvious first choice was: have them rob Scrooge. Yeah, sure, but that would be awfully redundant with <i>Uncle Scrooge</i>; and more importantly, if the Beagle Boys were the antagonists, we'd rather find ourselves rooting for Scrooge than for the “bad guys”, even if the book was named after them. Now, what to do with the masked dogs?</div>
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“Obvious enough, the authors said. Have them team-up with human witches”.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ06Y-GLXc_PJyzUjvi8w4tvqQ9B0kIJWpm0hHDeYMboY_azzEEhGkmoiT_vh1U1RqF-SzoYxb61ZDkdk_MscclwgEwxNT9JaUbPUSbDKH0dwLDsUhbtf-pakLzAcXTZVmbwqqxSBYrKg6/s1600/2ppbjtg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ06Y-GLXc_PJyzUjvi8w4tvqQ9B0kIJWpm0hHDeYMboY_azzEEhGkmoiT_vh1U1RqF-SzoYxb61ZDkdk_MscclwgEwxNT9JaUbPUSbDKH0dwLDsUhbtf-pakLzAcXTZVmbwqqxSBYrKg6/s400/2ppbjtg.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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…wait, what???</div>
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Not that there's anything <i>wrong</i> with this concept. Amazingly enough, it works out pretty well. It's just… through what improbable way of thinking did the writers get this weird idea?</div>
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And yet, so it was done. Issue One of the Beagle Boys' solo efforts was called <i>The Beagle Boys and the Marvelous Mad Madam Mim</i> (I like how they quadrupled the already-triple alliteration), and contained a myriad of stories which had little in common plot-wise, except that all started with the premise of Madam Mim living, more or less temporarily, as a guest in the Beagle-Boys' hideout, and interfering with the thugs' plans, for good or ill. It managed to get sold in large enough quantities that Gold Key (the publisher) ordered a second issue from the same team. They had already exploited Madam Mim to the bone, so they looked for another witch. Magica De Spell was too mean and not wacky enough, so they switched to Witch Hazel, and ta-da:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_EdPiWRbfT8IgYbBKZXxOGFSdpvaWQ8t8NrR1s9prlZhLFNGS6oL2zPwIjA2exR7Wic-0LUTkaoOq3xvOGhg-f-1AD0lZUNHtc_VIpILvB9O7KAf6CBBTF4wdHwGWRMG1XN-Q0acU03i/s1600/TheDimeFromUncle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_EdPiWRbfT8IgYbBKZXxOGFSdpvaWQ8t8NrR1s9prlZhLFNGS6oL2zPwIjA2exR7Wic-0LUTkaoOq3xvOGhg-f-1AD0lZUNHtc_VIpILvB9O7KAf6CBBTF4wdHwGWRMG1XN-Q0acU03i/s400/TheDimeFromUncle.png" width="395" /></a></div>
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This is 1965's <i>The Dime from Uncle</i>, written by Vic Lockman, penciled by Tony Strobl and inked by Steve Steere. </div>
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The first interesting thing to say here is that this is the introduction of Witch Hazel's “new” name, Wanda Witch. When she debuted in <i>Trick or Treat</i> (both the animated short and the comic story), she was named Hazel, as you know. However, there were a couple of other Witch Hazels around: <i>Little Lulu</i> comics had one, a <i>Tom & Jerry</i> short had had one as a memorable one-shot, and most importantly, the <i>Looney Tunes</i> had a much-beloved one. Theirs was actually a special case, since it was actually a rip-off of the Disney <i>Trick or Treat</i> Witch Hazel who progressively grew into her very own thing. At any rate, past <i>Donald Duck and Witch Hazel</i>, the Disney publishers could not afford to use the name again, for fear of either copyright problems or readers being confused. Meanwhile, Hazel had been repeatedly used in Italian comics, as Nocciolla (“Nutty”), a close enough translation, and there had been no problem. When she got back to the states, it was at first as <a href="https://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=W+WDC+291-02">The Witch</a>. Then, Lockman thought up “Wanda Witch”, and it stuck for as long as the character kept being used (when she vanished along with the rest of the 60's introductions, she became only remembered by Barks's <i>Trick or Treat</i>, which is why she's once again Witch Hazel today).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6BMZysl6xVldGMk5tmp831Qz7PjGo2dckWvhE0z1B9_56wnXGT6Sc4k8_1ywpqiWO46CdF8WJrIq3tw4RmyeeElkGmNW0ObnfEgp8gksOk1lufqDpS1y5rdbWrskonUTBWpQKG3HUpaM/s1600/WitchHazel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6BMZysl6xVldGMk5tmp831Qz7PjGo2dckWvhE0z1B9_56wnXGT6Sc4k8_1ywpqiWO46CdF8WJrIq3tw4RmyeeElkGmNW0ObnfEgp8gksOk1lufqDpS1y5rdbWrskonUTBWpQKG3HUpaM/s400/WitchHazel.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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So the idea is that Hazel (sorry -- Wanda) has opened a night school of witchcraft (although she seems to have ulterior motives), and the Beagle Boys decide to apply there because if they can become invisible or fly a broomstick, it will naturally improve their criminal careers. Art-wise, Tony Strobl is absolutely excellent here, especially on Witch Hazel. He could be shaky at times, but this is one of his peaks. I can't help but think that Strobl was more fit to draw these kinds of angular human characters, rather than rotund designs like the Ducks or Mickey.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw8z0aUY681_VxJ66HGqvwTWbZZARMmw3KbJTkwGTjGJDqwuhNrhb5otLAkU2N1BMi_-7_bfmFbRHMG3fBeFcHIxy8M_v9zga8HRhv-sCK5n-BckFyNkpSWAEdA6Vi6OXqiUbq2bd7jBE/s1600/CalicoSam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw8z0aUY681_VxJ66HGqvwTWbZZARMmw3KbJTkwGTjGJDqwuhNrhb5otLAkU2N1BMi_-7_bfmFbRHMG3fBeFcHIxy8M_v9zga8HRhv-sCK5n-BckFyNkpSWAEdA6Vi6OXqiUbq2bd7jBE/s400/CalicoSam.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Witch Hazel is at her best when she does this kind of Ludwig-von-Drake-style verbal wackiness out of nowhere. Ala Ka Zam, Bala Ka Zam, Calico Sam -- why not? It's hilarious because it's unexpected. Also unexpected is the Beagle Boys' dramatic reaction (does Calico Sam sound all that fearful a name, really?), and Tony Strobl, once more, sells it perfectly. </div>
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Back to the plot, the Beagle Boys graduate and decide to go rob Scrooge. But what could Hazel's ulterior motive be? Try to guess. Just <i>try</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjzYIDUfcw8dlIQhfZoq-L_KEirCTR7y6afmmp3mfyeeG4_BSEhdmFbLgrKVb7tDrKVDW7fqIMe_VJoEWpy1MXKB832nGQcajhNi-qImLj5dtONj02ERzv2USbL5G-qxqqyBRiQnKD97W/s1600/Cackle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjzYIDUfcw8dlIQhfZoq-L_KEirCTR7y6afmmp3mfyeeG4_BSEhdmFbLgrKVb7tDrKVDW7fqIMe_VJoEWpy1MXKB832nGQcajhNi-qImLj5dtONj02ERzv2USbL5G-qxqqyBRiQnKD97W/s400/Cackle.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Looking for Calico Sam.</i> Selling the <u>Lucky Dime</u> to look for <u>Calico Sam</u><i>. </i>This is just so over-the-top. Vic Lockman was bad at doing serious plots, but when he lets of the steam and goes Alice in Wonderland, he's irresistible. I mean, you'd have thought the Calico Sam digression was just an irrelevant bit of kookiness, but no, it's actually one of the battiest Chekhov's Guns in history.</div>
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So yes, this story uses McDuck Manor, and no, it wasn't a purely <i>DuckTales</i> thing. You actually really can't blame Lockman there for the apparent inconsistency: Barks himself did it first in <i>Bear Mountain</i> and <a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/04/review-voodoo-hoodoo.html" style="font-style: italic;">Voodoo Hoodoo</a>, after all. And the notion that Scrooge actually lived in the Bin wasn't firmly established until Don Rosa; the odd Italian story had him sleeping in his vault, on a money bag, but it was not prominent. Until <i>Beagle Boys Vs Money Bin</i>, you could easily argue that Scrooge just worked and spent most of his leisure time in the Bin, but lived in his own house, be it McDuck Manor or something else. Actually, if we're speaking continuity, take a look at 1950's <i><a href="http://duckcomicsrevue.blogspot.fr/2013/09/trail-blazer.html">Trail Blazer</a></i> by Bob Moore.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GvcMLT2417fAu2s05IOab1WuFJAmoTCwX1Kggdc-HpErljEvlX1GzXfkoViyRNXGJDZBPcEIYwWwf7jvUfsaJGC5cJXQteYg0HX1PuKgPH8FeVZzpZCwcxsZCu1lUvD31FELgkZ_3JM_/s1600/McDuckManor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GvcMLT2417fAu2s05IOab1WuFJAmoTCwX1Kggdc-HpErljEvlX1GzXfkoViyRNXGJDZBPcEIYwWwf7jvUfsaJGC5cJXQteYg0HX1PuKgPH8FeVZzpZCwcxsZCu1lUvD31FELgkZ_3JM_/s320/McDuckManor.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The stairs are apparently longer, but the two columns supporting the pediment are there in both. We'll never know if it was intentional, but at least we can rejoice, as this isn't the kind of continuity you often see between two minor stories, especially if these two stories are by different authors, and none of those two authors is Carl Barks. Back to the story…</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Dda_SmNwprW-fs7hjY8nxIWWvUZI_VJCvwgAvqw4sitS3qA5M9Hq68iw4ZX5SAXaP7lRXBOREutDp8yXWYueC2CkA8YmO3rWzRUsVmjNRA-vVz2cheCFz66TTwcP2dvWhpqTppNd7xbb/s1600/LuckyDime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Dda_SmNwprW-fs7hjY8nxIWWvUZI_VJCvwgAvqw4sitS3qA5M9Hq68iw4ZX5SAXaP7lRXBOREutDp8yXWYueC2CkA8YmO3rWzRUsVmjNRA-vVz2cheCFz66TTwcP2dvWhpqTppNd7xbb/s320/LuckyDime.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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…Scrooge is very well-rendered here, too. At one point of his career, Tony Strobl drew him with a much-too-short, much-too-angular beak, but here he is entirely on-model. His eye rings are a nice touch (he <i>was</i> woken in the middle of the night, after all). The Lucky Dime's protective glass is shorter than usual, but it's okay (although putting a glass globe under one's head is still not a very careful thing to do).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4QPLGgAxiDjG-o2ldd2DWgSJ6qvmJ0UiTqOadhDSC_QVlxahp0uZXrJsom8HesgHDGG0k6CGwUS9LpE89uk-IDq82r_Bx17ET6_HkcgMdg11b4C6YRC-c0eaLCi1XLM-y8GZBFusqgwH/s1600/CalicoSamAGAIN.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4QPLGgAxiDjG-o2ldd2DWgSJ6qvmJ0UiTqOadhDSC_QVlxahp0uZXrJsom8HesgHDGG0k6CGwUS9LpE89uk-IDq82r_Bx17ET6_HkcgMdg11b4C6YRC-c0eaLCi1XLM-y8GZBFusqgwH/s400/CalicoSamAGAIN.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Shenanigans ensue as Huey, Dewey and Louie, Scrooge, Hazel and the Beagle-Boys lead a battle of quiproquos, magics and wits throughout the Manor. The “magic” part is a little underwhelming, but it's very okay. And then, there's this. Calico Sam rides again! Ta-da!!! This crazy running gag really gets me every time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqne5hKdeZjC8MYu2fFFxMJTEocBEpfKs_IyQ_dugOMHSTD5lOUcMxdbNl_Z6l2svajjzSU0xJJ18cY-WCWrsPYM3ifzTV35lW6L4NYUVH41bOAr4MrQJFPSz4GL_VAEMgpNDIrUPkGys/s1600/PoliceDog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqne5hKdeZjC8MYu2fFFxMJTEocBEpfKs_IyQ_dugOMHSTD5lOUcMxdbNl_Z6l2svajjzSU0xJJ18cY-WCWrsPYM3ifzTV35lW6L4NYUVH41bOAr4MrQJFPSz4GL_VAEMgpNDIrUPkGys/s400/PoliceDog.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And there is the Beagle-centric punchline. I'd still like to point out some heavy furry confusion here. “I could have turned you into a police dog”… er, isn't this guy already an anthropomorphic dog? Additionally, isn't the Beagle Boy himself a dog, too? And that's emphasized by Scrooge's referring to them as “Beagles” instead of just “Beagle Boys”, something he does pretty rarely.</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-2591697745928082232016-05-14T07:45:00.000-07:002016-05-14T07:45:41.251-07:00CARTOON: "Be Prepared"<div style="text-align: justify;">
A little bonus to the Hatbox Ghost cartoons. Kelly once said that she imagined the Hatbox Ghost sounding like Scar in the <i>The Lion King</i> Broadway musical, an information that I used to create my own Hatbox Ghost voice when doing the cartoons I already posted. The same information gave the idea to another fan of the comics to write a Hatbox Ghost version of Scar's song, <i>Be Prepared</i> (see <a href="http://benthehyena.deviantart.com/art/The-Hatbox-Ghost-Be-prepared-498894210">here</a>), and though the lyrics were adapted somewhat clumsily, I definitely saw opportunity for greatness in this idea. Following which, I remade the same thing, and sung it as the Hatbox Ghost (and the Ghost Host). </div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-6940085408493649662016-04-14T06:24:00.001-07:002016-04-28T10:35:03.630-07:00REVIEW: "Shiver Me Timbers"<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://tiahblog.blogspot.fr/">Joe Torcivia</a> (go check his awesome blog, by the way) once asked me if I'd review one of his “scripted stories”. This prompted me to finally get my hands on an American IDW <i>Uncle Scrooge </i>issue, <i>Uncle Scrooge </i>#406. Since all three stories in there are pretty good, I'll review them all, but before that, non-American readers are going to ask what I mean by “scripted stories” (don't all stories have script, after all ?). </div>
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<i>Well.</i> Nowadays, American readers will never get their hands on European stories as their readers first discovered them, except through scanlations. Why is that ? Well, all the foreign stories printed in American comics are not only translated, but rescripted by another author (the most illustrious being Geoffrey Blum, David Gerstein, Joe Torvicia, Jonathan Gray and the late Chris Barat). I have had numerous arguments on the Internet on this matter, because I don't really support this method, first because it stops the readers from having a clear opinion of the original author's work (a good rescripter can make a piece of junk into an okay story… which is nice and all, but then we're going to believe the original author was much better than he actually is). And also, there is a continuity problem. I'm very set on continuity, as you may know, and it really bothers me that we have two slightly different, overlapping versions of the <i>same events</i>. It's Donrosatian attention for details, of course, but it is a fact that through no plausible contortion of Time can Donald have <i>both</i> said on day X “Hello, uncle Scrooge” <b>and</b> “Nice G weather today”. I chose an inconsequential example because I wanted to ridicule myself a little, since I'll admit all this is pretty over-the-top. But sometimes it's a little bit more important. Like this, from <i>The Eternal Knot</i>, which GeoX <a href="http://duckcomicsrevue.blogspot.fr/2016/01/the-eternal-knot.html">already reviewed</a>: </div>
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I am told that Scrooge citing examples from his family is the translator's idea, whereas in the original he was just talking “in general”. Well, assuming I'm a Don Rosa clone who wants to make a Duck family tree, except not just from Barks stories… what do I do ? Do Aunt Molly and Cousin Clem <i>exist</i>, or not ? Since this is their only mention <i>ever</i> and they only exist in <i>one</i> of the two possible things Scrooge said (and that the version where Scrooge <i>didn't</i> cite them is, since it's the oldest one, the most likely to be canon) ? Gah ! And it's not just a thought experiment, because I did attempt once or twice to build such a tree. </div>
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On the <i>other</i> hand… after repeated exposure to them, I kinda warmed up to these rescripting because often, they are damn good ! As I said before too, my idea solution would be that all those talented authors that are busy doing the rescripting be instead hired to write script to new Disney stories. </div>
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At any rate…</div>
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This is 2003's <i>Shiver Me Timbers</i>, written by Jan Kruse and drawn by Bas Heymans, and here rescripted by Jonathan Gray. The story opens as the Ducks (including Scrooge) travel to Codfish Cove for a fishing weekend. This feels more like a <i>Donald</i> thing to do, obviously, so the opening dialogues are about justifying why Scrooge tags along too, since we'll need him later when this turns into a treasure hunt. The justification (fishing fish is free, buying fish costs).</div>
