Ankkalinnake

Pat Block -haastattelu

Tällä kertaa Ankkalinnakkeen haastattelupenkkiin istuu amerikkalainen ankkakäsikirjoittaja Patrick Blok, paremmin tunnettuna Pat Block. Hän on muunmuassa käsikirjoittanut Carl Barksin viimeiseksi jääneen tarinan, "Somewhere in Nowhere":n.


Suurkiitos Villelle haastattelun tekemisestä!


1.Who is/are Your so called "rolemodel(s)" from Donald Duck artists?
I was born in 1958, on March 13, (which is considered by some folks here in the USA as Donald's birthday). My grandmother began buying me comic books well before I could read, and she would sit me on her lap and read them to me, and many of Unca Carl's stories were impressed upon me at an extremely early age. I still possess a couple of coverless, tattered Dell Walt Disney's Comics and Stories and Uncle Scrooge comics with 1960-61 dates on them.

By the time I was in grade school, I could read due to those comics. I had memorized each page from repeated tellings by my grandmother, and I really, really loved those stories by Carl, both the longer adventures, and the shorter ten pagers, pretty much equally.

Carl Barks and John Stanley, who drew Little Lulu, were my early influences in comics. Later in life, I read tons of comic strips by E.C. Segar, (Popeye), Al Capp, (L'il Abner), Roy Crane, (Wash Tubbs and Captain Easy), Hal Foster, (Prince Valiant), Gottfredson, (Mickey Mouse), and Harold Gray, (Little Orphan Annie).

In more modern times, I loved the wonderful Japanese medieval samurai story Lone Wolf and Cub, (or Kozure Okami) by Kozure Okami and Goseki, and Watchmen by Moore and Gibbons.

But, as far as ducks go....it's all Carl Barks. None of the rest of us can fill his shoes, we just follow along in his mighty shadow. He was not just the best duck artist, but one of the top ten or twenty greatest comic artists of the twentieth century, by anyone's measure.


2. Is there any certain character from Duckburg, that You prefer to write and draw?
Shelly and I mostly write and draw Donald Duck stories, and he is our preferred character. Uncle Scrooge is beloved by everyone, but the depth of his character offers less in the way of varied stories. Donald is everyman, with the foibles of a bad temper, a lazy streak, and a green bit of envy stuffed into his feathery little head.

I think this makes him more interesting, from a story aspect, than either Mickey, who can be rather bland, or Scrooge, who relies on the gimmick of his fortune, and locales, for his stories.

Drawing wise, I am quite fond of Donald's nephews. There is something of an animator's perspective in the way they "do things" together in panels, making for cute actions. They are fun to dress in silly hats and outfits, and their more serious, studious natures are good counterpoints to Donald's bad attitude. I often find myself empathetic to them in stories.


3. How long does it take to write an average story?
Shelly and I work as a team in creating new stories. We never seemed to be pressed for ideas. The basic genesis for a story often comes about very quickly. When we were producing several stories a month for Egmont, we often would come up with batches of 3-5 stories in a casual discussion. Once we have a good idea, which generally is situated around some real life disaster or occurrence, (Shelly has qualities very much like good ol' Donald), then it's just a matter of pacing the story out and coming up with filler gags to carry it along.

Typically, a couple hours to flesh the story out on paper, another day to make a complete penciled script with pictures and dialogue. It's often wise, we've found, to let an idea sit and grow a bit, before committing it to paper. I think Carl did this too, the way he worked.

Once the penciled script is complete, the writing/creative work is really done, and it's just a matter of blowing it up and inking it, which is the longer process, but is really more technical work.

Writing stories is really fun.


4. What makes drawing Donald Ducks so interesting/enjoyable
Well, I suppose of all the comic characters in existence, it's Donald and his relatives that I enjoy the most reading...so it was my first choice as an artist to try and get a job drawing. Drawing the ducks never feels like work, and I know how very lucky I am, to be able to do something I really enjoy, and get paid to do it.

Writing and drawing comic book stories is a rewarding vocation. You get to actually create something new from scratch. You get to pick whatever sort of story you want...and there is really very little in the way of guidance, rules and no real day to day "boss" you have to answer to. And, you get to work at home!

Like I said...I am very lucky to make a living in such a very fun way, and I doubt that many people have a job that is more enjoyable, on a day to day basis.


5. Do You work with Donald Ducks only when You draw/write, or is Donald Duck part of Your "free" time?
Yes, I have to say that I still enjoy Donald outside of my regular drawing of him. I enjoy when fans want drawings, and I still can read Carl's comics and get lost in them. Often times I'll still read a comic book at the table, or have one in the car with me that I will read while the wife shops or something. I am not at all tired of the Disney ducks. They are like old friends, and I like having them around.


6. And for final, Your greetings to Ankkalinnake
The only reason that we Disney artists are able to do what we do, and the thing that makes drawing these characters for money at all possible, are the fans who love the characters, and who are such active, enthusiastic supporters of the Disney family.

Without the support of thousands, millions of duck readers around the globe, there would be no Disney comics. I am very aware of this, and I am very grateful for all the support we receive. Shelly and I receive email and mail from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and even from Bulgaria...(and I'm sure I've forgotten a few other places too!) It's always wonderful hearing from fans, and you would be surprised how much of an inspiration towards ones work such encouragement is. Thanks so much for your support.


7.You drew story Somewhere in Nowhere. This story was last story which Carl Barks wrote. How does it feel draw Master's last story?
Working with Carl directly on "Somewhere In Nowhere" has been the high point of my career as a duck artist. I cant think of anything better. Carl was amazingly spry and involved in making the story as good as it could be, even at 95 years of age. He not only made suggestions to my pencil work, but caught punctuation mistakes, suggested better ways of phrasing lines, and generally made the story tauter and more straightforward.

Growing up reading Carl's work, his "voice" in those comics felt almost like a grandfatherly figure to me, and after meeting him in person, I felt a sort of circle had been achieved, and somehow more complete as a person.

It was a wonderful job, working with the Master himself!


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