Olympic Rivalry Between Norway and Sweden Starts in Duckburg!

Disney's Donald Duck February edition:Norwegian version(left) and Swedish version(right)

“ Before the games we have simply agreed,” explains Norwegian Donald Duck editor Marius Molaug explains of the country's partnership with Sweden to TV 2

For the first time the Norwegian and the Swedish edition of Donald Duck will come out with different versions of the same basic cover.

“There are also a number of different panels inside the magazine”, said Molaug.

“We struggled to agree…”adding that the Norwegian and Swedish Donald magazines usually are virtually identical, both inside and out.

“ It's a good partnership. We make the magazine and they copy it. But this time we struggled to agree," Molaug chuckles before he clarifies:

“This is all in good fun. We will return to good friends again after the Olympics.”

But before and during the Olympics there's a competition?

“Right now it's open season for some cheek. But it all goes on in good Duckburg spirit,” assures the editor.


The Norwegian edition comes out on store shelves on Friday February 7, the same day as the Olympics opening ceremony will be held in Sochi. The Swedish edition comes out a few days earlier.

According to Moulaug, Donald fans can look forward to many jokes and parody fun.

“( Swedish skier) Charlotte Kalla has become Shallot Turtle-Shell and (triathlon runner) Björn Ferry is naturally been changed to Bear Holiday. And so we have made the Swedish expert commentator Jonas Karlsson into a pig after calling (Norwegian cross country skier)Peter Northug a pig in 2012.”

- And how do the Swedes strike back?


“I think they have been bolder than us. They have, for example, made Northug into a pig, and female cross country skier Marit Bjoergen appears to be nothing more than a mass of muscles."

(Original article Fetter Fjontug vs Markmus Kelner! by Joar Hystadvegen, published on TV2! on January 30, 2014. Translation help provided by Ann-Karin Gjerde. ) 

Head over to the main article to see the parodies of the athletes...strange animal morphing going on there!

Norway is the 2nd largest comic book reading country per capita. While Sweden sells about 434,000 with their weekly Kalle Anka & Co(Donald Duck and Company) Magazine. The Nordic countries' love for the speech impaired duck is substantial. Norway has its own council promoting responsibility for comics- The Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs.

Swede Charlie Christensen created a Donald Duck parody in 1983. Arne Anka(Anka translates to duck) was a working class duck man...a womanizer and alcoholic, his life was poetic.When Disney sent a lawsuit to Christensen, Arne Anka had a terrible accident and died. The detestable duck faked his own demise! Coming back with a removable prosthetic duckbill and a new name Arnes Andre...witness protection has done well for the character and his creator. The original series lasted until 1995 and he returned in 2004 to costar in a series: Arne Anka and Konrad K.

Charlie Christensen 

Marvel Now! New 52! All new number 1! Collectible first issue!

Some argue that high numbered comic series ward off new customers, often with intricate plots and complex characters appearing and disappearing more often than your favorite soap opera. Comics become a commitment; miss a month and you are lost. How many Robins were there? Magneto dated who? It is intimidating.

For this reason, DC Comics decided that starting in September 2011, they would restart their whole line with 52 number one issues. Comics that had not been renumbered since they debuted in the 30’s had a fresh start…for better or worse. Action Comics (where Superman appeared in 1938) ended at 904, the Superman solo series ended with 714, Batman’s Alma mater Detective Comics: 881. Wonder Woman: 614 and Batman solo 713. Adventure Comics rounded off the high numbers with 529. Curiously enough, DC Comics celebrated Detective Comics would be 900th issue in April with volume 2’s issue 19. January’s highest issue number was 27.

DC Comic's Detective Comics 900

Marvel comics not far behind, followed suit with a Marvel.NOW initiative, slowly phasing out their series with new lineups, creative teams and story plots…yet keeping their history intact for the most part. Uncanny X-Men ended June 2011 with issue 544. Amazing Spider-Man ended with 700(2012), Captain America (and the Black Widow) ended with multiple money-grabbing name changes with its 640th issue. Invincible Iron Man= 527. Fantastic Four=611. They laid to rest their oldest series in October, Journey into Mystery was 655 issues long. Like DC, the publisher still has an eye for history when convenient and will celebrate Ultimate Spider-Man 200 in April, counting the series multiple volumes, one shots and miniseries with very confusing math. This month’s oldest series is Daredevil with 35 issues. Yet, it will not grow old as it is cancelled next month with issue 36; all new number one on the way!

Marvel Comic's Ultimate Spider-Man 200, out in April

Archie Comics is business as usual with this month’s Archie 652. Disney, a staple in children’s comics ended its partnership with Boom Studios in August 2011(due to buying out Marvel). Their highest number at the time was the 1940’s series Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories 720. Disney comics have been missing from the racks since.


Save for Disney, all of these comics were in house publications. The numbers game is a tricky one. Bad sales aside, the higher numbers stand the test of time, what they lack in new reader friendliness, they make up for in trust. “This comic lasted this long, it must be good”. With the absence of all the old comics, their history and three digit counts, the comic industry is uncertain. Will we reach 900 again without combining multiple series, changing names and adding decimal points? Let me know the answer in 75 years. Until then, keep buying the first issues just in case.


In Brazil, Turma da Monica(Monica’s Gang) have been only going forward and not stopping. Since the creation of the line of children stories Monica, Jimmy Five(Cebolinha), Chuck Billy(Chico Bento), Smudge(Cascão) and Maggy (Magali) have had residence in three notable publishers. Most recently sold in 2007 to Panini Comics, they are seeing their 85th issues this month. In 2011, Mauricio de Sousa Productions celebrated 500 issues of Monica, counting the previous series from past publishers( Abril and Globo). Monica’s main rival, Jimmy Five is going to hit 500 in February-expect a very special issue next month. The comics are 64 to 80 pages long, containing one to twenty page stories that are light on continuity(like most all ages books). Read the translated article below detailing Monica’s 500th.
Meanwhile , Pato Donald(Donald Duck) 2,427 is available on Brazilian newsstands this month by Abril. Yes, that is two thousand, four hundred and twenty seven.

Abril

Monica reaches 500 issues

Panini/ MSP

After 40 years, in which the character moved houses-going from three publishers- and appeared better, not fatter, than ever- Monica’s comic just achieved a historic 500 issues. Created by Mauricio de Sousa in 1963, the girl in the red dress with the blue bunny in her arms gained her own comic in 1970 by Abril editors.

Two hundred issues later, in 1987, she went on to be published by Globo publishers, who put out 246 editions of the comic book. And, in 2007, she moved to her current house, Panini, who is sending out it’s issue 54 this week-actually Monica’s 500th issue.

Mauricio’s character grew up over the years, the license adding an adolescent version of the character, dating her childhood neighbor, Cebolinha(Jimmy Five), But, aside from the success of “Monica Teen”, the classic version of the gang continues strong and solid with clever stories. That is what we can read in this special edition 500th issue.

There are two comic stories in the issue. In the first: Monica, Magali, Cebolinha(Jimmy Five) and Cascao(Smudge) and Jotalhao(Thunder) discover that all their tokens of these 40 years of adventure have disappeared from the memory room. With the help of the magic pencil of Marina, they head off in search of the treasure that we all keep inside of us. Pure poetry.

In the second story, staring Cebolinha (whose magazine will lag two years and two months to reach number 500, he complains), we discover that a different character took Monica’s place in the commemoration of the historical brand. What if she was never the most popular-and strongest- of the street? All it takes is a little time travel to try fix the past.

(Article written by Telio Nevaga on June 20th, 2011. Read the original article here)