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Bas Heymans's distinctive art is excellent at this atmospheric stuff with the realistic-looking ship an the old sailor. However, though a three-master would be <i>kinda</i> original, describing it as a "ship out o'time" seems odd. For us it would be, but for the fantasy world of Donald Duck & Co., it appears it wouldn't. Moby Duck <a href="https://coa.inducks.org/hr.php?image=http://outducks.org/webusers/webusers/2013/12/fi_rs2013_09g_001.jpg&normalsize=1">sails a similar, wooden, sail ship on a daily basis</a>, and both <i><a href="https://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=W+OS++++9-02">Donald Duck finds Pirate Gold</a> </i>and its sequel <a href="https://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=I+AT+++71-B" style="font-style: italic;">South Sea Shenanigans</a> feature the Ducks and Yellow Beak traveling aboard such a ship. I can admit that it would still get a few odd looks, but it wouldn't be enough spookiness to chase an entire crew of sailors out of town !</div>
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This reminds me of Barks's <a href="https://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=W+JW++++8-01" style="font-style: italic;">Let Sleeping Bones Lie</a> where Scrooge tries to convert a giant dinosaur fossil into a fast-food restaurant. I'm not sure it's intentional, but it is quite similar.</div>
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What the…? You can be sure of one thing, this is one piece of dialogue that Jonathan Gray can be held responsible for. Aside from the weird “ain't” and “o'” that I feel would belong more in Pete's mouth than in Donald's, <i>space-kidettes</i> ? What on Earth is that supposed to <i>mean</i> ? </div>
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<i>Similarly</i>, I'm 90 percents sure that Donald calling Super Goof is Gray's idea. And aside from the fact that I'm naturally unsympathetic towards it because continuity blah blah blah… there is a clear logical fallacy here. Because whereas Donald just yelling "HELP" would justify Scrooge's answer, any Super Goof fan knows that his super-hearing allows him to hear cries for help from absurdly long distances. Which means that Donald was perfectly justified in trying to yell HELP, and Scrooge is wrong to tell him to stop.</div>
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That image of the island and the ship, and its colorization, are both flawless. Congratulations. </div>
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Bas Heymans really knows how to make striking perspective. Bravo again, quite loudly.</div>
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Turns out the ghost is just a hand/glove. “Well, I can safely say that I am currently terrified beyond all reason.” might be a rescripting line, but I find it delightfully hilarious in its nonsensicality. It's lines like that that make me reconsider my opinions about these things.</div>
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Hilarious allusion, too (for those who don't know, Scrooge is quoting the <i>Donald Duck</i> theme song in the left panel), even though I am once more quite sure that it wasn't there in the original. On the right, wha Scrooge says rhymes, so I wonder if he's still singing or not. Perhaps.</div>
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It's weird how in the comics, the other characters pick up on the weirdness of Donald Duck's voice much less often than in cartoons. I guess it's because, since you don't really hear his voice in the comics, we have it less on our minds, and thus allusions are considered harder to get. The point being, this one allusion to his quacking tendencies is welcome !</div>
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I like the Moby Duck allusion, though why does he say “our pal” ? Moby Duck is his <i>uncle</i>, not his <i>friend</i>. As for the “Gravity Falls” allusion… other than the fact that it's a very weird pun since it's a pun on a pun… It can be taken three way. Either:</div>
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<li>There just happens to be a location in the Duck universe known as Gravity Falls (it's possible, I guess);</li>
<li>Donald is referring to the TV series, in which case sorry, no, not possible, because the TV series premiered in 2012, which means that in 2003 Donald couldn't have heard about it;</li>
<li>This is a hint that the TV series takes place in the same universe as the usual Disney comics… which is possible too, but it's weird because if there's any Disney property whose style wouldn't mash up well with Disney comics, it's <i>Gravity Falls</i>. </li>
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And the thing is, if it's either #1 or #3, we are faced the continuity problem, since this is all a rescripting thing. <i>Is</i> there a location named Gravity Falls in the Duck Universe, or not ?!?</div>
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Well, anyway. The Ducks discover that an evil wizard is behind the whole thing, and that to lift the curse they have to find him. Anyways, things spiral into madness from there. It's often hilarious and always engaging, but I can't help but wonder what went through Kruse's mind. Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman and the Knights of the Round Table and an evil sorcerer and blah blah blah ? What's all that doing in a pirate ghost story ?!? There's not much more to review here aside from that, except that the Headless Horseman is very dissimilar to his standard Disney portrayal.</div>
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I do wonder one last thing: how does the chef know the name of the pirates-turned-seagulls ? I don't think those are supposed to be anthropomorphic seagulls, so they can't have told him…</div>
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Well, anyway, good art and a delightfully wacky plot make this story a very enjoyable read. As for Gray's localization, it has its ups (very up) and its downs (mindscrews).</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-72376983927757251502016-04-05T02:26:00.001-07:002016-04-06T04:14:52.795-07:00REVIEW: "Voodoo Hoodoo"<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Haunted Mansion comics may be nice, but it was time I got back to more traditional Disney comics. Now, I had read Voodoo Hoodoo a couple of times in the past, but in French translations (since, as you may have grasped in the comments of the ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ post, I’m French). For the purpose of doing this review, I got around reading it in its original American printing, and a bunch of things suddenly struck me about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So there’s this rumor of a zombie hanging around in Duckburg. Donald hears said rumors and goes ask an… expert on ghost stuff who… I dunno… see for yourself.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmFsWvzDPOD62pIptAu5RP61dxn4rNGYEOg31wbBne54y3zqL7NmATv9CcL4IGIiGHXmjHWMcDLUIZFHzgJidvCsXw7DcG-Zt4hiN18rC9uK6pw47NZR1jKaG9__4xSdfWwopSVmJFpW_/s1600/IMAGE2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmFsWvzDPOD62pIptAu5RP61dxn4rNGYEOg31wbBne54y3zqL7NmATv9CcL4IGIiGHXmjHWMcDLUIZFHzgJidvCsXw7DcG-Zt4hiN18rC9uK6pw47NZR1jKaG9__4xSdfWwopSVmJFpW_/s400/IMAGE2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Original version.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYXq3p-d1a1tYGr_W-CeKpp7_zP-tc9Wc3baJ93zsMTDYWuLNPGzR9c77uBAeNf8r1liQCkHCUOwp75HpSIKBGmBkDcjiuKiehtjxLj8TN7KgvF6m7caCZazuZsnd_S-3oOJ5KIlBpM4-/s1600/bopbop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYXq3p-d1a1tYGr_W-CeKpp7_zP-tc9Wc3baJ93zsMTDYWuLNPGzR9c77uBAeNf8r1liQCkHCUOwp75HpSIKBGmBkDcjiuKiehtjxLj8TN7KgvF6m7caCZazuZsnd_S-3oOJ5KIlBpM4-/s400/bopbop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>“Censored” version.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These two panels are, to me, the most puzzling thing in the whole comic. For various reasons.</span></div>
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<li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">First: who IS this guy ? Barks throws him in like he’s some regular friend of Donald’s, which we of course know he isn’t. And where does Donald know him from ?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">What kind of a name is Bop Bop anyway ? Why is he riding that ridiculous little</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">motorcar, with an oversized trumpet under his armpit ? WHY ? Also, if he’s that scared of a mere zombie, how comes he’s an « expert on ghost stuff » ? We need more information !</span></li>
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<li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">Second: the words “done fer“ seem to have been written by someone other than Barks. Did the editor censor the word “dead” ? Seems likely to me, as I know more recent reprints have “dead” written instead, in Barks’s usual lettering font.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"> </span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">Third: is Bop Bop supposed to be black ? I mean, the coloring of the first printing seems to be designed to make us think so, but his facial structure is more similar to non-black Gottfredson characters like Joe Piper than to Barks’s depiction of black people later on — first of all, his black people are, well, black (their skin is inked on, Barks didn’t just draw the outlines and wait for the colorist to do the rest). Of course, on the other hand, there’s his accent, which, yeah, it could be an afro-american accent, but it could just be a low-class accent with no ethnic connection. THEN AGAIN, if he’s a low-class, why does he wear this fancy billionaire suit ?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"> The “censored” version has a less ambiguous coloring. And his grammar is <i>slightly</i> better, but not <i>much. </i>It's so <i>weird.</i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What was bound to happen happens: Donald meets the Zombie, whom apparently the editors in charge of the reprinting also thought was racistly depicted, and they had Barks re-draw his face without the big nose. (Same goes for Foola Zoola later). I’m not sure about this: on one hand, I don’t think it’s particularly offensive in Bombie’s case. A big nose is a cartoon/comic standard (just look at Asterix, for instance). If you look up any Donald story featuring “real” humans (aside from Dangerous Disguise and Ancient Persia, which are really special cases), there’s a good chance they’ll have noses at least as big as Bombie’s. On the other hand, I actually think Bombie and Foola Zoola look <i>better</i> with a smaller, more realistic nose; it makes them look like more “serious” characters. Bombie's misadventures you take more seriously than those of, say, Witch Hazel. And Foola Zoola, with his small, triangular nose, is much more threatening. He also looks more his age with those wrinkled lips. And those pointy teeth look so unspeakably silly. Here is a comparison:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzD_gCmtL86hVFZVjXLAcQtitcnjbHfBO7P5O4zPQEEA_XGSlsmYxxKBk11pbZe61UsJe8ZrIP-pTMZHERWkdkr9vo9C0AF9PCxxP9_ACsH2WL_05oD-fhODuGb5AOOHsDOmYR-YRonCG/s1600/silly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzD_gCmtL86hVFZVjXLAcQtitcnjbHfBO7P5O4zPQEEA_XGSlsmYxxKBk11pbZe61UsJe8ZrIP-pTMZHERWkdkr9vo9C0AF9PCxxP9_ACsH2WL_05oD-fhODuGb5AOOHsDOmYR-YRonCG/s320/silly.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This is silly.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkfZx5vVg0_w82c9Wn1akF3Sdl7v3wYJCC7G539bDGjT46VEFtEkqpvGRrUG4xTkVVAzW3v6rJnzoP-ARcHHNqTKhCD4NVRZvgfZ7o2eryolRhBwuJSvPRPht22NDPmb0JsbaJGCYA7ON/s1600/scary.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkfZx5vVg0_w82c9Wn1akF3Sdl7v3wYJCC7G539bDGjT46VEFtEkqpvGRrUG4xTkVVAzW3v6rJnzoP-ARcHHNqTKhCD4NVRZvgfZ7o2eryolRhBwuJSvPRPht22NDPmb0JsbaJGCYA7ON/s320/scary.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This is eerily chilling.</i></div>
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So, you probably know how this goes. The zombie gives Donald a voodoo doll that stings him, and, persuaded that he's under some kind of curse, Donald goes to his Uncle Scrooge's.</div>
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So, here are my thoughts about this little part of the story that has turned, in the fans' eyes, into its biggest problem. At the time, Scrooge wasn't established as a “good guy”, and thus apparently, the curse was put on him when he tried to throw a voodoo tribe out of their property to turn it into a rubber plantation. To “justify” it, Don Rosa, in his <i>Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck</i>, based a whole story arc on how this was Scrooge's only dishonest deed ever, how he always regretted it and how Bombie the Zombie and his curse are metaphorically an allegory of his remorse. The arc Rosa did is, on its own, wonderful, but… bah. He is missing the point.</div>
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You see, <i>this</i> rationalization is all based on the fact that what Scrooge did <i>is</i> evil. And the thing is, Barks's story really doesn't support this interpretation. First, there is the fact that Foola Zoola is this evil witch-doctor who is basically the villain of the story, and for that matter wouldn't look out of place in a line-up of Disney villains also including Jafar, Cruella De Vil, Maleficent and the likes. And then, there's the fact that everyone <i>else</i> in Africa seems to fear and hate this tribe, too; and there are also those rumors that Foola Zoola leads raids and plunders to nearby villages that the Ducks hear at the airport. Had Scrooge succeeded in getting rid of Foola and his men, he would have been seen as a <i>savior</i> by literally everybody else on the planet. </div>
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<i>Why</i> this is uncomfortable is because it <i>implies</i> that the Voodoo Tribe is unredeemably evil, and that Scrooge's “Those savages were made” line and its next-of-kins are <i>right</i>. And they sound so despicably racist to modern ears ! But what one must understand is that though it's racist from our point of view, in this universe of fiction, all those things are <i>true</i>. You just can't <i>blame</i> characters who appear to us as racist, when through some whim of a racist author, the universe they are in <i>really works like that</i>.</div>
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Do bear in mind that I'm not saying Barks was racist, or that this story was especially racist, but it just contains clichés that <i>are </i>racist — namely, the evil voodoo tribe and its evil leader. It's racist from <i>our</i> point of view… but in-story, it's not: the evil voodoo tribe <i>is</i> evil, and making us feel sorry for them is missing the point.</div>
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This is one of my favorite bits in the story. At the sight of that second panel, I am filled with an indescribable mix of laughter and empathy. Poor thing. You just want to hug old Bombie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zoGx_UXcJtnuo_VCKICOgmYVInPYR8x5L2pTbLwjmk6Ov7WnWEE3VjV7cdW7BxgeV7JWQzYFDvFANwBJwx-OLHIPseRArqja_2go5LDaEJ9Ftg2pnmeBb7_jsCzK6tpp3Yhx6xE3A1l4/s1600/quiz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zoGx_UXcJtnuo_VCKICOgmYVInPYR8x5L2pTbLwjmk6Ov7WnWEE3VjV7cdW7BxgeV7JWQzYFDvFANwBJwx-OLHIPseRArqja_2go5LDaEJ9Ftg2pnmeBb7_jsCzK6tpp3Yhx6xE3A1l4/s400/quiz.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This whole quiz sequence is as hilarious today as it ever was, since those things certainly didn't improve since 1948. I find this ever-moving presenter pretty hilarious, contrasted with the unmoving Bombie. This is one sequence that would render beautifully in animation.</div>
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This is <i>probably</i> unintentional, but I find it worth noting that it is a <i>talking dog</i> making the statement that “clams don't talk” as though it was elementary. </div>
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The panel on the right, with its realistic scenery and shadowing, seems <i>serious</i>; complete with Donald's conqueror pose, if you forgot for a minute that it's a waterfowl you're looking at, this could seem to be from a genuine adventure story/movie.</div>
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Isn't this guy strange ? He's got dog ears, but a human nose. He must be a hybrid, I guess. </div>
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Isn't this surreal image pretty funny ? It is to me. Also, notice how Bombie seems to be wearing the <i>quiz presenter</i>'s very suit.</div>
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Carl Barks <i>was</i> generally a pretty good artist, but there <i>is</i> something weird with the proportions here. Either Donald suddenly grew a foot or two in height, or the native is a pygmy, which is unlikely. </div>
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There is the bit I was talking about earlier -- Foola Zoola and his tribes are <i>definitely</i> villains.</div>
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Here's another place where Rosa's version and Barks's just don't add up, not just in terms of symbolism and morality, but in terms of <i>facts.</i> For one, here it is obvious that Zoola and Scrooge were old rivals who knew each other for quite a while. In Rosa's versions, they see each other for, what, thirty minutes maximum. Zoola's “Dear old friend” isn't really logical then. And also, that weird idea of Rosa's that Scrooge looking like Donald was the result of a disguise. Well, it's funny in itself, but the way this dialogue here plays, this is not a possibility that was, actually, left open. In Don Rosa's version, Scrooge only disguises himself after introducing himself to Foola under his regular appearance -- <i>Bombie</i> is tricked by Scrooge's disguise, but not Zoola. Thus, it doesn't make a shred of sense that Zoola would, genuinely, confuse present-day Donald with the Scrooge he knows. No, the way Foola Zoola puts it here, it's very clear that in the days the two knew each other, Scrooge genuinely <i>did</i> look like Donald.</div>
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There's some good tension here, but the stake seems kind of ridiculous in comparison. I mean, you're gonna be shrunk to the size of a mouse. I can see why it would be <i>unpleasant</i>, but there's nothing to be too tragic (for Donald) or sadistic (for Foola) about. It's nothing too deadly or harmful, especially considering that in the Disney Comics world, anthropomorphic mice exist, which means there already <i>are</i> facilities arranged for 10-centimeters-tall people.</div>
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This denouement always fell flat for me. I mean, what are the <i>odds</i> that Bombie somehow only bounces on <i>people</i> ? </div>
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Well, anyway, a good story with not a doubt, with mostly great art, a good story, a good character, and a <i>lot</i> of creativity. There is however some confusing stuff (Bop Bop, I won't forget you!), as well as some vaguely racist stereotypes, but nothing too drastic.</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-59913223540536092142016-04-04T06:39:00.000-07:002016-04-04T06:39:26.691-07:00CARTOON: "Interruption"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Pretty much the second part of <i>Meanwhile, in the Attic.</i></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxf_h-SerceTw93CmQ_91PX5-9vqLcCQ9sQD4WJsayDddKEWk9dXgnjEuhdFFUrh5NWt9Hz2nv8lJdG-oQKkA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-77726999835327323842016-04-03T06:25:00.000-07:002016-04-03T06:58:14.490-07:00CARTOON: "Meanwhile, in the Attic"Once again, it can be watched in widescreen.<br />
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<br />Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-59912506524033238842016-03-31T11:52:00.001-07:002016-03-31T11:52:02.432-07:00REVIEW: "The Right direction"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCEAOkVvAU8b1HKB-HtHKXlcpqlc5RL1neTXEzuhzZ-lbfRL4mmbh1qRuHMxbzShP_eR6_-nFZDjHdFHOrY8MBDqNGwFMc6vosOXzi34ACZpMhec81sD_RT9cAsIPh2hH8Ue2jsP50p00/s1600/Ludw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCEAOkVvAU8b1HKB-HtHKXlcpqlc5RL1neTXEzuhzZ-lbfRL4mmbh1qRuHMxbzShP_eR6_-nFZDjHdFHOrY8MBDqNGwFMc6vosOXzi34ACZpMhec81sD_RT9cAsIPh2hH8Ue2jsP50p00/s320/Ludw.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Open in another folder</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></i></div>
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An obscure Brazilian <i>Ludwig Von Drake</i> one-pager ! How more obscure can you get ? Well, anyway.</div>
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Have I mentioned yet that I am a huge fan of Professor Ludwig Von Drake yet ? Yes I have, but I'll say it again. He is delightful. However, I always felt he was more suited for cartoons than for comics, since his fast-talking voice and his constantly-moving animation are a big part of the character's appeal. Never the less, the step of turning him into a comic character was taken by Taliaferro, and there he stayed. </div>
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The gag I selected for you today was first published n 1981; its original name is <i>Assim nāo dá, </i>which I have no idea what it means, sadly. Its author is Verci de Mello, a pretty prolific Brazilian artist, if I.N.D.U.C.K.S. is to be believed.</div>
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In those first three panels, there is no dialogue at all, which I dunno, but it does kinda negates the point of having Ludwig Von Drake as your character. And when he does talk, it is neither with his trademark accent, fast-talkingness or kookiness. The only piece of characterization that this one-pager uses on Ludwig is that he is absent-minded. And that he is not in a particularly Ludwig-Von-Draky way.</div>
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<i>However</i>, I do appreciate De Mello's art on those panels; Ludwig's facial expressions and poses are genuinely funny. There are also bits of shading in those panels, especially the first one, which I really like. What I don't appreciate, though, is…</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3UDzxawdu0K72V1psHw6Dz9aJsFuhl_VtyBeGlXX8B-dWhX7v4EY56GIfsgTpIYSs6PILMH5YptQTmpu8NsWgpkgd8Ubgrifu5FP067v6lxnbwOwRvroDW87M-gaqqpdzSpZGv_k5V4R/s1600/Innocentbystander.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3UDzxawdu0K72V1psHw6Dz9aJsFuhl_VtyBeGlXX8B-dWhX7v4EY56GIfsgTpIYSs6PILMH5YptQTmpu8NsWgpkgd8Ubgrifu5FP067v6lxnbwOwRvroDW87M-gaqqpdzSpZGv_k5V4R/s320/Innocentbystander.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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…<i>this</i> guy. Have you ever seen anything more generic for a bystander in the street ? Bah. Usually, when the Ducks talk to a bystander, minor though he may be, the artist at least makes a <i>little</i> effort to give them a remotely interesting design. Well, the <i>good</i> artists usually do, that is. But De Mello seems like a good artist ! I'm not asking much, really. Just five him a moustache, or a bowler hat, or glasses, or red hair, or <i>something</i> that doesn't <i>scream</i> “I don't have time to draw this properly so let's just throw in a blank character traced from one of my old backgrounds”.</div>
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If nothing else, the punchline gives us a clue as to where Ludwig Von Drake lives. Talking of which… nah, I'll do another post about it. On another note, I like the look of the stunned Generic Bystander, although I wish it had been applied on a more interesting character design.</div>
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And yes, I <i>do</i> realize that I'm looking far deeper into this story than anyone on the planet, authors included, ever did. It was probably just a cheap one-pager ordered to fill a blank in an issue. But it's just my nature to review and nitpick about stuff.</div>
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<br />Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-39696616748642001222016-03-27T13:14:00.001-07:002016-03-28T06:57:30.738-07:00CARTOON: "Never think out loud!"Hurra ! A second one ! This time in HQ; watch it in widescreen, it's worth it.<br />
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<br />Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-5009176064402209862016-03-27T08:35:00.002-07:002016-03-27T10:54:01.073-07:00CARTOON: "Not the reaction he wanted"<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Remember how I've been babbling about how Kelly's comics often seem… animated ? Like something from a cartoon ? Well, it suddenly struck me that it would be perfectly possible to <i>turn</i> them into cartoons. So, I made a test, adapting "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-not-reaction-he-wanted.html"><i>Not the reaction he wanted</i></a>" into a 50-seconds long cartoon short. Here is the result; I did the voice characterization on the Hatbox Ghost (the credits list me as ScroogeMacDuck, which is my DeviantArt username). I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed doing it. Please let me know in the comments if there's something you think I could do to improve for my next adaptation.</div>
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<br />Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-637516534722408462016-03-27T06:46:00.002-07:002016-03-27T10:04:23.094-07:00REVIEW: "Cadaverous Palettes"<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Open this in another folder, so as</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR2RQX2wFLRdj4sdiEP78-CmRHLooxDvzzx5VB8Db6FaobYVa93sas7YtxaxhEYy8ictIRFpAAsx-U1wTGicrohVsUIQkj1VZWgu7O4WPQHcJDAUwVAZK_pByg_ZH5H2vsHshzZOTobsT/s1600/cadaverous_palettes_pt__2_by_kellym_mortal-d8y65n1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR2RQX2wFLRdj4sdiEP78-CmRHLooxDvzzx5VB8Db6FaobYVa93sas7YtxaxhEYy8ictIRFpAAsx-U1wTGicrohVsUIQkj1VZWgu7O4WPQHcJDAUwVAZK_pByg_ZH5H2vsHshzZOTobsT/s320/cadaverous_palettes_pt__2_by_kellym_mortal-d8y65n1.png" width="163" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Open this in another folder, so as</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkhje78MO1X-9LrDopvvgomatuW_Nvy1S0XI8Uewb8J5lZfufXMXanIwz_gfzzFD_gdgRCdP9YeeoTwo1x-UjQ5JfrM9HTLBQxP0FyzKW7lKI1IMEE5uR1GCxVwN9_Hb4u1-WxQTrzmlk/s1600/cadaverous_palettes_pt__3_by_kellym_mortal-d8y66v0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkhje78MO1X-9LrDopvvgomatuW_Nvy1S0XI8Uewb8J5lZfufXMXanIwz_gfzzFD_gdgRCdP9YeeoTwo1x-UjQ5JfrM9HTLBQxP0FyzKW7lKI1IMEE5uR1GCxVwN9_Hb4u1-WxQTrzmlk/s320/cadaverous_palettes_pt__3_by_kellym_mortal-d8y66v0.png" width="181" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Open this in another folder, so as</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it.</span></i></div>
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"<i>Cadaverous Palettes</i>" is not exactly part of the strip; I guess you could say it is a kind of Grand Finale to the strip series. It depicts various spooks of the Haunted Mansion, both those that have already appeared in the comics and others. Trying to review it as I'd do a story would be futile, but let it be told that it is awesomely done. Bravo bravo bravo. Now, I will give you something, though, in place of this review you won't have: I'm going to identify all the characters, and compare them to their Disneyland counterpart. There ! Happy ? </div>
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The Ally Gal </span><span style="font-size: small;">(Miss Lilly)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLN3l_k9lJyV3oDuuPrhKWXEcw2eVhqEKquZgUF8Tmt1I1f4uHaL90VM9JZqMIgOaNqzz58hOc2eoYOAQlip8xtIqEmhezgVdwbYQisR-JE_OS9jfnWmZALq8fGfOkhLN7noAKDXsA7Yu/s1600/Allygl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLN3l_k9lJyV3oDuuPrhKWXEcw2eVhqEKquZgUF8Tmt1I1f4uHaL90VM9JZqMIgOaNqzz58hOc2eoYOAQlip8xtIqEmhezgVdwbYQisR-JE_OS9jfnWmZALq8fGfOkhLN7noAKDXsA7Yu/s640/Allygl.png" width="409" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiX_s5NjO8M1BKfvatHzYkTIx0tlORaWfPAfze7eU_3AEge8tUugm79nBQm9CcVKIbxhpjqgrVUWR0QCZVr3yvI3havNaiCDbAyCaohTWHhtUPknwQcqAxoq3Lka1kAz4em-S_2rcVkfD/s1600/AnotherAllygal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiX_s5NjO8M1BKfvatHzYkTIx0tlORaWfPAfze7eU_3AEge8tUugm79nBQm9CcVKIbxhpjqgrVUWR0QCZVr3yvI3havNaiCDbAyCaohTWHhtUPknwQcqAxoq3Lka1kAz4em-S_2rcVkfD/s320/AnotherAllygal.png" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Tightrope Walker, or Lilly the Ally Gal as she has come to be called by fans, is one of the characters from the Stretching Portraits gallery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Marc Davis's original painting of her was this:</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZaKoiw9a2ImeRkyMzJrjQZ_5BW5DLG_nhNEm8cT3r5AZCXgWOred3yc__0Z-W0MV_YDxoWHCmJn0Pn0l7b7kfi1f4ezYs2vhS2Qys1sHV5V6xigIEiaEpPpJ-Ea9cxG6wi9uR5RJsOm2/s1600/Allygal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZaKoiw9a2ImeRkyMzJrjQZ_5BW5DLG_nhNEm8cT3r5AZCXgWOred3yc__0Z-W0MV_YDxoWHCmJn0Pn0l7b7kfi1f4ezYs2vhS2Qys1sHV5V6xigIEiaEpPpJ-Ea9cxG6wi9uR5RJsOm2/s640/Allygal.png" width="193" /></a></div>
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<i>But the replacement you can see today</i></div>
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<i>in the Mansion is based on a redesign</i></div>
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<i>by David Hall, that looks more like</i></div>
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<i>this:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uABYMrpKJKtxZ0k_WTHd40OkClY4TUp_Qw1VKAZMcqVDHeFRYft0H4ux4zFFZgzt2_0j7rvvH664losw75q5YlNzdR3XlxMFIS6NQ8UDuai-Su4o2H8coEiY55QU-Kbo05r7EsA-rUdG/s1600/scanA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uABYMrpKJKtxZ0k_WTHd40OkClY4TUp_Qw1VKAZMcqVDHeFRYft0H4ux4zFFZgzt2_0j7rvvH664losw75q5YlNzdR3XlxMFIS6NQ8UDuai-Su4o2H8coEiY55QU-Kbo05r7EsA-rUdG/s320/scanA.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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The Hatchet Man</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(The Ghost Host)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3cEpGYc-gS6muCddtxtzBk3gZzOvp9V4lCRi553mRpkvfdrmKaypAL8sUbPy5MnAb78GKq4J_E5gZXGwTbRfbNinkZB0cA7Rq6WsOnUVsb5wnkEMnZpaPGPNvWEtvtlrNvp8uvaYyj_A/s1600/GhostHost.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3cEpGYc-gS6muCddtxtzBk3gZzOvp9V4lCRi553mRpkvfdrmKaypAL8sUbPy5MnAb78GKq4J_E5gZXGwTbRfbNinkZB0cA7Rq6WsOnUVsb5wnkEMnZpaPGPNvWEtvtlrNvp8uvaYyj_A/s400/GhostHost.png" width="331" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The ominous but harmless narrator of the ride and master of the Mansion, already featured in countless previous strips. His look is based on the “Hatchet Man” portrait, which you'll remember looks like this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PduUTxciExhEBxYW2ChjrCu5miw_75qFpP8PgYAjbtW82237dxdByv0N8hXh3wxDKrRY0yoEIkiK-fkcR9Ddy1i1Dqd-cNtRfs_ouui4ekc1HSfFdmkgMDsahVtLFqgnibLh7vlLiQwW/s1600/Ghost_Host_Portrait_%2528Joe_Denton%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PduUTxciExhEBxYW2ChjrCu5miw_75qFpP8PgYAjbtW82237dxdByv0N8hXh3wxDKrRY0yoEIkiK-fkcR9Ddy1i1Dqd-cNtRfs_ouui4ekc1HSfFdmkgMDsahVtLFqgnibLh7vlLiQwW/s640/Ghost_Host_Portrait_%2528Joe_Denton%2529.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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The Organist</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Thaddeus Morgan)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmzg_vDUaH6uKvrccyv8wcfnxcrzmpMSHTvqKbCAkQiha-kqjPUzriVsBbON6slt5tNAX11B3b57TUxvFFt9KVitb64_oHID4l536kkRxa75I6OrIoU1vju5fEjTNdY7K38wyfVsJkVQl/s1600/ThaddeusMorgan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmzg_vDUaH6uKvrccyv8wcfnxcrzmpMSHTvqKbCAkQiha-kqjPUzriVsBbON6slt5tNAX11B3b57TUxvFFt9KVitb64_oHID4l536kkRxa75I6OrIoU1vju5fEjTNdY7K38wyfVsJkVQl/s400/ThaddeusMorgan.png" width="383" /></a></div>
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Thaddeus Morgan, better known as The Organist, plays the tune of “Grim Grinning Ghost” in loop, and can be heard throughout the Haunted Mansion. Already featured in the comics, but only once, in "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-here-there-be-ghosts.html"><i>Here there be ghosts</i></a>".</div>
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<i>In the concept arts, he looks like this:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWYENA9SGuBx9-VB6CCuDVPWJZz7EmTr4eG231nrv03PWVQV4c2RPt-MVV2yDPYWfNTA9uuBdtQvGoVZuq1FKsJ04uf2Poj0RMl-MhyphenhyphenYBURFVbNMByiMMtw5GlzXxHrgd1_lXf11FCA45/s1600/colinorg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWYENA9SGuBx9-VB6CCuDVPWJZz7EmTr4eG231nrv03PWVQV4c2RPt-MVV2yDPYWfNTA9uuBdtQvGoVZuq1FKsJ04uf2Poj0RMl-MhyphenhyphenYBURFVbNMByiMMtw5GlzXxHrgd1_lXf11FCA45/s400/colinorg.jpg" width="338" /></a></div>
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<i>In the actual ride, you don't actually see his face:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyPzZ0U9dzj-zEAUjjqlRuDdadVrjSSghS6iMDCKH5K8Rr9HyGPUe2jjiX-ZMTf1x2akIDy_NkEQktLEr9pOhtmPjaxceMkjGm1MlzisaPKBgmZOn8vnPubVzOZ0o1zMdnKAPRvy3emnP/s1600/rganistintheride.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyPzZ0U9dzj-zEAUjjqlRuDdadVrjSSghS6iMDCKH5K8Rr9HyGPUe2jjiX-ZMTf1x2akIDy_NkEQktLEr9pOhtmPjaxceMkjGm1MlzisaPKBgmZOn8vnPubVzOZ0o1zMdnKAPRvy3emnP/s400/rganistintheride.png" width="225" /></a></div>
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<i>But there's this delightful merchandise item where you do:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cZkqH_n99JV_OmYOH0mEnR886KYJFsWSR6IH5bJR9HBcgy9fDw7OafxOM-SV3mOFxTyvRPkxE9nvpeZuvIEDpU0pf7ZLJ2gGSgmXP1VpvwHOUAcEaE52hpz0amxVsXaN-4_RvrBtnc6n/s1600/wdcc_organist1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cZkqH_n99JV_OmYOH0mEnR886KYJFsWSR6IH5bJR9HBcgy9fDw7OafxOM-SV3mOFxTyvRPkxE9nvpeZuvIEDpU0pf7ZLJ2gGSgmXP1VpvwHOUAcEaE52hpz0amxVsXaN-4_RvrBtnc6n/s400/wdcc_organist1.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
The Hatbox Ghost</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Hattie, H. B. Ghost, Thomas Hatter, or Huit B. Ghost)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EETl5q85ipr3UQfuQ5WE_B4yxxELcc4kNpuUH5kZUJ3lXiPbj1KWK-xp15LqM7d9f4lW8N6W7InBt5_Yb_K2O7hNIXl-792OWbqh_zxR0mj3v-hRLzmUX1yFCE5uKBY1R_xwwUDYGCvY/s1600/HatboxGhost.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EETl5q85ipr3UQfuQ5WE_B4yxxELcc4kNpuUH5kZUJ3lXiPbj1KWK-xp15LqM7d9f4lW8N6W7InBt5_Yb_K2O7hNIXl-792OWbqh_zxR0mj3v-hRLzmUX1yFCE5uKBY1R_xwwUDYGCvY/s640/HatboxGhost.png" width="427" /></a></div>
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The grumpy and creepy denizen of the Haunted Mansion's attic, the Hatbox Ghost is a slightly hunchbacked old skeleton dressed in ample black clothes whose head has a tendency to disappear from his shoulders to reappear in his hatbox. He has, of course, been a major character of the comic strip series. The portrait takes place <i>after</i> his return, hence why he is depicted with his new colors instead of his former black-and-grey suit.</div>
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<i>In the actual attraction, he used to be like this:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKI04AdMs2qNX0ipGZeedGszyh84zq4mZJAUJWuGlJAUwVa_wXSyS3egyQziulBqzrSOqK3Fa8_d1IKLqWEEoxpz-0LcV0zTXr4UvsKDZhvQuCHwwqV-eWnRTzAVdznxbzmwc5Jn5mAZMj/s1600/head.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKI04AdMs2qNX0ipGZeedGszyh84zq4mZJAUJWuGlJAUwVa_wXSyS3egyQziulBqzrSOqK3Fa8_d1IKLqWEEoxpz-0LcV0zTXr4UvsKDZhvQuCHwwqV-eWnRTzAVdznxbzmwc5Jn5mAZMj/s320/head.png" width="304" /></a></div>
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<i>The new animatronic that you can see today is similar,</i></div>
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<i>albeit recolored:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBhqa-2TudPJag7PO7lP9d87J0QOi0AJzBBe0vWZi1NTBobqudyMMZ7dKX2CqwzcXeihIXhwuvf0adXPruIetBugk0X-U0rzk57LGgc3DcmqNHXTSNdTHobhIdm5ag0Tu-Q29FXuPmPSu/s1600/hatbox-ghost-disneyland-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBhqa-2TudPJag7PO7lP9d87J0QOi0AJzBBe0vWZi1NTBobqudyMMZ7dKX2CqwzcXeihIXhwuvf0adXPruIetBugk0X-U0rzk57LGgc3DcmqNHXTSNdTHobhIdm5ag0Tu-Q29FXuPmPSu/s400/hatbox-ghost-disneyland-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">
Madame Leota</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(alive)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Xj_Y8_SmsELLlq-SqdW3PTk2UxMarJVl3_bJd8yAtUNpsgD6aQ3b8Ag15JEX28W7pzop6fqtDNDcR8k_A08PnHh0rsYwO4mdULNziIkQfvyNhuYWVz5eam2T9pEp8QYLNChOGFLLsJcO/s1600/Leota.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Xj_Y8_SmsELLlq-SqdW3PTk2UxMarJVl3_bJd8yAtUNpsgD6aQ3b8Ag15JEX28W7pzop6fqtDNDcR8k_A08PnHh0rsYwO4mdULNziIkQfvyNhuYWVz5eam2T9pEp8QYLNChOGFLLsJcO/s400/Leota.png" width="347" /></a></div>
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Madame Leota is a very powerful medium… or rather, that's what she <i>was</i>. Nowadays she's as much of a ghost as the other inhabitants of the Haunted Mansion, and her head now appears in her crystal ball. However, the addition to the Haunted Mansion of Madame Leota's tombstone, which includes her carved face, shows us what she looked like as a mere mortal. </div>
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<i>Here is the tombstone in question:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWYLqjZlh0MEYKSycNVuBdOPJHVzBVWMX0_fQUj1lEXFQqVBcVtp8VI9jI03FHzmCeq_yufqa88Ee7WK9ApVOmwLswvk_z1CDu8ZUtYaPMgKRTNYZ0WeE9b4CuKtmcj-8XZG6YzfqVjQh/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWYLqjZlh0MEYKSycNVuBdOPJHVzBVWMX0_fQUj1lEXFQqVBcVtp8VI9jI03FHzmCeq_yufqa88Ee7WK9ApVOmwLswvk_z1CDu8ZUtYaPMgKRTNYZ0WeE9b4CuKtmcj-8XZG6YzfqVjQh/s400/hqdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">
The Phantom</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Henry Ravenswood)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGjg2ksYefTsRKW0ztKi7JKnfiGK1XNManLOI-aeANeSjWZReS3X5C_L9n_Z6gD_J30PoswGpe6jc_nYlRYZdpVyhjmANVHfuWDH5Flv8sx0qtCzZEIwFig1oT_0dRMZ-QxqewPwarBbZ/s1600/Phantomhanging.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGjg2ksYefTsRKW0ztKi7JKnfiGK1XNManLOI-aeANeSjWZReS3X5C_L9n_Z6gD_J30PoswGpe6jc_nYlRYZdpVyhjmANVHfuWDH5Flv8sx0qtCzZEIwFig1oT_0dRMZ-QxqewPwarBbZ/s320/Phantomhanging.png" width="307" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhromokZDxCR2LEkBKs4FW8l0IeHjkVtl-HE_ToW2xEhOEhkpUo_JKex2l6YoqCdR-jphKFIwxw8EQcC4QTnF4R22G3XgoeNNbPR9O1z1Y4Y6CsP6qx7mj64baTezSaRAYrsG4oEpolvM8I/s1600/Phantomatic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhromokZDxCR2LEkBKs4FW8l0IeHjkVtl-HE_ToW2xEhOEhkpUo_JKex2l6YoqCdR-jphKFIwxw8EQcC4QTnF4R22G3XgoeNNbPR9O1z1Y4Y6CsP6qx7mj64baTezSaRAYrsG4oEpolvM8I/s400/Phantomatic.png" width="279" /></a></div>
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The Phantom (whom you already saw in <i>Tragic</i>) is the main antagonist in the French Haunted Mansion, <i>Phantom Manor</i>. This evil formally-dressed skeleton forever torments the ghost of Mélanie Ravenswood, a longing bride whose groom he murdered. Kelly didn't use him much but makes up for it here by giving us <i>two </i>renditions of the Phantom.</div>
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<i>Here is the chilling character as you can meet him in Disneyland:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwDAYCKSiAIHC5vQf1fWJUS_C0fi-tdc9QbFPzIkPbVLFSUpULz2jZpWAhMzE7WwyJQhkt5GcLGNNWzRqigc6bnpK0YVQlwspvdRSYzi2EaU4O8vYderyLhhI4aY_G-t8II6NY51pHsSc/s1600/manor3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwDAYCKSiAIHC5vQf1fWJUS_C0fi-tdc9QbFPzIkPbVLFSUpULz2jZpWAhMzE7WwyJQhkt5GcLGNNWzRqigc6bnpK0YVQlwspvdRSYzi2EaU4O8vYderyLhhI4aY_G-t8II6NY51pHsSc/s320/manor3.gif" width="313" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">
The <i>Phantom Manor</i> Bride</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Mélanie Ravenswood)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLu_j-JlTcMDbxOH-gHKSz_Bq4F5XtfPDAJHFT07Waj94TOPEQy-PLYxZ633MHe19kRDjRt_Hn7XLs-O_IHfjPbihmoW_h5AyGIp1sj1KA0HUzxm5SgOSaosRq1b9IRaW0w7GI2PZVh4FW/s1600/Me%25CC%2581lanie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLu_j-JlTcMDbxOH-gHKSz_Bq4F5XtfPDAJHFT07Waj94TOPEQy-PLYxZ633MHe19kRDjRt_Hn7XLs-O_IHfjPbihmoW_h5AyGIp1sj1KA0HUzxm5SgOSaosRq1b9IRaW0w7GI2PZVh4FW/s400/Me%25CC%2581lanie.png" width="307" /></a></div>
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Speaking of which, guess who ? Mélanie, the tormented, tragic Bride. Kelly depicts her much more realistically than in <i>Tragic</i> and <i>Impending Doom is Funny</i>, I must note. </div>
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<i>Here is portrait of Mélanie seen in the real Phantom Manor ride.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGRjGzKKXGGTNwZK3CjqdQeqt3kRH2eH6vMcVagZy6DgGEgATpSK1qikhoSE02X8TybxUXgVjm7kmP0ssHhrlIXkEN51T-LOBy4QnHbNCTdCg22dYQF97w22aSjbJTHiIZBM5uRnoOgLW/s1600/Phantom_bride_painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGRjGzKKXGGTNwZK3CjqdQeqt3kRH2eH6vMcVagZy6DgGEgATpSK1qikhoSE02X8TybxUXgVjm7kmP0ssHhrlIXkEN51T-LOBy4QnHbNCTdCg22dYQF97w22aSjbJTHiIZBM5uRnoOgLW/s400/Phantom_bride_painting.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">
Madame Leota</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(ghost form)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvulMzSw35zUBDkTXoNRkObzfTAVlTUPhUAFk5z0Lko0WlALiH8krYxuyXVeBxPmsARJp7e0wQNTQCkrjin7ExkYU05K1ate1tLapMOboj6BtEOjEY52jprRz6GBgYzwgu6fejskMSKb/s1600/MadameLeota.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvulMzSw35zUBDkTXoNRkObzfTAVlTUPhUAFk5z0Lko0WlALiH8krYxuyXVeBxPmsARJp7e0wQNTQCkrjin7ExkYU05K1ate1tLapMOboj6BtEOjEY52jprRz6GBgYzwgu6fejskMSKb/s400/MadameLeota.png" width="363" /></a></div>
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Madame Leota, as previously cited, is the medium of the House, here depicted as the disembodied-head-in-a-crystal-ball that you can see in the ride.</div>
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<i>In the ride, she is supposed to look like this, but some versions of her</i></div>
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<i>make her blue instead of green.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCzxSh3sCuypsmah8TTagFDRsxUd4nONgv2lfuLZD1yaAoMZxdidUs0vjHT16F75_dG7MFzPv4Ky9Mhl7B-mS5ubOWIHW9wZyFb1YnhTCz_GlgME4Ptoo3y5NUCNW81xfCzwDqu0pvUsm/s1600/hqdefault-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCzxSh3sCuypsmah8TTagFDRsxUd4nONgv2lfuLZD1yaAoMZxdidUs0vjHT16F75_dG7MFzPv4Ky9Mhl7B-mS5ubOWIHW9wZyFb1YnhTCz_GlgME4Ptoo3y5NUCNW81xfCzwDqu0pvUsm/s320/hqdefault-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">
Aging Man/Foyer Guy </span><span style="font-size: small;">(Master Dorian Gracey)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZVmNOft6c6yuV17RY-fIzZstGCg7TYTmjWM74d7sW1Cv02_FNg10DIEp-HqgfznkccQtB4itIR7m7EffAMxjHVYlsteZsxZPf1UKFuCkuKHcCxetOVdvtZaakB8ZvC6oYAyZRenSWjzb/s1600/Step2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZVmNOft6c6yuV17RY-fIzZstGCg7TYTmjWM74d7sW1Cv02_FNg10DIEp-HqgfznkccQtB4itIR7m7EffAMxjHVYlsteZsxZPf1UKFuCkuKHcCxetOVdvtZaakB8ZvC6oYAyZRenSWjzb/s320/Step2.png" width="267" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN7KoBQRcFRkLGZAoFS5ugqooR5cAWv2DO-krNylA1ce_tXZu6_B8yVakOqd9KB4rjpAyJAUG1tbAPbRd-j6rhk0eY0NOKLThqadJM6DG0IZZSTkPajmzUO_csNxWSiC6QT36nnSvGBoj/s1600/Step1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN7KoBQRcFRkLGZAoFS5ugqooR5cAWv2DO-krNylA1ce_tXZu6_B8yVakOqd9KB4rjpAyJAUG1tbAPbRd-j6rhk0eY0NOKLThqadJM6DG0IZZSTkPajmzUO_csNxWSiC6QT36nnSvGBoj/s320/Step1.png" width="244" /></a></div>
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Either the Hatchet Man's brother or nephew, Master Dorian Gracey is seen in the Haunted Mansion on a changing portrait in the Foyer, where you progressively see him age and decay into a ghostly skeleton with a deathly stare. The first version is based on Step 2 of the aging process, the second on Step 1.</div>
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<i>The original portrait, as I already showed you, is this:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4agS4D4Y-zp_IQwsG1C6LKXU1iRzuqjtbZEmQAvYor-DYUlIKRfUCAXgIOafdF5c667V0wvACzVI94YdMBCFcNdIXwgp5XS8r5OfbqbTVa08is6IUJdcNKsV8l47xr0JQau7wMs6HdXA/s1600/mgsetof6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4agS4D4Y-zp_IQwsG1C6LKXU1iRzuqjtbZEmQAvYor-DYUlIKRfUCAXgIOafdF5c667V0wvACzVI94YdMBCFcNdIXwgp5XS8r5OfbqbTVa08is6IUJdcNKsV8l47xr0JQau7wMs6HdXA/s400/mgsetof6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Dread twins</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Wellington and Forsythia Dread)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5jMI15JuDoRxzG06XZVZEql0MAiFzBxJmVOX82eye08suHIgbW1J9E_1bcHOsFHAvFFaOvE2nWa7a6vMhxegXkxeBw3K0CbMuu_V4XevJPcTDfX4FQopQX8wxZawnF4EZGpICTL_Kw0W/s1600/twins.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5jMI15JuDoRxzG06XZVZEql0MAiFzBxJmVOX82eye08suHIgbW1J9E_1bcHOsFHAvFFaOvE2nWa7a6vMhxegXkxeBw3K0CbMuu_V4XevJPcTDfX4FQopQX8wxZawnF4EZGpICTL_Kw0W/s400/twins.png" width="391" /></a></div>
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A couple of murderous brats who belong to the cataclysmic Dread family (a family whose members kept killing each other until no one was left, and later moved to live on in the the Haunted Mansion as ghosts). Their busts are seen in the <i>Walt Disney World</i> Interactive Queue of the Haunted Mansion.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The original busts:</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaF1DVVZJWsj6YJDjDXRH5qXn9KbtdeqhrxkLZQyulpm4ywV6sk56owOPkp-eK1uZ2P-Bjl2Re7yqsYirivgqZ0DlWS4PGGUxW159fQqQCAHnDwyW_D-2tgvUdiPmDpWdEByEouAjt9Kr/s1600/DSC_11081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaF1DVVZJWsj6YJDjDXRH5qXn9KbtdeqhrxkLZQyulpm4ywV6sk56owOPkp-eK1uZ2P-Bjl2Re7yqsYirivgqZ0DlWS4PGGUxW159fQqQCAHnDwyW_D-2tgvUdiPmDpWdEByEouAjt9Kr/s400/DSC_11081.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Floating Candlestick</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82gV7l3PZ3IhSbQg1JrPtXDy0sEoCjnCyvngHva3WUn0Hzpy7-yzXOA6XZaNoQFF9M4G-9Nu1ROzPxaneMJzQ2j8pgXdqk3-6kF8x9LPX_Gt7Hcp3lpHbHMZ4eDrNYscddDaLh2S0bEWF/s1600/loat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82gV7l3PZ3IhSbQg1JrPtXDy0sEoCjnCyvngHva3WUn0Hzpy7-yzXOA6XZaNoQFF9M4G-9Nu1ROzPxaneMJzQ2j8pgXdqk3-6kF8x9LPX_Gt7Hcp3lpHbHMZ4eDrNYscddDaLh2S0bEWF/s400/loat.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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A ghost holds a Floating Chandelier in the Endless Hallway of the Haunted Mansion, forever wandering in corridors that seem to have no end or purpose. A similar effect is in play at Phantom Manor, where Mélanie (see upper) is revealed to be the one holding the chandelier.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><i>Here is the Floating Candlestick</i></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><i>in the Endless Hallway:</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSK3uBVptgMsN5W5U2XN0np9ON9aU6ArkUUi44FHT-5vdEHPMDAPJ-JKWuh2wDcLw90fekuXodLxxc7ZRVaqDpEZQ1gAwYnIJM4h9iAdSWNYq1Ws5sxMU_W_3SA53oaBTjOUJLkteI7yqL/s1600/lifebythedropJeffFilmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSK3uBVptgMsN5W5U2XN0np9ON9aU6ArkUUi44FHT-5vdEHPMDAPJ-JKWuh2wDcLw90fekuXodLxxc7ZRVaqDpEZQ1gAwYnIJM4h9iAdSWNYq1Ws5sxMU_W_3SA53oaBTjOUJLkteI7yqL/s400/lifebythedropJeffFilmore.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Mariner</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Captain Culpepper Clyne)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwN5jA1PlecG-tsLz6liALYdnZLwH2B_5bS4TP6uf2hJp0-wQQrCsVcHjgSdUQeBb_4iu1P4fh2k8FuS0WQMqJMHM0yPFlQIJl6Aks5i-IBlgA4FV4hNyRqSYl7i7mt24CHrLlYWGpIaE/s1600/culpepper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwN5jA1PlecG-tsLz6liALYdnZLwH2B_5bS4TP6uf2hJp0-wQQrCsVcHjgSdUQeBb_4iu1P4fh2k8FuS0WQMqJMHM0yPFlQIJl6Aks5i-IBlgA4FV4hNyRqSYl7i7mt24CHrLlYWGpIaE/s400/culpepper.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Captain Culpepper Clyne used to appear as one of the "Sinister Eleven" portraits — those whose eyes seemed to follow you as you walked past them — at the Walt Disney World <i>Haunted Mansion</i>. A new, blank-eyed version of the portrait was put in the Mansion's staircase to ensure that he was still present in the Mansion when the Sinister Eleven were removed; additionally, since 2009, his grave is part of the WDW “Interactive Queue”. </div>
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<i>This is the original “follow-eye” Culpepper Clyne:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWBInw8fKdGEAFQI3sMaFan-hTS3_hN4jcAQvZfOj_Xo8Onujz2QYhZaU8_TQFSdA5prYpkXzSodlTsmcH4cIySNx9RxZ_-uSaLiFfk0EGTSsJxoL4429XUrhY2ayaJ6UfxvFuUDi7f7M/s1600/Mariner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWBInw8fKdGEAFQI3sMaFan-hTS3_hN4jcAQvZfOj_Xo8Onujz2QYhZaU8_TQFSdA5prYpkXzSodlTsmcH4cIySNx9RxZ_-uSaLiFfk0EGTSsJxoL4429XUrhY2ayaJ6UfxvFuUDi7f7M/s400/Mariner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>And this is the new, blank-eyed version:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZS5LDCYtPNdY9B25mL95yWj59DcN8sMjdpKmEPL9i6bStEFVY_i5JGynqYmIV7-v85qPaI3rifwL-ZZl9mh_iPNyD9exqxjekBhEtSyGVrJCLs0nFZGr_SoLARKk7V64jMhNVrw9VYKv/s1600/HMmariner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZS5LDCYtPNdY9B25mL95yWj59DcN8sMjdpKmEPL9i6bStEFVY_i5JGynqYmIV7-v85qPaI3rifwL-ZZl9mh_iPNyD9exqxjekBhEtSyGVrJCLs0nFZGr_SoLARKk7V64jMhNVrw9VYKv/s320/HMmariner1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Traveler” Hitchhiking Ghost</span> <span style="font-size: small;">(Phineas)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgKutz4A3NTddb2rMFxjRJdH8uZsg7TYdmhbNXCNQtcs2CYQZVWlMf8WysyVFv1JXtuqUUNSREBd5Pr1uIDsOEGuEJ-MmBEA2sY6pwHD0ZmfZCW-UV7ZSFCiWPLI8eEJ5-mYCDcJb8dH4/s1600/Phineasthetravel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgKutz4A3NTddb2rMFxjRJdH8uZsg7TYdmhbNXCNQtcs2CYQZVWlMf8WysyVFv1JXtuqUUNSREBd5Pr1uIDsOEGuEJ-MmBEA2sY6pwHD0ZmfZCW-UV7ZSFCiWPLI8eEJ5-mYCDcJb8dH4/s320/Phineasthetravel.png" width="269" /></a></div>
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Phineas is one of the three Hitchhiking Ghosts. He is the least-remembered one, but still has quite a fancies. </div>
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<i>In the original attraction, Phineas looks like this:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyFa-Us3CKgzpkmBvHg54l1kgiPeONJ6RVK6x2whb_DWN3qu6vSFfYltyTvm9gdMmBSD8PxVlofDZNJ3lduVFNR4icmRUn_slEKn60YMn1RWccFM8SPqMaQHKl2OJRhlzv2Vnfd1POEtw/s1600/Phineas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyFa-Us3CKgzpkmBvHg54l1kgiPeONJ6RVK6x2whb_DWN3qu6vSFfYltyTvm9gdMmBSD8PxVlofDZNJ3lduVFNR4icmRUn_slEKn60YMn1RWccFM8SPqMaQHKl2OJRhlzv2Vnfd1POEtw/s1600/Phineas.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Skeleton” Hitchhiking Ghost </span><span style="font-size: small;">(Ezra)</span></span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7j2fLTO0FGE9Y2o8FnZWZuzHmI9YMyeYSP5ljgP_JHUHBzY9xe1J_itS3Y__e_fkpuWbBpgej6E-rcR24bzL-kHUrVkD1qLpjw3rUSy8tBAfM_JmlKzLDr8LQ_bh1PPe3-vHuegyml85/s1600/Ezrakelly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7j2fLTO0FGE9Y2o8FnZWZuzHmI9YMyeYSP5ljgP_JHUHBzY9xe1J_itS3Y__e_fkpuWbBpgej6E-rcR24bzL-kHUrVkD1qLpjw3rUSy8tBAfM_JmlKzLDr8LQ_bh1PPe3-vHuegyml85/s320/Ezrakelly.png" width="298" /></a></div>
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The most famous Hitchhiking Ghost, Ezra is a tall, snarky, skeletal man. In his original park version, he is bald, but during a redesign, they gave him white hair, which is mirrored here. This had, however, the downside of making him more similar to the Hatbox Ghost, as the two actually share the same head mold.</div>
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<i>Bald Ezra in the attraction:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvzjt42nShGS99jG8alutbL1GDfKAlwlS95_4WFN1NWU5ORmuxeDImnuPHMJc0ZOYBogyWYvq7nnvfTdFxOMfYo5pPfGxkRg4sd3Pce7gBXq68HtK48RnethBie7PHTDRwzmbW5N9hhzD/s1600/Ezra.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvzjt42nShGS99jG8alutbL1GDfKAlwlS95_4WFN1NWU5ORmuxeDImnuPHMJc0ZOYBogyWYvq7nnvfTdFxOMfYo5pPfGxkRg4sd3Pce7gBXq68HtK48RnethBie7PHTDRwzmbW5N9hhzD/s1600/Ezra.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">The Opera Glasses Lady</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUJdmj4M__SZnV53Qrcb2EArgwa_qm0vJ5qorwKcXuDJvT4ph7QT5UzRKS7iFBRAvPc6eaC4OYA0HMEahYWGly1FbCMdFYBUxTlGIQoX4p7uyYSI4qoRDsgG5GUH4C-LEqHY5H0Y6XHvm/s1600/Opera+Glasses+Lady.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUJdmj4M__SZnV53Qrcb2EArgwa_qm0vJ5qorwKcXuDJvT4ph7QT5UzRKS7iFBRAvPc6eaC4OYA0HMEahYWGly1FbCMdFYBUxTlGIQoX4p7uyYSI4qoRDsgG5GUH4C-LEqHY5H0Y6XHvm/s400/Opera+Glasses+Lady.png" width="350" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Formerly another one of the “Sinister Eleven” portraits, now gone from the Mansion, but still dearly-remembered by some fans, including Kelly.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><i>Here is the original “Sinister Eleven” portrait:</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDINLVlSn03_aDLmJMwpzMetBRNqpayBzpS0u7rwn6ZGQtEMcbYUjxPGAaJIxs0sKB5ZEQImfpUrhX7r5qyXckaNKJaQ9m5RBXrFpSbx2l8hwbGLbZ2UgPu_fXDWXzpBuBZM5gsjfuAL7/s1600/3634206243_dd4b1520ba_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDINLVlSn03_aDLmJMwpzMetBRNqpayBzpS0u7rwn6ZGQtEMcbYUjxPGAaJIxs0sKB5ZEQImfpUrhX7r5qyXckaNKJaQ9m5RBXrFpSbx2l8hwbGLbZ2UgPu_fXDWXzpBuBZM5gsjfuAL7/s400/3634206243_dd4b1520ba_z.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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<i>And, just for fun, here is another striking Kelly rendition</i></div>
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<i> of the same character:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwaSfSWQ3VpUBTXDbqi1T8ZJwRJMCYRADTofxey6Haf4O3WsJlei3Jqq4w1ftK9fbCw6BNgFWYaiXnh9QGbZtQZi03vjnwpmvNL-n8kRUyPwIDBBvuSL9F_vjXpC6TTzVT54T3q1UrCEPF/s1600/opera_glasses_lady_by_kellym_mortal-d731e7a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwaSfSWQ3VpUBTXDbqi1T8ZJwRJMCYRADTofxey6Haf4O3WsJlei3Jqq4w1ftK9fbCw6BNgFWYaiXnh9QGbZtQZi03vjnwpmvNL-n8kRUyPwIDBBvuSL9F_vjXpC6TTzVT54T3q1UrCEPF/s400/opera_glasses_lady_by_kellym_mortal-d731e7a.png" width="283" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Werecat Lady</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz-aiTVJOuPcfqW4x6ErOb6wFNG2wj-Qfztg6QSaDc_HazRX4KIjaV1C4sU2j8pgfFSYtMA0bYWHYbjznUpNz6ixDseAqg8GRTGcq_ObBPmluxMquF7_vgYWkpvnd3dALPsmUKADHOEty/s1600/Werecat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz-aiTVJOuPcfqW4x6ErOb6wFNG2wj-Qfztg6QSaDc_HazRX4KIjaV1C4sU2j8pgfFSYtMA0bYWHYbjznUpNz6ixDseAqg8GRTGcq_ObBPmluxMquF7_vgYWkpvnd3dALPsmUKADHOEty/s400/Werecat.png" width="355" /></a></div>
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The Werecat Lady is among the Changing Portraits. She originally flashed (or, later, slowly morphed) from the white-gowned for mimicked by Kelly into a black panther. However, when the effect was rebooted with a new trick, they repainted her; in the current version, she wears a black dress, but turns into a white tiger.</div>
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<i>Old, morphing set (in the actual attraction, only Step 1</i></div>
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<i>and Step 6 were visible):</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoTm76p3F090cHWUUIogZiFQkjR4nHnGbsjN8vh_c5KqfmLXcMvpghVmS-33n-W-fPgP6-biHzjDhiMnazj81rSlHYxKZCpftYNjVBb1jzMOIzS62O9fvO7v25iOe-oNx7ekm4thZSujF/s1600/catlady%252520six%252520panel%252520copy_zpsvyo2dfd0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoTm76p3F090cHWUUIogZiFQkjR4nHnGbsjN8vh_c5KqfmLXcMvpghVmS-33n-W-fPgP6-biHzjDhiMnazj81rSlHYxKZCpftYNjVBb1jzMOIzS62O9fvO7v25iOe-oNx7ekm4thZSujF/s400/catlady%252520six%252520panel%252520copy_zpsvyo2dfd0.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Current version of the Werecat Lady:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcu1qTuGSGje_5aP0zw227wXSIamopl2IG4nemyhwq4eewuPTsdAfaVLSRpg9SXpErzpwpgMpnBHaC1t-vHcmU3UpM22i10FTYwdqO0p7PnhK4PIhjirtB0KP9DkV06sx2FxdLECO40ZUT/s1600/newcatlady_zps53f7571a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcu1qTuGSGje_5aP0zw227wXSIamopl2IG4nemyhwq4eewuPTsdAfaVLSRpg9SXpErzpwpgMpnBHaC1t-vHcmU3UpM22i10FTYwdqO0p7PnhK4PIhjirtB0KP9DkV06sx2FxdLECO40ZUT/s400/newcatlady_zps53f7571a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Well… it looks like I have covered everything in the Haunted Mansion Comic Strips series by KellyM-Mortal. But be sure to check her <a href="http://kellym-mortal.deviantart.com/gallery/">gallery</a>, where you will find many more illustrations and sketches of the Haunted Mansion happy haunts. Farewell !</span></div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-22252235713861233702016-03-26T08:37:00.002-07:002016-03-26T08:37:45.955-07:00REVIEW: "Not the reaction he wanted"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7wra771DMsbNNqmBU6WZGpuCqoIgQ-ZaA7xKJUuTpxI73GJo0d6BKQjom7hvJWfVWUohrGRv0lJXufHw0Y_d2GkVBkWxrWkgFYmIPeopgNSKeNOSM98i_zjEkABQ1gbcgUNjPa1mfF7z/s1600/not_the_reaction_he_wanted_by_kellym_mortal-d8xtuun.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7wra771DMsbNNqmBU6WZGpuCqoIgQ-ZaA7xKJUuTpxI73GJo0d6BKQjom7hvJWfVWUohrGRv0lJXufHw0Y_d2GkVBkWxrWkgFYmIPeopgNSKeNOSM98i_zjEkABQ1gbcgUNjPa1mfF7z/s320/not_the_reaction_he_wanted_by_kellym_mortal-d8xtuun.png" width="81" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The reaction I'd like you</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">to have would be to open it</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">in a new folder</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it.</span></div>
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I have two good news, and a bad one. The bad new is, this is pretty much the last strip in the series. I have a little more stuff to review from Kelly, but it's the last bona fide <i>comic</i> <i>strip</i>. The good news are: first, the Hatbox Ghost is back at the Haunted Mansion, not only in this comic, but in real life; and second, this last strip is awesome.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e0fcj9ChJzCavR7BuOSYmpzDgjIOiGD9-iXY7jnFhakZKMi69RdXOdqophY-OqsNV5a4Ztd2qowKGmUB1sEh7RXTd77MBwtCB1IyqNcRoPShIaPMGpP0uC52T1z2Bmx1zD4-z4DA9Ib9/s1600/fellowhaunts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e0fcj9ChJzCavR7BuOSYmpzDgjIOiGD9-iXY7jnFhakZKMi69RdXOdqophY-OqsNV5a4Ztd2qowKGmUB1sEh7RXTd77MBwtCB1IyqNcRoPShIaPMGpP0uC52T1z2Bmx1zD4-z4DA9Ib9/s320/fellowhaunts.png" width="299" /></a></div>
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Yes, thanks for spelling that out, Hattie. As you will notice, Kelly's style changed a little in between <i>Meanwhile in the Attic</i> and this; here he is drawn more anatomically accurately, less cartoonishly, than it used to be. To me it's neither an improvement or a letdown; both styles are awesome, and Kelly makes the best of both. The Hatbox Ghost's hopeful expression is delightful. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I wonder how many dozen times I've mentioned how the facial expressions are awesome since I started reviewing those Haunted Mansion comic strips.)</span> </div>
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Nice “animation” effect. You know, I'm kind of disappointed that for a last strip, Kelly didn't do a full color one, but at least the greyish effects on the Hatbox Ghost and so on show that she was <i>caring</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyz2ri94K-_oIl8fpOl8pOVhQGJizVB03P01vYrsKpFBXnyZQqFD9jQHqGvxALMMkPsRHgw4qiE4h7iUqcUjNCWLvjpExwlTSjjL3IBT3PwC9HFJVGrS0d6d4AW6htCbbA4F5zU-UdF7j/s1600/sillypictures.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyz2ri94K-_oIl8fpOl8pOVhQGJizVB03P01vYrsKpFBXnyZQqFD9jQHqGvxALMMkPsRHgw4qiE4h7iUqcUjNCWLvjpExwlTSjjL3IBT3PwC9HFJVGrS0d6d4AW6htCbbA4F5zU-UdF7j/s320/sillypictures.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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And, anatomically correct or not, Hattie still manages to make hilarious faces at us when he's disappointed. </div>
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The dialogues do make allusions to real Haunted Mansion facts. As the the Hatbox Ghost's “mythos” grew in those last years thanks to the Internet, Disney began to acknowledge him and use him in merchandise… yes, including shirts and T-shirts. And the “silly pictures in the corridors” refer to the Family Portraits in the Corridor of Doors, where no less than <i>three </i>pictures of Hattie (one wearing a crown, one a bowler hat, and one his usual top hat) can be seen. </div>
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So yes, that is the last gag. It's good. It's very good. But why did it have to stop there ?… Well, at any rate, one final bravo.</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-75670670889467645642016-03-26T07:01:00.001-07:002016-03-26T07:01:16.162-07:00REVIEW: "Gracey, please"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh176VffbBWDHGHuDi46QgHycSaxgvXBhT0gEH9oXhkhEIHPpJ_p0b0oc0K7tUQwuItAt8UGIVat6BFHvqj2FcRIs641i2Vhn8kmrsjfS8fFd2VIPKduR-WvE1an0WgCtY-NR4Ro4pYH-xc/s1600/gracey__please_by_kellym_mortal-d6if2f0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh176VffbBWDHGHuDi46QgHycSaxgvXBhT0gEH9oXhkhEIHPpJ_p0b0oc0K7tUQwuItAt8UGIVat6BFHvqj2FcRIs641i2Vhn8kmrsjfS8fFd2VIPKduR-WvE1an0WgCtY-NR4Ro4pYH-xc/s320/gracey__please_by_kellym_mortal-d6if2f0.png" width="153" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">“Please”, open this in a</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">new folder to enjoy it in all</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">its details.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Once upon a time, there was an attraction named the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. Every year, thousands of people visited the house, and gazed at the ghosts and their portraits, wondering how they had come to be ghosts in the first place. But no one knew for sure who was who.”</span></div>
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Thus began the trend of fan-made backstories and names for the Haunted Mansion spooks. A very popular one is that "Master Dorian Gracey", the young dandy whose portrait decays before your very eyes into that of a skeleton, was actually once the master of the House. This was supported by the fact that his formal portrait was hanging on its own in the entrance, apart from all the other paintings. And there was also the fact that he had Master in his name — although this is actually a mistake, as "Master" was actually what a young nobleman who was precisely <i>not yet</i> the master of the house he lived in would be called in the 19th century. </div>
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But then, why wasn't it he who was giving the tours, instead of the Ghost Host ? <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/can_of_worms">Well</a>, head canons quickly got mad from that point onward. There actually five characters in the equation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIomEctN0VWAEz2q07U2aSpA_URDop7_gN7wwcCBZW21BAbnl4aGfwuGSWYsVguC5eWFeAGR8YFZZztiDBG4_WZDWdGXfnldwu7mq3qzPTPmmqXzqrBFfDn8CVRNiUduNmOz0FA6cV0MUl/s1600/%25E8%25AF%25B4%25E4%25BA%2586%25E7%25AB%258B%25E6%25B3%2595%25EF%25BC%259F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIomEctN0VWAEz2q07U2aSpA_URDop7_gN7wwcCBZW21BAbnl4aGfwuGSWYsVguC5eWFeAGR8YFZZztiDBG4_WZDWdGXfnldwu7mq3qzPTPmmqXzqrBFfDn8CVRNiUduNmOz0FA6cV0MUl/s320/%25E8%25AF%25B4%25E4%25BA%2586%25E7%25AB%258B%25E6%25B3%2595%25EF%25BC%259F.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>The Ghost Host:</b></div>
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The disembodied voice you hear narrating your tour</div>
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whenever you visit the Haunted Mansion. In a rejected</div>
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version of the narration, he introduced himself as</div>
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“The Ghost Host, Lord and Master of the House”,</div>
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but whether this is still canonical or not in </div>
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the finished ride is up to debate.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdww_9zrqsIXMadQYmRwg2Ss6dYpTkzTl_3BdLkE6EtyRGFvtmsg0icN-MayBsbnWcwjwerw_2om8-IMf8XarwsgaN7aIZ-tNUnNF6KMxLGYoFC0mhtAIpqAj2HCmj6GZgBSN0VORJDuF0/s1600/Ghost_Host_Hanging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdww_9zrqsIXMadQYmRwg2Ss6dYpTkzTl_3BdLkE6EtyRGFvtmsg0icN-MayBsbnWcwjwerw_2om8-IMf8XarwsgaN7aIZ-tNUnNF6KMxLGYoFC0mhtAIpqAj2HCmj6GZgBSN0VORJDuF0/s320/Ghost_Host_Hanging.jpg" width="187" /></a></div>
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<b>The Hanging Man:</b></div>
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The lifeless corpse hanging from the</div>
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rafters of the cupola in the Stretching Room</div>
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tableau. The Ghost Host says that to get out</div>
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of the Mansion, there's “always… <i>his</i> way”</div>
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just before we see the Hanging Man,</div>
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which many have taken as a hint</div>
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that the Ghost Host committed suicide by</div>
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hanging in an attempt to leave</div>
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the Mansion, and that the Hanging Man</div>
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is <i>his</i> corpse.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dfoulf84nNgFZUfoHhSxhMn5VQw0KrWM851-bxDyAcvnfyMaSc3QIA4eCzBvI1TdGDfHXO7ZJdloUx6mIkL1XeBi2bb8f4bh_xZ9aiNaWTgKBCgPjQ9-ckY1DshXfq6OjGYOl1f8L07Y/s1600/Ghost_Host_Portrait_%2528Joe_Denton%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dfoulf84nNgFZUfoHhSxhMn5VQw0KrWM851-bxDyAcvnfyMaSc3QIA4eCzBvI1TdGDfHXO7ZJdloUx6mIkL1XeBi2bb8f4bh_xZ9aiNaWTgKBCgPjQ9-ckY1DshXfq6OjGYOl1f8L07Y/s400/Ghost_Host_Portrait_%2528Joe_Denton%2529.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
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<b>The Hatchet Man:</b></div>
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This character appears in various</div>
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portraits that usually hung in the</div>
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Corridor of Doors. His basic structure</div>
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is always the same, but details</div>
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(such as his skin, which can</div>
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either be blue as above, or</div>
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of a natural colour; the colours</div>
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of his clothes; whether or not his</div>
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shadow is brandishing the hatchet in</div>
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a menacing manner; and whether</div>
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he looks like an evil maniac like here,</div>
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or just a little ominous) change</div>
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a LOT from one version</div>
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to another.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmXIpCpTTdGt1ieYK9-K9labXLpeVn27Z-nml-i38ChRPJxiV3E_hR1gazlUU8FIRmaQ0F2PsEmwo8N5qi11wmTeVLsKoNEmumZuKj5687OoEnN0smn1dD33kSql5d35NdYUhafEmeJtE/s1600/mgsetof6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmXIpCpTTdGt1ieYK9-K9labXLpeVn27Z-nml-i38ChRPJxiV3E_hR1gazlUU8FIRmaQ0F2PsEmwo8N5qi11wmTeVLsKoNEmumZuKj5687OoEnN0smn1dD33kSql5d35NdYUhafEmeJtE/s400/mgsetof6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>The Foyer Changing Portrait Guy:</b></div>
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Basically, the Haunted Mansion's</div>
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take on Dorian Gray. But whether</div>
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he's really supposed to be Dorian Gray</div>
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is unclassified. His portrait hangs</div>
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in the entrance, leading</div>
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some people to think it is</div>
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the Master of the House.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJEiUxoxQ9G9lf0x2wWrY8thMlTcH_D3HRi20VQLHmzDZPSIl-b1r7G8bwmEOX4N0ihlo3yAXUrzfSwgr8N6BVZ_j17u0MT8Fgmfbf1tDVHg7A5IrTxnDUFhuyBC-cB6Io4bRPbLc4wqd/s1600/Mastergracey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJEiUxoxQ9G9lf0x2wWrY8thMlTcH_D3HRi20VQLHmzDZPSIl-b1r7G8bwmEOX4N0ihlo3yAXUrzfSwgr8N6BVZ_j17u0MT8Fgmfbf1tDVHg7A5IrTxnDUFhuyBC-cB6Io4bRPbLc4wqd/s320/Mastergracey.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Master Gracey:</b></div>
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Named after Disney Imagineer Yale Gracey,</div>
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Master Gracey's name appears on a tombstone</div>
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in the Family Plot in front of the Mansion.</div>
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<h3>
<u>The Original Official Version:</u></h3>
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The way it was intended, the Hanging Man and the Hatchet Man are the same character, seeing how their suit and appearance are strikingly similar. The Hatchet Man has even still got a noose around his neck ! And the Hatchet Man is known from written treatments to have always been intended to be what the Ghost Host looked like when he was alive. And the Ghost Host seems to have been intended to be the Master of the House, judging from the cut dialogue. So the official equation is:</div>
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Ghost Host = Hatchet Man = Hanging Man = <i>Master of the House</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Meanwhile, Master Gracey and the Foyer Guy don't have anything to do with anything. </div>
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<h3>
<u>The Fanon:</u></h3>
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Lots of fans remained unaware of the Hatchet Man until the Internet. What they did know was this truncated version:</div>
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Ghost Host = Hanging Man = <i>Master of the House</i>.</div>
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Now, some fans saw the portrait of the Foyer Guy who seems like a predominant character, probably the Master of the House. They developed the idea that:</div>
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Foyer Guy = <i>Master of the House</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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However, neither <i>Foyer Guy</i> or <i>Master of the House</i> are “names”, so they looked for an official named that would suit the "Master of the House", and they came across Master Gracey.</div>
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Their idea from that point onward was:</div>
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Foyer Guy = Master Gracey = <i>Master of the House</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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The fans that had made the Ghost Host/Master of the House connection contacted those who had cooked up the Master Gracey/Foyer Guy/Master of the House one, and the fanon story became:</div>
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Master of the House = Foyer Guy = Master Gracey = Hanging Man = Ghost Host</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then they cooked up more stories about how Master Gracey had come to hang himself and whatnot, usually revolving around a tragic love story with the Bride in the attic.</div>
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<h3>
<u>The Movie:</u></h3>
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The <i>Haunted Mansion </i>spin-off movie borrowed various ideas from the fanon, and its equation was:</div>
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Master of the House = Foyer Guy = Edward Gracey</div>
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<br />
Their Edward Gracey having had, obviously, a tragic love story with the Bride, Elizabeth, interrupted when the evil Ramble = Butler = Ghost Host murdered her.<br />
<h3>
<u>The Merchandise:</u></h3>
Either merchandise designers are also fan-theorists, or they want to sell stuff <i>to</i> fan-theorists, because the Ghost Host/Foyer Guy/Master Gracey connection was used in several merchandise items. The <i>real</i> Imagineers who knew the real stories kept fighting the merchandise guys who used the fanon story, resulting in various items being taken back from shops by the Imagineers, only to be put back there by the Merchandisers, etc.<br />
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Still following ? Okay.<br />
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<h3>
<u>Where does Kelly come in ?</u></h3>
So, nowadays, the real story has surfaced and everyone pretty much accepted that <i>Ghost Host = Hatchet Man</i>. However, old habits are hard to change and they just won't give up that <i>Foyer Guy = Master Gracey</i> and that this Foyer Master Gracey must still be someone important. So the new trend is that Master Gracey was either the Hatchet Man's brother or nephew.<br />
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Kelly seems to use this idea, though it's not quite clear. But my point with telling you this long story about fan theories was that it's pretty much where the point of Kelly's gag lies: Master Gracey is, <i>literally</i>, trying to be the Ghost Host, and the Ghost host just won't <i>let</i> him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUgXGco67GsMoDKVAMa0Mm32E7syXhYjvu38nzAL6bNbHvaOm1zM8jNkND4kzHHncDMDIO6njDT3IL5YwxHB0H0Lo95Plkdnlfgz0w5Dpf7by72jZIHmpY8YhyaAXpiiV3U1F0vV9VJUO/s1600/inhale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUgXGco67GsMoDKVAMa0Mm32E7syXhYjvu38nzAL6bNbHvaOm1zM8jNkND4kzHHncDMDIO6njDT3IL5YwxHB0H0Lo95Plkdnlfgz0w5Dpf7by72jZIHmpY8YhyaAXpiiV3U1F0vV9VJUO/s400/inhale.png" width="281" /></a></div>
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On a less serious note, that little “inhale” bit before the long "PLEAEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASE" adds a great deal of hilarious nonsensicality to the piece — additionally, you've got to wonder how Master Gracey, a <i>skeleton</i>, can inhale anything.</div>
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Also, the Ghost Host's stern expression, which is reminding of "<i><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-best-pal-hell-ever-have.html">The Best pal he'll ever have</a>", </i>is hilarious, as usual. Kelly seems to have slightly changed her rendering of him, too; his chin is much less pointy than in, say, "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-rude.html"><i>Rude</i></a>". </div>
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So yes, it's a good strip ! Bravo again. </div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-33978365120671444102016-03-26T05:52:00.000-07:002016-03-26T05:52:45.639-07:00REVIEW: "Lack of communication"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyCWEjDVh67mvXymj9CUJwrSexxrtQPGjsbMYSlnsrL8_Jx0Rte2gg0ew5XaWbONQgMBaGeQKp5-nYs2Brg6Khnjh95lnoPNlPmPejNvtikMVQFBatdWG0Hca1SDo6Uln_N9Cv69qnt8R/s1600/lack_of_communication_by_kellym_mortal-d61qgmq.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyCWEjDVh67mvXymj9CUJwrSexxrtQPGjsbMYSlnsrL8_Jx0Rte2gg0ew5XaWbONQgMBaGeQKp5-nYs2Brg6Khnjh95lnoPNlPmPejNvtikMVQFBatdWG0Hca1SDo6Uln_N9Cv69qnt8R/s320/lack_of_communication_by_kellym_mortal-d61qgmq.png" width="94" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A little communication</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">to tell you to open this in</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">a new folder to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">and thus be able to</span></div>
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Here ! It's the third strip related to the <i>Haunted Mansion Holidays</i> (you will remember that the previous ones were "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-its-that-time-of-year-again.html">It's that time of the year again…</a>" and "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-holiday-spirit.html">Holiday Spirit</a>"), and once more Kelly delights in showing the Hitchhiking Ghosts as stand-ins for the Haunted Mansion fans's reactions to the <i>HMH. </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iqryO7AQ2vErHivxu785jDrUjipEx54zzl00wse7ztfjLWlBVFZ-VLKIzNjBX8zK7Lf33YZnX3Yy4-gZ-mvQeHCRhLoXAnZlvO1pUpfa6NZC3xxcAQJqaQw-D71-znN07E7DLGS8uYWU/s1600/HitchhikingGhosts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iqryO7AQ2vErHivxu785jDrUjipEx54zzl00wse7ztfjLWlBVFZ-VLKIzNjBX8zK7Lf33YZnX3Yy4-gZ-mvQeHCRhLoXAnZlvO1pUpfa6NZC3xxcAQJqaQw-D71-znN07E7DLGS8uYWU/s400/HitchhikingGhosts.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Phineas, the plump, suitcase-bearing one, is included as the "<i>Nightmare Before Christmas</i> fanboy" who is delighted to have a chance to meet his heroes in the attraction. His youthful glee is pretty funny to look at.</div>
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Ezra is not really a "fan" reaction, though you could make a point that he might represent the fans who think that the overlay is pretty in itself even though they don't know much about <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i>. He is more in-character with an idea Kelly had about him even though she didn't really develop it in the comics themselves, which was that Ezra would be a vain womanizer.</div>
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Gus is just the blasé Haunted Mansion fan who doesn't care in the slightest and just waits 'til the overlay is over.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYvxcw4ec-bzAHcHqB1Xh0mjIYNQUNF3_xrQcLQ0JSV1zKbYajjKGm9rYO4qPl6ylSkSUXMYQif16BGr4td5AOaaMbjIrXvC7LYiOPZy5Ltnd1EbPTqSwlrrAwB90mteGzQ_9vBc3uYqH/s1600/colorschemes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYvxcw4ec-bzAHcHqB1Xh0mjIYNQUNF3_xrQcLQ0JSV1zKbYajjKGm9rYO4qPl6ylSkSUXMYQif16BGr4td5AOaaMbjIrXvC7LYiOPZy5Ltnd1EbPTqSwlrrAwB90mteGzQ_9vBc3uYqH/s400/colorschemes.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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About the colorization, you will notice that even though it's not as marked as it was back then, Kelly stuck to the color schemes she introduced in "<span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-its-that-time-of-year-again.html" style="color: #2288bb; line-height: 18px;">It's <i>that</i> time of the year again…</a>": greenish for Gus, bluish for Ezra, purplish for Phineas. It's a nice and welcome touch.</span></span></div>
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Oh, and of course, the facial expressions are very good, as usual, especially on Phineas and Ezra. This strip is <i>good</i>, like most of Kelly's. Makes me sad that we're getting close to the end of the series…</div>
Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-74754993221041217122016-03-25T12:32:00.002-07:002016-03-25T12:33:12.247-07:00REVIEW: "Holiday Spirit"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkZzbONtShaElLmXCIKreo79iL_BFGQVehYSmhlcTy3_6K_-gomJIvziHc_61kJfxV1V_ikIpf01oihusR10vhnI_O5NwxvUVRERJJaSXbMuABNPwnZixO8k3qkFIYdXh36zulDs9kFu8/s1600/holiday_spirit_by_kellym_mortal-d5xqznl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFkZzbONtShaElLmXCIKreo79iL_BFGQVehYSmhlcTy3_6K_-gomJIvziHc_61kJfxV1V_ikIpf01oihusR10vhnI_O5NwxvUVRERJJaSXbMuABNPwnZixO8k3qkFIYdXh36zulDs9kFu8/s200/holiday_spirit_by_kellym_mortal-d5xqznl.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Enjoying this in all its wonderful details</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>might</i> take to drag it into a new folder in</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">order to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it.</span></div>
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I wasn't sure I'd do this one, since it falls more on the <i>illustration</i> than the <i>strip</i> side, but then I figured that 1° it was something of a follow-up to "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-its-that-time-of-year-again.html"><span style="color: blue;"><i>It's that time of the year again</i></span></a>", which I <i>did</i> review, and 2° I had something to say about it anyway, beyond “Oooh, the art is nice!”. </div>
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So, like "<span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-its-that-time-of-year-again.html" style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Time of the year</a>"</span><i>, </i><span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Holiday Spirit </span>is a take on the <i>Haunted Mansion Holiday</i> seasonal overlay, which we can read about in the review of "<i><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-its-that-time-of-year-again.html"><span style="color: blue;">Time of the year</span></a>"</i>, but a much more cheerful, optimistic one, which makes me wonder — in the end, does Kelly <i>like</i> it or not ? Well, anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTukEdTOfHHgGbrfruts7a3IwGD8VrRZCLGa26pAKT__7036VWRHW8nCuLwG5-jcsHqPR4grW1jR2xNhyphenhyphen3wP6N0SNBCc_0LKl3ASXnOcUjZ1WCSkFFHyAw8cDbPfxWgHX2-QQ51OIFW32C/s1600/Ghosthost.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTukEdTOfHHgGbrfruts7a3IwGD8VrRZCLGa26pAKT__7036VWRHW8nCuLwG5-jcsHqPR4grW1jR2xNhyphenhyphen3wP6N0SNBCc_0LKl3ASXnOcUjZ1WCSkFFHyAw8cDbPfxWgHX2-QQ51OIFW32C/s400/Ghosthost.png" width="158" /></a></div>
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Yippee! The Ghost Host again! Though, Kelly-art-lover though I may be, I'll admit that his face is not as masterfully rendered as it sometimes is. I think the pose and colouring job <i>quite </i>make up for it, though. </div>
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Now, the Ghost Host is pretty much the anthropomorphized version of the Haunted Mansion itself, with some misinformed fans (who are not aware of the official "Hatchet Man" look which Kelly based her Ghost Host one) even imagining that the disembodied voice is coming from the very walls of the building. So, if the Haunted Mansion gets a Christmas overlay… of course the Ghost Host would get a Christmas suit! And a nice one at that. </div>
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And fellows, just <i>look</i> at the details. (if you prefer to try and find those funny background details yourself, do not read further before trying yourself).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj533ZaHkt6nQkrp92F4w4rBhzH9t_3lsOonZp-NX2FU5twwvPNhYC3VRxQy-yUFsj1-RElHLmrNkHbfeFFZDxa926T8LmslZp9dF1Dvf1ifo6R1KVNLxKXgayGtPF8XkT1HRhIrSvIF38U/s1600/Sewingbox.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj533ZaHkt6nQkrp92F4w4rBhzH9t_3lsOonZp-NX2FU5twwvPNhYC3VRxQy-yUFsj1-RElHLmrNkHbfeFFZDxa926T8LmslZp9dF1Dvf1ifo6R1KVNLxKXgayGtPF8XkT1HRhIrSvIF38U/s400/Sewingbox.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's a sewing box! So apparently, Sally (<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: xx-small;"><i><b><u>Note to those who haven't seen The Nightmare Before Christmas:</u> Sally is the Frankensteint's-Monster-like bride of Jack Skellington</b></i></span>) just sewed the suit for the Ghost Host. Yeah, you may have already noticed that.</div>
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But have you noticed the spider hanging from the box ? Ah-ha ! I think you didn't. But okay, let's assume you had. We can do better than that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MZ-OUvTnt50LkIMwGdXrG8tPr7aq7iV2_jZsuVmf31UMxzZv8d6DqkvnIWEGAzxNIxsKugLKXYhd5Vf8yCa8rnrv_xuonMiAN9XC4zG-HJqi0p5pzidf_DtLII7lR5apSeZoRM_tZQ2y/s1600/Noose.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MZ-OUvTnt50LkIMwGdXrG8tPr7aq7iV2_jZsuVmf31UMxzZv8d6DqkvnIWEGAzxNIxsKugLKXYhd5Vf8yCa8rnrv_xuonMiAN9XC4zG-HJqi0p5pzidf_DtLII7lR5apSeZoRM_tZQ2y/s200/Noose.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Did you think that was a regular tie ? Nah! It's the Ghost Host's noose, only it has been repainted to <i>look</i> like a tie. What, you saw that one yourself too ? Alright, but only the most sharp-eyed sharpies will have noticed <i>that: </i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCR2v6ANLGhynC1_ElXAhGz1ztqvgDVzFMP6rab4wm1TdAG2n_1pd3syUTDvaea4UuK84QS2smIWFqB_18Dx06c5tDPQ6H7Z7yHpe-XW_SEpiV9nsOJosQjkNi4q7BhbcjSY91dLB2su4v/s1600/pattern.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCR2v6ANLGhynC1_ElXAhGz1ztqvgDVzFMP6rab4wm1TdAG2n_1pd3syUTDvaea4UuK84QS2smIWFqB_18Dx06c5tDPQ6H7Z7yHpe-XW_SEpiV9nsOJosQjkNi4q7BhbcjSY91dLB2su4v/s400/pattern.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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…that's right. At <i>first</i> the pattern on the Ghost Host's Christmas suit seem like regular abstract patterns. But no: they're little skulls! </div>
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Farther than that ?</div>
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Assuming that there is one hidden by the Ghost Host's right leg, and two by his left leg, which seems likely, that'd mean that there would be <i>thirteen</i> of them. Ooh boy.</div>
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We Disney fans know Don Rosa as the Master of the Little Hilarious Details, but even though she's unofficial, Kelly <i>does</i> work on the same level of small hilariousnesses! And added to the clever idea behind this cartoon, this makes it a very enjoyable piece of work. Well done again!</div>
Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-80052991106795042382016-03-24T12:59:00.000-07:002016-03-24T12:59:39.349-07:00REVIEW: "Meanwhile, in the Attic"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8A_fRNKB-RdNvxvdKEBa6MnAsZvOwIWwszg-SZTciq82oWrKJMPCNMPZMkZADh6ntYPakb_1LnLnYu-gljyRjRyyWZtxdKTLqJKrYKwqVFwrCvOGfZrmXjpOju1sew_-T7y9ckM8O69v/s320/Meanwhileintheattic1.jpg" width="242" /></span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b>Page 1</b></span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It is recommended to open it in</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">another folder, so as to </span>enlarge</span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">it and thus be able to read it.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAiSNbZVzeikhGTPg6HvoKTBqG0k4HnSn8PEorQ8eAmIX64AChqvaDP2HGNwsfKITMFd4DVQj80FO-PpxzzfKlA-bUYDzYCT1GiMJdwMl6pVhovyC_yxgEJe0Tphw6JQ14oESY-AWZTdQ/s1600/Meanwhileintheattic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAiSNbZVzeikhGTPg6HvoKTBqG0k4HnSn8PEorQ8eAmIX64AChqvaDP2HGNwsfKITMFd4DVQj80FO-PpxzzfKlA-bUYDzYCT1GiMJdwMl6pVhovyC_yxgEJe0Tphw6JQ14oESY-AWZTdQ/s320/Meanwhileintheattic2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<b>Page 2</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It is also recommended to open it in</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> another folder too, so as to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">and thus be able to read it, too.</span></div>
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Not <i>quite</i> a comic strip, not <i>quite</i> a one-pager, not <i>quite</i> a story, not <i>quite</i> finished but not <i>quite</i> a sketch, this is probably the weirdest item in the series.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>Meanwhile in the Attic</i></span> actually started as just a bunch of sketches of the Hatbox Ghost and Constance in the attic -- but then Kelly found out she was beginning to develop a narrative unbeknownst to herself, and rolled with it. The story's <a href="http://orig03.deviantart.net/8b13/f/2012/343/5/c/meanwhile_in_the_attic_by_kellygreenjellybean-d5nk7id.png" style="color: blue;">original form</a><span style="color: blue;"> </span>was more of a sketch dump from which you can make the story out, but you have to pretty much guess in what order the panels are supposed to be, and you've got to ignore a few sketches that don't have much to do with the plot and are just… there, though, being Kelly art on the Hatbox Ghost, they are still rather enjoyable to look at. Not feeling like being mean to you, I rearranged the panels that <i>do</i> belong together as the story into more traditional comic pages, which you can see above. With this intro out of the way, on to the story.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPvuxtAyCBcOnhwM91k76u_hAtr9xQEUutGQEtrMkGHqsQqeWazOf279bqvBiUr1t3LEspgweukj_cRNf2rYhyphenhyphenWvY1A5G6eSjwjn-zFrwadvcb8MOfj6fxHLnxuA99_bgZJghX8iRQ6L6/s1600/ConfoundedWoman.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPvuxtAyCBcOnhwM91k76u_hAtr9xQEUutGQEtrMkGHqsQqeWazOf279bqvBiUr1t3LEspgweukj_cRNf2rYhyphenhyphenWvY1A5G6eSjwjn-zFrwadvcb8MOfj6fxHLnxuA99_bgZJghX8iRQ6L6/s400/ConfoundedWoman.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This gag runs on the same idea as the previous<span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-never-think-out-loud_15.html" style="color: blue; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: blue;">Never think out loud!</span></a>: the Hatbox Ghost is back, and he isn't pleased with what he sees. His reaction to Constance in <i>Think out</i> was mostly of surprise, but now that Constance tossed him out with her bare hands, his spite has turned into <i>hatred. </i>Hatred of Constance. Hatred of her @#$€& changes to <i>his</i> attic. Hatred of all she represents: the changes made to the Haunted Mansion since the Hatbox Ghost last saw it. It is very effective, and very funny to watch; the Hatbox Ghost's grumpiness and exasperation is hilarious in the left panel.</div>
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As for the second one, it's a clever play on the fact that, while the other brides before Constance (see <a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/reviews-brides-of-mansion.html"><span style="color: blue;">this review</span></a> if you don't remember/don't know what I'm talking about) were silent, Constance talks the entire time you see her. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSFKP1iCkjoGSq-qqGRTB_jKff8wHs1mmSURieOocozf8suiS57_rEgkoSf-6PNKwgpFpcOyKtHF_rjYpyeOn3xoyLI1UrZNPlpw6eNpRCcdTt4vgh_8hjOsdomon3nAk8lk17cPwPnkA/s1600/Anim.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSFKP1iCkjoGSq-qqGRTB_jKff8wHs1mmSURieOocozf8suiS57_rEgkoSf-6PNKwgpFpcOyKtHF_rjYpyeOn3xoyLI1UrZNPlpw6eNpRCcdTt4vgh_8hjOsdomon3nAk8lk17cPwPnkA/s400/Anim.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li>It's so cutely hilarious, how Master Gracey has to come up in the attic and cool the two kooky ghosts down like a teacher would a couple of primary-schoolers, in the first panel. The Hatbox Ghost's expressions in panels 1 and 3 do give this feeling of "bratty kid", in a priceless fashion. </li>
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<li>The three last panels retain the same "animated" quality I described in other Kelly works. It works. As it always does.</li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Like the darkest reaches of the Underword I am not.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's one weird line of dialogue. The idea is </span>that the Hatbox Ghost, being an antique himself, speak with Antiquated Linguistics. The idea itself ? Excellent. Its contrast with the kid-like attitude of the surrounding panels ? Hilarious. But there is one little thing: I suppose that this line is a reference to something specific, but what ? It sounds like something vaguely shakespearian, but…</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7F_44-mtGXOAGzwL6GNXfKtAmWtncGqjMOL6Kls_IO7F_mhfz5sfqtYENnwHeEApC-0P6XvAy0gtYaIvFIHCQ68CVSDxG3NQZ4oGL-ebIgs_1KwtyqhCBF1Wdz_GmqMeYBXGupJyFxvG/s1600/rferf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7F_44-mtGXOAGzwL6GNXfKtAmWtncGqjMOL6Kls_IO7F_mhfz5sfqtYENnwHeEApC-0P6XvAy0gtYaIvFIHCQ68CVSDxG3NQZ4oGL-ebIgs_1KwtyqhCBF1Wdz_GmqMeYBXGupJyFxvG/s400/rferf.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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More Ghost Host !… Yippee !… It does show here, however, that the story was not as organized as I repasted it to look like. Those panels hardly flow into each other. Somehow I think that the <i>other way around</i> would be slightly better, but even there… Bah. Just delight at each panel individually. You can't not love the Hatbox Ghost's and Ghost Host's expressions in Panel Two.</div>
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So there… It's pretty messy, but it's still a gem. Bravo. (Boy, I love this Hatbox Ghost).</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-270332045687024652016-03-15T14:03:00.004-07:002016-03-15T14:03:51.003-07:00REVIEW: "Never think out loud !"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmMb1zAdMtFpIVMIadRssi6pMuaZHWc5bn2OwheIGJGPHw-UG_9DVbMxVLaBzvMYVRQPBqClop7184PVMcfNST9i2dsRTM9KKeqcm1txwUHHuG94oJWH4pBcrhXLYYIRwZKlPm0dmCN95/s1600/never_think_out_loud_by_kellygreenjellybean-d54xl0d.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmMb1zAdMtFpIVMIadRssi6pMuaZHWc5bn2OwheIGJGPHw-UG_9DVbMxVLaBzvMYVRQPBqClop7184PVMcfNST9i2dsRTM9KKeqcm1txwUHHuG94oJWH4pBcrhXLYYIRwZKlPm0dmCN95/s400/never_think_out_loud_by_kellygreenjellybean-d54xl0d.png" width="91" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sorry for “thinking out loud”, but I “think” you should</i></span></div>
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So, there we are. Now I can't elude all your questions about the Hatbox Ghost anymore. "Who on Earth or in the Netherworld is he?", have you been crying out loud.</div>
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<a href="http://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.fr/2010/05/hat-box-ghost.html"><span style="color: blue;">Well</span></a>.<br />
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The Hatbox Ghost figure <i>was</i>, actually, installed in the Haunted Mansion… for a few days. He was an cloaked, short, elderly and skeletal figure, wearing an oversized top hat and holding an equally oversized hatbox. In those days, as you'll remember from my analysis of "<i><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/reviews-brides-of-mansion.html" style="color: blue;">Brides of the Mansion</a>", </i>the local Bride was Emily the Ambiguous Bride, in her skeletal, scary form. Emily's glowing heart's heartbeat sound effect filled the attic, <i>thump-thump, thump-thump</i>, and the Hatbox Ghost's gimmick was that his head would disappear from his shoulders and reappear in his now glowing hatbox, all in synchronization with the heartbeats. As argued elsewhere, the implication was likely that Skeletor Emily had murdered the Hatbox Ghost, or that he was murdered <i>because</i> of her; but whatever the case, the two of them were linked, in an interesting unsolved mystery that the guests were led to ponder about. But then, real life stepped in, with one of those trivial but also terribly crippling problems meeting the poor spook: the lights on the track of the Omnimovers that the guests traveled on were located much too close to the Hatbox Ghost, and they reduced his trick (which would have been executed with special light-sensitive paint) to nothingness. </div>
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Thus, without a gimmick, Hattie had to go… And in spite of the Imagineers's futile efforts to fix him, he did, with no coming back for another sixty years. However, since he was removed after the attraction's opening, 1° there were numerous eye witnesses and 2° more significantly, he was prominently featured in pre-opening merchandise that continued to be sold after his removal; people who'd buy the souvenir book, or the souvenir record, or would get their hands on a flyer for the attraction, would recognize 998 spooks on the photos… except for this one striking elderly skeleton guy with the hatbox. Thus they would search and snoop around, without much success until the Internet came in. And at this point, the Hatbox Ghost's popularity <i>exploded, </i>thanks to all these witnesses who thought they were mistaken coming together and sharing fond memories of "Hattie". Information surfaced, so did a few decent photographs, and soon the only ghost that <i>wasn't </i>in the Mansion had become one of its <i>icons</i>, right up there with the Hitchhiking Ghosts and Madame Leota, to the point that he was often featured in official Disney merchandise. </div>
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Yet all this time, the Hatbox Ghost wasn't coming back to his attic, which was no longer "his", as the set had been entirely changed to make room for the new bride, Constance Hatchaway, and her new specific, Hatbox-Ghost-less backstory. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Now the Hatbox Ghost finally came back, though outside of the attic, but that's irrelevant; this strip was published before that.) </span></div>
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Now, Kelly's idea with her Hatbox Ghost is that he too wants to go back to the attic… desperately so ! But Constance just won't let him, and neither will the Ghost Host and Master Gracey — he's banished, dammit ! He can't go in !</div>
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Thus, with the history out of the way, let's cut to the story. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtUXlQ6BHGEYQlsfLHun4xMQ6gZ3VpAqyzwpj0I3JiuTqwwcrSGEHkOVQWq-lzIbZS5hjcWL-LjRSHLQ8tcAbO6X7bsXeChT8o45_-35JN123g3cqs-qDvnuKOPl5Z4w4Zr56Uw3uvLf3/s1600/Excellent.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtUXlQ6BHGEYQlsfLHun4xMQ6gZ3VpAqyzwpj0I3JiuTqwwcrSGEHkOVQWq-lzIbZS5hjcWL-LjRSHLQ8tcAbO6X7bsXeChT8o45_-35JN123g3cqs-qDvnuKOPl5Z4w4Zr56Uw3uvLf3/s640/Excellent.png" width="196" /></a></div>
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Sorry for giving you such a large chunk of image at once, but it was to point to an excellent effect. <i>The animation</i>. I already spoke about it in a previous review, but it's really most obvious here. Each panel flows into each other, and since they have the same proportions and framing, it would be easy to think of them as animation cells from a finished, flowing, masterly-animated cartoon. </div>
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Also, Constance Hatchaway's and the Hatbox Ghost's poses and faces are really excellent. And I do mean excellent. Not "average-excellent" as is often the case with Kelly (i.e. just her uncanny ability to draw the faces right at once), but an excellence where it's obvious that she put even more effort in it than usual. Just look at the Hatbox Ghost's smirks in panels 3 to 4, or Constance's increasingly annoyed expression. This is not just good art. It's master art. It's comical genius.</div>
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There is also a comparatively minor detail that I find funny here: this is our first color Hatbox Ghost strip, and thus we can discover that in Kelly's world, he is… black and white. Which all makes sense, actually. For one, he's supposed to be an "old-school" ghost from 1969, not one of 'em modern effects like Constance. Also, the only photograph we have of him depicts him as black and white. Finally, it emphasizes how little Hattie fits in the new attic, which is all blue: he looks like a fish out of water in those panels, like something someone cut from one photograph and pasted on another without minding the lighting.</div>
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This strip is one of the highlights, if not <i>the</i> highlight, of this series. Bravo.</div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-11068287840731680192016-03-13T08:40:00.001-07:002016-03-13T08:40:41.928-07:00REVIEW: "Tragic"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_3D_t4xbMGX_DE-0RWQlISG8BvywcsmmSopFqZFciulSU9yrpipEfsqCsUehydYs8SjAhG43vClEbivzg9FKc3rQ_ZsNJU6Exz3DJWxTtw2Q2WSo4K8-dWrjbRNi34KHwVQ2gZl92suU/s1600/tragic_by_kellym_mortal-d51k9bz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_3D_t4xbMGX_DE-0RWQlISG8BvywcsmmSopFqZFciulSU9yrpipEfsqCsUehydYs8SjAhG43vClEbivzg9FKc3rQ_ZsNJU6Exz3DJWxTtw2Q2WSo4K8-dWrjbRNi34KHwVQ2gZl92suU/s200/tragic_by_kellym_mortal-d51k9bz.png" width="154" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A “tragic” fate shall befall you if you don't</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">in all its glorious details.</span></div>
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The shortest strip in the series, and the last devoted to the ridiculous melodramaticness of <i>Phantom Manor</i>: the “official” backstory for the attraction includes the fact that the devilish figure of the Phantom is probably Mélanie the Bride's father, the nefarious Henry Ravenswood, 's ghost. After thinking about this, Kelly came up with this, which is really hilarious. And indeed, what kind of a weird relationship must those two ghosts have in their daily life. The art, including the perspective effect and Mélanie's usual exaggerated facial expression of utter sadness, are excellent <span style="font-size: x-small;">(if I wanted to nitpick, I would say that the Phantom doesn't really have red glowing eyes, but I'll refrain from it because it adds to the overall effect)</span>. Another pointless nitpicking would be that since they're ghosts (who presumably mostly haunt in “gloomy darkness”), they probably wouldn't have a bedtime at all, but once again, nitpick, not actual criticism.</div>
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Overall, in spite of its shortness, this panel is really, really well-done; a highlight. </div>
Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-54619708967430241222016-03-13T08:28:00.001-07:002016-03-13T08:28:44.222-07:00REVIEW: "The Best pal he'll ever have"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MjuPjRTpMsb84vTbS4GEIvjdYk7FRBtg4tfhPTFZxXmZ-KQcEl-iE05E4ePQ3n9a4E1brWDZUGccz1-9CZLIAYBb-81nWG2S3gGo7qB7EjzK-QkR6uCa36XAnt7ntsJHdYFtxUlFlOSS/s1600/the_best_pal_he_ll_ever_have_by_kellym_mortal-d50mhay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MjuPjRTpMsb84vTbS4GEIvjdYk7FRBtg4tfhPTFZxXmZ-KQcEl-iE05E4ePQ3n9a4E1brWDZUGccz1-9CZLIAYBb-81nWG2S3gGo7qB7EjzK-QkR6uCa36XAnt7ntsJHdYFtxUlFlOSS/s400/the_best_pal_he_ll_ever_have_by_kellym_mortal-d50mhay.png" width="107" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The best view <i>you</i>'ll ever have of this</span></div>
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After the comparative letdown that was "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-rude.html"><span style="color: blue;">Rude</span></a>", the Ghost Host gets his official début in this gorgeous strip where we also get a glimpse of other notable characters. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgvYqWSmVvZSH8Py2HA524cGmwFvhfvWSa0HaXn8tiLzj9IHbduk5vHoHTO6xuLaYql6dKfjuQXqEj3y0Z7dr_Z_3myJ8fNRzdD1cH57TnECXiYbHV2Wmmu-LAklP9iDaDw1BFBo-6W67/s1600/Goofy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgvYqWSmVvZSH8Py2HA524cGmwFvhfvWSa0HaXn8tiLzj9IHbduk5vHoHTO6xuLaYql6dKfjuQXqEj3y0Z7dr_Z_3myJ8fNRzdD1cH57TnECXiYbHV2Wmmu-LAklP9iDaDw1BFBo-6W67/s400/Goofy.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The blasé, depressed Ghost Host is a very striking image. So much that you could miss some interesting background details. For instance, <i>Goofy</i> seems to be among the audience (as his trademark “H-yuck h-yuck !” can be heard, or rather read, in the upper right corner). And the Ghost Host's, well, being a ghost is referenced by the fact that he's slightly transparent (you can actually see some of the audience's silhouettes through his sleeves).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmshx-3dIFPr9xt-7tCxVJgodt9Sjopb5l4zEpHIN66bEL19wM81dRfHgcZJzlcEK2WM5QDMpH_2l97EFa6j0tpifw3cMvLuo4DDZfzDpKWyC0bTHBqQAsPpleO1KOHN725vv7HEv1Ytxq/s1600/Mastergracey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmshx-3dIFPr9xt-7tCxVJgodt9Sjopb5l4zEpHIN66bEL19wM81dRfHgcZJzlcEK2WM5QDMpH_2l97EFa6j0tpifw3cMvLuo4DDZfzDpKWyC0bTHBqQAsPpleO1KOHN725vv7HEv1Ytxq/s400/Mastergracey.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This narcissistic character is Master Dorian Gracey (the Mansion's take on the public domain protagonist on <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i>, with the family name tweaked to reference Imagineer Yale Gracey, who did most of the Mansion's special effect). Fan theories have made him the Master of the House, and maybe the Ghost Host's brother or nephew. Anyway, he is hilariously rendered here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhnmRLHGQG1k-eDh4AU3Ytu8jv4GNMDpRBnDZNjPX-jHjXxNjFo40WZOW9z29nB5Whfd03JpSCN6HT5dSgozlWY4VxwqTDR8ROh6U7TLxlY8bX6WqI02L8B0GcEvMdUfEbjIZSJ7Z2ylp/s1600/Heh.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhnmRLHGQG1k-eDh4AU3Ytu8jv4GNMDpRBnDZNjPX-jHjXxNjFo40WZOW9z29nB5Whfd03JpSCN6HT5dSgozlWY4VxwqTDR8ROh6U7TLxlY8bX6WqI02L8B0GcEvMdUfEbjIZSJ7Z2ylp/s400/Heh.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here is the Hatbox Ghost, in a pose obviously meant to reference the earlier “<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-here-there-be-ghosts.html" style="color: blue;">Here there be ghosts</a>”, and though we have not yet dived into his own story arc, what the deal with him is here is beginning to get clearer. He is apparently kept out of the Haunted Mansion, and the Ghost Host won't let him in, in spite of his endless vociferations and threats. Why ? The time has not come yet for me to reveal these answers to you, but if you really can't wait, a google search should provide you with all the clues you need.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZPClV2hYpQU9DzXjCeis_1ZlNJUQkd7VxjexwUzL0i6DayEOgJxz5F8oXyvgQYU3nGcrAvKPk1cVE0Bq6_rM2fqE5r6cibFUh9YZF4JtMEy8FEXiFVCBf-lQYm9bvnQHOUGV-rtCtgkK/s1600/eqrf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZPClV2hYpQU9DzXjCeis_1ZlNJUQkd7VxjexwUzL0i6DayEOgJxz5F8oXyvgQYU3nGcrAvKPk1cVE0Bq6_rM2fqE5r6cibFUh9YZF4JtMEy8FEXiFVCBf-lQYm9bvnQHOUGV-rtCtgkK/s400/eqrf.png" width="362" /></a></div>
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And the punchline is, the only character he deems his friend in the whole Mansion is… himself (yes, for all you ignorants: the hanging corpse is supposed to be the Ghost Host's mortal body). Philosophically interesting, but though it surprised me, I must say it did fail to make me laugh the first time I saw it. But it's not a problem, because the hilariousness of the panels with the Hatbox Ghost and Master Gracey easily made up for it.</div>
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This is probably one of the best strips.</div>
Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-72515125899689326952016-03-13T07:38:00.000-07:002016-03-13T08:06:06.663-07:00REVIEW: "Origins"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcMUD9I1QAWZCuH07EW-aK9OSwEYBKrBcDdclILeyNGkCdKYE3DTnJEwTkglng-V3QlbUry5zmmw_BGqi84-2-xC9aKLlBGWprKVUP2tjp_rHRFyh6OUYyiOeMdSJB_ct2KeXiH5lpKs5/s1600/origins_by_kellygreenjellybean-d4sq3uc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcMUD9I1QAWZCuH07EW-aK9OSwEYBKrBcDdclILeyNGkCdKYE3DTnJEwTkglng-V3QlbUry5zmmw_BGqi84-2-xC9aKLlBGWprKVUP2tjp_rHRFyh6OUYyiOeMdSJB_ct2KeXiH5lpKs5/s400/origins_by_kellygreenjellybean-d4sq3uc.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Enjoying this “original” piece as it deserves requires</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">clicking on it to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it.</span></i></div>
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This is a funny little scene of the Hitchhiking Ghosts meeting their concept-art counterparts, hence the title; there is no explanation given, though time travel is probably involved. At any rate, it is a fun occasion to compare the originals with the current models. The strip is mostly based on a specific Marc Davis concept-art for the trio:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBC_8j7aMcvSZphVN88qnIhKqtE6wVPTdWm0-KBGbmNszu2UfSkc_BH0-PipZgYWMnGxARL26yQurUOqtJV_3ElrNxFoiFX0oKcJ3vFeH2Ck2fjaqjc1AQA7T2gklZVWG3D7jI9RTTkf0i/s1600/origins_by_kellygreenjellybean-d4sq3uc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBC_8j7aMcvSZphVN88qnIhKqtE6wVPTdWm0-KBGbmNszu2UfSkc_BH0-PipZgYWMnGxARL26yQurUOqtJV_3ElrNxFoiFX0oKcJ3vFeH2Ck2fjaqjc1AQA7T2gklZVWG3D7jI9RTTkf0i/s400/origins_by_kellygreenjellybean-d4sq3uc.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznTRijnrZk4Ue3a4B8jZ6THqZjb6BIBUfFuveuyzD_MWRg57taCIOXJMcPJhak9JrNcp0hJGu2kmIzlKz9_w4muGSsYT2tpXM6AwSj6rb-Gd_JuiVICFacpL0FLcm4ohdkoDzbQVEFDoX/s1600/hmc_hitchhikers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznTRijnrZk4Ue3a4B8jZ6THqZjb6BIBUfFuveuyzD_MWRg57taCIOXJMcPJhak9JrNcp0hJGu2kmIzlKz9_w4muGSsYT2tpXM6AwSj6rb-Gd_JuiVICFacpL0FLcm4ohdkoDzbQVEFDoX/s400/hmc_hitchhikers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The whole strip is something like "<i><a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/reviews-brides-of-mansion.html" style="color: blue;">Brides of the Mansion</a>"</i>, and contains similar mythology gags. The Casper-like Ezra of the first concept arts is deemed ridiculous by most fans of the "skeleton" Ezra, hence Ezra's snarky comment to his concept-art equivalent. Similarly, an unwelcome change in recent design was the loss of Phineas's coat, which most fans think was a bad idea (hence Phineas asking his old counterpart for a spare one). </div>
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It can also be noted that Gus is the only one of the ghosts not to talk in this piece… A nod to "<a href="http://disneycomicsreviews.blogspot.fr/2016/03/review-prisoners-escape.html"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Prisoner's Escape</i></span></a>", I wonder ? Perhaps it all comes from the fact that Gus doesn't have a mouth at all in the original Marc Davis concept-art.</div>
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Well, at any rate, an interesting nod to the characters' origin, with good art as always and some nice mythology gags. </div>
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Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7959504671209376142.post-22265148744014079542016-03-13T07:02:00.001-07:002016-03-13T07:03:13.071-07:00REVIEW: "Rude"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPLjokhROSZrn9RAD2t1JWC2PdxNVixo1TBlrZUPsZFaosCn2jX2bSAdLBcsDoFiOXdd4_sBrIP_xCIeBfj4VbxNccSDYrfa843oQbNUujmmnDdghUzv3Tq_sDIv-mRhuZ23_heBXVjWi/s1600/Rude.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPLjokhROSZrn9RAD2t1JWC2PdxNVixo1TBlrZUPsZFaosCn2jX2bSAdLBcsDoFiOXdd4_sBrIP_xCIeBfj4VbxNccSDYrfa843oQbNUujmmnDdghUzv3Tq_sDIv-mRhuZ23_heBXVjWi/s400/Rude.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It wold be sooo "rude" of you not to click on this picture in order</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">to </span>enlarge<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it and enjoy all its details and dialogues.</span></div>
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This is, admittedly, the most inconsequential of the strips, apparently based on a real incident at the Haunted Mansion; if nothing else, it is interesting for the first appearance of the Ghost Host in the strips. Said Ghost Host's facial expression are pretty good, as usual, but as I said the punchline is very weak, and the strip too short to be memorable. I don't have much more to say about it — it's <i>that</i> inconsequential. </div>
Achille Talonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.com0